Question about suspension and sway bars

This is a false assumption. 5100s will still allow your wheels to droop more if both wheels are in droop (think driving off a tall ledge). The 5100s are also a fatter shock with 46mm piston instead of the stock 35mm piston, with more fluid for cooling. This means less shock fade when driving on washboard dirt trails for longer periods.

 

Even 4600’s would be fine in your circumstance. More allows for more but the gains are incremental unless you do a whole package so don’t expect too much from one small change. Stock it’s a pretty soft suspension that doesn’t handle payloads very well(rides low and hits the stops) but if you run in the lower weight range it’s ok. To be either a working truck or handle serious off roading it needs upgrades to either limit sag, increase travel or both.

 

@JasonLee “mechanically limited” as opposed to what? The mechanical limitation of the OEM front suspension is the length of the coilover. 5100’s increase travel by 1.2 inches, nearly a 20% gain over OEM. The video you posted explains that.

@nd4spdbh Rear 5100’s come in three different lengths. The B110 version has 11” of stroke, making it the longest shock that can be installed on a Tacoma without a shock relocation.

@b_r_o OP is asking about modifying his “bone stock” truck, and originally asked about removal of the sway bar. You are free to read the experiences of those of us who have configured trucks with and without sway bars and have driven for decades both ways, without trying to police others’ prerogatives to find out what works for their desired builds and styles of driving.

Likewise, it sounds like you are not comfortable with driving without a sway bar and removing it would not fit the soccer mom lifestyle, and no one is advising you to take it off.

 

@Taco_Mando You mentioned fire roads; the firmer valving of the 5100’s can feel rougher on fire roads.

Excluding sway bar removal to make the high frequency bumps more plush, you can gain the most comfort on fire roads by (carrying a good air compressor and) airing down your tires to 18 or 20psi when you leave the pavement.

 

My original question was probably posted prematurely in light what I know and don't know about trucks and modifications. I've been encouraged to change my shocks because of the age and mileage of the truck, but then I wondered if that would lead me into the path of making more changes. I also watched some videos more specifically one on extended travel and wondered why the sway bar on that video was removed. This forum is giving me some valuable insights and hopefully will help me make an informed choice. Definitively feel more informed now than yesterday. Thank you to everyone.

 

If it’s a simple maintenance issue and you’ve been happy with the truck thus far, save your money and put some newer used OEM shocks on the truck. Check out Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and the 2nd and 3rd Gen Buy/Sell/Trade sections on this website — people offload low mileage takeoffs all the time; they are really cheap and anything from 2023 and previous will fit your truck.

 

And you are free to read other people's opinions without labeling everything you don't agree with misinformation

I'm not leaving my sway bar on because I'm "scared", I'm leaving it on because 99% of the time I'm sharing roads and freeways at high speed with other drivers. If you have to swerve suddenly to avoid a collision the chances of a rollover are significantly increased without it. That puts other people at risk.

Sounds like having a sway bar installed doesn't fit your "race truck" lifestyle and I'm not advising you to leave it on.

 

Would lifting the truck 1 inch put the cv axels at risk of being damaged?

 

Nope, that only becomes a problem when you get around/over 3 inches or so

 

The OEM Toyota TRD lift kit lifts the front 2in so at least up to that should be completely safe.

 

Conflating “misinformation” with “disinformation” is an easy mistake.
https://princetonlibrary.org/guides/misinformation-disinformation-malinformation-a-guide/

I neither race nor jump my trucks yet I still enjoy the benefits of removing the front sway bar.

It’s not for everyone, and if you are prone to driving distracted (aka. driving with a child in the car) or likely to oversteer in an emergency, no one is telling you to do it.

A sway bar is also not a magic wand. It is a part of a system that needs properly inflated tires with good tread, appropriate suspension for the vehicle’s weight and weight distribution, and a prudent driver. Of the five trucks I’ve owned, I have rolled one — the only one that had a sway bar. If you send your truck into a skid or if you clip something at an angle instead of riding your brakes into a square hit, you are much more likely to go over.

 

Thanks! Over the weekend, I figured I would just remove the sway bar all together but the endlink nuts were basically welded tight

Not sure how to get those endlinks off?

 

More torque? Rust penetrant? (PB Blaster, etc.)
Or are the nuts frozen to the studs and they're just spinning within the steering knuckle?
If the studs are just spinning, one thing you can try is to park the truck with the suspension crossed-up (maybe using diagonally-placed oil-change ramps), this will put some tension on the links, hopefully then allowing you to unscrew the nuts. If that fails, then you may have to cut them off.