Help a confused Ex Jeeper

Opinions please. I'm looking at lifting/leveling my 2010 Tacoma somewhere in the near future. I'm coming over from the Jeep world and I'm totally lost when it comes with lifting with IFS.

Initially I was just going to go with Bilstien 5100s and set them to 2.5" but seems like everyone always upgrades from there. That's when I get lost.

I know ICON is a very reputable brand but I have read that the ride is pretty stiff while crawling but they shine when speed is added in. I'm more of a service road and overland kinda guy so that's mainly what my truck will be used for.

Old Man Emu is a big name in the Jeep world too and the ride is always good if the correct coils are used but if the rig is too light the ride will be rough, of too heavy, the springs will sag. At this point I'm not sure if and what kind of bumpers and skids I'll be adding in the future.

Basically I need all kinda help here haha I've been on the forum and have done some research but I'm extremely lost still. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Bilstien 6112's in the front, with some SPC lightracing uca's

A proper full leaf pack that fits your needs in the rear. with some 5160's or 5100s in the rear.


If the 6112's were out when i did my lift i would of gone that route, but the 5100s that are currently on are great. just did ~ 80 miles in the desert etc and they do well.

 

First, thanks for at least having a clearly written thread.
Because of the first statement I helped you out with this link:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/suspension.18/

Second there is a search function because this question has been asked a few times previously.

 

Welcome to the TW,do a search on lifts specific to your truck and wants. Talk to a vender like Headstrong Off-road or Wheelers Off-road,and go from there.

 

Stay away from Icon. Not worth the headache. I know I'm going to get flamed for this but their quality and customer service has turned to absolute shit.

 

Rode with a guy on an icon lift and shit was bumpier than my OME lift.

 

Look at the Toytec BOSS kit.

 

OP didn't say how he intended to use the truck.

Lifting for looks for performance? I'll answer anyway.

I agree with @nd4spdbh . I had 5100 and they work, I went to Bilstein 6112's and it's much improved!

Full replacement leaf pack is way to go in the rear. Dakar is great value for the money, especially if you carry 300 lb over stock weight.

Wheelers super bumps at all four corners and, RCD B110 shocks in rear if using Dakar Pack.

That package works very well!

And a word of caution, steer clear of all OME shocks!

 

I said overland and service roads. I live in Georgia so there's no desert racing in my future Lol just mild wheeling trips. Nothing extreme

 

honestly every one here is going to give you their own opinion which leads to mixed reviews about every brand on here, I spent about 3 months of reading on here to decide on my selection. you kind of have to take an educated guess based on your own consensus of what others have said on here. Icon, OME, King and Fox seem to be the big names here followed by the common Bilsteins. if your looking for a one time buy without having to upgrade later you really need to decide on what kind of weight you will be adding first. plate bumpers, slider, winch, how much lift you really want to achieve etc... I haven't done my lift yet so I cant give you first hand experience but from what I have gathered if you want to do a true 3'' up front I suggest new UCA to help with alignment. most people run UCA with uniball joints which is great if you don't get salted roads in the winter months and seems like most people run Total Choas but theres lots of options. SPC and JBL offer UCA with regular ball joints. full leafs in the back as some have said before me. Dakars are good but ride rough if you don't have any weight in the rear from what I have gathered. All Pro standards have had good reviews if you don't have weight which is the route I will be going. but like I and others will say, search search search haha the answer you are looking for is on here, trust me, just have to take the time to read thru many of threads is all. if you are looking for some one to tell you what exactly you need, I suggest talking to a vendor like headstrong or wheelers

 

Thank you. Very well said

 

+1 on the 6112s. Love mine. On the 4th notch I'm damn close to dead level without lifting the rear. I didn't "need" UCAs for proper alignment but will likely add them down the road. I'm running 5160s in the rear and have no complaints.

 

My Icons ride great at speed, BUT they started leaking very prematurely and the coils developed this thing I've been told by eastern folks is called "rust".

Kinda disappointed in them since I thought I was buying "top shelf" parts. I've also had the infamous 5100's that started leaking within months and apparently it's pretty common(google it, tons of cases). I've now got 5100's on my wife's 4Runner and so far so good.

If I had to do it all over again I'd go King. I don't think very many people can say(and prove)King isn't at the top of the food chain and they aren't THAT much more.

 

Buddy has kings from down south motorsports and beats the shit out of em and never had an issue.

 

Did I mention when I mailed them both coilovers to be rebuilt they lost one. They atleast replaced it but made my truck sit on stands an additional week.

 

Hey your opinion is showing. Why?

 

My god, how do you lose an entire shock?!? Did the company recently change hands? I've been under the impression that their CS was excellent. Now I'm scared to send my leaky Icons in for a premature rebuild

 

Not sure how they lost it but they did the best they could and atleast replaced it.

 

What do you want to know?

 

Something to consider is if you want digressive or progressive valving, then decide on the shock from there. Digressive is firm at first and gets softer the more it compresses. This is better for street performance/stability and higher speed off road. Progressive is soft initially and gets firmer the more it is compressed, meaning it will result in a softer ride both on and off road, not being as performant on the street or at speed off road. Bilstien is digressive. In my Wrangler Rubicon I liked the soft riding progressive OMEs. In my overdriven-supercharged Tacoma, I like the digressive Bilstiens.