trdtacoma01

I have decided I will change out the suspension setup on my tacoma double cab TRD, the ride is way too bumpy and harsh, I want something smoother yet capable of going offroad which I dont do much of.
Ok, I think I have narrowed down my suspension options somewhat now that I know a little more about what each does. I am willing to go either way, just shocks or springs and no lift, or lift it at the same time. For no lift I could go with:
- Bilstein HD shocks all around

- Rancho 5000 (I believe they are hydraulic so it will ride better that gas shocks-i.e. Bilstein, but it will not handle as good)

For Lift I could go with:
- Revtek 3" spacer lift with required longer shocks in the back, I have heard this is a good cheap kit but spacer lifts in general will screw up your suspension geometry and make allignment and balancing hell. I dont know about the smoothness on this.

- Sway-a-way Race Runners/spacer block for the back. I really dont know much about this other that it is an adjustable coilover system. dont know about the ride quality of these.

- OME full suspension upgrade with springs/shocks etc, this seems to be the most expesive along with SAW and I really dont know much about these at all.

- KONI adjustable shock, I have heard they give a smooth ride and are height adjustable like the SAW , dont know much more.

Thats about all I can think of right now, my main concer however is ride quality and smoothness I dont get with the TRD offroad package. I appreciate anyones help in this matter since I dont know much about truck suspension.

Thanks

Robinhood150

hi trdtacoma01,

First, keep in mind that the tacomas and 4runners are trucks and as such, will ride like trucks. It will never ride like a car and it shouldn't ride like a car. This is especially true for the TRD package. It's supposed to be for off roading.

I've consulted with the resident ifs suspension "expert" (pismoboy) over on tacomaterritory.com and he says the tacos are already one of the softest trucks out there. Anything you do will make it ride stiffer.

A lift will especially make it harsher because of the geometry change.

The rancho 5000s are notorious for being a stiff shock.

Whether you go with spacers up front, or longer springs, they do the same thing in regards to geometry. Think about it this way, a spacer will push the a-arms down 3 inches, but so will a 3 inch longer spring.

[edit] oh, and I wouldn't recommend going over 2.5 inches for the front without dropping the differential ($$$) too. Anything over that and you'll have problems with your CV boots tearing. (I'm assuming it's 4wd?)

Try posting this at www.tacomaterritory.com

Hope this helps

Steve

XtremeOff-Road

Alright well my opinion, go with the RaceRunner shocks up front, OME leafs packs and shackles in back with Bilstein Shocks. Then to help you with your front geometry, swap out your upper control arms for the ATS upper control arms. That is an option that will give you great performance!!

Mike

rowan

im looking at the revtek right now. it is pretty cheap, plus you get the rancho 9000's for the rear.

my dad was telling me about a lift kit he saw that comes with a diamond cut stainless skid plate... i dont know anything else about it really, but it sounds nice. ill let you know about that.

i was looking at this site yesterday with a bunch of different possibilites. when i find it, ill post it for you

rowan

here it is... there are a coupld options for the taco on here, including the revtek

http://www.wheelersoffroad.com/revtek.htm

trdtacoma01

thanks everyone for the help...

I have basically narrowed it down to bilteins all around(stock height) which will hopefully smoothen out the ride from those ˟˟˟˟ty ass tokico shocks-if anyone has any experience with these please let me know, this is the #1 option. My second option is the 3" revtek but as Robinhood150 said, it might not be a good idea to lift over 2.5 without screwing something up. So if anyone has any info on these, please let me know about the ride quality on both of these since this is my main concern.

Thanks again

XtremeOff-Road

You can use the RevTek without messing anything up, I road tested them and they were fine. I am going to tell you that if you do not like your existing ride, you are not going to like the ride with a RevTek lift. The spacers will pre-load your springs and create a stiffer ride. Just some information for you.

Mike

WATRD

</lurk mode>

Aha! At last I find a post that I can actually assist with

I have walked this path before. So, a couple of random, stream of concienceness thoughts come to mind...

You have a zillion options open to you and your decision depends upon what you are looking for. I see from the original post that you are trying to improve your ride. If you have the TRD progressive springs in the front, you are going to be dissappointed with a spacer lift. It will sag your springs. Your best all around option is coilovers. Rebuildable ones. Sway Away, Fabtech, Doetch, it's your call. That way you can have the lift if you want it and can adjust your front to match what you do in the rear.

Another perfectly viable option is the OME springs. 1" or 3" of lift, good ride.

For the rear, AAL's are just the ticket if you are looking for a bit of lift. Extended shackles, if you want a bit more. Blocks are BAD, MMmmkay?

Want a nickles worth of free advice? You are not gonna like the Bilsteins. I don't know what they were thinking, but they are way too freaking stiff for the weight of the Tacoma. It rides like a buckboard with them The RS5000's are pretty much the same way. Go with the RS9000's and set them on 5 (9) if you want to shake up your kidneys. When that get's old, you can always turn them down

I had the Revtech, had the Bil's, have coilovers, have ridden on the OME's...

I hope that helps. If you want more, just yell

<lurk mode>

rowan

WATRD, check out this thread

if the coil overs and AAL's were cheap, id get them. the revtek is a good price, and i dont really give a about ride quality. i dont take long rides.

WATRD

The Revtek is a good kit. The downside is not so much the ride quality as it is the sagging of the coils, and the blocks. With TRD progressive coils, you will soon be losing altitude and coil-bind will become a daily issue for you.

If you *must* do spacers, save some money and go with the Cornfed. It's the same spacer lift and has an AAL instead of those nasty blocks in the rear.

rowan

i just picked up a magzine with several lifts for a tacomas in it, and a writeup on each - including the revtek. im going to check out the websites and see if i can get some prices, ill post again later.

