Need advice installing Bilstein 6112s, 5160s, & a Dakar leaf pack on my stock-weight Access Cab

One more thought about things to consider or prepare for after you lift the front. many on here (including me) have had to replace the wheel bearings and even more the shitty driver side bushing with the ECGS after the lift ... and don't forget about the change in driveline angles that are gonna put your math skills to the test. My wheel bearings must have been on their last leg and the lift pushed them over the edge. If it's louder than it was and you think it's your tires, check your wheel bearings. If you have a vibration under your foot at the pedal and it goes away in 4Hi you need the ECGS. My guess is that most people on here have lifted 2-3" and either a) added the ECGS bushing or b) are living with the vibration. And believe me, after you do this yourself, you're going to be hunting and listening for any weird noise of vibration and it's impossible to block it ouf of your mind until you address it. But that's half the fun right!

bookmark these as a reference and/or read and budget accordingly ...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vibration-diagnostics-for-all-tacomas-write-up.520607/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

OP you probably would've been better off asking this question in the big 6112 thread in the Suspension topic section to get feedback from people that have experience with that particular combo.

Go by Bilstein's chart for the 2nd Gen 6112's. If Marie says 650 coils add 1/2" then adjust your math accordingly. The Bilstein chart was all but spot on for my results. #3 leveled me with the rear on my 4x4 DCSB when the springs were new, but as the Toyota leaf springs started to sag, I became slightly nose high. I'd probably suggest #2 setting for your application, but I have zero experience with access cabs. If I were you I would plan to be slightly nose high before the Dakars go on.

I don't know if people don't realize it, or what the issue is, but raising the clip setting on a 6112 is the equivalent of adding a couple turns on a set of Kings or Fox shocks. It's how most coilovers achieve lift with a static spring length. I've ran mine at #3 for 4 years and the ride was a 100% improvement over stock in every possible way. Cranking up clip settings on a pair of 5100's with stock coils isn't the same experience as cranking up clip settings on 6112's with their proprietary springs. Does the same things, but the ride quality is fine in my book.

I'm not going to tell you not to get UCA's, but again I've ran my truck with around 2" of lift in the front for 4 years and haven't changed mine. No issues with alignment, no issues with lack of controllability. In hindsight I probably would have come out better to install them at the same time the 6112's went on, but I didn't because they weren't in the budget at the time and I'm not kicking myself over it.

I also run Dakar Mediums with 5160's in the rear without issue. A CVT Shasta RTT and All-Pro bed rack are on the rear of the truck at all times, ~150lb constant weight. No busted shocks, no leaky seals, no issues. Definitely go with the Energy Suspension bushings for the Dakars, don't use the OME ones.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm now pretty much convinced the #1 setting is best. My truck is light, it will get lifted a plenty at that first setting & the shocks will provide the comfiest ride. I'll bite the bullet and change the setting if I start to sag when I add the bumper & winch.

How's the ride with a slightly larger rake than the factor rake (2.5")? Really curious how a rake of 3" - 3.5" looks/feels. Have any pics?

 

You're probably right! I chose this general 2nd gen forum because I figured it would get the most eyeballs haha.

Thanks for the reply! At this point I gotta just figure it out myself. I expect it to lift much more than others since my access cab truck is so light.

I actually have a lead on some 5160s so I might be able to do all 4 at once! Pretty excited. I think I'm going to go with either the 1st or 2nd notch and I hope the rake doesn't end up being too much

Do you have any side view photos of your truck so I can see the lift? Did the Leaf pack actually raise the rear 2.75"?

