Is it worth getting new “tuned” King Suspension?

Because you have NO experience....This is what we call ignorance.

Black Bear pass isnt really an offroad trail, it's a pass, there are dozens of them across Colorado, you'll see Subarus on them.

Look up Holy Cross, Independence, Carnage Canyon (Though Tacomas arent in there).

Can you make it through on cheap set of Bilsteins or whatever, sure but it will be a miserable ride and you may blow them. You can technically drive anywhere with whatever you want but the point is to enjoy the ride.

Icons are actually better for street driving because they are digressive. Dang man your batting 0.0 atm

 

Just be sure that if you do spend the 4k on suspension and plan to use it, you also buy traction boards and rotopax but no winch or recovery gear. #tacomanation

 

The OP is in the same boat as me. I occasionally go to off road parks and trails. Further, the OP has got by on spacer lifts for the most part.

that level of use requires custom tuned suspension?

I don’t get it. I nobody in this thread has given me a solid reason why 6112/5160 wouldn’t best for the vast majority of people including the OP

 

Dude lives in KS. Where the hell is he going to offroad in the flattest most boring state in the union. Only the OP knows what he needs.

You have been told but you refuse to acknowledge it, Bilstein's don't provide the valving and dampening needed for many roads and trails. Most Bilsteins are also not rebuildable so if they fail, leak or wear out, you just have to buy another set.

 

Yup.
if you’re actually wheeling the truck you will definitely blow a set of bilsteins. To my understanding they’re all built the same so 6110s might last a tad longer than my 5100s but I still think they would’ve exploded.

 

The OP isn't asking about 6112's. He is looking at Kings and asking whether it's worth the extra money to tune them. Whether you think the OP or anyone else "needs" Kings is irrelevant.

FWIW, I have 6112's and they are perfectly sufficient for me. I still think I will upgrade to Kings or Radflo eventually. And, when I do, I intend to have them tuned specifically for my vehicle and uses. IMO, if you're going to spend that kind of money, you might as well get the best possible setup.

 

I think we are all trying to use words, stories and tech talk to convince the nay sayers. This is wrong. The only way you will get it is if you ride in a truck with a “tuned suspension”. In that moment you will realize how your frame , lower back and neck didn’t have to brace for damage.

You don’t know till you know I suppose...

 

@Kamille.bidan The dude doesnt even own a tacoma anymore....

 

OP, lots of info here but I’ve run Fox and King for a cumulative 100k miles on out-of-the-box valving with great results in Colorado, Moab, the Sierras, and Pismo.

OME has come a long long way, I’ve recently driven a comfy 2019 with their new kit, however, the expedition springs are problematic with the hangers.

Dobinsons has a very good kit as well with much better leaf packs.

I’m currently on King ext travel, ext resis. Excellent ride with Total Chaos UCAs (which are a must) and no sway bar.

 

I bought “off the shelf” Kings from a reputable source and was dissatisfied. I’ve decided to ship them off to Accutune for new coils and a tune (something they include for free if you buy from them). I’m upset at pissing away $650, but the whole point of upgrading suspension was to have a more enjoyable, comfortable ride- not to mention better capability/traction off road. I’m definitely not going to just say fuck it and be unhappy with 4K worth of suspension.

If I had to do it again I would finish adding all my weight (done now for revalve) and order from somewhere already tuned to my vehicle and terrain.

 

Was the ride quality issue more related to 600lb coils with heavy armor?

OP may not be familiar with spring rates and valving required for additional weight.

 

Good point. I don’t fully understand it, but trust that Accutune does. I was on 700lb coils with about an extra 680lb constant load. I thought that would be a good fit, but they said I could step down to 650lb coils given my current set up and needs.

It’s probably ideal for someone to ride with you that’s going to be doing the tuning to see what you like and don’t like, but I’m confident the book I wrote to Accutune will work just fine haha. They know what to look for and translate into suspension jargon.

 

I think this post got away from the OP’s original question.

From my experience (I offroad just a handful of times a year) I recently bought Fox 2.0’s front and rear and a 1.5 icon AAL for well under $2k.

They are untuned, and much better for both offroad and street driving than the stock OR suspension.

If they were tuned would they feel even better? Probably, but I’m happy for now and don’t feel the need to spend $500 at this point.

 

I suggest joining up with some local folks that off road and getting out there. Especially if you meet some Tacoma owners, you are going to learn what works for what. Get out there and see for yourself what you think your hard earned money will be best spent on. Stock 4x4 Tacoma will be able to do quite a bit more than you think it will, believe me. It's like golf, you can spend as much as you want but will it help you?

 

What he said.

 

OP, the best bit of advice I can give you is to be realistic on how you plan on using the truck. On past vehicles I've made the mistake of going cheap. "Cheap" ended up being within a stones throw of where I would have ended up if I did it right the first time. If you truly think you'll be wheeling the vehicle regularly in the future, spend the extra money and get something that will not only last longer, perform better, but more importantly - will suit your intended needs.

I live in a area where I have to wheel to get to a lot of places. While I ultimately did not go with Kings, I did end up spending a considerable amount of money and time doing It right the first time and I don't regret it. Part of that means working with someone (if you don't have the knowledge) to help you pick out and "tune" a system for your specific needs.