Front quick strut defect?

No. Well, I am not sure where it came from. I honestly don’t remember getting front assemblies. Anyway, it’s been on my truck for years without any issues. I didn’t think much about the insulator being indicative of a pre-assembled coilover until empty-lord mentioned it. I thought to myself, I said “self, if there’s a decent pre-assembled coilover out there, this is it.” Turns out to be a monroe. Seems though, that this was from a time when they made them better.

 

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that the coil on the old one is longer and has more preload.

 

Kinda, yeah...

Unless you go out and get genuine OEM parts, it's not all that reasonable to expect that replacement to be 100% the same in every way.

They're cheap for a reason.

As others have said, people need to manage their expectations. Seems like a lot of folks expect 100% OEM equivalence out of auto part store brand (i.e. cheap junk) that costs less than half as much. Parts store stuff is simply something that bolts up and doesn't explode when you use it. That's "good enough" for people who don't want to spend a lot of money.

If you want true OEM quality, buy OEM. If you want something better, or that has the ability to be tuned exactly to your liking, you're going to have to shell out for King, Fox, ADS, etc... You don't necessarily need to spend $1500 to get something adjustable, but you're going to have to spend more than $140.

 

The TRD shocks are Bilsteins, yes, they say Bilstein right on them. And yes, they are not the same as the Bilsteins you can buy off the shelf. There have been a few people who've done threads on this and done side-by side comparisons. The Factory TRD Bilsteins are much smaller in diameter meaning they don't have the same oil capacity, which means they'll overheat sooner, and just generally don't have the same performance.

No one should ever in a million years spend the money to replace their warn out shocks with genuine TRD replacements. Just get the 4600s or the 5100s.

Interesting side note: The Bilstiends came on the TRDs except for the doublecabs, which had the KYBs. I've never happened upon a good reason for why that is. Not that it matters, all of our 1st gens should have gone thru at least a set or two of shocks by now anyway.

 

If you're unsure if you have the "taco lean", there is no reason to try and "correct" it. It's purely a cosmetic issue. If you haven't noticed, don't bother.

Why are you talking about OME springs if you don't want a lift?

ALL OME springs are lift springs. If you don't want a lift, don't get lift springs.

I'm not sure why someone would do that. That's not going to be any different than just running the stock springs or "stock replacement" springs. There are companies like General Spring that you can get just the spring.

If you want to run Bilsteins at stock height, get the 4600s and General Springs. You need to have them assembled, although some retailers will assemble them for you.

If you just want something that is easy to install, the quickstruts are a good bet. Are they 100% equivalent to OEM? Of course not. But as I and others have said, they're "good enough" considering the price.

 

I'm calling bullshit here.

They are fucking advertised as being OEM equivalent. Not somewhat equivalent!

It's NOT unreasonable to expect a 20 year old truck to ride the same height with new assemblies, if anything, we all would expect the height to be higher.

I just want know who is selling assemblies that will give me the same height as what I started with. I never asked for equivalent quality, just height

I could give 2 shits if they start to fail in 20k miles. Everyone local advertises their assemblies as lifetime warranty. Swap them out for free and quickly move on...hence wanting to go with assemblies.

We are driving 20 year old trucks because we know how take them apart and put them back together.

Fuck all your suggestions to buy OEM assemblies. Is the dealership gonna let me return them when I find those fuckers are too short as well? No likely.

Looking forward to hearing more.

 

Let me get this straight- you want factory/OEM height, but you're not willing to use factory/OEM parts because it's too inconvenient? And you're not sure if those factory/OEM parts will give you the ride height you're after?

Ya know what will for sure give you the right height you're after? Adjustable/rebuildable coilovers. And- they won't have to be replaced in 20k (and even if they did, you can rebuild them).

 

Calm down there captain.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equivalent

tl;dr

 

Agreed, we are both saying 4600 is a better choice than OEM TRD, and especially OEM stock.

This thread is comprised of tens of ways of saying the same thing and lots of people biting their tongue to continue it, myself included.

 

K. I think by now I get that the Monroes are considered crap. & to clear this up, I did not expect them to last me 10 yrs, nor did I for a minute believe they would be OEM or higher end quality. I really don’t know where in this thread I indicated that. However it seems as though some think I did.

What I did not expect was that it one year the Monroes would be in the shape they are. & mind you, much of this year was spent in traction, so very few miles were put on them.

That said, what I have been receptive to is all the education, kicked off by @Kwikvette regarding coils & then others taking it further. I can read up on this stuff from other sources, but the different styles of explaining on TW are great. Someone could explain something & it doesn’t quite click til someone adds something else & then what the other member posted makes sense.

I had changed oil, plugs, etc. since I was 16, however not much beyond that unless I was helping someone else. I started the truck rehab 4 yrs ago. My 1st job was body mounts & if you had asked me how it is that the body is attached to a frame back then, I would not have known. Not because I wouldn’t have been curious, but because my wandering wondering mind often sticks to things I see or experience.

