Calling all Virginians (Tidewater area)

Just bought a new 2020 Cement TRD Sport and am looking for some advice/recommendations on lift/tires and rims, as well as a place to have the work done. I am in Virginia beach at the oceanfront and have a budget of 4K to get all the work done.

I like the 3" lift look, but I really want it up a little higher. Might be able to get that look with rims/tires instead of lifting higher than 3"?

I appreciate the advice and recommendations!

 

I run Dobinsons and love it Great ride. With no armor I got 2.75” up front then added 33” tires. 2nd gen here but I’d expert the same for yours.

 

Dobinsons full kit? I’m very interested in your observations.

 

Currently unable to ride, do trail A then B first. Maybe the best maintained trails I have ever ridden on.

If you need a good ass kicking try Yotktown.

 

Full front. 1.5” blocks in back for now. I’ve owned and ridden in various lifted trucks. The best ride I have been in by far. My stock taco rode like a dream. This setup isn’t far from it. Sliders and front skid dropped me about 1/4” and it isn’t quite as soft now. My truck is a daily commuter and so far I wouldn’t trade. My son swapped his T4R from failed front OME to Dobinsons after feeling my ride. Big improvement for him as well.

 

Ditto

 

Good stuff! Have you heard any noises from the front end? How long have you had it installed? I was gonna get an OME kit, but reports of “top-out clunking” from the shocks has me reconsidering.

 

I have zero noise. Clunking shouldn’t happen on springs and shocks. My has been on 6-8 months. I’ve done some light off-road that is mostly FS type roads. My sons T4R OME setup in about 2 years dropped over an inch with no armor or heavy use. Shocks didn’t hold up.

Edit: I likely will be in Hampton Memorial Day weekend if you want to have a look.

 

Totally agree, any sort of clunking or other weird suspension noises shouldn't be present with a kit designed to work together. I don't want my upgrade to end up being a downgrade, so that's why I'm researching Dobinsons in earnest. Just waiting on Miguel (same guy as @Crikeymike?) to get back to me on a recommended full Dobinsons setup.

If I'm not working on Memorial Day, I might have to take you up on that offer.

 

Think Dobinsons has 3 guys. May want to reach out to apex overland as well. They are knowledgeable and the Jillian runs Dobinsons on her GX.

 

Will do. I hope I'm close to exhausting all the information out there. I'm not making enough money to drop like 4k on parts without due diligence, but conducting all this research is damn near a part-time job.

 

My front end was under 500. Comparable to OME.

 

My current OME suspension setup is just under $3300, but that includes a new leaf pack, ECGS bushing, sway bar relocation, high angle CV axle boots, axle shims, carrier bearing drop kit, installation, sales tax, and shipping. I'm expecting to add a few hundred dollars since Dobinsons is more expensive.

 

That was just shocks, springs, lean spacer for me. I did install and bushing myself. That bushing was a b to get out.

 

No, Miguel is a young guy who works at the Dobinsons USA main office. I'm Mike (Crikeymike) and have been selling Dobs for 4 years now. And I sold ARB for 11 years before that too

 

Bringing the BS over here to avoid stomping on the group buy thread.

I think I'm the opposite to you when it comes to PMs. The black truck got rode hard and put away a few too many times, so I got the brown one to replace it.

Know the recommended service intervals, keep it clean, and know what the environmental issues are that you need to deal with. In VA Beach, maybe some salt water depending on you location, occasional snow but overall pretty mild. I'm in San Diego on the beach so I'm fighting sun and salt. Before in Texas and Louisiana I had a garage to keep it out of the elements.

I knew very little about vehicle maintenance before I got the Tacoma, but made it a point to learn. TW led me to meet some cool people that were happy to share their knowledge for a bit of beer. I'm sure there are a few out there willing to do the same as long as you aren't bringing drama around and have acceptable social skills.


For me the best suspension test is ass in seat. Before I bought my latest leaf pack I reached out to a local member I'd never met before that had the a very similar setup to what I'll be running to see if I could test drive his truck, he said yes.

 

Gotcha @hoarder23. I guess I’m in a unique situation right now and didn’t want to regret missing out on the DK LCA group buy discount.

Got a new (to me) truck, so I care about keeping it in tip-top shape.
Planning on having suspension work done soon, so installing new LCAs wouldn’t take a whole lot of extra effort.
Been working 60 hours a week for the past 3 months, so I‘ve got the funds to throw down.

The only catch: I’m not keen on lighting large sums of money on fire. If Dirt King LCAs don’t offer a significantly longer ball joint and bushing lifespan than OEM (for 99% on-road use), then that money is wasted.

 

How much are the actual parts? You can do most of that yourself fairly easy.

 

My friend, I think you drastically overestimate my abilities. I had never even done an oil change before a week ago. Attempting a highly invasive task myself (like installing suspension components) would be fine if this truck wasn't my daily driver and only vehicle. Since that isn't the case, the stakes are significantly higher.