Upgrading suspension for the first time

Hello Tacoma world I’m looking for guidance on upgrading the suspension on my 2022 Tacoma SR5 Crew Cab 4x4 (Extended Bed).

My current suspension is stock and has gotten me everywhere I have asked it to, and I don't plan on going on much more rugged trails. With that said I think I have overworked the stock setup considering my camping set up adds about 400-500lbs.

I currently have small 245 wheels and will be upgrading to 265s, or maybe 275s.

Front Suspension:
It seems Bilsteins are the consensus pick for beginner upgrades. Should I go with 5100s? and if so what kind of coil should i get? is an aftermarket coil overkill for me or is it reasonable to upgrade the coil along with the shock?

I don't have any sort of heavy bumper or skid plates mounted. but i think i will eventually get ski plates

Rear Suspension:

Option 1: Add-a-Leaf (AAL) kit base quality

Option 2: Medium-heavy duty AAL kit

Option 3: Full leaf pack
Rear Shocks:

Should I upgrade to Bilstein 5100 or 5160?

I will match the lift whatever kit i choose for the rear adds, for the front. I am expecting about a 1.5" lift with an AAL kit and don't want to get new UCAs.

My biggest question is a basic AAL enough for my constant 400-lb load, or should I go with a full leaf pack or the equivalent of a heavier duty AAL upgrade?

If I sound like i have no idea what i'm talking about, it's cause i have no idea what i'm talking about. feel free to enlighten me.

Thanks!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/suspension.18/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/wheels-tires.15/

 

I would say a full leaf pack sounds like the way to go. You will most likely end up doing that after the add a leaf starts sagging if you go that route. I have the icon rxt pack and have been great for me so far.

 

Bilstein recommends you keep the stock coilovers, if you want the same ride. If your adding more weigh to the front, then you may want to consider aftermarket.

 

welcome aboard

 

As far as the front shocks, the 5100’s have a 4 or 5 position clip ring. Eibach has pre assembled coil overs that use a threaded collar and come with a spanner wrench so it can be adjusted while assembled and mounted, I believe. Either way, I much prefer the collar style adjustment.

Seems that would have some benefit in fine tuning as well adjusting for Taco Lean, if that’s your thing.

edit- these would not be the same price as a 5100, especially if you reuse the factory spring.

https://www.shocksurplus.com/produc...-kit-for-2016-2022-toyota-tacoma-w-0-2-5-lift

 

Definitely go new leaf pack.
Icon RXT or Deaver are the most popular choices. I personally went Icon RXT because they were almost half the price of Deaver u402.

As for tires -
Do you just want wider to look cooler?
What kinda driving do you mostly do?
Do you ever leave the pavement?
Do you need 3 peak rated tires for snow driving?
Do you need E rated tires for off roading over rocks?
Are you wanting 31", 32", or 33" tires?

Every tire is a trade off for something, no tire does everything perfectly. So you should really decide what you need the tire to do best and be ready for the trade offs you will be sacrificing.

 

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback!

I have done a lot of reading and listening since making my post and have gathered the following:

Shocks upgrade I feel are most appropriate:
Bilstein 6112 (Front) and 5160 (Rear) Combination

I haven't dove into the leaf springs heavily yet, but have gathered a new set of leaf springs will likely mean a slight to moderate lift in the rear. I will decide how much to lift the front based on how much the rear gets lifted.

Ideally I want little to no lift, with 1" all around being my preferred maximum. I do not want a super aggressive look, nor do i want to compromise highway ride quality.

To go along with this I am looking to get 265/65 or 256/60 A/T Tires. I have also gathered that I should be looking for a tire with load range E, and 115+

Please let me know what you guys think!

and in case anyone is wondering what it currently looks like, there is a photo.
I have aluminum slides with wood boxes on top as drawers and crates full of goodies. I haven't taken the truck to a weigh station YET but I think it's between 500-700lbs of added weight. I'm certainly overdue for my leaf springs upgrade

 

Mind if I ask why E rated tire?
Tacoma's can't carry enough weight to ever need E tires on road, the only reason to go E is if you off road hard, a 115 load index is way beyond what a Taco can carry. A set of 115 tires can carry almost 11,000lbs. With E tires you are just throwing away pavement MPG and power.

As far as leaf pack your best bet would be to load the truck up for what you normally carry, go to a Cat Scale to find your weight, then talk with a vendor about what setup would work best for you.
User Memario1214 is who I have bought my leaf pack from and I just ordered new shocks from him just recently.
User Accutune Offroad is another really knowledgeable vendor on here that sells both Icon and Deaver.

From my experience going with an Icon RXT leaf pack on option 2 you will probably sit just above 1" of lift with all the weight you carry. That is about what I have and when fully loaded with a gvwr of around 6000lbs.

 

I’ve heard good things about these guys. They can probably make a set of leaf springs to carry the load you want and not give you too much lift or any of you don’t want.
https://www.alcanspring.com/

 

Hmm I'm afraid i've misinformed myself. This may work out in my favor as my neighbor is selling a set of 4 brand new TRD 20" wheels with Falkan Wilpeak AT3 265/60/20 for just $1250 rims and tires included. I originally passed on them because they are only 112H. Do you think this is a mistake? Should I pick them up? The value certainly appears to be great that is the exact tire size im looking for after all.

 

It would be a question of do the rims fit the Tacoma. You would need to know the offset and backspacing.

Too much negative offset and they can rub when turning.
Too much backspace and they can hit your suspension components.

 

Agree with this. Sounds like these may be Tundra wheels which are not going to fit.

 

20" wheels are far too large proportion-wise for a Tacoma, IMO, even if they do fit.

 

If they are 20” TRD wheels as stated by OP they have to be Tundra wheels.

 

Glad I found this thread as I'm kind of in a similar position as the OP. Daily driver, winters, and 4-5 trips of (not too technical , def not MOAB) off roading. Not changing wheels or tires, but looking at new suspension and lift with current static load:

2018 TRD OR, stock plus
Skid plates ~200lbs
Rock sliders ~120lbs
Bed Rack ~73lbs
Future purchase after suspension is done (or should I do this before?) RTT ~143lbs

Input is always appreciated.

 

That's exactly right. They are off of a new tundra. I meant to include that in the message. They are 32.5 inches tall and I don't think they're are going to fit sadly mostly due to the offset though, correct if I'm wrong but they're plus 50mm+?

 

Without digging too hard I'm seeing 50/55/60mm+, so no, they won't fit (without serious modification). OEM Tacoma Offroad wheels are 16x7 +25mm and barely fit skinny 33" tires (33"x10") due to cab mount and UCA clearance. Spacers could push the Tundra wheels away from the UCA but make the cab mount situation worse. Anything can fit with enough trimming, but I wouldn't go through all that work to rock 20" wheels that you got on a deal vs. just buying the tire size you want.