I almost got in an accident 4 years ago. I slammed on the brakes & felt the cab kind of lurch. I experienced it. I then got curious & researched it. I brought it to a shop & the guy dissed my diagnosis & later had to “eat crow”. When I decided to do them myself, I lifted the cab & was amazed. Seriously....

The bushings certainly are not as involved as many of the other things I have done. & by that I mean the inner workings. Rack & pinion for instance, being one that is. I used to just get in the truck & go. Steering wheel turned, tires turned....

You get the gist I hope. My main point here is I most likely would not have done the body mount bushings if i had not joined TW to figure out what the heck was wrong when the mechanic screwed them up. & all the stuff I have done from there on out has been because members have taken the time to explain how things work or why they won’t work this way or that way....

I find it an honor when someone comes to me because I understand something & they want me to help them until they understand it as well.... This is all I am looking for on here....
It enables me to make good, educated decisions. I can stay focused because I have an understanding of what I am doing. & hopefully, I can pay it forward.

 

See? More learning to do. Someone had suggested 4600’s & the 880’s. I did do some research on the 2880’s last night & realized they do lift. There’s more curiosities to it, however those are for another time & place or maybe a PM or two....

& thank you for the general springs suggestion

 

I'm unaware of General Springs as having coils (I haven't checked, but also never heard of), but I have helped members install their OEM-replacement leaf packs.

Definitely recommend a set if you don't want to spend a ton of money, but wish to regain your lost ride height and payload capacity that you once had with your original leaf pack.

In fact, I think I posted pictures for you in another thread you created and even suggested General Springs?

 

Are you sure they weren't recommending the 880's with the 5100's? That's a very popular combo. The 4600's are only for stock height.

I may have even discussed this before, but years ago I "lifted" my truck using the original coils and leafs, and just got 5100s. I set the shocks on the middle setting which is equivalent to about an inch of lift, then got some longer shackles for the rear, all for "an inch of lift". It's in quotes because that's an inch over it's current state, not the factory height. So assuming my springs had sagged 0.5-1.0", that was basically bringing it *back* to stock height, lol...

Here's what it looked like right after the 5100s and shackles (and almost getting stuck in soft mud on the Lake Shasta shoreline):

I just looked at their website again and they appear to have plenty of coils, just not for the Toyotas.

I am apparently a big fat liar.

@Kristi with a K it appears I may have misled you with the coils. My apologies.

I think you'll be more than fine with those quickstruts. As I've said, they may not be exactly the same and OEM, but for the price, they're really your best bet for a "stock replacement" (i.e. stock height). A few mm here or there isn't going to affect your ride to any noticeable degree.

 

Yes. I believe you did. I thought he was referring to gs as a source for coil springs

I certainly hope I am all set for leaf springs after my ATS fiasco.

Shoulda listened to you....

 

I'm still learning too don't worry

Everything I say is off of memory, and I don't even have a Tacoma.

 

FIFY.

That's the only reason we still like you.

 

I would like something that will last of course. But more importantly not lead me down another “something’s not right” road. & who knows what all is getting screwed up whilst the quick struts were getting all twisted.

I don’t know about yours, but my truck “pukes up”, as I like to call it, certain kinds of parts. Axles was one. Yes, aftermarket, however it has certainly been happy with other non Toyota parts.

Now either the quick struts were defective or my truck, yes, puked them up. No matter because all the well intentioned, constructive advice has led me to rethink the situation. I have put too much work into the suspension to install coilovers that my truck doesn’t like.

Furthermore, I should not be in traction the way I have been & I do like to drive & play in the mud & snow (makes winter more bearable).

That said, this past weekend was tax free in taxachusetts. I was hoping to have all my ducks in a row & take full advantage of it. I did LOTS of research & this is when I figured out the 2880’s wouldn’t suit me. Moogs would be a better choice, however they are unavailable. (Made in China?) I had also read an interesting thread in which someone put the lower rated Moog coils on the 5100’s & ended up with an awesome ride. (I do get that this is subjective). He had a prerunner though & was using a coil that was not for the 4wd.

No matter though, being a Moog, it was not, yup, available.

Soooo.... on the edge of your seats, yes? I did order a set of each the 4600’s & the 5100’s. I can return whichever one I don’t use, however I cannot get a tax free break if I were to change my mind.

I like the idea of having the option to lift a little if I so choose. I also like it comfy, but not too soft. I have time to research more, ask questions....

For now, I did put on the other set of quick struts that Amazon said to keep as they refunded my money. I’ll use them for around town until I figure it out.

Oh, & just wait. I have yet to measure the rears....

 

I found it interesting that the 3 moogs for my truck only have 7 coils.... (In my limited experience I have only seen the 10/11). 2 are spring rated 465 & the other 550. The 550 is shorter. I started imaging a pen coil & pressing it down. Different width & lengths of coils & how it would react. Did I come up with much? Yeah. A little.

& yes, people do tell me I could sell tickets