Is it just me?

Hi all,

Picked up a 2014 Tacoma TRD OR MT roughly 3 months ago with ~56,000 original miles. I previously drove a VW GTI and Civic SI before that, so my primary driving experiences have been with smaller, sportier, stiffer cars.

I now own/daily my first truck. I'm concerned that my suspension may be worn as the leaf springs are nearly flat on my truck and highway speeds and bump/dip/pothole on the road I REALLY feel. At city speeds, the same concept applies. The truck typically does not bounce, but as I said you can really feel these road inconsistencies.

I know Tacomas aren't known for the most comfortable ride, but is this normal? I'm unable to gauge if it is a "me" thing because of previous vehicles, or if I got a truck that needs its suspension to be looked at.

Thanks and sorry if any of this sounds stupid, just not sure where else to ask.

 

What kind of tires do you have and what’s the psi? But yes your body on frame truck with leaf springs will ride like a farm truck compared to your sports car, welcome btw

 

Thanks for your response and the warm welcome.

I have BF Goodrich T/A All-Terrains. P265/70R16. Front PSI is 29, rear 32. Date code reads 3716 and tread is probably ~60% all around. I plan to get new tires before the next winter starts as I live in a snowy state, but figured I'd get at least the summer out of these before needing to replace.

 

Suspension original to the truck?

It wouldn't hurt to upgrade it. It will never ride like a car, but a new suspension will make it ride better.

 

Are your shocks stock? The “4600” (similar) bilsteins that the stock trd off road model comes with are pretty soft as well

If you want to upgrade your suspension head over to the suspension thread but for newbies I suggest the first thing to look up is digressive vs progressive and determine what type of driving you’ll most do and if you want a softer or firmer ride

let’s see some pics btw

your psi is a bit low for streets I would run 32 to 35 (I run 35 personally)

 

I have relatively new shocks and struts on my taco and I feel pot holes and bumps, pretty sure that’s normal. It’s possible that the previous owner towed quite a bit and/or enjoyed off roading and your springs/leafs are worn. If you look into upgrading your suspension you can find a new set of 3rd Gen takeoffs for under $300.00, I wouldn’t pay any more than that personally. I put a set of new 3rd gen sport fronts and rears on mine, but I don’t off-road much and enjoy a stiffer suspension, a new set of off-roads might be worth looking into.

 

Thanks. I've been lurking on this thread for awhile and was thinking of taking this approach. I'm good with regular car maintenance and troubleshooting, but almost exclusively take bigger projects like this to a mechanic. Assuming you didn't do this yourself, any idea what labor might cost if I bring my own parts to specialty shop? I live in the MW.

 

there’s a massive difference in size between the 6112 and the stock 3rd gen bilstein strut, it’s almost like a toothpick in comparison. You can get the 6112 5160 combo for less than a grand which IMHO is a great bang for your buck and one of the if not most popular budget upgrade

 

I’m sorry but no idea. If I did it, the install that is, you can do it. Plenty of step by step YouTube videos and tutorials on the forum. Save yourself a boatload of cash, DIY it my friend. Check the buy/sell pages, 2nd and 3rd gen for 3rd Gen takeoffs, you’ll see them on both, and get new, not 10,000 or 50,000 mile takeoffs, too many new takeoffs out there to go used outside of a few hundred miles.

 

Plan on doing this upgrade myself, the 3rd gen suspension has been great, no complaints but I just put an ARB bumper on the front and need something larger to compensate, that and for all the added benefits this set up provides, looking forward to the lift as well.

 

Shocks are stock, yes. I've thought about giving it an upgrade/lift, I'll head over and start to dig in on research a bit more.

Haha, I actually don't have any other pics of the truck other than what's on my profile. I've never been a big "picture taker," my girl gets on me about this frequently. I plan to give her (not my girl, the truck) a good wash and wax this coming weekend. Once that's done I'll be sure to show you some more.

As far as PSI goes, I typically follow whatever is stated on the driver door sticker. This is helpful advice though.

