TRD sport 2012 with minimal lift is dangerous on dirt road...

Well, got back from the 50th paralel, and even at 25 psi the rear of the truck still want to drift on consecutive holes..... I need to eliminate the tires, i will change back my tire to my winter ones and see if it's the problem.... going back on that road on friday. My previous non trd double cab 2012 was hundred time more stable, can't understand what's going on. If it's not the tires, i will have to put back the truck stock and remove the spacers.

 

My 2015 limited has the same shocks as a sport.. they suck. get some Icon 2.0 rear shocks or maybe King. they are pricey, but you and the truck will be happy. Might also turn the limited slip OFF if the gravel is fairly loose, as it will apply brake to a wheel when it looses traction causing the ass end to wander

 

How do you turn LDS off on trd sport ? I can turn vsc off, which display Auto LSD, but doesn't sound like it's being turned off.

If the problem is not the tires, it has to be the suspension, but don't want to throw money in if i'm not 100% certain it will fix de problem.

 

You've over worked your stock shocks. Mine were past done at 50K. I slapped some Old Man Emu shocks on rear and life is good.

 

It's not necessarily the shocks are junk from age/wear, they just suck, are too soft, and the rebound is too slow when they are new,resulting in poor contact with the ground. The wash board roads greatly increase the bounce and your basically all over the road because you have no ground contact or traction. This is where the whole suspension takes a turn, unless you buy a top of the line Icon kit with adjustable dampening, you either go for off-road or in this case, you want a baja setup for the gravel/wash board roads. There really is no happy medium and you'll get complaints from both sides and both will ride different. The TRD pro kit would be a good choice, it's more for these type of roads you drive without breaking the bank and are "tuned" for the toys. Others will say buy the billstein pieces separate, but there isn't much savings and it's a generic setup for all vehicles, not specific for the Tacoma, which is why the "tuned" kits cost a little more.
I'm sure the front end is doing it, too. I would imagine the steering wheels gets to shaking and jerks around going down the gravel roads, especially over the wash boards.

 

TRD Sport has an open diff and Auto LSD is OFF until you hit that switch to turn it on. When the LSD is on the display will read "Auto LSD". If you're stopped and hold the switch down for 5 seconds the entire VSC/TC/AUTO LSD system will be shut off, and it will display "TRAC OFF" if I remember correctly...Try doing this.

The Auto LSD uses the ABS system to apply to the brake the rear wheel that is slipping, which will then mechanically send power to the opposite side. But I believe this will only happen at slower speeds to help get unstuck in some situations. Boat ramp etc. But most will just switch into 4 hi and rarely use their Auto LSD.

I believe your problem is from two things. The first being the Tacoma rear leaf springs which are notoriously bad under any circumstances. Second is the lift block which makes the already crappy springs act even worse.

 

If you have a lifted rear end with a stock shock its not operating in the range of travel it should be. Plus the stock shocks are weak anyway.

 

gottaToy, would this Baja Kit would do the job ? http://trdshop.com/products/ptr13-35120

 

It would help no doubt, but the shocks are not tunable and they are ultimately disposable because there is no chance to tear them apart and rebuild them. If you are spending that much money you might as well do some King/Fox/SAW coilovers for the front and smooth body shocks with reservoirs for the rear as well from the same companies. You would be spending nearly the same price for even better performance which is tunable for your liking if desired. Mine is a huge mix of every brand front to rear so don't be afraid to mix, just make sure you get two of each brand for both left and right side.

I really think that for lifting you will be happy with a progressive 3 pack mini pack AAL from Deaver, or wheelers. I still have my AAL and I have wheeled my truck to death since I installed it in early 2013. Over 30,000 miles on it both on and offroad.

 

They have good reviews from the guys out west that drive the dirt and gravel roads. You want a suspension that is specific for Tacoma. Those others aren't really "tuneable", they are height adjustable with no way to adjust the dampening, unless you want to spend $4000 on the Icon stage 6, which is awesome BTW. The TRD and maybe a few others are what they call "tuned" for the Tacoma, which means the dampening is correct for the Tacoma, not just a generic application which will be all over the place depending on brand. It really come down to how much you want to spend. Find a TRD pro Tacoma and and test drive it, that'll give you an idea of that TRD kit

 

This is incorrect. My Icon's are tuned and set up to be on a Tacoma DCLB without armor. And the valving can be set for the type of usage you intend.

No way I'm paying $1500 bucks for that TRD set up

 

Since you have a TRD sport too, Can you give me your exact suspension setup Westside ? Thank you.

 

http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...-toyota-tacoma-suspension-system-stage-2.html

Icon stage 2

This system handles everything, off road and on. Never a problem with washboard roads either. You could probably find it for a better price at Wheelers Offroad

I added Total Chaos Upper Control Arms too but you could use this system without aftermarket UCA's if you keep the lift around 2" or less

 

I'm saying if he went with billies or something along that route. I'm all for Icon's, but many in here won't spend the extra $500 for the vehicle specific setups. Just hate to see this person get some $1000 setup that will just bring other problems.
Mine road like a boat with any kind of weight or a trailer(even with the trailering package) and was suggested by Icon that I start with the 2.5 w/reservoir fi that was my main thing was stabilizing the rear. But I think in this case, if he does the front, he'll quickly find the front sucks, also. If the extra $500 isn't a problem, the Icon's would be better. Love mine, but I went all in with the stage 6

 

Word. Would like to see the OP solve his issues. You're right though. I tend to forget that so many others are happy with a generic set up. That Stage 6 set up is sweet! You went all out.

OP Talk to whomever you can (Wheelers, Icon etc) about your dilemma and what they recommend for valving.

 

I sure will Westside. I have no problem spending the appropriate amount to fix my problem, doing over 2000km each year on that road i cannot put my wife and daugther at risk. Not a matter of speed at all, my wife experienced the feeling at lower speed too. What makes me sick, is that i've switched from my base 4 door 4x4 tacoma to that TRD sport and the driving is worst... never experienced it with the base taco, even with a 2.5 front/2 rear ready lift kit.

A local shop proposed me today to reinforce my leaf packs for 350$CAN, they are doing custom leafs pack etc... i'm kind of tempted to try this option at firsts, but would realy sucks if it doesn't get any better...

Here's a short video of that road while i had my cr-v, it's wide enough to get at great speed..

 

Damn your truck must get dusty pretty fast!

 

The Tacoma factory shocks are pretty sad even with the TRD Offroad or Sport. The are so narrow and tiny. I've seen compact cars with more bigger and robust shocks.

 

So, what did you go with?

 

I'm betting your biggest problem is the E rated tires compared to your old truck that are exacerbated by the spacer lift. The reason your sliding is not just the rear suspension, but a combination of both front and rear.