WATRD

You should post on one of the TTORA boards. Many of us have been through at least a few lifts and you can get the benefit of our experience. Our New England chapter also has a killer website to get you started.

rowan

WATRD - want to send me a couple of links? i've been to TTORA before, i forget the address though. it might be in a private message or previous thread, ill look around

anyways i found out some more about those lifts here's what ive got

one from "Explorer Pro Comp" it has SAW coil overs in the front.. and AAL's in the rear i think. couldnt find a price. its a 4" lift

one from daystar its a 2.5" lift using spacers. MSRP $416. you can get just the front end for $283 i've heard only bad things about daystar though

one from Northwest Off Road they have a lot of nice stuff there, its a good site. there is one system with adjustable coil overs in the front, AALs, greaseable shackles, and urethane bushings. its 0-3" adjustable... but i dont know how you would adjust the rear if its AALs. they also make a 3" lift, that is pretty much the same setup as the revtek.

one from Old Man Emu at ARBUSA.com its a 2" lift, only for xtra cabs.

and finally, one from SkyJacker it uses coilovers and AAL's for a 3" lift.

only one site showed the price though...

ideally, id want the coilovers and AALs for a 3" lift. from either skyjacker or NWOR, or just buy the SAW coil overs and AAL's seperate, which would probably be cheaper.

i forget who started this thread, but you might want to look at the Old Man Emu setup.

also, could someone give me the adress or information on the cornfred spacers / AAL's. thanks. and what do you think about all these i mentioned? thanks again, rowan.

WATRD

http://www.ttora.com
http://www.cornfedsuspension.com
http://ttora-ne.mainpage.net/
http://www.wattora.com

Robinhood150

My buddy was thinking about this and he said to lower your tire pressure to about 24-26 psi. The dealers usually pump them up to 40+psi. He says that will do more for your ride comfort than anything else.

91Runner

WATRD- My friend has a Bilsteins on his tacoma, and they are by no means too stiff for the truck they give the BEST ride I have ever felt riding in a truck. Before his truck rode extremely harsh, and after he put the Bilsteins on it really was like night and day, it now absorbs pretty much every bump/washboard type situations we've put it through where with his old (stock) shocks the ride was almost unbearable.
Just my $.02 from my own experiences riding in my friend's Tacoma with Bilsteins all around. You also have to consider that his truck is pretty much stock.

-Braden

trdtacoma01

I'm confused, some people tell me the bilsteins are good for ride comfort others tell me it will be bumpier. Honestly, at this point I dont think I'm going to lift it, it will be more $ than just shocks and I dont really need it in a 2WD although it would look cool lifted. Anyway, I have heard a lot about HD Bilsteins being much better than the Tokico shocks on the TRD Double Cab, I think anything is better than these. Also, I hear some people recommend the Revtek, others dont, others say spacers suck, others say they are ok, and others say they are good, same goes for coilovers, I am just too confused. Also, I wanted to add that I rode in a TRD Tundra today and it too is much smoother than my Tacoma, does the TRD Tundra have Bilsteins?

91Runner

I'm not sure what kind of suspension is on the TRD Tundras, but I know that the TRD Package (not sure if all of them do or not) have a special TRD Bilstein which from what I've read is a lot harsher than HD Bilsteins. Personally if it was my truck, I would get the Bilsteins (I'm planning on gettins a set of Bilsteins or Edelbrocks for my 4Runner hopefully very soon) simply because it gave my friend's Tacoma an AWESOME ride, not harsh, but you still know it's a truck So I'm hoping that they'll help the harsh ride of my 4Runner. And plus with Bilsteins, you have a lifetime warranty, so if it blows out, they'll replace it, so in my opinion you can't beat that.

I really don't know how people can say that Bilsteins give a bumpier ride than other shocks out there, from my experience with them, they only IMPROVE the ride quality (a lot less bumpy, and they absorb bumps VERY well)

I've only had 2 different kind of shocks on my 4Runner since I got it...
-KYB Gas Powered (White body, red lettering, Gas Charged) AVOID THESE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!! They are WAAAAYYYY too stiff.
-Rancho 9000 Adjustable (5 Different settings 1=softest 5=stiffest) I'm running these until I can get a set of Bilsteins or Edelbrocks. These certainly helped my ride quality greatly, but it's almost unbearable going over speed bumps one any setting below 4 (which is the setting that I drive around town on).

I personally wouldn't buy another set of the Ranchos especially with what i've read and felt about how Bilsteins ride (I haven't ridden in a truck with Edelbrocks on it, but everyone i've talked to on here says that they're great). If I were to get a new set of shocks today, I would get a set of Bilsteins or Edelbrocks (It would be a very tough decision ) So my suggestion would be to buy a set of Bilsteins for your Tacoma, I really don't think that you'll regret it.

Good Luck!

-Braden

rowan

this does have bils, but they are not the HD aftermarket ones you get. they are different, and from what i've heard, suck as far as ride quality goes. the aftermarket bils will be much better.

i can't say if they will make it better or worse, i have only heard a couple of people say they're worse... maybe they were riding in a rig with the TRD bils.

corey has edelbrock, and loves them. maybe look into those.

as far as the 24-26 PSI goes, that seems pretty low - maybe for offroad use. on the highway, you want it to be 35-45 i believe. putting it on 30-35 might help ride quality, but your tires would wear funny and your gas mileage and road noise might change a bit.

someone correct me if i'm wrong

WATRD

I am not saying it's not possible. But having ridden around on the aftermarket Bil's on my old Tacoma, then making the same mistake again with this one, as well as hearing from literally dozens of others on the national TTORA board, I thought it best to chime in.

Feel free to disregard my advice as you wish.