Suspension for Dummies ¿

I know this a noob question, but I come from a drifting/autoX background so I only understand car suspension well, lol.

What are the real benefits of going with an expensive setup (king, radflo, Fox, dakar leafs, camburg UCA’s, etc.)
over a simple setup? (Bilstein 5100’s, OME springs, SPC LR UCA’s, icon AAL... the previous setup on my last truck)

My truck will be on the road 70-80% of the time, but when I go off road I tend to push things pretty hard if I have a recovery rig with me, lol. I jumped it on the beach once while it was stock, probably not gonna do that again. It will be seeing a lot of snow, a little beach, and some woods.

I’d want about 2.5” of lift and would run 265/75’s or 285/75’s if I’m content with horrible mpg’s. Currently on 255/85 coopers and they’re almost as heavy as the 285’s on my last truck.

Here is my blank canvas... I owe about $6k on it, but after it’s paid off I may start being stupid again and I’ll need you guys to spend my money for me

 

Durability, adjustability, and travel to start on most. 5100’s are adjustable though as well.

 

Subd

 

What's the difference between lowering springs and coilovers on car suspension?
^ Same concept, different application.

If you were to track a car hard would you feel confident pushing it on some basic springs with basic dampers or would you prefer tuneable coilovers? Go with the good stuff. Same applies to your Tacoma. Want to drive hard and fast, get the components which will allow you to do so with confidence.

A great option this forum allows for:
Make some local TW friends who will most likely have a variety of different suspension set ups. Go wheeling with them and ask for a ride to feel the difference between multiple options and see what you like the best.

 

If you're asking the question, chances are the upgrade isn't really worth it for you. Higher quality builds offer a wide variety of performance improvements in a variety of ways (longer travel, improved progressive/digressive performance, and a lot more). It sounds like what you have works for you, which is AWESOME! If, in the future, you feel it's not cutting it, then.....

 

For most it’s just a status thing. The more affordable options you listed would be just fine for most people but spend your money as you wish

 

I, personally was on the fence between the setup I'm running now and a King Stage 2. I was REALLLY tempted to go with the Kings but the setup I went with makes a lot of sense once I considered my dirt vs pavement balance. I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good balance. In the future, when I grab another vehicle and the taco becomes a play-thing, you'd better believe I'm putting something nicer on it cause I know it'll get used.

 

It's all about the ability to cycle during high speed off road running. Meaning, is the shock robust enough to handle the heat generated by constant shock movement off road. This is why the higher end shocks have a remote reservoir.
If I took a stock Tacoma on a 50 mile high speed run over washboard, the shocks will fail. Small diameter and no remote reservoirs are not the way to go high speed off road.

The downside to running high performance shocks?

Cost
Body roll on highway
Costly maintenance

The stock shock is a throwaway. The high performance shocks need to be rebuilt regularly and on a daily driver, might require your truck is not drivable for a few weeks while you send your shocks out.for rebuild.


The above is unbiased. I have run many shock setups in the past. Both have pros and cons. It's tough to get a guy who dropped $10K on suspension to say anything bad, but there are definite cons to running high performance.

Oh, I doubt seriously you will drive off road 20% of the time. Probably 1% is more like it.
15K miles a year means 3000 off road miles a year. Unless you live 20 miles down a dirt road that is really hard to do.

 

oouuu shit he said you broke son

 

Nope, it's more from the perspective of want vs need. I'd argue that it would be best to try the stuff you want to do with the rig you have. Figure out where your pain points are, gather that data. Then find the kit that solves the problems you have on the budget you can afford.

 

Very helpful, thank you!

 

How do you like the 6112/5160 combo? I think that may be a good middle ground for me.

Edit: I just saw that you posted about them above

 

Happy to, my man. Trust me, there's nothing worse than buying something twice. Do your research and find out EXACTLY what you need and what you want. Don't settle for less. You'll be happy for it!

 

I'm quite happy with. It handles very nicely on pavement and I don't feel it on the MPGs (if that matters to you). The offroad is VASTLY improved over stock. I'd argue it's on par with a King Stage 1.5 ish. Perfect for what I do (trail runs, some climbing, sand dunes, and runs like that). When I get more comfortable and start being a little more crazy, I'd imagine I'll outgrow it. For now, though, it's a DAMN GOOD setup for the price.

Edit: I also have a detailed write-up on the Toytech lifts site. Feel free to check it out. You'll know it when you see it

 

Drive it stock off road for several trips. Read the internet. You will then know what you need.

 

I’ve found that I’m pretty stupid when I get on the sand. If I get them in the future, I’ll let you know how well they hold up

 

This

 

It really depends on what you are doing with the truck and what you need.

Some really expensive parts like uniball UCA aren't necessarily better than simple inexpensive UCA like SPC and JBA. It's all about application.

Generally the more expensive the suspension the harder you can push it, but nothing is immune to fatigue and failure. The other question is how hard do you want to push your truck and where do you intend to push it.

 

That just takes time and practice. I've been doing it for years so it didn't really phase me. Also doesn't help that my SAR team is in all kinds of terrain