Reliable suspension without breaking the bank

Greetings from the Great White North

I have a 2020 MT TRD Sport, with some nice black method wheels that came with the truck when I bought it used. I am putting ~$10k armour and lights on the truck in the spring.

I want a 2"-2.5" lift in the front and rear (keep the rake), but I feel like there are so many performance options that I'm worried it's either a shitty spacer lifter, or a $5k+ lift. I understand Canada might be a bit pricier, but I'm hoping there's an option that can fit within a month's wages haha

When I had a 2nd gen, it seemed like I could get a solid kit from Icon for $2500. Are these prices I see now just the cost of decent?

I should mention I'm looking to cram some 33s in there...

 

Put some of that $10k armor budget towards good suspension first, then piece together your armor with what's left over, and with what you save up. You're going to need the suspension to assist with the extra weight of armor.

OME kit is a good value and can handle most armor setups unless you're going nuts with a huge build.

 

Ome 886 does the job and doesn't break the bank.

 

I installed armour on my 2nd gen and honestly, I didn't add THAT much weight. Those rear chrome bumpers are HEAVY! I'm also a pretty light guy with a small wife. That might seem silly to mention but we are 240lbs combined.

I have heard OME bouncy around a few times so I'll have to use that as my mid level and go from there! Although now my question is, does this provide a better road performance, offroad performance, or both?

 

I should also mention that I have no intention on having a rooftop tent or a 54" hi-jack. Also, my rear bumper does not have swingouts.

Just a high clearance rear, C4 front, and some sliders with kickouts. Light bar in the front bumper and fog light replacements. No winch until my work truck fails and it's a 2021 Silverado that isn't even allowed to winch because it's a safety hazard haha.

 

I've got about 200lbs of steel with a winch and lights hanging off the front, Pelfreybilt. Another 250lbs in the rear, CBI high clearance with swinging spare. Well balanced for my needs, but I do feel every bump.

 

For these trucks, the cv axle angles tend to not be happy if you lift more than ~1.85" up front (keep in mind these are already 1" higher than the 2g's were). The ride also gets exponentially rougher the higher you go as they are very sensitive to reductions in downtravel.

For those that don't want to break the bank on a lift, I like to recommend the Eibach Stage 2 setup with the reservoir rear shocks for these trucks. They ride nice (much nicer than stage 1) and the front preload can be adjusted on the vehicle to fine-tune the lift. They come pre-set to a decent height up front that level nicely when paired with a 1" rear block. Sounds like you might be more likely to do an add-a-leaf or leaf pack swap though, in which case the front can be adjusted to your desired rake. I would recommend pairing with aftermarket UCA's if you're looking to run bigger tires. JBA is my vote there, but there are many options to choose from.

Another good option would be to grab a set of the Fox 2.5's off the Pro and pair them with the Westcott Designs preload collar lift. They're not height adjustable like adjustable coilovers are but they ride and perform pretty nicely. They can be rebuilt/retuned as well.

That said, I run custom tuned ADS 2.5's and they ride and perform absolutely fantastic. If you wanted to shell out that kind of cash, they're definitely worth it.

 

Thank you! This is the stuff I'm looking for haha!

Yeah I'd be going with UCA arms for sure, but I'm curious about the 1.85" thing. Do you think with enough finessing of offset, cab chop, and tire choice I could fit 33s with a 1.5" lift?

 

I edited my previous post to include an option using the OEM Fox 2.5's from the Pro as well.

Every truck seems to be a little different, but I'm running 33's with about 1.65" of lift without any mutilation of the stock wheel well areas at 4 degrees of caster. I do rub a little on the front plastic splash shields in reverse and when flexing this thing pretty good but a small reduction in caster would correct that. I'm not too worried about it, rubbing on a splash shield is 1000% better than rubbing on the cab. I also removed the sway for maximum allowable travel + increased ride comfort.

 

I agree. Make it drive well. Then add ginger bread.

 

This is an easy one....Stock

 

That's really interesting.

It's not that I'm cheaping out. I will absolutely spend what's necessary for a reliable rig. I just know that I'm not going to be entering any Baja races with it, and I struggled to find the middle ground.

$10k sounds like a lot, but with powder coating, shipping, and duty, it's a modest set of armour with high quality lights and wiring. I'd challenge anyone to build a similar shopping list and not go over budget.

 

What is this term “budget”? I’m unfamiliar with this and anything related to Tacos (of any type).

 

I'm closer to $15K CDN with OME 886/Dakar HD, PacBrake air bags, bumpers front and rear, winch, full skid plates, DD SSc3 Pro 4K driving pattern aux headlights (on a BAMF rack), DD SSc3 Pro 4K fogs and DD SSc2 aux back up lights. I did all this over a year ago but had a shop do all the install work other than the lights. Your budget might be on the tight side unless you are doing it all yourself.

Look at Big Country Customs in Abbotsford BC. They build great stuff. https://bigcountrycustoms.com/

 

OME-005 (Heavy Kit) and SPC UCAs are what I am running. 3 inches of lift initially and has settled to 2.5 in as advertised. I would seriously consider stiff springs if you are armoring your vehicle. It sounds like you will be close to a 600# static load with the upgrades you are planning.

 

Spends 10k on bumpers and lights but wants to cheap out on suspension. Sounds like the classic Tacoma mall crawler.

 

I'm installing all the steel myself as I have previous experience with my 2nd gen. I have a bit of wiring experience with audio, so I'll give that a go too. Plus, I've already spent the money haha it's on its way now.

I will not install suspension as I don't understand the geometry and physics enough; therefore the suspension upgrade will be at a later date when I settle on a shop I trust. I will definitely look into the BCC though, thanks!

 

Check yt channel Tinker's Adventure on toyota IFS before you go chopping stuff

 

I feel like if anyone comments on weight and how much it adds to suspension, you have to post your weight, as well as your wife/gf/butt buddy's weight. I know you mufkas are rolling around 400+ with the ol' lady don't lie.

 

OME 886 kit. Six years later with no issues. 88,000 miles.