Newbie here - need a little suspension help

Hey everyone. Just joined and looking for some suspension help. I’ve been searching the forums and have mostly figured out what I need to do but want to present my situation just to make sure.

I just bought a “new” to me 2015 SR. The previous owner was incredibly meticulous with the upkeep and installed extras to essentially make it into an SR5.

I’d like to upgrade the suspension and have pretty much decided on the Bilstein 5100s since that seems to be the Tacoma thing to do. I wanted to raise the truck an inch but no higher. I also want to keep the rake how it is so I’ll need to raise the rear as well.

If I get the 5100s and opt to raise the front 1”, do I need anything additional like new springs? Will I need the AAL for the rear with the 5100s if I raise the back 1” as well? I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything. From my understanding, raising the truck front and rear 1”, I won’t need an AAL or new springs for the front.

Also, any suggestions who to order from? I plan to do the install myself.

Thanks everyone

 

No it should level out but if you still want to retain some rake an aal will do that. However if you preload the oem spring it may ride rough. For just a 1in lift the cheapest/best option would be a set of 3rd gen struts it’ll bring it up that inch.

 

So new springs and an AAL would be the correct way then. I hadn't heard the 3rd gen struts come 1" higher. If I look for some here on TW or elsewhere I'm assuming I should make sure they come with the springs as well then. Do the 3rd gens come with the 4600s?

btw, I'm also looking for a TRD Pro grille and really like yours. How has it held up? Any fading? I don't want to spend the $400+ on an OEM but I want to make sure I get something that doesn't fade.

Thanks for the help.

 

Ya the aal just get some oem takeoffs they can be had for usually around 100 or sometimes just a case of beer but they come with the 4600s.

I’ve got the caliraised one it’s been awesome weathering the TX sun I park outside and drive 500mi a week just with work commute. One of the letters has a minor chip from my own doing.

 

Here’s a thread on it.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/review-3rd-gen-suspension-on-2nd-gen.542843/

 

So I believe he's mistaken about 3rd gen struts...it's the coil springs on 3rd gens that will give you 1", not the shocks. Just a heads up. Sometimes you can find the pre-assembled coil overs on craigslist, maybe that's what he meant.

To answer your questions, 5100's are a good choice for upgrading stock suspension. The fronts will be adjustable, I'd recommend either the .85" setting or 1.75". The rear 5100's are not adjustable, so you can't get any lift there. You will need either an AAL or spacers or new leaf pack to lift the back. If you want factory rake I'd suggest either .85 up front with nothing in the back or if you want to go 1.75 up front, install an AAL in the back to get some rake back. Basically if you set the fronts for 1.75 you will at least be level, most likely a little nose high.

Regarding the 3rd gens, no the shocks aren't 4600's. They look like it but they are not the same. Much smaller in diameter. So most would recommend the 5100's over the stock 2nd gen or 3rd gen Bilsteins.

 

Nice looking truck. This thread may help:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/installed-5100s-aal-for-1-lift.668783/

 

Nice looking truck. Congrats!

 

If you want a cheap 1inch lift 3rd gen suspension will give you that. I got 1inch in the front and I also replaced my 2+1 leaf for the newer 3+1 and it gave me 0.5inch lift in the back.

 

So jelly of your black interior

 

the previous owner was pretty proud of that

 

so my current thinking is either getting the 5100s front and rear with new springs and an aal. Or I can go the more affordable route, find a third gen set front and rear.

What’s everyone’s opinion? I don’t do anything too crazy when it comes to off-roading. Mostly weekend camping trips but I also want something capable. I got hopeful intentions of someday doing some light overlanding.

If I go with the 5100s, do I need new springs up front? It was mentioned earlier if I stick with stock springs and adjust the shock setting, then it could be pretty stiff. If I opt for new springs, Headstrong off-road makes it seem that the springs will lift it and the shock would actually be set on the default 0 setting. Pros, cons to new springs vs keeping stock??

Sorry for so many questions. Just learning here. You all rock for helping. The Tacoma community is strong.

