Upgrade 5 lugger or trade for 4x4?

Yours is regular cab, his is access cab.

 

woops didn't see that. I still wouldn't trade it in you'll get taken

 

Have you considered trading for a prerunner instead of a 4x4? If you replace your suspension and lift yours, you will be accomplishing the same end.

 

The people at total chaos said the SAW parts are still available and referred me to somebody at NTP Performance, which looks like it's just a dealership or a part of a dealership in CA that does aftermarket parts. I called the number they gave me and have yet to hear back, but I can PM you the info I did receive.

Apparently MSRP for the U.C.A.'s is $745 and those shocks are $880 / pair, but then I'd want add-a-pack or add-a-leaf for $100-$200 and rear shocks for $400 or so.

I don't want to go spacer at all. I wish I could find those pictures again, but I don't believe anybody will spacer lift a truck more than 3" - it doesn't take much, just think about how they work.

My (limited) understanding is that you have two options: You're parking a hockey puck looking thing on your shock. Now, either you don't pre-load it and the ride still feels nice, but your shock is still travelling as much as it would without the spacer, and therefore going 2-3" past where it was designed to go OR you get a "pre-load" spacer, where your coils are loaded down x inches, where x is the height of your spacer, and then the shock only travels from default + x to its maximum amount of travel.

The first method is fine I suppose if you never drive over speedbumps, potholes, on a crappy road, etc, but once you do has the possibility of destroying your ball joints. The second method shouldn't hurt much but you'll ride like you've got no shocks at all because you just reduced your suspension travel. Either way, I would much rather actually functionally improve my suspension one way or another, even if it is on a 2wd truck, than go with spacers.

I'm also absolutely dead set on driving a manual. So a prerunner is probably out. Besides, if I were to trade up, I'd just go ahead and get the 4x4 instead of cheaping out on that again - the biggest loss here is on trading in a 6 month old truck, moreso than what I buy next.

I think I'm going to at least feel out how bad the damage would be on trading up to a 4x4, given that in the current climate maybe I could get a good deal if I'm actually looking to buy a truck, especially if I go with a 2009. If its totally exorbitant I'm obviously walking away.

By the way, thanks for all of the feedback. I've gotten in touch with a couple of stealerships to see what they can do, so I'll let everyone know what happens. My plan now is just to find out what it would cost me OTD including sales tax, etc to trade up and weigh that against what I'd be spending on suspension + wheels/tires (again, probably $3k-$4k.)

 

wait for the 2010's and get a 4x4!

 

I've been considering the same options with what I would like to do with my truck. At the moment I need to save up some funds before doing either. I'll be interested in which one you choose. Personally, I like the idea of the coilovers, uca's, and an add-a-leaf.

One other thing to consider is that an upgraded suspension (coilovers, uca's, etc) on the 2wd might ride better than the stock suspension on a 4wd.

 

I figured the 2010's were out already - I'll probably be spending at least a couple of weeks to a month on this "project". unless the dealers are totally uncooperative.

And yeah, it certainly could ride better, but it won't be 4wd, not to mention I bet I could do the same upgrades to a 4x4 much cheaper since there is more than one company making shocks, coilovers, etc for 4wd vehicles.