Upgrading, from the Bilstein 5100.

Good afternoon y'all.

I just finished some work on my '02 F350, and I couldn't help but notice. My 1 ton F350 on lifted leaf springs rides smoother than my Tacoma.

Now before everyone freaks out. Here's my setup.

'21 TRD OR Premium 4x4, Factory coil spring, Bilstein 5100's on all four corners, fronts are on the 3rd clip.

It's not a terrible ride, don't get me wrong. And this is definitely subjective, and clearly my opinion and my preference is a softer ride. But man my setup right now is stiff, I can feel every bump in the road. Just for a 1.5 inch level.

So my question is, what's my options here besides a full coil over swap? I'm still on the factory tire size.. 265/70/16 at 30psi.

Fox? Kings? OME coils?

Anyone with a similar setup that has made there ride better I'm all ears before I drop thousands of dollars for a factory tire size lol.

 

Whats in the back?
OME 885x coils for $200 or so will get you a bit over 1.5. May need to counter with AAL in the back.
Rides fine IMHO.
Otherwise, pick your price point

 

Even when all things are equal, the Ford will feel smoother with a longer wheelbase.
Oh, yeah. That doesn't answer your question....sorry.
I feel like the suspension "upgrades" that most of us do make the Tacoma more off-road capable (longer travel, valving to absorb bigger hits/drops, etc); those things don't help around town or highway smoothness. If that's a priority, I'd consider softer springs and highway tires with more supple sidewalls.

 

Load range for the tires on each? I have e's on mine and bumps and potholes can feel and sound pretty jarring. When I test drove a '23 with super low miles and stock tires I don't remember it being that way, it was pretty smooth.

 

Factory tire load rating.

Lot of talk of sagging coils over time, but I'm willing to throw away $200 and a afternoon swapping the coils.

 

Well, TW is full of misinformation. Mine and others did not sagged.
You mentioned OME , 1.5" lift and the budget.
855 fits the bill.
We won't get offended

 

The problem is short wheel base, limited travel and spring/shock dampening.

Not much you can do, I love me kings or 6112s, but it still rides like a truck after.

 

Take a look at Eibach coils. American made. Will not sag & you won’t have to preload them as much to achieve your lift, as you do with your factory coils, resulting in a better ride.

 

You have a link or a Part #?

 

https://eibach.com/products/pro-lift-kit

 

Updating here,

I had the truck Off-road quite a bit during the snow storm and can confirm the 5100's did great. Still rides like shit on the road in my opinion, but since they did so great off-road, I'm sure it's because they're made for that being digressive shocks.

Wild card, I found a post on Reddit, claiming that the 5100 will ride exactly the same, no matter the Cir-clip location and it's because the top of the shock is made to extend up or down given that said clip location, and that it's independent from the bottom shock ram, I can't confirm or deny that, but that's what I read, if that is infact the case, I'm not sure new coils will be the end all be all to fix the firm ride on shitty South Carolina roads.

I think I'll eventually go with the Fox 2.5 Elite mid travel setup from Accutune after a few overtime checks, get the UCA done, the new coil overs and leafs all in once shot, that way I can actually make adjustments and have something close to the best of both worlds. $6,000 is a bit but I can install everything myself less the $150 alignment afterwards and maybe I can get like $400 for the Bilstein setup.

Builds never done right.

 

Bump,

I'm looking at Dobinson IMS as a full replacement, this setup is gorgeous but man it rides ROUGH.

If anyone has Dobinson, I'd love to hear about it

 

I'm on 5100s and I can say I think mine rides better on the 5th clip than the 4th. I always read that people say it will ride worse as the higher you go on the clip settings and hear others say it not true. Mine rides great!I went up to 285s in an SL rating. I had 265s on the 4th clip, but I think it's because more rubber on the road and keep in mind mine is a long bed. I have no problem with the 5100s as I seriously don't think you can get much better for the money. I run stock coils, 30 lbs of air pressure, ECGS bushing, front diff drop, and a rear carrier drop to keep it all in spec. Maybe check your angles and tire pressure and a good alignment. Maybe too much offset on those wheels as it looks like you have some serious poke. Just a thought, I'm not the best on suspensions but I'm very satisfied with my set up. Try two 50-pound sandbags in the bed of the truck and see if that helps. Maybe a leveled truck rides better than a truck with a rake, mines almost level, maybe a hint of a rake.

 

Sorry to say, that you may pay a lot more without happy results.....

 

Lockoffroad.com coils be a man

 

I'm running Dobinson IMS w/ 314 coils and 110R springs - gave me 2" of lift all around, ride is firm but compliant w/ 255/80/17 E load tires. Very pleased with how it turned out, highly recommend as a more reasonable option to Fox / Kings / Ride. You should contact Exit Offroad, they are a Dobinson dealer and very active on this forum.