Smoother Ride?

Hello everyone,
I am fairly new to Tacoma World and just wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations. I recently bought a 2001 Tacoma with a 6” Fabtech lift, I understand that lifting your truck makes it stiffer and I am aware that the lift is irreversible, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or thoughts on how I could make the truck ride smoother? I’ve been trying to look for a trade but it is hard to find one with as low miles as this one. I am open to all suggestions.
Thanks

 

King makes coilovers that mate with the Fabtech lift kit.

Maybe ask them to custom valve some coilovers when you order a set?

Though the truck may feel sloppier/less controlled being lifted that high.

 

Nothing is irreversible. It's just not a bolt in affair.

All you really need is to do is reinstall the frame crossmember that was cut out. Probably cheapest to have one fabricated and re-welded. It's just a few pieces of steel. I've seen people get a fabricator to make a custom one for a couple hundred bucks, though YMMV.

Your options really depend on what you intend to do with the truck, and your budget of course.

If it were me, I would "revert to stock-ish" and get rid of the fabtech. A well designed 3" or less lift will run circles around a 6" any day of the week. 6" lifts are mostly just for looks, despite what the manufacturer says.

Then depending on what tires you have, or what tires you want, get a set of adjustable coilovers and a leaf spring set that is designed for the amount of lift you want/need to fit those tires (no mor than 3" is all you should likely need). Add-a-leafs just make the springs stiffer, which is the opposite of what you want (unless you have a lot of weight in the back like a camper). Deaver J59s have 1.5" lift, OME Dakars have 2.5" lift, All Pros have 3" lift, etc...

Kings ride great, but set your expectations and your budget accordingly. Don't go spending $1500 on shocks expecting a "smooth" ride - it will still ride like a pickup truck.

 

Welcome to TW! You could try a more street oriented tire or C rating. Or like others have mentioned softer springs are a good option too.

 

Like Poncate said, check what load range your tires are. If they are E load range or even D that could be part of your problem. Pmetric tires are fine for Tacomas most of the time and ride smoother by most accounts. You can still have a somewhat aggressive tire in P rated. And if you haven't already, check your tire pressure. Good luck and welcome to TW.

 

The problem is that many lift kits, like the OP's fabtech, use add-a-leafs to give you the desired lift. This obviously makes the ride stiff because the AAL mimics a stiffer rate spring. Remove the add-a-leaf or get softer springs and the ride will be "softer" but you also remove the lift.

In an ideal world, a properly designed suspension system will not necessarily make the ride stiffer when lifted, because the springs are just longer with the same effective spring rate.

 

I knew guys with DB doing gnarly trail while quality kings/fox guys say no.

 

Good point, I wonder if blocks or longer shackles could make up the difference in lift from the AAL?

I have a rough country lift on my dodge with the AALs and it lives up to its name!

 

Welcome aboard new member

 

Lifting your truck does not need to make it any stiffer. That's just nonsense. A lot of the time on old trucks it's slop and worn out bushing that create a harsh or jarring ride. Tires and tire pressure are also overlooked when it comes to ride. Check all that stuff first and then you can look into adjusting rates of your suspension hardware.

 

I recently replaced all new front end parts, UCA, LBJ, inner and outer tie rods and cv axels and it rides really smooth, only thing is rear is stiff because the shocks are worn out. Try replacing your suspension parts and then if that doesn’t check your tires and see if they are balanced properly. Then if non of that works that’s when you start looking at coilovers or even just a new shock and spring. JBA makes a really good uca that is equipped with higher caster so your ball joint angle isn’t all mangled

 

I didn't say DB lifts can't do gnarly trails, just that you don't actually gain much, if any performance from them that you can't get from a smaller lift. Unless you're a mudder, taller lifts aren't advantageous. It's better to fit a smaller lift and cut the fenders to keep the CG as low as possible.

 

Pretty sure you already have blocks in the back, too. The 6" lift usually comes from a 3" AAL and a 3" block, iirc... But honestly, unless you really know what you're doing, I wouldn't try to franken-truck that thing. Either leave it as is, look into those Kings that fit the 6" lift, or look at reverting to "stock" with a fabricated crossmember and essentially start your lift from scratch.

I have longer shackles on my truck, but going too long can really screw up your suspension. Rule of thumb is only about an inch or so of lift from longer shackles is acceptable.


It really all depends on what you want to use it for. If this is just a daily driver and occasional offroader (fire roads and such), then I would revert to stock and go with a set of Monroe shocks or something (from what I hear, those offer a better ride on the street and other brands like Bilstien). If you are an aggressive offroader, IMO still revert to "stock" but build it back up with Kings or something, and keep it under 3" total lift. But if you're on a tight budget, you're pretty much stuck with what you have. Maybe call up fabtech and see if you can get some new shocks.

 

No one mentioned tire pressure that I saw I smoothed my ride quite a bit running 32 psi

 

Damn I need glasses ‍♂️