Help!!! I got excited and... Well...

SO! I'm a frequently lurker, occasional poster and totally obsessed with my truck like the rest of us. I'm calling upon the suspension gurus of TW to help me out here. I own a 2014 DCLB and I put lots of miles on my truck. Up until recently I've been mostly highway commuting with my truck during the week and bombing/shuttling nasty FSRs and camping with my better half on weekends. When I bought the truck (and before I discovered TW) I was talked into a spacer lift by a local tire guy that typically works on full size trucks. I was unaware of the shortfalls and dangers these lifts can pose, and only after experiencing it myself did I realize how wrong he was. I recently bought a dual sport bike for commuting and now the truck sees 50/50 on/off road driving. I have a camper shell and carry 200-300lbs of cargo when I go camping, plus I tow dirt bikes on a trailer regularly. I've always found the stock springs spongy and since the 2" block went in it's been downright squirrely. I was doing research on lift upgrades so I could ditch the stupid spacers, and although I dreamt about an icon stage 3 lift, my budget really only allowed for basic 5100's all around with OME 885 coils up front and cheap AAL in the rear.... Maybe a deaver 2" leaf pack of I stretched it.

Here lies my problem.

I found a screaming deal on some Icon non-reservoir 0-2.5" rear shocks and I jumped on it, not thinking about icon's digressive valving and now I'm wondering how my truck will ride if I'm to complete my lift kit with anything other than Icon front suspension. Did I just shoot myself in the foot? Am I now stuck saving for and forking out for a full icon kit or would these with an icon progressive 1.5" AAL pair up ok with something a little more affordable? Say, my original plan of 5100's with 885's? I appreciate your input!

-Stu

 

You can still do OME or 885's up front but I would not recommend it. You will likely go to ICON front as well and may get a push pull type of scenario with your suspension due to different dampening/rebound rates if you go with something other than ICON. Think of it this way, ICON KING FOX CAMBURG as well as OME etc are designed to work together. If you look around and contact Wheelers/TOYTEC/DownSouth motorsports you can find a good deal on non-resi fronts. You will be glad that you bought a "matched" set-up.

 

I have icons all around and Dakars in the rear. Load it up!

 

I follow this guy's build and he's running 5100's + Eibach up front with Icon 2.0 shocks in the rear. Maybe you could PM him about how his ride is?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/radred06s-pyrite-build.341437/

 

You can get icon front coil overs for a little over a grand so I guess start saving!

 

I have a mismatched set. Same rear shocks you just bought along with an AAL, and Toytec/Boss coilovers in the front. It rides alright and I've had them on for the better half of a year. Took them offroad and have no complaints. I will eventually end up buying their coilovers for the front just to have a full set

 

Get some Icons for up front. Black Friday sales are your friend.

 

I forgot about Black Friday! That may be my calling to complete my setup... I think I'm going to save my lift install until I can ditch all the spacers at once. Ideally I'd get some entry level non-resi fronts to complete the set... 1200 will take a while to save though.

 

The new bilstein 6112's look pretty appealing too, and they claim they are set up with digressive valving as well. For half the price of an icon front end, it sounds awfully tempting...

 

If you are on a budget then get the bilstein shocks! If you want a shock that can be rebuilt then go for the icons.

 

Billies are good but there is a reason they are half the price.