My, new to me, 2000 SR5 Prerunner upgrade thread

I inherited a 2000 Prerunner from a family member a couple of weeks ago (My "Intro" thread here) and, after debating with my self for a bit, I decided I'll hang on to it for awhile.

It's California truck with a nice, solid frame and fairly low miles @ 113k. Having said that, like most other things with some years under the belt, it has some issues and details that need to be rectified with the suspension being the biggest issue at the moment (mentioned in my Intro) and the other being the tire/wheel combo.

Fix Up Phase 1 - Well, the tire/wheel combo got addressed today while visiting my mom 80 miles away. I saw some 2014 TRD Sports on CL while I was there and decided to go check them out. They were as advertised with injection mold nubs still on both edges of all four tires so, I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger after a short bit of negotiation.

Here she is with her 20x9's and 275/45r20 shoes. Ugh!



And now with her '14 TRD Sports and 165/65r17 shoes.



Much better I think. Ride is definitely WAY better (still has a little vibration issue that will get addressed) and I rather like the looks of them with the Lunar Mist paint.

Oh! I have to mention this. This had to be THE best CL transaction I ever had a part in. The guy I got the wheels from owns a car audio, alarm, tint, etc. shop and after I had decided to do the deal he tells me to pull into the empty bay in the back and he'll help me put them on for the 80 mile ride back home. How freaking nice is that! I almost passed out it was so freaking cool.

Phase 2 coming soon, suspension.

 

subd

 

Those wheels look so much better- looks like a different truck!

 

Ok gents, I'm planning to order some suspension bits later this week or next week and I could use some help/advise.

Intended usage - This is going to be my daily driver and will see little off road use (2WD no elock diff). I do hit some dirt roads on occasion to get to some shooting spots but not much more than that.

I guess what I'm looking for is a nice, compliant ride on the street and a decent, controllable ride on the occasional washboard dirt road.

Oh, I'm NOT looking to gain any lift. Ride height is fine where it is and, being at that age where these kinds of things come into play, I can currently get in and out of the truck with little effort and I like it that way.

Shocks - I'm leaning toward the 5100's as they seem to be the "go to" when it comes to a reasonably priced shock. I have Bilstein Hard S shocks on my first gen Miata and they have been awesome so, I'm comfortable with the Bilstein brand.

Suggestions and arguments for something else are welcomed.

Front Springs - Right now the plan is to stick with the stock springs. Don't really have plans to change to a heavier bumper, lift, etc. so, I'm thinking these will be ok for a street queen. Yes/no?

Leaf Springs - This is where I'm having the most difficultly making a decision. The current leafs are pretty much reverse arched on the front half and need to go.

I do have a topper/cap on the back which I plan on leaving on at least for the time being. I do haul some materials for home projects every once in a while but that's not an every day thing.

So, besides the topper, I guess the bed will be empty 95% of the time.

I see the OEM replacement budget springs such as Helwig, and some others, out there and think maybe I could get away with a set of those and some helpers that I could crank down when need be. Bad idea?

Keeping in mind that I'd like a decent street ride and no additional lift, what would you guys suggest?

LBJ's - Haven't had a chance to check mine yet but, is this a problem for all Tacoma's or just the 4x4's?

Thanks in advance. Taco-bender

 

Thanks kgt0001. I like them a 100x better than what was on there. Just need a victim, er',uh, savvy buyer to come get those anchors out of my backyard.

 

Way better

 

Seems to me like our trucks are mechanically identical except the motor. I've got stock rideheight and stock/oem spec suspension. It gets pretty stiff going down road hitting potholes and such, but its not terrible.
Offroad, I feel like it handles great. It's stiff, but for what I like to do, its perfect. It has enough flex to do most trails in my area, while keeping street tires.

 

Welcome. Nice truck and good call on the new wheels. You are lucky to have the moonroof.

 

Thanks for the welcome 99.

Yeah, the moonroof is a nice. Even found the shade panel in a closet when we were cleaning out the BIL's house to get it ready to sell. I read a lot of them get lost along the way.

 

Could still use some input on my suspension questions though.

 

I'd replace the ball joints because of the age. The issue is the design of the suspension falling apart when one fails even if you didn't have a model year with defective ones. If you can afford a good set of leaf springs it should make a big difference as well. Toyteclfts.com, wheelersoffroad.com, and headstrongoffroad.com have good quality options that aren't super expensive ($3-400)

 

Got my shocks ordered today. Just standard 5100's that I'll leave on the lowest perch for the time being. Hope to see them sometime next week.

