Suspension for daily driver with some off-road use?

Hi all,

I'm starting to have suspension conversations with myself and would like anyone's input on finding a nice balance for street and off-road. I use my Taco as a daily driver and put a lot of street miles on it. But at the same time I'm an avid MTB and Rock climber. So would like to have some greater capabilities.

I know that certain brands are better for off-road use only....

What is everyone running who has a similar situation?

Thanks in advance!

 

I’m in the same situation. Daily driver but also my hunt/fish rig. I put fox TRD pro on the front. I’ve got Bilstein 5160’s for the back. Gonna put Dakar heavy leaf pack on rear when I put Bilsteins on. I’m running a canopy and decked boxes with gear so the heavy leaf pack is needed. I’m still a few weeks away from finishing up but I’ll keep you posted on progress

 

@fireman10 Yes, definitely do. Exact same scenario running canopy with truck vault (probably a little heavier) and sliders. I was thinking of doing Bilstein 6112 in the front but heard they are a bit rough.

 

Definitely worth the read if you want to lift any amount whatsoever. The search function works pretty well on here btw...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...2016-tacoma-presented-by-toytec-lifts.395798/

 

I read this in its entirety and ended up more dazed. Overwhelming amount of info.

 

My two cents...

Figure out exactly what you want. Do you want your truck to look a little more aggressive, and maybe give you a bit of extra clearance to reach a trailhead that might be out of reach for a stock 4wd/awd SUV? Or do you really imagine crawling over rocks and ravines and camping in some remote place? And what's your budget?

I'll be honest... I like extra performance, and maybe I use it, but the coolest part about my suspension lift was how much better my truck looked afterwards. So no shame in just wanting a more aggressive stance.

 

I know it's not the "fun" answer, but stock Off Road's are plenty capable with the suspension they come with. Just put some better tires on, maybe some sliders & a tougher skid plate & your set.

 

@TeeYoda I actually like that answer. Do you happen to know the biggest size tire I can run without rubbing or spacer? 265/75/16?

 

Similar situation. I've been running the stock off road setup on my 2017 for a little over a year. The truck is quite capable as is. I've only gotten myself into a few situations where it would have been nice to have more ground clearance, better hits at speed and a little more articulation. But with good tires, a spotter and rock sliders I've gotten home so far every time.
I just put 1" bigger toyo open country at2s on and it made a big difference in on road feeling and better traction off road.

Next step is to go with something a little beefier in the suspension category. I've been eyeing the 6112/5160s for what I do which is moderate wheeling/adventuring with a RTT, and passengers in the back. I'm not running down the desert at high speeds or doing gnarly rock crawling but want that extra bit of control on the trails and a little more clearance.

It is definitely good to ask yourself what you want to do with the truck first and decide on which company and system meets that. But the research can really be overwhelming.

The best way it's all been explained to me so far is this:

Stage 0: Purely Aesthetics: This would be lift blocks or similar
Stage 1: Aesthetics (lift/bigger tires) with mild ride improvement: Level kit, 5100s or similar
Stage 2: Improvement off and on road (usually means stiffer on road though)/ "overland setup": This would be your 6112/5160, fox 2.0, trd pro shcoks
Stage 3: Fast running/ very offroad capable/ high speeds for long distances: 8112/8100s, Fox 2.5s, Kings etc.

Honestly for me I think I'd be happy with stage 2 and where my budget is that's the call for me since stepping up to a stage 3 kit is about 2x the price.

Just what I've heard and researched so far though. Definitely not an expert on the topic!

Keep us posted on what you decide.

 

@Taco_Craig good point. I think a little extra clearance would be nice, however I don't want to only use a level kit.

 

Not really sure. I know you can go 265/75/16 no problem. Gives you a little bit more clearance, too. There are quite a few threads regarding how big you can go with the stock suspension.

 

@Onwarrds That helps out a lot, I'm at a stage 2 but might consider doing different tires to see how that treats me did you do 265/75/16 on the Toyo's?

 

Yes, biggest is 265/75r16 or 265/70r17 with no rubbing on stock offroad suspension.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/largest-tacoma-tire-sizes-on-stock-suspension.67550/

Yes, I went with the 265/75r16 on my stock trd off road rims. Honestly a great improvement and I've had no rubbing issues even on the trails. And after selling my stock tires on craigslist to a dude that threw them on an old 4 runner it was a win win!

 

Another interesting thread to check out for tires and wheels is this one: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eel-tire-combo-trd-rock-warriors-ko2s.381030/

 

I'm running the icon stage 3 lift kit with 285/70/18. Grant it I've only had the lift for roughly 600 miles and there is a whopping 700 miles total on my truck... so far I love it on and off road.

 

Well, for what it's worth, I went with Icons and bought their stage 3 kit (kit just makes it easier: 2.5" in front, 2.0" with reservoir in rear, UCAs, AAL, etc. -- basically a 1.75" lift). It's roughly in the $3k range. Did the install with a friend who knew what he was doing and could yell at me when I was doing it wrong. The Icons are cool and I have no complaints, and I've hit crazy speeds on rutted dirt roads that I shouldn't, but I think next time around, I'll maybe look at Kings. Not a jab at Icon (never had a single problem with the parts or the company)... It's just my nature to want to try different setups and gain experience. But also I think they might be a little softer on the daily-driving... Others can speak more on that.

 

First of all decide exactly what type of offroading you plan to do? Also what type of on road driving do you do? Is there limitations? Parking structures??

You can click on the links in my sig to see over views of lifts and things you need to know before getting into messing with your suspension. Hopefully it can save you time and money.

Good Luck!

 

OP,

Have you made any progress on finding your suspension system yet?

 

Not yet @El Chivo Norteño

Whats your thoughts?

 

I'm personally leaning towards either Stage 2 or Stage 3 Icon's, as I do have some plans in the works for a trip to Baja next year, and know there will be some serious washboard roads ill be on. But I do have alot of time between now and then to figure it out