Suspension Decisions

I currently have a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD - Off Road 4x4. I have been doing some research on suspension/lift kits and I am having trouble in finding the one the would best suit my needs for what I am wanting to do with my vehicle. I'm also not needing anything too outrageous just because this would be my first lift on this truck.


I have heard some good things about the Bilstein 5100 suspension kit, but I am still unsure of which kit i should go with, I mainly am wanting the suspension/lift kit so I can have a smoother ride on and off the road, for better ground clearance and so that I can fit a bigger sized tire compared to the original stock tires depicted in this photo above

If anyone has any information regarding suspension/lift kits, anything would be helpful!

 

What is your budget? What kind of off roading do you do, and how often? What else do you use your truck for? Lots of people run the 5100s and love them, lots of people don't think it's much of an upgrade though

Personally I have my eyes set on the falcon set up.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...aflex-new-suspension-options-for-2016.531906/

 

Well my budget as of right now is probably less the 1k, the only kind of off roading that I currently do is just driving up in the mountains and then trail driving along with camping. I do all of this I would say about 3 or 4 times a month, and my truck is my daily driver to get me to and from base, but thats about it as of right now.

I have looked into the Falcon set up and I personally love the attributes of the Falcons, but i just know i cant afford that at the moment.

 

Well I'm just a random guy on the internet, but I've read lots of people with the same use case as you that are running 5100s and are happy with them.

 

Yeah I have a couple buddies who have the 5100s and say that they love them but I mean I dont know how well they ride off road, and I definitely would like to feel a difference on and off the road

 

I would think anything would be better than the stock OR shocks. It nose dives every time you hit the brakes on the road, and I just got home from taking a drive up some forest forest service roads and I can't believe how bad it handled ruts in the road. I was hitting bump stops constantly.

 

I'm in a similar scenario. Approaching 40k on the stock OR suspension. not really looking for any major lift, maybe an inch would be nice but I'm honestly not looking to rock crawl. Some minor trails, lots of forest roads and gravel primarily. Prefer to generally keep stock geometry for several reasons but would love to have a more controlled, but not stiff ride on and off road.

My wife loves my truck and so we take it on most trips, but the body roll and nosedive stuff drives her nuts and it's hard for me to do a lot of even rough forest roads with her and my daughter b/c of the rough ride.

Seems 5100s are a good budget option to lift the truck but I hear mixed results on actual ride quality. May end up buying a set of Pro take-offs at some point.

How is the road/mild-offroad ride of 6112/5160 compared to the 5100 setup (or OR)?

Basically, if lifting isn't the priority so much as enhancing on and off-road ride quality and dampening... best option?

 

talk with Marie at Headstrong, @HeadStrong Off-Road . She will provide you a totally un-bias response. I've looked into options - my choice would be OME up front (shocks and springs) and in the back (shocks and leafs). No right or wrong - just what you are looking for in use and what you can afford. Good Luck!

 

FWIW, I changed the stock shocks on my 17' DCSB OR to the Bilstein 6112/5160, no lift, also running Gen. Grabber AT2 245/75-16 load E, I run the tires at about 34 psi cold. The ride is firmer than stock, the shocks greatly eliminated the wobbling and pitching of the truck, much, much more stable on fast curvy roads. It would probably ride softer with less psi in the tires, or softer tires, but I'm fine with it. I'm very happy w/ my setup.

 

I put adjustable 5100s and 255/85R16s on my FJ. Didn't have to sacrifice ride quality (other than E rated tires) and got plenty of extra clearance. I was planning on replacing the shocks and tires anyway, so the 'lift' was essentially free. I'll be doing the same to my Tacoma soon.

Many complain about the 5100s compressing the front coil, thus riding slightly rougher. I did not have this experience, and the shocks helped significantly in reducing the severe nose dive my FJ had when braking. I expect similar results on the Tacoma.

 

I have 255/80 R17s on the tacoma with SPC UCA's, 885s, and 5100s.

I wouldn't say that the truck rides smoother, but it definitely keeps the wheels on the ground over rougher terrain at higher speeds. My dad has a stock third gen that I drive occasionally, and it feels like I'm bouncing the whole way down the road. Railroad tracks and big bumps are no issue with my truck, but in his I feel like I hit the ejector seat button and I'm going through the roof.

 

Do you have any good pics of your truck handy? I'd love to see it, as I'm considering almost that exact setup.

Also, how is your MPG doing with that setup, and is there any rubbing at all during full flex or otherwise?

 

You need this.

 

So youre saying I need the whole King Suspension set up??? Because I have looked that up and it costs around 4k

 

And this for the rear.

 

So this is what you're saying I should get if I purchase any suspension kit?

 

Or maybe these will work and some new UCAs.

 

I have a second gen, so the same components might not yield the same amount of lift on yours. Headstrong offroad's website has that info.




I don't have any good side view shots.

I have cooper st max tires and they're very heavy. I also have around 400lbs in the bed all the time and a roof rack. All things considered, I get around 15.5-16 mpg, with 75% highway driving.

I have the stock alloy wheels, and I don't run on the frame or cab mount. It rubs a tiny bit on the LCA at full lock but only on one side. Rims with a different offset would fix that.

I haven't had it at "full flex" with the opposite tire fully off the ground with these tires so I can't vouch for that, but I haven't had any issues in the 1.5 years I've had this setup with 32s and 6 months with 33s.

I don't usually do any crazy hard wheeling because every time I flex it out crazy I break parts of my drawer system in the bed....

Edit: I have a 3 leaf AAL in the rear and it's sagging under the weight a bit now, so I'm looking to upgrade to a full leaf pack, so keep that in mind.

 

No, OP needs to buy me all that and I'll give him my current setup

 

oh so youre wanting me to buy you all of that stuff you just sent in here and youll send me your current set up?? that makes no sense, because if I were to buy a whole king suspension setup then I would just put that all on my truck