 

I think factory rake is a lot less than 2.5", in any case mine is more like 1.5-2" now. It looks slightly ass-high compared to all the stock trucks where I live and there are a lot of them. Then again I've owned this truck over 15 years (from new) and my perception of factory rake may be skewed by all the sagging going on with the original leafs and then the TSB. Handles fine, extremely well in fact ride is far superior to stock. I don't have a lot of pics but here is one after 6112/5160 on #2, 600 lbs springs, on new TSB 3+1 rear leaf springs before the rear started to sag and before AAL (sat dead level on flat ground):

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-wildpeak-a-t3w.419869/page-119#post-16398483

It started sagging soon after, and very obviously. IIRC I put the AAL in the following spring, no sagging since.

now with AAL:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bilstein-6112.421995/page-97#post-19651468

I forgot to mention I did not use the overload leaf on the AAL install, so I only got about 1.5-2" lift over dead level.

 

That's a badass truck! I bet you have a lot of fun with it in Colorado. Thanks for sending those pics, really makes me excited for this setup and just overall happy with my choices!

I pulled the trigger yesterday. Got the entire setup coming next week.

Bilstein 6112s in the front on 1st notch with 650lb coil & SBC UCAs
Bilstein 5160s in the rear w/ Dakar Medium Duty leaf pack

I am STOKED. My wallet isn't though lol

 

Thanks. You're going to love it.

One other thing I did after installing the main suspension was add a Helwig rear sway bar. If you look closely at the second set of pics you can see some of the hardware under the rear axle. I know this offends the purists here but I found the truck has some extra understeer, especially on ice and hardpack snow. In 4wd obviously. I live close to Wolf Creek ski area and run up there and other deep snow passes many times in winter. I found that in certain conditions the truck had a wicked amount of initial understeer (turn the wheel and nothing happens), transitioning to snap oversteer (rear comes around) as the front eventually bites and the rear lets go, which is very hard to predict. That outside front tire just refused to bite on turn-in. One time I was coming down from Wolf Creek after a day of boarding, initiated a turn and the truck just kept going across 3 lanes and finally caught just before doing a header into a giant snowbank. Fortunately no oncoming traffic about shit my pants though.

Of course conditions are extreme up here, tires are a factor, it was an off-camber downhill turn but still this happened often enough that I needed to fix it. I don't do any wheeling or heavy duty off road stuff so extreme wheel articulation is not a concern. The rear sway fixed all of that, now it handles very neutral and predictable. YMMV but be very careful on ice and snow (and I guess dirt though I never had problems there) and decide what if anything you might need to do. With the 650 lb coils your front roll stiffness will be a lot more, so maybe removing the front sway bar is an option too. It is all about balancing F/R roll stiffness and with the 600lb coils and only a 3-leaf AAL w/o the overload leaf I guess front was way ahead of the rear in that regard in my situation. However in your case maybe the medium Dakars are better matched to the front springs than the stock TSB springs and AAL were in mine.

Another benefit is in dry conditions and 2wd, it handles very nicely, even sporty. Really tight and supple w/o the usual sloppy back end antics pick ups commonly have.

 

Well I got super lucky & was able to buy the entire suspension kit!! Just lifted my taco last week! Bilstein 6112s on the first notch w/ SPC UCAs in the front & 5160s w/ OME's medium duty Dakar leaf pack I kept the rake because I haul often. Adventure pics & bigger tires soon...

EDIT: I ended up pushing the 6112s up to the 3rd notch to level it more but still have a small 1 - 1.5" rake. Third picture is final

Here's my build thread I just started if anyone wants a more detailed look: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/uncle-als-2020-apocalypse-taco.690558/

Before, 1st notch, and 3rd notch:

 

How you liking the setup @MrNineAndAHalf ? Looks great! Headstrong is out of stock for the 2nd gen 6112/5160 kit but I'm thinking of getting their 3rd gen kit instead.

 

Thanks man! Honestly I love it. Ride feels great, handles whatever I'm hauling really well. I never stress when I hit unseen bumps going fast. Suspension just eats it up! Also I should note, I did end up switching to the 3rd notch on the 6112s, lifted it a bit more but kept a small 1 - 1.5" rake. The first notch was a little too low.

If you don't offroad often and you're not worried about micro-adjusting pre-load then you'll love the Bilsteins. Best bang for your buck IMO