New to Suspension Modification - Need Some Tips and Knowledge

Hello Everyone!
I've had my '17 Tacoma for about 18 months now and I'm finally looking into getting some upgrades.

The primary upgrade is a new ARB Bumper w/ winch, which will add about 250 lbs to the front end of the truck.

Additionally, I'd like to add skids, possibly a steel back bumper, and properly lift the truck at least 3" for better clearance and absorption (also enhanced badassery).

Truck uses involve off-roading, towing, heavy loading, highway drives, and it is my daily driver. I am looking for a way to upgrade the truck for off-road without affecting its towing/hauling or highway driving comfort and capabilities.

I currently know little about suspension, but I am working on educating myself on suspension components and market options.

So far I know that I will need to get new UCA's (Upper Control Arms) to maintain proper Camber and Caster?(idk what this is) angles... something about wandering at higher speeds?

I've also learned that the Rake (front end lower than back) is important for hauling and towing, and should not be infringed upon. So lift in the front needs to be less or equal to lift in the back.

I know that spacers and blocks are for a concrete princess, not for an off-road vehicle, so I plan on completely avoiding those all-together.

I am still learning about leaf springs and how you can add and subtract or change out for stiffer leaves to improve performance.

I am still trying to figure out valving (digressive vs progressive) as well as driveline problems after the lift.

Please let me know of anything else that I need to take into consideration when choosing suspension upgrades. Tips and definitions on suspension vocabulary is greatly appreciated!!!

 

Check this link out in the Sticky Thread...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read-this.11282/

 

Thanks for the reference JT, that helped clear up a couple things.
One of my biggest questions right now is where my lift limit is regarding unwanted involvement of other parts, like having to extend brake lines or "carrier bearing drops" and "diff drops".
I have seen that many people mentioned the 2nd Gen Tacomas do not require a diff drop...

 

Your best route, with out going with a lift kit is to keep at around 2.5".

This will come down to how much you want to spend!

For how you plan on using your truck, a Bilstein 5100 front and rear with a leaf pack in the rear is a good route.

If you want to spend some more $$ and have the best, our Chase kit which includes our Boxed UCA paired with front and rear King 2.5's is the next best route!

See the attached pictures and let me know!

Thanks

JT

 

Yeah I've seen that keeping it under 3" is usually a safe bet.
So far I've seen that the top three choices are ADS, OME, and Bilstein. But it seems ADS is only built for the front, not the back.
Also the OME look like they get the most travel but I'm not sure how much effective lift they'll give to the vehicle...
Kings are a nice middle ground for the price, but I've seen I'd be better off spending the extra cash to get a better set for a smoother ride.

If I do decide to make the jump to something over 2.5"... how much extra does that usually cost?

 

1. Whatever suspension you buy, you're going to be a hell of a lot happier if you have the shock custom valved for your truck and driving habits/requirements.

2. Measure the height of your truck at all four wheel wells prior to lifting it. Most measure from the middle and top of the wheel well to the ground. This gives you your baseline.

3. Measure your driveshaft angles prior to lifting your truck. With those measurements, you will know what adjustments need to be made to your driveshaft to return it to post-lift angles if you experience post-lift driveline vibrations.

4. Understand what ancillary equipment you'll need (e.g. raised/larger bumpstops, leaf shims to correct for the infamous "Taco Lean", extended stainless steel brake lines, etc.)

5. Calling several of the vendors here on TW and discussing with them your goals will serve you well. Don't just call one. Call multiple. You'll have several different view points and a gold mine of experience and education to learn from for a better opportunity to make an informed purchase (and lighter wallet).

6. Create a project budget that covers everything: suspension components (front/rear shocks, leaf pack, UCA), alignment, the aforementioned ancillary things... Then add 10-20% more for things you'll forget or didn't know you needed. Be honest about it.

7. Save money and learn a hell of a lot about your Tacoma doing the install yourself or with buddies.

8. Buy the right tools for the job. Don't skimp out on quality. Get an electric impact.

9. Ask questions. Have an evergreen list of questions and note the answers. Trust but verify.

 

Two more...

10. Accept and be at peace with the possibility that you'll break something or lose a nut; that something won't go according to plan. Go slow, double check everything you do, take lots of pictures. Might take you longer to finish, but the end result is more than worth it. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

11. Might help to create a spreadsheet where each area of the truck (e.g. passenger front wheel, driver rear wheel) is a specific "package". Identify the specific components that will be installed in each package, including the necessary tools and special equipment. Doing things in an organized and thorough manner will save you a lot of time, and potentially, grief.

