Concrete Washboards

Hey guys what's up! I've had my first Tacoma for a few months now. I drove a Scion Xb for the last 13 years. Its the TRD Sport, rwd. I really dig this truck for the most part....but yeah, that suspension tho...it's harsh. For anyone living in the Inland Empire in So-Cal and drives the 91 Fwy between the 15 and the 60, that stretch is basically a concrete washboard in this truck. This truck feels like its running Baja, but its really just the industrial park area of City of Commerce in LA. Down in Mexico, speed bumps on the main street pop up out of nowhere like 2AM leg cramps, and in this truck you will get tossed when you hit them. Maybe I'm being over the top here but I hope you get my point.

I don't off-road, I don't ever plan on lifting my truck. It's a rwd Sport trim, it's meant for the road in my opinion. It's my commuter, and it's my road tripper. I'm not a spirited driver, only when I'm hangry and it's drive-thru. From what I've gathered from searching the Forum is that Bilstein 4600's are what I'm looking for. Those are not in stock at the moment, but as I wait for them to be in stock, should I also perhaps look at something more comprehensive than just a shock replacement? Would a shock and spring assembly that's normally meant for off-road use be over kill for me since I'm not looking to lift? I just looking for better dampening.

 

It’s a common theme on the forum of people claiming their local roads are much worse than other places where Tacoma’s are sold, but I am unaware of any scientific evidence of this. My intuition is that places where it gets below the freezing point of water during the winter have greater challenges in keeping their roads in good shape. Albeit there are other challenges like soil quality, heavy rain, excessive heat, tectonic plate activity, etc that may or may not be greater. I’m not a civil engineer.

For the most part, there is no such thing as “better damping”. It’s more about tuning the damping to your springs stiffness, the vehicle’s weight, and the type of terrain and speeds likely to be encountered.

The advantages of more expensive shocks are increased heat dissipation (useful under heavy loads), consistency under load, adjustability, rebuildability, and general robustness. None of this is particularly useful for daily driving within the the design limits of the truck.

Also note that ride quality is affected by things besides the shock absorbers. Springs, suspension type, suspension geometry, sway bars, tires, vibration damping bushings and mounts, etc. enter the equation as well. The leaf spring rear suspension on the Tacoma is likely never to have the ride quality of a Cadillac.

 

You think you got bad roads come to South Carolina

 

I also drive the 91 in IE. I am in a stock 2020 TRD Offroad, which I believe has Bilstein 4600 stock. It's still crap, but can't compare to Sport.

The secret is to drive in the right two lanes, they are far less of a washboard for whatever reason.

But yeah it's hard to imagine anyone saying their roads are worse. It's literally a washboard, and there aren't even potholes. The pavement is just wavy.

Anyway I'm no expert on suspension but the other popular Bilsteins (5100 and 6112 and 5160) are digressive which makes street driving more "firm" or "rough" if there are bumps. Something like King or Fox is linear or progressive and much softer, so that may be what you need but it's very expensive... And probably not worth it.

If you do wanna go 4600, which I believe is the Offroad factory shock, you should check out the various classified ads for stock "take offs."

 

Bro! thanks for sharing your secret. I'm gonna have to ride over on the right lanes and see for myself. Definitely the cheaper alternative at this point.