Rear shock advice

I have a 2001 4x4, front suspension is 5100s with 881s, I'm loving how it eats rough stuff up (maybe too soft for off-roading at speed, but for my skill level and speed, its nice).

Rear suspension is OEM leafs + Wheelers progressive 3 leaf AAL, giving me about 1.5" of lift. I am using 5125s for the rear and they only come in the 255/70 flavor, and I'm hating it.

What rear shock, be it Fox, Icon, Billy 5100 etc is known for having a compliant ride? I'm trying to match the rear suspension to the front, where distortions, bumps, dips etc get eaten up nicely. The way it sits right now, its as if a car had a Lexus front end, and a sports car rear end.

 

Might just need a little weight in the rear.

 

MPGs would get pissed at that. But funny you mention that, thats where these 5125s shine. I would recommend these shocks for guys that have loads, be it tents, tool boxes, work stuff etc. When I picked up a 5vz w/ tranny for a buddy, it felt great.

Just to be clear, the AALs from you are nice- they softened up the ride some, really show-casing the shocks as an issue.

Seems pure'n'simple the 255/70 valving is not cool for a Mall cruising air hauler. I was asked if the shocks were 'upside down', but from my understanding these gas pressurized monotube shocks do not have an up-down orientation- but it would make a whole lotta sense if thats the case, the rebound doesn't feel strong at all, it really does feel inverted, but that could be due to the dynamic valving- its just really poorly matched for our spring rate and vehicle weight.

I guess its really relative, googling around I'm finding guys hating the 255/70 rates, and others praising it. I know I don't like it (or maybe my particular ones have an issue) and am putting a call out to follow Tacomaworld'ers what rear shocks are known for their smoothness.

 

They definitely have an up and down. They need to be installed so that the writing on the stickers and stamping on the shock is right side up. (no standing on your head to read them). Otherwise the Compression and Rebound valving will be incorrect.

 

Sonofbi*th. Tons of interwebs saying it doesn't matter... Will swap em' out and report back. Do you have Camburg UCAs in stock?

 

While on the subject of rear shocks, I might lift higher in the future and have a MIG, so would make new mounting spots- is there a geometry I should be aiming for that optimizes sway, squat, comfort, range etc? I image just like with sports cars, there can be optimal setups depending on the desired effect (anti-dip, anti-squat, comfort yet controlled etc).

 

Swapped and it is feeling better- angering as there is so much info on the web that this isn't necessary, and even has an engineer at work scratching his head- but overall I'm still in agreement with the camp that doesn't like 255/70 valving. Its nice and firm which is a good thing and a trait I can see some wanting, but my goal is to have something more compliant.

Any suggestions on smoother shocks? 5100s? Rough Country 2.0 (can't believe how cheap they are).

I ordered camburg UCAs from you, but to use them to their potential, does one have to buy the longer extension coilovers, or will the front 5100s with pre-loaded 881s extend further?