Ready for suspension upgrade but not ready to decide

Got the OR last year around Feb. already bruised up and 40k miles so getting close to tires and suspension.

Mainly travel through Trona/Death Valley, up the 395 and Anza Borrego.

Also daily driver.

In terms of weight, so far have roof rack, low profile bumper and winch coming soon, extra battery, on board air, and sliders. Probably add skids before lift. Probably not touching the rear bumper ... yet. Waiting for the road to take the rear bumper off for me. Have a diamondback SE and depending on the trip, will run bed rack and RTT. Trip weight includes two kids, 60lbs combined, 50lbs recovery gear, 80lbs water and fuel, and my fat rear clocking in around 220 plus minus 40 lbs. sometimes a 40lb dog too. I don’t know how much my bloated ego weighs, you have to ask the ex-wife for that.

As I understand it, I can either build a truck that goes fast over whoops or a capable rock crawler. Will never be as good as long travel or four link for speed and never as good as fixed axle crawling over rocks. But I want to enjoy both the best I can.

I do plan on running 35s for more clearance and some more rubber.

I’ve read through most of the posts here about suspension and uses but still really can’t figure out what I should get.

First off, the stock suspension has got me through the trips I have done and there were limitations that I have not attempted, partly from going off road alone. I’ve done Goler wash but not Mengel pass. Gone through hills of the moon and the Devils slide in Anza Borrego. Done rescue mine. All ok on stock. Only thing I would like is some more clearance and also not having everything in the truck go flying at every whoop I didn’t see coming.

This is what I understand about my options and the prices which matter.

1) Bilstein setup: get lift, fit tires, a little faster in the desert. Cheapest option. ~$1500-2000.

2) Icon: digressive shocks. Work best once at speed but harsh at slow speeds. Get lift, fit tires. ~$3-4000

3) Fox 2.5: better at speed and ok for rock crawling. Add DSC and maybe get better ride as daily driver. ~$3.5-5k

4) Kings: even better at speed. Ok for rock crawling. Faster service intervals, more money for upkeep. -~3.5-5k

5) Elka: haven’t heard much about them but product looks good. Price- $4-5k

Tell me if I’m wrong here. Bilsteins will probably be good enough for what I do. The way I see it is that, taking cognac for example: OR is like VS, gets the job done, Bilsteins are like VSOP, gets the job done, a little nicer but also lift. Kings/Fox/Elka are like XO or paradis, costs more but improvement not proportional to cost for what I’m doing. Not a SEMA truck unless they don’t mind trucks with scrapes, baby wipes, and an assortment of baby sized food in every crevice and stains of my tears on the steering column for all the money I’ve dumped into this.

Also don’t want to buy Bilsteins and then down the road wished I saved a little more and went Fox/King/Elka and get buyers remorse.

TL;DR
have some money, will buy something, need more advice. Thanks

 

Im in the same boat as you. I mainly want added weight capacity. No one really talks about the OLD MAN EMU setup from arb. Seems like all the other countries around the world go with arb for the hilux and other non American offroad trucks. It also seems like lots of folks mix up there brands of suspension on there truck (kings up front bilstein in the rear?) Its all rather confusing. I personally want one kit for one truck. I like icons stage system and I really like that arb tests and proves there products out. People say the ome kit is stiff but it says its adjustable so I really don't know... the local shop in my town only works with bilstein, kings, icon, eibach, and fox.
I can't decide so I won't buy till I line up with it. Maybe good knowledge will chime in.

 

ADS?

 

Good call. They seem awesome

 

Please tell me more about ADS. Where does that fit in in terms of cost and increase in feeling good on freeway ruts and hour long rides on desert rocks just to get to trailhead.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/accutune-suspension-tech-tacoma-shock-size.530176/

Talk to the guys at accutune. They can recommend what shocks would be best for your application and tune them according to what you have done and the weight of your truck. Just some off the shelf shocks are great but tuning them will give you the best performance and ride qaulity.

 

Buy once, cry once. Don’t wasn’t money on a cheaper suspension and regret it.
You get what you pay for, like many things and suspension is def one of them.

I recommend you contact AccuTune Offroad. For the same reasons listed above. They've been buildIng Tacoma’s all day for many years. They know exactly what you need and will absolutely not BS you.

 

I say get a Bilstein if money is an issue but don't get a low-end Bilstein. EMUs from what I heard of them don't last long which is why they are cheap. They are more like a disposable suspension from what I am told. When I was in England (for a business trip), they didn't really go hard on Emus. It was just for them to get a lift to get bigger tires on (from a group of off-roaders in the area).