 

Check the air pressure in your tires.
Make sure they are not over inflated this can cause a rough ride.

As for the front shocks and springs.
If the coils and shocks are already assembled, it is definitely something you can do.
Rear shocks are super easy. You got that no problem.

 

keep in mind the door jam is what the factory tires come with your ko2s at 29 psi will ride more soft so you’ll feel more “absorbtions” and you’ll get crappier fuel mileage

 

I had install quotes ranging from 300-800, plus alignment. I wound up doing mine myself after tightening the wallet - it was a fun weekend and fairly easy to dive into.

That's what I run - 6112/5160. I love the combo. Sporty when it needs to be, but much more responsive than the stock sport hitachis. Realistically it cost me 1500 (plus alignment), as the rear springs should also get some love when doing the shocks.

 

Any lift? Or do these run at stock height?

I'm pretty indifferent on lifts, as my last two cars were lowered, so my stock Taco already feels like I'm on a 6in lift lol. Been pretty inconclusive in my research if lifts have any real value-add or if its more for looks.

For context, I do light off-roading (I live in the mountains so by "off-road" I primarily mean shitty gravel / unpaved roads) but no real interest in going down the road of technical off-roading.

 

If you go with the bilstein 6112 or any other brand that has adjustable preload you can keep it at stock height or up to around 2.75 inches depending on the strut

if they’re not adjustable preload like the arb old man emu (ome) nitro chargers for example you would get the lift with a taller spring not the strut itself

the reason you want an aftermarket or upgraded shocks is they have a larger diameter than the stock so it has a higher oil capacity (trying to explain this as elementary as possible) so the fancy shocks have a resivor which not only looks cool but has more capacity and that’s important for cooling. When off roading or even on bumpy roads pull over and carefully touch your stock shocks and you’ll see how quickly they get hot

so it’s not just for looks and they also help tremendously on road for cornering you can tell a huge difference for example on a sweeping freeway on ramp or even a regular turn (noticeably less body roll)

for off roading it’s not just for looks, you increase your approach and departure angles as well as break over and helps you clear obstacles to somewhat of a degree keep in mind it only lifts your body up but not your front and rear differentials you’ll need bigger tires to achieve that

 

Thanks. You've been real helpful. Was honestly expecting everyone to roast me when I was typing the original post

 

I’ve been on a ton of different car forums and tacomaworld has the most wealth of knowledge bar none, suspension can be overwhelming to the uninitiated just because there are so many options same for tires and tire size…if you really want to get roasted ask about what brand oil and how frequently to do it lol (the correct answer is Toyota oem oil with oem filter every 5k miles)

 

I'm lifted on the 1" setting. (The 5100 and 6112s are adjustable, from stock to just under 3"). I only chose to lift to match the rake of my rear leafs - I'm running a 3 pack AAL for towing purposes. Since the springs raised the rear, I made the front match it. If I wasn't towing Id probably leave it at stock height. I haven't had any clearance issues, and unless you invest whole hog into it, simple lifts don't give you much more than looks.

 

good point, op you’ll notice guys talk about “leveling” and “rake” from the factory your truck comes with a rake (rear sits slightly higher to compensate for it to squat down when you put crap in the bed) a lot of guys like the level look (pretty much what it sounds like where you get rid of the rake whether lifting it or stock)

now if you lift your front by how we discussed your rear shock will give you zero lift, how it’s lifted is by an add a leaf (adding an extra leaf to your stock leaf pack) or getting a leaf pack (replacing all your leafs altogether) and the aftermarket leaft packs usually come in medium or heavy duty depending on how much weight you plan to keep in the back (adding a camper shell with camping gear or just rear bumper etc)

you can also do spacers and blocks but that’s just pure shit garbage (imagine like the Honda guys lowering their cars by cutting their springs)

I personally prefer the look of a raked truck and I run the bilstein 5160s and 6112s with camburg upper control arms and a heavy duty stage 3 deaver leaf pack