Time to kill the pavement princess - new suspension opinions

Planned use: desert trails / whoops at moderate speed / moab (think: wannabe trophy truck)

Lift desired: 3 inches with extra travel still available. I have 33's

Current set up: spacer garbage with AAL at 2.5 (some rubbing did occur with the 33's)

Budget: Free, but I'd like to stay under 4k, though going over for the right reason is fine.

recent work done: frame rust removal + paint, new wheel bearings / rotors /calipers+brake pads and replaced CV axles (rebuilding the OEM's for later use)

I am looking at Icon 2.5 CDCV front and rears, with Dakar leaf pack and Icon tubular UCA. This is what they call a "stage 6" and a guy at Icon highly recommended the 2.5's with what I want to do.

My question: is this overkill? I want to fly down desert trails, and I want the suspension to laugh and ask for more. I have a car for MPG and road driving, I want my Tacoma to be what I bought it for.

I'm single with no kids and I don't spend money on going out to bars etc (drinking the beer in the fridge is so much cheaper... does that make me old?)

This is my hobby now (thanks TacomaWorld, I'm infected).

What would you do with 4k?

 

That Icon setup will be perfect, but Dakars are not going to be good for that use.

 

I'm thinking you want to go "mid travel" which is something I'm not expert on at all.

But basically you need extended length shocks in the front along with unibal upper control arms, and then in the back, extended length shocks coupled with some type of extended length shock mount (bed cage, or BAMF builds an option) and different type of leaf pack - perhaps a spring-under-axle type.

Check this thread for ideas and suggestions.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/200644-mid-travel-bs-thread.html

 

Ok I'll check it out. I'm unfamiliar with the serious LT stuff.

 

Check my build out. Its a sand and desert runner and it handles everything I have ever thrown at it with ease. Even more so now that I got the rear air bumps in. Max mid travel and I'm still working on perfecting it. I just need to limit strap it and gusset the spindles but short of that I'm set to go!

 

That's an awesome truck man. I am not sure what mid-travel is as far as build. How does it differ from extended travel coil-overs and UCA's up front? Is there an option to build the back end without cutting into the bed? Whats the difference between the 2.5 icons and dakar leafs in the back vs "long travel"?

Some people shouldn't go long travel, because they rarely drive it off-road, I am not one of those people. I love dirt bikes, but as I get older, I'm too sore to go at it all day anymore.

Thanks for the post

 

One thing is - you need to understand there's a difference between "mid travel" and "long travel"

Both "mid travel" and "long travel" enhance the travel range of the suspension, but long travel does it more, and typically requires more expensive modifications, more tuning, glass fenders, etc... etc...

A "typical" long travel budget front/rear is closer to $10k than $4k (there are always exceptions)

 

Mid travel is a general term to describe a setup that is slightly more travel than stock but not long travel. It can be something as simple as coilovers and UCAs with new shocks an AAl in the back, all the way up to new lcas, bypasses and changing the shock mounts in the back, adding air/hydro bumps.

I'm on mobile so can't go into too much on it, checkout the mid travel with bs thread in this section.

 

If wants an awesome full mid travel he is well off by doing extended remote reservoir coilovers, UCA/LCA's, And air bumps up front. Then some 10"+ smooth body remote reservoir rears with either an AAL mini pack and a new spring pack as well as air bumps back there.

 

Give me a call and i can get you set up front and rear within your budget and fill you in with all the details and options!

-Landen

 

I'll give you a call. I'm assuming you are closed this late, but let me know. I'm up for a while yet.

 

There are all kinds of ways you could avoid Cutting into the bed. I notched my cutouts just enough to fit the air bumps without taking an overly large amount. Typically you can get 2.5" air bumps for the rear which is what is recommended for use but because I am using a 10" stroke shock and my ride height is what it is the 3" option worked better. Of course that came at the cost of having to cut into the bed a little. With the 2.5" stoke bumps you wouldn't have to do that.

The build you see in my thread is a maxed out travel for mid travel build. That's what would constitute of doing a full mid travel build.

With long travel, you may lose some ability to steer and its track width doesn't allow for all around DD streetability most of the time. Plus you would have to get longer CV's and tie rod extensions.

 

What are the differences between air and hydro bumps?

 

They are the same. Air bumps are actually hydraulically filled and rely on nitrogen as well to work. They are essentially a short shock.

 

So after a lot of reading on LT (still havent absorbed it all) - I'm thinking I will save up some more and go LT.

It's hard to deal with the current suspension being yellow and baby blue with rust all over it - not to mention riding like it is made of bricks.

I'm thinking TC 3.5 w/ icon LT
I understand the welding and maintenance that needs to be done, but this truck isnt my DD. So I feel like buying the front end and leaving the back end stock with that AAL in is just going to be horrible. I figured I'll do it all at once, and the back end seems far more complex.
Too bad DMZ is in CA, I love that bed cage he has fab'd.

So in the mean time, I'll just ride on horrible suspension and skip the early spring moab trip. To be fair, I bought the truck from a guy who garage kept it and polished it weekly, he just wanted it to look higher for... some reason.

TL;DR - going LT, don't want to do it half-assed, so I'm waiting and I'll put up with kidney jarring suspension for now.

 

My only two cents here is - if you were planning to go to Moab - do it anyway.

Don't let the fact that your truck isn't "perfect" or everything you intended deter you.

If necessary, adjust the trails/roads you go on, you can always return later when your truck is more capable.

 

It's pretty bad, man. The back end bucks over small things, and it even bounces at times when I hit something while turning.

I may see how it holds up out there. I'll definitely take it easy.
After experiencing this, I am not sure why anyone would voluntarily buy a spacer lift.