It's why they don't/can't rebuild Emus and low-end Bilstein. Meant to just throw away and get another.
Fox, Icons, and Kings can be rebuilt/serviced (they are not the only ones, just the ones I am familiar with). If you are doing a lot of high-speed desert runs, I would spend money on high-end Bilstein or higher so you can have them rebuilt. Also, make sure you get ones with a remote reservoir because the heat + quick suspension movements would be your biggest issue.


I upgraded my suspension to the 2nd Gen TRD Pro. It was when they went on sale from $1900 to $600; never figured out why, but almost everywhere was sold out and I was able to get hold of a Canadian Toyota dealership that was willing to ship it.
They were Bilstein 2.5 spec'd for the Tacos and I upgraded the front springs w/ 32" tires.

I don't rock crawl. Mainly go up and down mountain passes or river crossing in Arkansas (may or may not be speeding) or mudding in Louisiana. Never really had an issue with it. Icons and Kings would be awesome if I had deep pockets to throw at a weekend camper vehicle, but for my type of off-roading, I don't need it; more like a want.

I also 'daily drive' my taco. More like when I want to feel like a badass on pavement since there are a lot of tricked out Tacos in my area, but I have other vehicles that I drive. The ride quality is not like a Range Rover, more like a Jeep which is to be expected.

Weight on mine when going to places:
- Roof rack
- Recovery gears
- Winch
- Steel front bumper (pretty heavy compared to other popular bumpers on this forum)
- Bed rack w/ tent on top
- normally my 2 75lb dogs and my fiancee
- 5 Gal water and 10 gal fuel
- plus camping and hunting gears

a lot of those are removed when I am not going anywhere except of course the bumper, winch and roof rack.

 

Black Monday you and I are in the same boat. The problem with calling around shops is they are all going to try to sell you something. That makes figuring out what you NEED vs What they have difficult. I contacted the AccuTune guys and they are great. Super nice and not pushy in any way. I just don’t know if I want to go with Fox or King.

One of my local shops offered me a custom kit based on my needs and it fits a good price point. He is recommending the Icon 2.5 coil overs in the front and the Icon 2.0RR plus RXT for the rear. His reasoning was that since I’m not planning on bombing down the desert roads with my kids and don’t need the travel of a rock crawler but DO need the weight support this might be the best bet for me.

I am realizing that you probably need to really shop out parts for your application because because a box kit is either going to be too much or too little for your need. Follow me?

I get the whole cry once mentality but I can’t justify putting on an Icon Stage 8 when I just purchased the truck in January.

I am still in the contemplation phase because, like you, my stock suspension while squishy has worked for me need. Plus I am waiting till after my taxes come back

Good luck
-M

 

Thanks man. My truck is weighted the same as yours and is my daily driver. I have no illusions of having a trophy truck or a Moab marlin crawler. Would like to buy once for the next 50-100k miles. If I use Johnnie Walker as an example, red to black noticeable. Black to blue noticeable but not proportionable to cost. I don’t want to drop $5k on a suspension I’m pretending to use, I think. Suspension parts aren’t like shoes you get to try on.

 

Alternatively you could contact @HeadStrong Off-Road and talk to Marie. She helped answer a ton of my questions and I learned enough to help me make a decision.

For what it's worth, I ended up choosing the buy-once-cry-once strategy and went with Fox 2.5s with DSC & SPC UCAs up front, Fox 2.0s with DSC and a Dakar leaf pack in the back. Love this setup and would choose these again if given the choice.

 

This is another good example. I went with HeadStrong the first go around. I chose the cheaper route with these guys. Marie is great.
I cried the second time with AccuTune.

You and I have the exact same second go around Purchase. The only difference is that I went with the Icon leaf pack.

 

Toytec lifts as well!

 

Is the ride smoother with that setup?

Lets say 1-10 scale, OR stock suspension is a five. Slow speeds on rutted out gravel watching for whoops, short travel over rocks. Does the Fox allow me to misjudge the whoop and take it without having all my change and fastpass fly all over the cabin? Or let's say tacos, 0-5 scale. Taco Bell is a 2, ok to eat when hungry, would never drive out of the way. 1 is avoid unless starving and car broken down. 0 is rather die. 3 is recommend to your buddies. Four is would drive across town for it. Five is what hop on a plane for it. Is the Fox a 3, a 4.

