Suspension Advice

I am pretty new to Tacoma World would appreciate any advice. I have been saving up money to buy a new suspension system and I am having trouble deciding between what brand I want to use (Fox/Icon/King). I spend most of my time on pavement so I would like to keep my ride quality as high as possible but I still want to have good off-road capabilities. I am leaning more towards a stage 2 icon kit with Total Chaos UCA's and Icons Progressive 3 Leaf AAL in the back. Would this setup work good for my needs?

Also, I live in North Carolina and I hardly see any modded Tacomas out this way so I was wondering if anyone knew of a good retailer or shop around this area that you would recommend for suspension work.

Thanks!

 

Most of time on road, want to be able to go offroad. This is doable with stock suspension, bilsteins, OME... Anything beyond that is far too fucking expensive to bother with. Fox/Icon/King are high end desert racing style suspension systems. If you want an upgrade suspension wise, get billies or OME. The money you save can go towards new leaf packs (if you are looking for lift, load carrying ability, or both) and also towards UCAs (assuming you want more than 2" of lift.) Figure out how the search function works and you shall find plenty of info, friend! Also, WELCOME TO TW!!!

 

Welcome to TW. So many options are available. Have you given any thought to what tire size you want to run? Check out what I did to keep the best on road performance and MPGs while enhancing off road performance:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/baja-tx-pro-kit-icon-aal.385619/

 

I am looking into bilsteins now. I currently have a leveling spacer in the front and while it did raise the front up it almost seems like it went a little too far and is nose high. I want to be able to run a 285/65/18 so I know I will need around 2-3" of lift, could I do 5100's and a 1.5" AAL in the back and make it level? I want the best ride quality as possible because it is my daily driver. Any suggestions?

 

If you want the best ride quality possible then avoid spacers and AAL. Get new shocks all the way around, new leaf packs, and UCAs. If you want to clear 285/65/18 you may have some significant rubbing issues. What size rims are you running now? 2-3" of lift may not be sufficient, you will likely need to do a cab mount chop and hammer in your pinch weld at the very least. Do some searching and figure out how many people are running 285/65/18s and what they had to do to make them fit.

For 2-3" of lift you'll need to go OME shocks and springs, leaf packs that give you approx 2.5" of lift (dakars if you haul a lot, something else if you don't), and Light Racing UCAs.

 

I am currently running stock TRD Sport wheels with 275/70/17 with little to no rubbing. When I go to 285's I planned on getting a rim with better offset and backspacing to compensate for the additional width and height of the tire to hopefully keep it from rubbing the UCA or anywhere else. I also planned on getting new UCA's to avoid alignment issues. Is there a certain leaf pack you would recommend? I don't haul much but if Dakars are the way to go then that is what I will get.

 

Ok sounds like you've put some thought into this, you'll absolutely need the UCAs. As far as leaf packs go, dakars are made for carrying a lot of weight and/or towing. You might want to look at all-pro, deaver, or alcan. I have no experience with these leaf springs so you'll need to read up on them to figure out which ones are best suited to your intended application. If you want a comfy ride and don't carry a lot of weight often, go with lighter duty leaf springs so the back end doesn't feel extra stiff and jump around.

 

OP, I have the exact Icon set up that you mention in your first post. And I drive a lot of road miles. No regrets from me for spending the extra coin and reaping the benefits of a tuned, adjustable suspension system. There's a big difference between the Icon and other mentioned systems in this thread. You say that you're looking for ride quality. Do it right and do it once or you'll be buying again if you're unhappy with something that doesn't suit your needs.

 

I've got a ProComp leveling kit o n my 14 TRD. It has the spacer in the front and ad a leafs in the rear. i just put on 285/65/18 BFG's on it and have no rubbing issues. the only problem i have is that goddamn Traction Control coming on when im hitting a corner at a good clip. other than that, the leveling kit ive got is enought lift.

 

What size was the aal you put in the rear? I have been looking at Icon's 1.5" progressive aal because from what I've read it gives the best ride quality and also allows you to carry a little more weight without the leafs sagging as bad. I'm just curious if 1.5" will be too much in the rear. Thanks for all the help.

 

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I think it's a 2.5" aal in the rear and 3" spacer in the front. It was done at a Les Schwab chain store in CA. I also made a mistake in my last reply. It's a Tuff Country leveling kit. Not ProComp.
I also tow a 28ft bumper pull Travel trailer with a 650lb tounge weight. When I take the weight distribution hitch off it doesn't completely squat my taco out. I can only notice a small change in ride height of the bed. Hope all that helps!!

 

I'm new to TW and the coil over deal. I got spacer right now. Will coil overs give a better ride? Probably going to run them as high as I can 3"+. And what the hell do different UCAs do?

 

They WOULD if you weren't going to crank them all the way down. The ride goes to shit when you do that.
UCA's fix alignment issues.

 

Gotcha. Is 3 inches asking too much for coil overs that go to 3.5. I don't want to crank them all the way but a pretty good bit.
Another thing. I do a lot of hauling and towing trailers with my truck. I see a lot of people talk about the Dakar leaf. Know anything about those? Is the ride stiff as hell without a load

 

Not trying to flame here, but some of the newer members would benefit from reading through some of the information that already exists on TW about lifts. Searching for keywords and narrowing your search to specific subforums will net you a lot of info with minimal time spent sifting through nonsense.


As for spacers vs coilovers, here's a place to start:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read-this.11282/
A quick search will yield plenty of testimonials and users' experiences.

 

The more you crank, the worse the ride. They say "up to" but they come at their recommended setting for best ride.