How to plan a build/ suspension help

Hey y’all I’m building up my 3rd gen looking for help! I want to add sliders , RTT , bed rack etc . It’s gonna be my daily driver but I want to be able to handle the weight. Do I need to/should I upgrade the suspension from stock? I can’t seem to find info on how much to upgrade or what kind. Any help would be appreciated!

 

The best bet is to start looking around.

Find someone who has a setup similar (or probably even identical) to what you want, and then research/determine/ask them what suspension they have and how it rides and how they drive.

There are a lot of threads that you can use to check out different Tacomas and their setups.

 

I’d also consider how serious of a DD versus off road capabilities, and guesstimate a budget figure.

 

There is somewhere between a metric shit-ton and a metric fuck-ton of information on this site about suspension upgrades. Summary: yes, you'll need to upgrade your suspension if you want to carry more than a sparrow farts worth of weight over the rear axle.

Spacers if you're cheap AF and only care about aesthetics.
Add a leaf if you're a little less cheap, but still care about aesthetics.
New shocks and leafs if you want a truck that drives well.

 

You pretty much need to determine what your "etc" means. If it means hundreds of lbs more than what you listed, then yes, suspension should be prioritized. If sliders/rtt/bed rack are the extent of your list, then no, stock suspension is sufficient for handling a couple added hundred lbs or so. Now ground clearance/off road performance, thats an entire different topic from weight. Its all dependent on how you intend to use the truck/how much money you got.

 

Good points on added weight.
OP, the stock leaf packs are very forgiving,,, or weak as it relates to weight.
Measure before and after, Have some kids or friends hop in the bed and see what it does. Better yet, add weights, measure, AND take a test drive over some speed bumps.

 

You don’t have to do this all at once. Are you doing the labor/install? There are implications for the trucks evolution.

 

Reasonably decent shocks, 650# coils, single Deaver AAL with Sumo springs for a 1.5” lift has worked for me the last 50k.

You also might keep it stock, load your stuff, try it out, and find stock is good for you.

 

The rear will sag pretty significantly with all that weight.

I’ve got very similar set up that you plan to do, my truck is a DD. Running 2” OME lift. 2887 front coils, nitro charger softvalved shocks and medium (0-200 pounds) dobinsons leafs. No sway bar. Rides great, just wish it had more down travel at the front.

Don’t forget to get bed stiffeners! I checked out the back bottom corners of my bed today and found some small cracks from all the weight on my bed rails. Ordered some stiffeners today.

 

Hey y’all thanks for the replies just wanted to follow up with some answers . Initial budget is 5-7k per year to invest into the truck as needed .

it’ll be more DD than off road but I want it to be our camping off roading overlanding truck in the next 5 years and eventually it won’t be a DD anymore . Just an outdoors truck .

I do not want to go spacers route so it looks like a full upgrade is needed .

@rnish i plan to do a good portion of the labor myself however if it’s welding or cutting I’ll have to go to a shop since I do not have those level of tools yet!

thanks @Junkhead ill look into the bed stiffeners (beautiful truck )

 

See/ride in someone else's truck if possible. Then shop around for parts. IMO its not always best to buy a kit. Some things are more cost effective if you're ordering separately/tailoring to your specific build.

since you're doing most of the work yourself, you don't need to worry about taking it back and forth to a shop. And thats good.

I had 4 suspension setups before I got to where I am now. Its been a few years, but its in a good place. Live and learn whats good for you, and not necessarily the same for someone else. Grow your tools, knowledge, and skills with installs and you will be good in the long run

 

Best to upgrade all the essentials first in my opinion that to get all of the heavy items and to need to upgrade the core of your truck and not have the money to do it cause you spent it on other stuff first. Like others have said i would look around on TW and get a fell for companies/parts you would like for your specific build and start to order them. Some ppl wait till al at once but i was impatient and put them on as i went.

 

Welcome to TW.

I’d recommend calling @AccuTune Offroad tell them your intentions for your truck and see what they say. They’ll get you a kit for your truck and valved for the planned weight.

For a full package deal, Ironman is a great choice for the price. I have it and the only complaint I have is it’s a little stiff but the E rated tires are probably causing more of that than the suspension. The Foam Cell Pros are maintenance free as well. Some of the high end kits need to be rebuilt every few years or XX,miles, so keep that in mind.

 

Idk man.. I've always felt like Ironman is a knockoff of OME with better marketing. I also feel like Ironman is ebay quality.

but just my opinion..

 

Damn, that’s a pretty rough opinion lol. I’m happy with it and have had no issues that made me regret getting the kit. I can’t say anything about it being knock off OME, besides both based in Australia.

If you have time, check this video, goes a little in depth about it and the foam cells and Ironman https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G12zF12UnB0

The guy has some other great videos too.

 

Ill check it out today. I havent used Ironman myself, but installed a few on other people's trucks. They got the kit because it came with a free tire pressure gauge or some other gimmick.. but when they had an actual issue, hard to get in contact with them for a replacement

 

Thanks man!