 

Ok to sum up what I need:

Buy once, cry once.

Ride with kids (1-4) out into deserts, alone into mountains (death valley and the sort)

Not trying to film myself running down a dirt road racing a car on the pavement. Not trying to tackle rubicon yet, but I have seen it done and would love to try. Would like to go to Moab and try stuff. I have random times off and everybody in the world is at work so I drive out to the desert and do stupid stuff. Plan on bringing a mountain back so I can ride to help instead of waling.

Kings/Fox/ADS/Elka all sound nice but so does a rolex and my casio, and so does my phone, tells time just as well. I don't want to buy a suspension for looks or attention. Anybody in Socal drive the 91 out to the 15, the OR suspension on the freeway makes for an annoying 30 minutes on uneven pavement. I just want to lift the truck for clearance, 2 inches plus tires and not get jarring bottom outs in the desert.

Will the Bilsteins or even just IFPs no reservoir do the job? Do I need the reservoirs? I'm asking for those of you who have upgraded from stock to IFPs to reservoirs. Was the difference noticeable? Money is not an criteria if you're buying for me, but otherwise why buy a Rolex when a casio tells you the time. Hell, a broken watch is right twice a day too.

This whole buying a suspension is like finding a wife. Do you get a pretty one who doesn't cook and spends all your money or do you get the less attractive one who raises your kids right and makes an awesome burger? They're both wives but there's a difference, right? I don't know.

 

I've been to Moab a few times on my 5100s and b110s. They do fine but they fade on bumpy dirt roads. I've since upgraded bumpstops and it has made a big difference when I bottom out. I would suggest some reservoirs, you will wish you had them if you don't get them. again call the guys at accutune and they can recommend the best set up for you. A suspension is not like your wife. It's not till death to we part. If you want to get a cheaper suspension go for it. Try and find it used like I did ( I got my suspension for under 450$). You will most likely go through more than 1 setup with your truck. I plan on upgrading in the future after I get a few other things done.

 

Sorry man, mine fell apart way before death. I just turned 40. Truck was my gift to myself before the divorce because I saw it coming and mucking around in the desert beats resorting to drinking.

Thanks on the advice with the reservoirs. Have you since upgraded from the bilsteins? Do the Fox/Kinds/ADS/Elkas not fade on bumpy dirt roads. I have driven now several trails that have an hour long bumpy dirt road stretch and it gets old fast.

I have spoken with accutune many times and even went into their shop. They don't try to upsell but they also recommend shocks with reservoirs.

You guys all know what would be a great idea. If someone opened up a suspension shop in the sticks with a dirt track and had three trucks that people could try. One with low end, mid range, and best money can buy setup and see first-hand what works best. It's like buying shoes, you don't buy it without trying it on. Anybody want in on this operation.

 

I’m thinking simulator. I’ve already been in a Baja one, but one for shock setups would be cool. It will never happen, but would be cool.

 

I’m firmly in the camp of do in the way you want it the first time. If you can’t afford it the first time then save some more until you can. Don’t waste you money on something “that will do for now”.
I bought Kings for my Tacoma with SPC uppers and Dakar leafs. I absolutely love them. The ride isn’t more firm, but is certainly more sure footed. I believe you would love any in the category (King, Fox, ADS, Elka). They’re all quality.

 

Sorry to hear that. I have not upgraded. Only thing I have done is the bumpstops and they helped alot. I will upgrade in the future but for my uses for my truck I plan on front locker, hydro steering, and an atlas or crawlbox before I spend big money on suspension.

The guys I have wheeled with on Moab have fox and Kings and other suspension and they say they love them, but I don't have first hand experience with it.

Here's a picture of my truck and another guys. We hit the jump at similar speed ( he was definitely going faster though) and his suspension soaked it up more. But he is sua LT and had alot of money into his suspension built for higher speed stuff.

Here's a few mid travel guys that hit it at 20-30mph. Don't know their exact setups.

Overall your suspension will do alot of work but when you hit something going a decent speed and you haven't gone LT or SUA the suspension only soaks up so much until you hit bumpstops. The factory bumpstops are hard rubber so I highly recommend an aftermarket one like timbren or others.
Mid travel will do well on dirt roads and stuff but hitting a whoop at 30mph on a mid travel set up will still feel pretty rough.
My suggestion is get a good set of bumpstops, get some shocks with reservoirs. If you want to soak up whoops build a LT setup. But there's only so much mid travel setup will do.