Everything Elka and How They Compare

Just looked. Mine does not have one. Boot is over some sort of flange near the attachment point. Been running them about a year now without it. No problems. Didn’t even notice until your post.

 

Ok, cool. Yeah, it looks like it's just supposed to slip over the machined eyelet piece at the end of the shaft, and be zip-tied into place. I figured that's what it was supposed to do, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks!

 

I actually spoke to Elka about this and they told me to not put a zip tie on it!!! Installed mine as is without a tie so who knows.

 

Interesting. It's probably to allow water and other crap to drain out of them. I suppose it would be difficult for dust and debris to make it up inside the boot from the bottom anyway. I'm pretty sure the boots are just there to keep rocks and other garbage from pitting up the shafts.

 

This ^^^

 

Ho yus! My 2.0 suspension kit has shipped from the factory, will be here tomorrow! Will be a fun weekend installing it!

Ordered April 24, shipped June 9.

 

I was looking to get the spanner wrench from Elka as I seem to misplaced them.
Looked on their website and realized they upped the prices ~10%, at least for the 2.5DC.

I know their lead times are getting longer and longer now, but I wonder if the price change is due to popularity & demand or higher cost of material...

 

I could virtually guarantee it's due to the increase in materials cost, combined with increased demand (which is driving the materials costs even higher). The good news is that the metal price increases seem to be slowing down, but they're still at the highest prices seen in many years. Experts are predicting that supply chains will catch up during the second half of this year, but no one really knows if prices will just normalize or if they'll actually come back down. Even if they do come back down, the real question is whether manufacturers will drop their prices back down again (that typically doesn't happen). Here's a recent article about steel prices, but aluminum is doing basically the same thing: https://agmetalminer.com/2021/04/15/raw-steels-mmi-pace-of-steel-prices-gains-begins-to-slow/

I've been following a thread about the Apogee 3rd Gen rear swingarm bumper, which they've been developing for quite some time now. Their holdup at this point is that they can't get their hands on steel to produce them (at a reasonable price, anyway), so the product still has not been released.

 

Here's what happens to a Sport suspension 2018 with about 50k km on it, when you replace it with an Elka 2.0 2-3" kit and Deaver U402 stage 2 springs.

Steer axle: 1320 kg
Drive axle: 1120 kg

I had wanted the truck to be level but the rear went up more than I was expecting.

 

Care to measure hub to fender, it’ll be comparable and free of tire sizes and so on

 

Did you get it out for a rip yet? First impressions?

 

Elka Review
​

Here is my little review of my Elka shocks over the Canadian winter!

Elka Specs:

Elka 2.0 Aluminum front coil overs with rear shocks
2”-3” lift
#650 spring rate​

Installed: September 3, 2020 @ 183,000 km

PURCHASE​

I purchased the Elka’s from Krave Automotive in Calgary, AB. These are some wonderful people to deal with and have a wealth of knowledge! They seem to be very honest and are willing to discuss and compare any product. They used to mostly carry ICON Vehicle Dynamic and pretty much all their staff trucks ran Icon… until Elka came out with their truck suspension line. All has changed since then! Pretty much all of the staff have moved over to Elka. Krave will still install bring in Icon, King, and anything else but they will definitely recommend Elka, with good reason!

MY TRUCK​

Here is a little something about me and my truck. My truck is a 2010 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. It is a daily driver in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is usually outfitted with a bed rack and a RTT in the summer, and the same bed rack and a cargo carrier in the winter. I tend to “actually” off-road and push the truck to its limits only about 1-3 weekends a year. It pounds pavement for 90% of the time and the other 8% it rides are gravel and backroads going to my family cabin and other various camping locations. This is the whole reason why I only went with the 2.0 shocks; there really wasn’t a point to upgrade to the 2.5s and never mind the 2.5 Remote Reservoirs (RR). The only other option I would consider is going to the 2.5 RR with the dampening control. It would be totally sweet to control the ride quality for the 1% of the year I’m beating on the truck and suspension…

This truck sees +30°C to -40°C temperatures, road salt and sand, gravel roads, service roads, fires roads, no roads, muddy trails, sometimes 3ft of water, and a looooot of pavement. Canadian (especially Edmonton) roads are not know for nice and smooth roads… all parts of our vehicles get some real torture testing!

I previously ran the stock TRD OR Bilstein shocks with a ReadyLift 3” Front and 2” Rear block lift. I would never recommend a block lift to anyone. I was young and poor and that is all a could afford. I ran that block lift kit for around 5 years. Luckily, I did not wreck anything. The lifted ride quality didn’t change much compared to stock but if anything, it got worse. Save your pennies and buy a real lift.

ELKA​

Elka is huge in the MX, ATV, UTV, and sledding market. They have been providing quality shocks for the powersport world for a while. They have recently come out with truck and SUV suspension systems.

Elka’s new website will direct you to which suspension system is right for you.

(these are all Krave builds and the two on the right are the Krave staff’s trucks)

https://www.elkasuspension.com/trucks/?c=01ef11badf06
​

Here is how the truck sits normally:

​

REVIEW​

First off, these things look amazing! I love the black, red, and silver colour scheme. The fit and finish of these shocks are superb. Nothing looks cheaply made. All hardware is quality and nothing was wrecked or stripped during the install.

Over the course of the winter, the shocks show very little weathering. There are some tiny rock chips on the rear shock but no rust. There is one bolt on the back of the rear shock that has some surface rust, as well as the rear top nuts, but nothing to be worried about. I did have some issues with one of my rear shock boots slipping off the shock body and getting kinked at the bottom where the shaft is. I simply added a bigger zip-tie and it has been good since.