 

Adding a leaf to the rear will make the rear ride harsher on rough terrain bumps, dips, potholes etc. Seems crazy to do that just for looks, which may or may not be noticeable by anyone other than you and a measuring tape depending on what you are carrying in the bed. It does make sense if you are hauling a lot of weight in the bed regularly.

The rear OEM shocks are 1.56" diameter and low quality. Even the entry level Bilsteins are 1.96" diameter. For the rear if you just replace the stock shocks with 5100's that are almost 2" diameter and have superior damping and double the oil capacity, you will have a great improvement in ride for $200 and an easy instal you can do yourself. My 2012 OR and 2017 OR with the OEM rears always hit the bump stops with a hard thud on dips & cattle guards on back roads. The 5100's fixed this and feel more supple & controllable in general.

For the front, you can just change out the OEM shocks as well for 5100's, but the install is trickier than the rears, because the original coil springs will have to be taken off the old shocks with a compressor tool and put on the new ones with the same tool. Be careful trying to do this without a real compressor. Folks get injured trying this without experience. If you have the bucks to spend, you can go a step farther and buy the fantastic Bilstein 6112's. These are sold unassembled with new springs, and you can find a few dealers who will assemble them for you before shipping for a small fee using the grooves that you specify.

If you use the position 2 groove on the passenger side and the position 3 groove on the drivers side, you will get about .85" and it will make up for the weight of the driver without a passenger, and is usually recommended. Going taller you may want to replace other components as well. You'll want to get an alignment done when even a small change is done.

 

Here’s what I’m thinking...

5100s front and rear.

Front paired with OME 883 and shock on 0 setting.

For the back I’m going to install the 5100s and see how it rides.

My goal is minimal lift, maintain driveshaft angles and keep the ride quiet. I don’t want my now perfectly quiet truck become noisy and rattle down the road.

Someone suggested instead of a aal since that will raise the rear 1.5-2”, to use a 1” block... any negatives with that? Will it make the rear end rattle?

Thanks everyone

 

If it's a pavement pounder like 99% of them (like mine) there's nothing wrong with a small block in back. Particularly with the mild lift you are after. 5100's all around too. Fairly inexpensive and it will give you the look you are wanting.

 

Definitely get off-road but nothing extreme. Any new noises with the block?

 

This is what i did. With a camper shell and a wooden sleep platform the weight was too much for the pre TSB leaf pack so (without knowing about the TSB) i added a Deaver AAL from Toytec and 5100's all around with the front set at the 0 position and that gave me a perfect amount of lift. Just yesterday i had the new TSB toyota leaf pack installed and even though its a 4 leaf like i had before (with the AAL) the new pack is lower so i will be adding my AAL back to the new pack when new centering bolts come in.

 

Alrighty, so I bit the bullet and made an order from Headstrong. Ended up getting the Bilstein 5100s all around. Front with the OME 2883 springs and I did opt for the single Deaver AAL. The plan is to put on the 5100s OME 883 up front, and the 5100s without the AAL in the rear just to get an idea of how it looks and drives before deciding to put the AAL on or not.

Current wheel/tire setup is Cooper Discoverer AT3 265/75/R16. The coil selection chart from Headstrong says that with the 883 coil, my access cab 4x4 should be raised somewhere around 1.25". Here are my questions for you all- if I install the 5100s with the 883 in front and only the 5100s in back, will that give the appearance of the backend sagging? And if I add the Deaver AAL in the back, will that give it a weird look with too much rake? Headstrong says that that AAL can lift the rear anywhere from 1.5-2". Also with the 883 and AAL in back, will that make my wheels looks small and goofy?

One more question; are durobumps worth it?

Once again, thanks everyone!

 

Thanks for the input. What tire/wheel size do you have? Very well proportioned truck.

 

Same size in Ko2's. Pics are with the AAL and 5100's all around with stock springs. Tire size is just fine with a light lift, wont look goofy. Without the AAL you will have a sagging back end. I am just a dude on the internet tho so you do you.