Suspension Upgrade... In Waco?

It's time to improve the ride on my '04 double cab (and maybe get some better wheel travel out of it) but I don't have any idea how to go about it. After perusing the forums it seems that OME or Icon systems are the way to go... but I'm in Waco. Anyone know of a good shop near me that you'd trust to advise me on what to get and then actually do the installation?

 

Ome BP-51. Install yourself.

 

I'd love to do that, but it's my daily driver and quite honestly I don't have the tools or the knowledge/experience/skill to pull it off in a weekend. If anyone in the Waco area wants to assist, I might attempt it (and buy beer), but the "install yourself" dream is out of my range right now.

Also, I'm looking through the ARB website and it seems the BP-51 kits are only for the second gen?

 

I have icons on my 2nd gen to install I prefer the ride of icon myself rode in a taco that had omu was a little bit stiffer than my liking. Either way both are great I'd go with fits your budget best.

 

You may want to test ride someone with Icons if possible. Icons are digressive valving which means they start out stiff and get softer at speed. Depending on your application you may or may not like this. I believe OME is progressive valving where it starts out soft and gets stiffer at higher speeds.

Personally I like progressive valving as I cant stand feeling bumps at slow speeds like on the street, but some prefer this. Just know you are comparing two completely different shock applications in regards to valving.

I have King shocks on my truck as they are quite popular for their progression valving...if I had to make a recommendation. Kings are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

 

Hey someone posted this in another thread you may be interested in. I had foxes on my Titan an absolutely loved them. https://austin.craigslist.org/pts/6132091943.html

 

I've not heard about progressive versus digressive valving... to the interwebs to become edumacated. Do you just have the Kings OEM Performance Kit, or something different?

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

It's the same difference between the or springs an sport springs essentially.

 

Well Im a little differnet since Im long travel, but I had OEM kings before as well. King doesn't normally sell their shocks in a package deal like Icon does, but many vendors have their own packages for them. Do you got a link to what the kit entails?

 

With the OR springs being digressive and the sport springs progressive? Or am I backwards?

Something like this: https://www.filthymotorsports.com/King_OEM_Tacoma_Shocks_p/king-25001-151.htm

And here's the link from King: http://www.kingshocks.com/products/oem/toyota-oem/

 

I would say that the OR are progressive, but I cant confirm if the sports technically are "digressive," but might be stiffer for on road applications.

Ok I got ya, filthy motorsports and downsouth motorsports are both good companies for king stuff. I think many use down south for their king purchases as of late. The kit seems to be where that you can add recommended items to the bill based off what you need. What are you looking to achieve exactly with your truck? Do you want a certain amount of lift? Do you plan to off road it a good amount or mainly for street? Budget?

 

Get on the horn with @HeadStrong Off-Road and Ill do your install.

 

You are correct on the springs

 

I rarely off-road; I'd like to keep or increase the ability to do gravel and light trails (which I can already do now). My problem is that my factory suspension is shot, and the ride quality is terrible. I'm looking to replace whatever components I need to in order to make the ride a lot smoother, and I'd like to get maybe 1.5-2" of lift, but nothing crazy. Budget is not really a problem; anything under $3G should be doable (thanks, tax return!).

Wow, thanks! Will do. What setup do you recommend?

Thanks for the info!

 

I agree with Texoma and give headstong a call and tell them what you want to do. They can get you set up nicely. I think some OEM kings could be pretty nice for your application, but doesn't hurt to talk to headstrong as they would likely be familiar with more of the competitor brands and what not as well. Good thing about adjustable coils is you can just crank them up and down to get the desired height.

 

If your not looking to wheel, but maybe take offroad. You say that your suspension is shot. Not want more than a 2" lift. I would say most definitely replace all springs and shocks, look at steering rack bushings, lower control arm bushings and cams, upper control arms, tie rods and ball joints, rear shackles, and braking system. I would recommend an Old Man Emu complete suspension kit that includes front and rear shocks, front and rear springs, bushing replacements for rear shackles if not entirely replace rear shackles with stock height greasable shackles, energy suspension poly bushings for lower control arms and steering rack, completely replace upper control arms with either light racing, Camburg, or one of the many other brands, lower ball joints, outer tie rods, and possibly inner tie rods, sway bar links and bushings, and I think that about covers suspension and steering. All that will keep you just below your budget and you get a fresh feeling ride that handles better than when it rolled off the assembly line. As for the front springs, I think the OME 881 springs will give you the ride height that you're looking for. @HeadStrong Off-Road Will give you the right parts at a competitive price. Also for the front shocks and springs, get new top hats and coil spring isolators. If I do your install, you won't need to have the front pre assembled as I can save you that money, and save you money over what a commercial shop will charge you. Only thing I don't have the capability to do is alignments, but your truck will be 100% drivable to get your alignment done.

 

What about maintenance concerns in all of this? Are adjustable shocks or coilovers going to increase the required maintenance for me? One of the best parts about my Taco right now is that nothing breaks or requires more than an oil change every so often.

I say that; honestly I don't know for certain, it may just be the stock 1st-gen suspension but it seems like every other truck I get into (brother's F150, mom's Yukon, coworker's Ram, etc, etc) rides so much smoother than mine. I think my son's Red Ryder wagon has a smoother ride than my Taco.

Trying to make this a learning experience for me: why do you recommend each of these items? What is each meant to accomplish? I just don't know enough about my truck, I think hahahaha.

 

I think it would be good to hit up headstrong when you get a chance. The components Texoma describes are ideal for long term upgrades, but may not be needed all at once. Considering that your tacoma has considerable age to it, it might not hurt to assess these areas on your truck with a fellow TW member or some auto buddy to see what items could/should be replaced. You might find that you are good to go, but it would help getting an experienced on what you have to understand what your truck truly is maintenance wise.

As far as the coilovers, the ones like I suggest like King are "rebuildable" shocks in that worst case they can be torn down and cleaned up with new seals and shims if needed. Normally the expected mileage on a coilover is about 50,000 miles before you may want to consider getting it serviced. You likely can go longer, but know that your shocks wont be operating at their best at this point and should expect similar results. As far as adjustment on them, you can crank them up or down all day. The higher you crank them up, the stiffer the coil will be though and furthermore will get you closer to binding on the UCAs as you near the 2.5 inch mark.

 

I can meet with and we can look over everything.

 

I spoke to @HeadStrong Off-Road today on the phone; tentative suggestion is either Bilstein or OME shocks with 880 or 881 coils. I really do need to get some outside expertise looking at the truck, though; that's why I posted this in the Texas forum instead of suspension hahaha.

Sweet. I'll message you.

That sounds good to me, but I don't really have a point of reference... 67,000 miles on my truck right now, and to my knowledge no work has ever been done on the suspension, which is probably why the ride is awful. What is the reliability/maintenance difference between coilovers and the coil + shock systems like OME?

Watched this video twice today and I have more questions that I did at the beginning hahahaha.