Upgrades you DON'T regret

Spindle gussets, U bolt flip and extended bump stops. Mods a lot of folks don't normally think about for going off road after spending $$$$$$$ on suspension and armor. I would add CMC and viper cut as well if you really want to wheel hard and don't want to deal with rubbing. Last, front sway bar delete with heavy duty coil springs. If you are just going for looks, light wheeling or getting to your favorite fishing hole or camp site then none of those mods are necessarily.

 

It's funny that Toyota sells the kit for it. It's very affordable and it's plug n play. Should have just made it a standard feature on all the TRD models.

 

U bolt flip kit and extended bumpstops are a no for me. All they do is limit your UP travel. Now some front durobumps I can get behind. Also true rear hydro bumpstops like King/Fox/Icon.

 

u bolt flip kit's keep you from bottoming out too.

edit: not just under the axle clearance, but shock compression

 

"A U-bolt flip kit for a Tacoma can limit up travel, especially on stock height vehicles. This is because the OEM bump stops may hit sooner and limit the upward travel of the suspension. However, on lifted vehicles, the U-bolt flip kit can provide increased rear ground clearance and prevent U-bolt damage offroad.

For lifted vehicles, the U-bolt flip kit can be beneficial as it allows for maximum suspension travel and improves ride quality with specially designed bump stops.

It's important to note that the specific impact on up travel can vary depending on the vehicle's setup and the type of bump stops used."

Archive Garage U bolt flip provides the proper bump stop depending on your set up.

 

Measure a stock bumpstop vs a u bolt flip kit. The distance between the top of the bumpstop and the bumpstop plate built into the frame. You will bottom out the bumpstop much easier with a U bolt flip kit. It truly limits your up travel. Which is bad for slow crawling, fast bottom outs, daily driving through a dip, etc.

 

Yeah I guess it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Wheeling on rougher more difficult trails (not rock crawling) down travel for me is more important than up travel. I am more concerned about traction and stability at low speeds over rough ground and rocks. Even at that with a lifted long travel suspension with a U bolt flip and bump stop I am sacrificing little if any up travel and not even sure I am actually losing any up travel to be honest. . . but maybe I am. So for not much of investment I am getting a little better clearance and avoiding snagging the OEM U-bolts that are hanging down on a Tacoma - it just cleaner, smoother under there. As well, I am not sure the stock bump stops would keep me from bottoming out with lifted long travel suspension so I think the Archive Garage bump stops probably help there as well. Bottom line I really don't care if I lose a little bit of up travel - I haven't noticed a difference at any rate . . . and to be honest I concede I have never snagged my stock u-bolts on a rock either so I guess there is that.

On the other hand everything I have read seems to indicate the folks who are really concerned about up travel (of course everybody wants up travel) are the desert racers or people who want to drive fast on rough forest and washboard roads with lots of ruts and bumps etc. I don't do anything like that.

 

Only way I would run a taller bumpstop in the rear, is if my shock collapsed length was longer than my bumpstop to frame distance. In other words, it's your responsibility, or the shop installing your suspension, to measure the available shock length vs the distance between bumpstop and frame. If you don't understand this, you should not be modifying your suspension at all.

 

Wait...had to read it 7 times

 

Still love my Tweeter upgrade and underseat powered Sub!!

 

my simple and functional build

SEMA Wheels
265/70R17 Cooper Rugged Trek
Yotaverse V2 Grille
OEM Bed Mat
Gator Soft Tri-Fold
Rokblokz Mudflaps
H11 to H9 conversion

coming soon:
Color matched rear bumper (chrome delete)
avs vent visors
LED fogs

 

Yeah - you are right - I can tell you know way more about suspension than I have learned so far. The shop that did my build determined what Archive Garage U-bolt flip to install. They cater to the off road community here in NC and are off road enthusiasts themselves so I 100% trust them. I told them I wanted to be able to do easy and intermediate trails (rated 1-6). They built IMHO the perfect rig for that . . . . And then I went and started doing difficult and even some extreme stuff (rated 7-10) and so far have not broke anything or gotten stuck. But I couldn't have done any of the difficult stuff without some really good experienced spotters helping with taking good lines, good armor protection and I think the spindle gussets - I been out twice with Tacomas that broke tie rods and once with a 4Runner in our group that broke a CV axle so I think the spindle gussets have protected me. I also think the swaybar delete has helped me some along with the locker in places she wasn't really built to go. The U-bolt flip I can't really say has done anything that I can specially point to - I can't see where I dragged them over anything like I can with the skid plates and sliders. But your point about suspension is spot on - I see stuff on here all the time where people just do - what random ad hoc suspension upgrades without understanding how components have to fit together.

 

Awesome and well written post man. Only reason I come off so strongly is because A. I've owned a 3rd gen Tacoma with U bolt flip kit. Noticed right away I was bottoming out easier/faster. And B. For the last 5 years straight I lift Tacomas/4runners/Tundras on the weekends as my side hustle. Believe it or not, I have lifted well over 100 Tacomas.

 

As of right now...the TRD Lift Suspension Upgrade is undoubtedly the best upgrade THUS far in almost 4yrs of ownership!

Bilstein 5100s replace Hitachi Shocks on my TRD Sport.

My thread for update:https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-sport-5-14-2021-loving-my-3rd-gen-tacoma.738836/page-19