The truck gets really unsettled , starts rocking back and forth really bad, with a load in the back and hitting a good bump at speed. This happened a few times on our drive back to Tucson from Sacramento and it was a bit unnerving. Hopefully the new shocks will help tame that.

Still undecided on which leafs to get but hopefully I'll have my mind made up by this weekend and get those ordered too.

 

What leafs are you considering - there's been some discussion about the 5100's recently and it appears they need at least an inch of lift to work on our first gens.

You could measure the fully compressed length and see how it compares to your shock distance when the truck is at full stuff hitting its bump stops. It would help everyone figure out what the issue is that has caused Bilstein to say this - I'm guessing you can get it figured out in under an hour with a jack and some experimentation.

It was never made clear if it was a valving issue, or if it was the additional distance between the axle and the the bump stop from a thicker leaf pack that kept the shock from bottoming out before the truck is on its bump stops.

Or you could just call Bilstein lol.

 

I don't want any lift at all really. Trying to find a leaf pack that will give a good ride on the street with some mild off roading on occasion.

A 1" lift would be good good because I have a camper shell on the back that as a bit of weight.

 

Yeah I'm with you on wanting to keep things the way they are if they're working for you already. Maybe call Bilstein and find out what they have to say about the 5100's in the rear?

 

I didn't call Bilstein but the instructions sheet that came with the 5100's says "due to the increased collapsed length" a 1" lifting block is required. Looks like I'll be looking for leafs with a 1" lift.

I've been eyeballing leaf packs on other Tacoma's and it looks like mine are no worse than most. Right now I'm thinking General Springs HD or maybe the Icon AAL (bad idea on the AAL?).

Trying to get it figured out so I can get them ordered this coming week.

I the mean time, my 5100's showed up last night so on they went today. Just did the fronts and will wait for new leafs before doing the backs so I don't risk blowing/bottoming them out.

I wanted to do the LCA/Floor jack decompression of the coils but, holy mackerel, that turned out to be a pain.

I've done that method a hundred times on my Miata's and it's cake. Not so much on the Taco. Finally gave up on that and took the coil/shock assemblies to the auto hobby shop at the base. 30 minutes and $4.50 later the coils are on the new shocks. Should have done that from the beginning but I thought I could save myself a trip. Oh well, live and learn.

Anyhow, here they are. Changed the sway arm bushings too.

 

Thanks for getting back to me on that - now I know what to mention to others. I was figuring it was the added thickness of aftermarket springs and / or lift block that was required. If you can swing it, get a whole new leaf pack from toytec lifts, all-pro offroad, or wheeler's offroad. If not, a 3 spring progressive aal is a better option than a block - not sure if icon's are overpriced due to their name.

Here's some options: http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Toytec-Progressive-3-Leaf-Add-A-Leaf-Pack_p_976.html

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com...Springs-with-Bushings-98-04-Tacoma_p_144.html

From the looks of it you could get an Old Man Emu (OME) leaf pack for another $150-$200 over an add-a-leaf. I'd probably go that route. Glad you're getting your truck dialed in.

Edit: the wheeler's 3 leaf aal is probably the best bang for your buck non-full-leaf-pack option.

 

Thanks for the input/suggestions and all the links Dalandser.

Just trying to keep from going overboard on the suspension spending since it's going to be my DD street queen and not see much off road use.

Safe, somewhat comfortable, and the ability to carry an occasional load is the goal. Also need to upgrade the stock stereo to hands free, Android Auto, and decent sound so that'll be some more $$$ too.

Getting those stupid, ugly, 20" wheels sold would make things a bit easier too. Crap, not a single bite on my CL ad either.

Edit: Oh, blocks are out of the question. No thanks.

 

Well, while I'm still undecided on rear springs (I know, make a friggen decision already), and wanting to get my rear 5100's on, I ordered some Hellwig helpers from Amazon thinking they would give me the inch I need per the instructions from Bilstein.

Put them on today with the 5100's and, much to my surprise, they brought the rear up 1.75 inches. Also, much to my surprise, the ride quality improved quite a bit. Seems to be lots less shuddering and lots less bounce. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the 5100's though.

Added bonus, this really seemed to help with stupid axle wrap problem. Haven't heard or felt the big clunk after a stop or under acceleration.

I'll play with the tension on the helpers and see if I can't fine tune them for the best ride.

Here they are.



I also picked up a set of these TRD center caps.



Anybody know what this exhaust might be? I can't find a single marking on it anywhere. The tip seems to match Magnaflow but, like I said, I can't find any ID.

Sure sounds good though.





Oh, sold the 20" wheels this past weekend and will most likely use that cash to buy new leafs.