Before winter hit, I covered all the visible metal in Fluid Film and I covered the front shocks with a neoprene cover. I want to make sure these things last as long as possible before needed to be rebuilt! Any discolouration on the shocks is due to the Fluid Film and dirt. After wiping down the suspension with some degreaser, it was still shining like the day I got them. Very impressive!

Overall, the truck ride has greatly improved since adding the Elkas. The trucks rides firm but can take big bumps and drops. Cornering is tighter and the truck doesn’t roll much. The nose doesn’t dive nearly as much when heavy braking. Highway driving is much smoother and the truck doesn’t seem to grab the ruts as much (thanks to the SPCs). The Elka’s soak up the bumps and dips on the backroads with no problems. It doesn’t ride like a Raptor, but it is a hell of a lot better than stock! It is also a much smoother ride than my buddy’s taco with Old Man Emu Nitrocharger shocks. My girlfriend has also noticed a major difference in the ride quality. I am definitely not worried about loading up the truck and bombing down the mountain roads! These Elka 2.0s look and feel much beefier than the stock Bilstein’s.

Honestly, one of my favourite suspension parts are the Timbren Active Off-Road Bumpstops U-Bolt Flip Kit. After installing the new Elka’s, I found there was still a harsh impact and stiffness in the truck’s rear. I then installed the new bump stops and everything was fixed. It was the cherry on the top. Now I can hit potholes and bad roads with a fully loaded box and not break my back. I am every seriously thinking about getting the Timbren LCA bump stops (Active Off-Road Bumpstops Sku#ABSTOF - Front Kit). I think this will complete my suspension system.

The shock collar spanner is not my favourite tool to use during the install when adjusting the preload/ride height, but it works. I ended up using a punch to do most of the work. Thankfully you only need to deal with the shock collar spanner during the initial install and maybe once later down the road for some slight adjustments.

I got the alignment shop (4 Wheel Auto Wholesale) to adjust the front coils to their recommended height prior to the alignment. They set the coils about level with the rear and said the front coils will settle after a little breaking in. Months later and the coils have settled ever so slightly. Kind of weird to me. I would prefer a little rake to the truck, especially so it doesn’t have the Cali Lean when loaded up with camping gear. Overall, I am stoked on how the alignment came out! I believe the SPC UCAs are a must for these Elka socks setup (especially the 2”-3” lift).

Overall, I am very happy I went with the Elka’s. I am not regretting getting the 2.0s but the 2.5s wouldn’t hurt. I am hoping these will last me a long time before I have to rebuild them. I will update everyone if there are any problems in the upcoming miles.

POST WINTER PICTURES
(April 6, 2021)


All wrapped up and dirty.


Over off and cleaned up.
(the neoprene covers kept everything super clean!)


Top of front strut.


For people wanting to count thread count preload.
(I counted 16 threads)


For people wanting to see measured preload.
(15/16")


View of the shaft.


Bottom bolt.


View of the full front strut.


Inside of neoprene cover.


Rear shocks dirty.


Rear shocks cleaned.


Top of rear shock.


Top of rear shock.


Rear shock body.


Rear shock body.


Rear shock body.


Rear shock shaft.


Timbren rear bumpstops.

​

Other suspension parts I am running:

Old Man Emu Dakar Medium Leaf Springs (EL096R)
(October 29, 2019 @ 168,000 km)

Timbren Active Off-Road Bumpstops U-Bolt Flip Kit (ABSTRFK)
(January 24, 2021 @ 190,700 km)


SPC Greaseable Upper Control Arms (25470)
(September 3, 2020 @ 183,000 km)


Icon Neoprene Shock Covers – Long (191009)
(December 3, 2020 @ 188,100 km)​

You can see more about the install and comparison pictures here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dpeles-2010-tacoma-dcsb-trd-off-road.513394/page-2

PRICE​

Here is the price breakdown for my setup:
(prices may very by location and new pricing, tax included)

 

Impressive review Dan. I will add to this,
I am super impressed with the 2.0. I drove it hard offroad for three days keeping up to some other overbuilt rigs and these do not disappoint.

 

Just finished installing my 2.5 res rear shocks. Couldn’t find what to torque the upper bolt to. Does anyone know? And how do you prevent the shock from spinning? The res housing keeps making contact with the frame

 

I just installed the same shocks on the rear over the weekend, and had the same question/issue. I felt like that bolt didn't get very tight at all compared to the shocks i pulled off, but maybe it's just because that spacer is made out of a harder material than the squishy OEM rubber one. As soon as I started to get any kind of tension on the bolt, the shock was spinning and the reservoir outlet would bang against the coil bucket.

I believe you're supposed to clamp something onto the little flat piece on the exposed part of the top shaft (above the nut), but even with a big pair of vice grips clamped on there, I couldn't get much torque on that bolt because you have to use a box wrench instead of a socket with a torque wrench or breaker bar. Even with another wrench on the end for additional leverage, it was trying to spin the shock instead of tightening the bolt any further. I realized that with the nut being a nylon locking nut, it's probably not really designed to be torqued that tight.

 

torque spec is like 24 ft.lbs. that end needs to be able to change its angle as the shock cycles through a compression, rebound stroke. That's why there is a rubber mount above and below the mounting point. There is a pinned thread in TW with all the torque values. Just can't find it at the moment on the mobile app.

 

This one? It’s what I was going off of for the entire swap. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

 

I felt the same way. No matter what I used to clamp that flat piece and use an open end wrench on the nut I just couldn’t get enough torque on the shock and ultimately the shock wants to still spin/rotate. It will only get worse as it cycles through its suspension. I just don’t want the hose clamp to make contact with the frame

 

Yes, and it is 15ft.lbs.