Toyota Mike

Hello everyone.... I joined this forum awhile back but never really got the chance to post much at all because of my crazy busy life. You know... work, kids and all.

I have a 02' 2.7 Tacoma 43k miles with a 3" lift I installed over a year ago! When I installed the lift kit I didn't understand that I should have installed new shocks. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the kit that was installed but I have a spacer in the front and aal in the rear. I was looking at getting a set of Bilstein 5100 series in the rear and leaving the front OE. Is this a good idea or should I get shock all the way around? Also do you guys think that I should stick with Bilstein or is there a better choice for my set-up? I don't do much off road at all.

Thanks in advance!

mmayotaman

Well one thing is I personally would put new shocks in all around. It also depends on how much you wanna spend. Ive mostly used rancho shocks and love them to death. The 9000's are unreal, but if you dont want to spend the extra $ look into the 5000's. Thats my opinion.... But i havent had any experiance with Bilstein but heard good things about them. I also would base the decision on what kind of performance and life you are lookin for. I like rancho's but hey there are plenty of great shocks out there...

Toyota Mike

Thanks for replying! I don't mind spending the extra money on good shocks if it makes a difference. Someone was telling me that the Ranchos were a little stiff..... do you find that to be true?

91_4x4runner

I'd have to agree that the Rancho 5000's are pretty stiff compared to other shocks on the market, but once you're used to it, you don't notice it.

jjrgr21

i had the 5k's on my 98 taco, and they are a bit stiff, but seemed to do better in sand over black OEM, but it could just be me. but i liked them.

CTRJ

I would take a look at Old Man Emu. The shocks are somewhat pricey, but the ride is very nice. I have a set with Old Man Emu springs on my 4Runner and love them. Check out pricing here

Toyota Mike

Just a little more information regarding my setup.

My front coil spacer measures 1.5" inches with an add a link in the rear and I got it from Wheeler's Off-Road Inc a long time ago but not sure which brand. Wouldn't this be a 3" lift set-up even though the spacer only measures 1.5"?

mmayotaman

The rancho 5000's are a bit stiff but the 9000's are adjustable, i had them on my 4runner and loved them, they allow you to customize your ride to as stiff or as soft as you want it. They run about a 100 a shock but they are worth it i wish i would have gone with the 9000 for my tacoma.

Toyota Mike

I think I am going to look into the 9000's. Do you think I should take out that spacer and put in larger spings in the front?

mmayotaman

The spacer wouldnt hurt, i dont think, that would be up to you if you wanna spend the money on new springs. If you are going to spend the money on new springs you should look into adjustable coil overs. Thats going to be the next addition to my truck. Camburg and donahoe make really good ones.

tacoma728

I like the Rancho RS5000 shocks myself. But through months and months of serious flexing, the leave springs have busted them up.

CTRJ

No, that would be a 1.5" lift. How do you get 3" from that? If you're happy with the spacer up front then add some new shocks and enjoy the truck.

tacoma728

That's neither here nor there.

Toyota Mike

Don't beat me up..... I'm new to this whole thing! That's what I figured, but I wanted to be sure. Thanks!

TACOKRAWL

Rancho 5000's are good shocks for the money, I used them when I had the very first phase of suspension on my truck, a revtek 3" kit. They were pretty stiff, but def. a vast improvement over stock. The OME's are the best I have had so far, but were also the most expensive. IMHO I would not use a spacer lift on OME shocks because the shocks are specifically valved for their spring rates, and the ride will be affected accordingly. Spacers radically pre-load your stock springs and will cause them to sag over time, which might be accelerated due to the OME shocks being longer than stock. The tociko SP? trekmasters seem to be the weapon of choice for the tundra lift Steve Schaefer is pushing, and seem to work and perform very well. Hope this info helps!

Toyota Mike

CTRJ

Are you sure about that! When you look on Toytec Web site, it look like the 3" lift spacer don't actually measure 3" from the top of the spacer to the bottom.