Really overwhelmed on suspension setups...

Overlanding is for people that like taking their trucks camping while also keeping every ounce of offroad and camping gear in the truck when they get back on pavement to daily their "RIG" .

 

Can't be too prepared for fire roads!

 

Lol I gotcha. Always thought it was “interesting” having all that shit on there while doin that haha. Kinda strange.

 

Well scratch the “overlanding” part. I feel weird for saying that now hahaha

 

Very few people "need" to spend that kind of cash on suspension. I ran the 5100s for 6+ years and did a fair amount of off roading with them (it was also my daily driver).

Normally, I do adhere to the buy once cry once thing, however not in this case, at least for me. Back when I got the 5100s, it was a daily driver and weekend warrior off-roader. I simply couldn't justify the 1000's I'd have to spend on suspension for something that was parking in a parking garage at work 90% of the time. So, I spent $500 on all new shocks and a shackle for the rear to get ~1" lift (I kept my stock coils and lifted using the 5100s).

Several years later and I've since bought a new 4Runner as my DD, and my tacoma is my play truck. Now I feel I can justify spending more money on the suspension since I'm not driving it to the mall anymore, and using it almost exclusively off-road. I've probably spent nearly as much on oil changes in those 6 years as I did on the 5100s, so I don't really consider it a "waste" to be buy buying another suspension setup.

The Bilstein 5100 series shocks are by far the most popular suspension upgrade for a reason. Are they the best? Of course not. But to get something measurably better, you really have to spend 3-4x as much. From the way you've described your intended use, the 5100s will be more than adequate.

 

Just don't rush into anything until you know a little more about what you want.

I had 5100s and they did me right for a long time. When it came time to replace, I wanted an adjustable lift of about 2" but also able to handle lots of weight in the back. I was also overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options out there. Think of what you are going to do, realistically, and set yourself a budget. You won't find a shortage of suggestions here.

I'm not too familiar with LT but 4k won't cut it, and it sounds like you want to also use it for trips/travelling. Bilstein, King, Fox and Icon are good places to start researching. Consider that part of your money should go to UCAs, bump stops, extended lines and maybe also alignment cam gussets, shackle flip/hammer hangers and gusseted spindles (since you said you wanted to 'do little jumps'), so that 4k budget will get eaten up quick.

 

She mentioned hitting small jumps. If you plan on hitting small jumps I wouldn’t even consider bilstein 5100’s lol

 

Honestly 5k gets you a complete ADS/King/Icon/Fox extended travel setup with full leaf pack and a set of your choice of UCAs.

Spending more than 5k on your suspension without doing A LOT OF OTHER STUFF is almost impossible.

Edit: If you're installing it yourself/free install. Paying a shop probably adds 6-10 hours of labor.

 

Best advice I read in another section is; take it out with several locals to see just how capable the vehicle is by itself and learn things along the way to better figure out your end goal.

If your truck is a 4x4, you're already half way there.

I've got a 4x2 with rear locker, and have already tested just how useful a locker can be if used correctly. Already ordered up my suspension (will be here tomorrow) but trust that I read a lot before finally committing to my purchase.

Still got a long way to go myself such as converting to 4x4 and upgrading my tires...

 

This, right here.

Happens to me all the time with any sport or activity. You start doing research and get caught up in all the things you "need" to be better/faster/a professional.

 

Definitely going to look into the Bilsteins as I’ve seen it and heard about them everywhere. So I will at least check it out. And totally not doing LT right now, I think the idea of it is cool and might consider it In the future. Just looking for something right now that will help me out a bit. The air shocks in the back are a little too bouncy to me and...ALTHOUGH I shouldn’t have...I know I shouldn’t have with it not being set up for this but I definitely got all four wheels off the ground, and it was fun so I definitely want to do bigger stuff as there isn’t really any fear there. Even just that little bit felt uncomfortable as far as the suspension goes, and obviously I could’ve destroyed some stuff. I’m not talking about trophy truck jumps haha but I want to be able to get air without feeling like I’m going to break stuff super easily. And I can tell even just with the larger ruts and what not I need something a little better. I just screenshot the info you sent me at the bottom and am going to look it up after work! Thankyou for the help, seriously. My brain was buzzing this morning after seeing the copious amount of options haha.

 

I guess for now I’m looking for something to just to start me out, I can already say what I start with probably won’t be what I “end” with. I just need something better than what’s on it now as I’m going to try and go out every weekend and it’s just not cutting it rn. The air in the back just feels too bouncy for what I’m doing with it (the guy I got it from had that on there when I bought it). We will probably end up doing it ourselves. Depending on how intensive it gets... but definitely going to look up the options that you’ve mentioned at the top

 

I’ll have to get into the locals section on here and see if I can find some folks. I have someone that wants to go out soon, but I’ll have to keep checkin around and finding more people in the area that do it.
Oh and it is a 4x4!!! Yeah I’m definitely going to continue reading and researching it’s just nice to have some more specific suggestions. So I appreciate you guys for that. I definitely won’t be doing it until I find something I absolutely want to try.

 

If you're looking to upgrade in the future you should probably just spend the money once. Go for the top end coilover setup or you're just going to have to do everything twice. I can do a suspension myself in my garage in 6-8 hours if everything is pre-assembled, there's nothing super complicated about the suspensions on these except the stupid long bolt on the UCAs.

 

Ok, then im going to change my recommendation to a strong suggestion of getting gusseted spindles, better bump stops and reinforcing the cam tabs. Some armor on the underside would be a smart idea depending on where you plan to wheel around. Just so you know, that's about half your budget. Yes, you can have fun without it and I'm only guessing where and how you would use the truck.

 

I've been crawling around on my Eibach Pro-Truck-Lift for a couple years now. There is a good bit of high speed valving that helps with G-out control or extra weight, but that doesn't mean these are designed to be taken off jumps. The kit comes with front springs and four shocks and a lifetime warranty.

 

As someone who has owned 5100s for several years, 5100s are easily capable of handling "small jumps". They're pretty capable off "medium jumps" too.

Hell, stock suspension can handle small jumps.

 

I guess it depends on how smooth the landing is haha. I’ve just read posts about the 5100’s and the stock shocks breaking is why I said that.

 

I guess it depends on what you call "small" lol. Small for BJ Baldwin would be certain death for just about anyone else.

For your normal everyday beginner/intermediate, 5100s are fine. You break them, you probably broke other stuff too.

 

Soooooooo I just found out he gave me 5100’s with the truck hah....so I’ll probably work something out with that