Long Travel vs Mid Travel

Hi long travel group!

I have a question between long travel and mid travel setups. All my life I've done rock crawling (had a very built jeep that could handle high speed stuff) and always wanted to build a pre-runner but could never afford it.

Fast forward to now. I have a 2016 Tacoma with a stage 5 Icon kit with extended travel front coilovers and hydraulic bumps in the rear (also have dakars). I do a lot of rock crawling stuff but still love the higher speed driving.

My question is, if one never plans to jump their vehicle, how much different is long travel vs mid travel? I always pictured long travel to be like driving over a cloud when in reality you are driving over tonight terrain.

I tested out my Icon kit and it did fairly well, but I don't have anything to compare to as I've never been in a long travel Tacoma. Without the need to jump or concour some major whoops, is there a huge difference going from something like I have to a long travel kit? I've seen some people add a secondary shock in the front, but I don't see how that's going to make it a lot smoother over bumps.

If I could go back in time I might pick up long travel instead. But the Icon kit was already so much I can't swing it to swap out to a long travel.

Unless it's really that different for what I'm using it for?

 

A lot of how smooth you're going to ride over uneven terrain comes down to tuning your shocks for that kind of terrain. Even a long travel front and rear setup can buck up and down with incorrect tuning for whatever it's riding over. The travel of course will limit the size of obstacles that you can clear. If you have time to meet up at one of the weekend trips where guys will have their long travel trucks there it will give you probably the best answer for your question - every three months or so there's usually one where you could meet up with some people to get a ride in one on terrain like the videos you posted.

It might help to take video of your truck going through similar terrain and have some people with experience suggest whether shock tuning will help you out. Oh yeah...

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/considering-long-travel-read-here-first.180457/

 

Like @Dalandser mentioned the amount of travel you have affects the size of obstacle you can traverse. In theory, with 9" of travel you could run a 9" whoop and not even feel it in the cab, vs 12" of travel over a 12" whoop, etc.

 

You will be able to do it, just a matter of how smooth

 

Honestly, "mid-travel" is pretty close to stock IMO. Yeah it's a little better with a small amount of extra travel, but with stock width control arms you're really not gaining much. There really isn't a comparison between mid and long travel. Mid travel is basically just an upgraded stock setup. I'm not very impressed with my "mid-travel" setup.

 

Sounds like you already took the ride in your mind lol

 

Not sure how much you paid for a Icon Stage 5 kit, but that is nearly the cost of going long travel (for the front at least). You are looking at $5K-6K for a front long travel setup and maintaining 4wd (no secondary bypass). I tell people all the time, going long travel isn't worth the money if you aren't going to use the truck. Its a huge investment. It really depends on what you plan on doing with the truck. It does make the truck more versatile for crawling and going fast. It also takes more effort into getting a nice ride with correct shock valving. If you are willing to do that, I would say go with long travel and try to sell your ICON kit.


Many people (especially here in Utah) don't understand what long travel is. Many people just want to lift there trucks without any increase in articulation or travel or want to just SAS.

 

Also, if you are going to do it, don't bother with the +2" kits, go big or go home. The +3.5" kits aren't that much wider and if it comes down to 3" over all and being able to fit on a trail then you probably shouldn't be on that trail.

 

Why not 4.5".

 

That is pretty wide for anything other than open desert and the cost sky rockets with any kit over +3.5". For a +4" kit from Solo Motorsports, the kit alone is $4k, add another $1500 for extended axles to retain 4wd, and you also need a an engine cage to hold your shocks. Here in Utah, my +3.5 kit is "wide enough" for most of the trails that I do.

 

I met a guy a couple of weeks go while I was on the Mojave road and he said that same thing after seeing my rig.

 

just do it

 

Just buy it in stages!

 

As mentioned a few times above shock tuning is so important. A poorly tuned long travel will get dusted by a well tuned mid travel. That said there is only so much you can do and expect from a mid travel setup. 2-4" of increased wheel travel may not seem like a lot on paper but over high speed it is huge. But you still need to tune your shocks, if not more so with LT to get it perfect.

At the end of the day I will warn you, long travel is a can of worms and a lot of people get worn out fast. A longer a-arm is like using a longer wrench. It has a lot more power to "move things" that it is attached to. Your alignment will not hold as good without modification to the cam tabs ($), your tie rod ends will not last as long ($$), it is more force on your steering rack ($$$), your coil buckets will need gusseting or cracks/failure can occure ($$), your going faster and you need seats and a cage to protect your body from a crash as the faster you go the worse it gets ($$$$), etc, etc, etc. Yes I know it's a run on sentence, kind of the point haha. Long travel done right is a full truck transformation if you don't want to be stranded every other time you go out, and you still may get stranded. Every MPH you add the more it costs. A lot of guys buy the kit, put it on and enjoy a few trips. Then the problems start because the week areas begin to show up.

I say this, pick your poison. While the 3.5" kits will work better they also add to the chances of issues. People may say they have it and it works great but how long have they had it. I am sure you want your 2016 to last a long time and these things will creep up on you over time. If you don't want to go full desert truck I say go 2" LT. Some, I think All Pro might work with your Icon kit. You will gain a little bit more valuable wheel travel but the impact is less on the truck. It will be better but it will limit you, which is great. If you stay the speed a 2" kit affords you then a lot of the extras may not be required or things may last longer.

Just my 2 cents. Seen a lot of people quit from full LT builds so I want to help you understand... Been in this game a long time and it's very common, so pick your poison!

 

Yea. I agree with you. I went long travel because I like the added amount of articulation and wheel travel. It is harder for me to become stuck since my tires are usually always on the ground. I am also one who doesn't go to the local dunes (Little Sahara here in Utah) and try to jump my truck. I have been running my +3.5" kit for the past 5 years and have been SUA for 2 years. I also am careful with the truck (but don't baby it) since the majority of places I go are pretty remote and are miles away from home. I always keep the saying "gotta be able to drive home" in the back of my mind.

As for wear, I am not running 35's, only 33's for me (255/85's). I also keep a spare set of inner and outer tie-rods in my tool box when I go into the back country. The factory steering rack is pretty robust as long as you dont try to force your steering when wedged between rocks.

As for an alignment, it is give or take. For the most part it stays true but its easy enough to fix it myself or take it to a local shop and have it aligned for $40.

I do not drive at excessive rates of speed offroad but perhaps maybe I will cage it one day. The biggest thing I have found is that the plastic inside the cab squeeks/ creeks since the truck has been flexed so much. I have also replaced my passenger side front outer diff seal twice. I think the seal surface was damaged when I had my re-gear done but that is another issue, not long travel.

I always tell people that if your going long travel, you better use your truck. It is a waste of money if you just occasionally take your truck off-road. It does require maintenance. Every two to four years you need to replace your uniballs and bushings. You also need to have your coilovers rebuilt etc..

 

Great real world experience and explination right here!!!

 

Best bet is to get informed before eventually spending $10K. If I were to do it all over again, I would still go long travel but maybe with a 1st gen Tacoma. I like the space of the 2nd gen while going on road trips but its a little big.

 

why not 6" wider? lol

 

Now yur talk'n