 

Thanks Biscuits!
I guess the two big ones that I'm still working on are #3 and uhh... #3 again lol. I've been doing a ton of research and I'm still trying to learn a lot of the vocabulary and actual mechanics of all these parts. I'm a Civil Engineer, so I'm trying to get a very technical understanding of all these components so I can make a thoroughly educated decision. There's just so much to learn and soooo many different options. Can valving be done myself or is that done before it gets shipped to me?

 

You can do it yourself, but there are several vendors (Accutune, SDHQ, and Down South and I think Headstrong among others) who will custom valve your suspension for you. Might as well utilize their experience and expertise.

When I arrive home later this evening I’ll read back through your original posts. I’m not a suspension expert by any means - there are plenty here smarter - but I’m more than happy to help any way I can.

 

Not sure if I’m reading this right but you said Kings are a nice middle ground and your top 3 is ADS, OME and Bilstein??? Or did you mean Kings are out of the range and those are you choices based on pricing? Kings imo are at the top level when it comes to suspension. Especially for a smooth ride.

 

Odds are i'll have a professional do the valving, because what I've seen of that so far seems very complex regarding the fluid mechanics of the shock dynamics.
Regarding my main goal of replacing the bumper (which involves some trimming) I think I could definitely do that myself, but regarding suspension, things seem to get complex extremely fast and I feel that I wouldnt be able to get it all done in one weekend. She's my daily driver so I can't have her pulled apart more than a day or two at a time...

I know that Kings are top level, I also know that their selection ranges from bottom of the barrel to extremely engineered racing suspension parts. The others that I mentioned start their bottom line at the high-quality stuff, and when compared apples to apples are usually a little bit cheaper than King's higher quality parts. I have seen that Icon (another big and popular brand) is like King but more expensive in most cases, sometimes for an inferior product. None of my knowledge is experience-based, it's all from countless hours of research through their own data sheets and the forums here, so I may be wrong. I'm also not looking for suspension kits to put on a mall crawler, I'm looking to build an off-road beast that can handle almost anything I throw at it while also handling well on the roads and highways. I am not completely ruling out King as a brand, but I'm not going to focus on them either. Right now I'm focusing on what extra concerns need dealt with when changing the suspension. Brand choice in on hold right now.

 

Gotcha, FWIW if you’re looking at building a beast go long travel and get a double shock setup in the front with bypass which I’ll personally never need but will always dream of. Bajakits or any vendor on here could probably build you a legit suspension if you want to spend the cash. Again it’s me probably being biased since I’ve tested out Bilstein, Icons and now on Kings, but I would lean the Kings route since they’ve been in the game for awhile and have great customer relations. Here’s my dream suspension. Good luck OP!

 

Hot damn that looks sexy. How much does a bypass like that typically cost?

 

http://www.filthymotorsports.com/2_5_King_Bypass_Shocks_p/king-pr25bp.htm

 

Your first born child.

They start off around $1200 for a set of bypass shocks. The new 3.0 shocks for Kings just came out too and those alone for the front coilovers are $2600.

 

The King 3.0 and bypass would be overkill for how you plan on using your truck but a Prerunner set up with a secondary bypass is bad ass!!



In the end, just find out how much you really want to spend and go from there.

I can definitely answer any questions you may have. We don't sell Bilstein or OME but can definitely direct you to some one who can. If you decide to go with King, i'm your guy!

 

Thanks JT, i'll definitely let you know after I've finished my research and made a final decision.
In what applications are the secondary bypass shocks actually used for and necessary?​

 

The secondary bypass is added so the coilover is not over worked.

Mainly for off road use.

 

When you say "overworked" are you talking max extension/compression stress or fatigue stress?
I plan on being able to catch some air, do some medium paced trail blazing in the mountains (sometimes on really rough terrain), but I don't plan on subjecting the truck to any "high-speed washboard" circumstances, which could possibly cause fatigue stress failures. I do however plan to take some big hits, which would pertain to the max extension/compression stress failures.

 

Its not so much that its added to prevent overworking of the coilover but to add the ease of tuning benefit. With a bypass you can adjust compression and rebound on the fly without taking the shocks off the truck. And depending on how many tubes are on the bypass, you can adjust damping at different points through travel. Also because the reservoir port is at the bottom of the shock and not the top, you wont get any cavitating during high compression speeds.