Suspension

Hello, new to the off-roading scene but I’m planning on starting my build. I drive a 2022 Tacoma off-road 4x4. I was planning on getting bilstein 6112 in the front and 8100 DSA in the rear. I’m planning on mainly going fast in the desert, maybe a slower trail here and there, this is also my daily. I was just seeing how this set up would fair or if there is something better. Also I’m not sure what leaf spring to go with and what circlip setting is. Also also, I plan on getting after market bumpers and possibly a hard shell in the back or a soft topper with a rack not sure yet but Im not sure how that’ll factor in with suspension. Thanks

 

Welcome to TW.

I would start here and go from there:
https://youtu.be/u7cygv76f8Y?si=5-L-9--BY1wCNQrM

 

Hey, first of all welcome, the offroad community is the best in the world and full of phenomenal people.

At this point we have blind tested 20 different complete shock packages for the toyota tacoma platform. We just finished our low budget and mid budget series a few months ago and alot of my preconceived notions were completely wrong, while others were re-affirmed.

To be up front, 6112s did not win the mid budget test however they are cheaper than even some of the low budget shocks, and they beat out 2.5" shocks with reservoirs and double/triple adjusters for the front. We all agreed they are definitely the best "dollar to fun ratio" of any shock out there.

I sorta disagree with the Bilstein engineers about the usefulness of the DSA+ vs a bypass in the rear. The main reason the DSA+ rears came out is because folks are using the bypass improperly, on vehicles with high COG's (campers, tall RTT's etc) in which case the additional leverage on the dampers can open the tubes around corners and induce body roll and a sort of jittery handling feeling. Bypasses by nature are not great at handling weight or massively varying loads in my personal experience... although i completely close my tubes when im hooked up to a trailer which seems fine. You can adjust the dual compression adjuster smooth bodies as much as possible and it will still not perform as well as a shock with zones (like the bypass 8112), however it is a significant savings in cost so if the bypass is out of the question its a great option.

Unfortunately there is no heavy load variant 6112 for the tacoma (only the 4runner), so if you need anything heavier than 650 lb springs you get a huge reduction in performance (similar to downgrading 5100s by adding OME springs). If you plan to add over 150 pounds of weight on the front end i would save up and get a front setup that can be revalved to accomodate the additional spring force. Most of the 8112 zone control stuff i ship out is for folks with bumpers/winches and there are 3 internal pistons that can be revalved to dial in the spring rate changes, although to be totally fair, the King 2.5 front coilover is also the best OEM valved traditional coilover (meaning no zones) I've found and if you can nab a used set on marketplace or something they can be revalved with better seals than King uses and last for a long time.

 

Thank you so much for all of the amazing information, it was very helpful. Also I’m curious about your tests and what performed the best in the mid range?