Need Help/Advice: Is my Toyota's Long Travel Suspension Set Up Wrong (too stiff) ?
 

I think my truck may be running way to stiff in the front but I'm not too sure, I'm a noob when it comes to suspension ;) Anyway I have a '92 Toyota 4x4 Extra Cab Pickup. The transfer case, front axles, and frond driveshafts have been removed to save weight. I'm running an Inland trucks kit on the front with King Coilovers. The spring is a King 3.0 18 700, whatever that means. Over the past few days after coming back from a few desert runs, I am worried that I am running too stiff or my suspension is hitting too hard. I heard suspension stiffness is just all personal preference, but I am mostly worried I am slamming so hard that I may break something. I mean is the truck suppose to not budge at all when a 160 pound person jumps up and down on the front bumper? I'll attach some pictures of the front of my truck so you can see. I also did notice I still have the factory bumpstops which seem like they only allow maybe an inch or two of up travel at the inner pivot point of the A-Arms, I dunno if that makes a difference or not though :p Any advice is appreciated. I was also wondering if I should dump this kit and get Total Chaos' new Gen III kit or something else, but then again I dunno since I don't race (......yet.......:D ...) if it would be worth it. But yeah, that is enough of my blabbering. Anyway, yeah sorry for that ;) please any help is appreciated.

Here are some Pics of the front, sorry they are kind crappy:

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2323.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2328.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2333.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2325.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2327.jpg

I run a dual rate King coilover and the bottom spring is 600 and the small top spring is a 400. It works well for big hits (really big) but personally I think it is a bit too much spring for my truck. When I get new springs I am going to go like 300/500. 700 is definantly too much for your truck 500 should do just fine.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...2REKidrig1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...ekid/droop.jpg

So, just curious here, do you have a frame truss? I ask because once you run out of shock and hit bump you'll have one hell of a tough hit (possibly bending the frame out) since the poly bumps are not very thick...

Are you going to get air bumps?

I have added a couple things to stiffen the frame one is a truss that connects the lower a-arm mounts together. I had the same kit on my old truck and didn't put the truss on and measured the distance on a stock frame compaired to mine and mine was about 1" wider from all the stress. The other thing I have is a cross bar that connects the shock hoops together co they cannot collapse under extremely hard hits. I am nowhere near done with the truck but I have to build it slowly because it's a DD and I can't have too much down time. I bent the frame in a rollover on my old truck right behind the driver side tire so I bought this truck. Later I am going to use 1/4" plate on that part where it is prone to crease.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...kid/cross1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...kid/cross2.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...lverbullet.jpg

I can't budge mine either by jumping up and down on the front bumper, and I'm more like 185lb.

If you think about though if you set it up so that 160-200 lbs will flex your suspension then when you hit a dip at 50 mph and have an impact load of 2000-3000 lbs you'll hit your bump stops so hard you'll break something then.

I'm running 500lbs springs (single rate) on my 4runner. They seem to work well. I've only bottomed out a couple of times with them.

Thanks for all the help guys. I dunno if I have a frame truss or not, but I do think I have some extra bracing:

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/DSC_2180.jpg

I was thinking about either running a Dual Rate set up, or replacing my springs with King 3.0 18 500. I do need to get Hydraulic Bumpstops, but I don't really have the cash right now to do so yet. So do you guy's think the 500lbs springs will make my truck handle the bumps a little better, then again I hope it isn't soft enough that I am constantly bottoming it out.