Any suspension nerds here?

[roosiebull]

I am going to upgrade the suspension in my gen 4 taco, it has a 2” lift that Toyota put on it, I’m not sure if the Bilstien shocks are stock or part of the suspension lift.

There has to be something out there better regardless, and I was spoiled with my last 2 pickups being Colorado zr2’s and I miss how they handled on and off road, would love to get the taco closer to that in handling

 

[displacedtexan]

Old Man Emu

 

[Clearwaterarcher]

Fox 2.0’s are hard to beat for the money. Any strut spacer or leaf block will make a truck ride worse off-road.

 

[IdahoElk]

I'd go King but then it's not my money, OME is good, I went Toytec and it's Ok.

 

[TheLoamRanger]

I have 3 sets of Bilstein shocks on heavier duty trucks right now and I really like them for normal use. In my experience they typically ride more firm for better handling on the road and while towing yet they still do better than stock off the pavement.

If you're looking for something valved generally softer, OME or Fox would be where I'd start looking.
And I 100% agree that spacers make trucks ride worse in general...that's kind of a last resort for me to fit larger tires.

Edit: I've had horrible luck with most store-branded components, especially brake rotors and shocks. I suggest buying a reputable brand for those.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Budget?

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

Hop on shock surplus’ website and watch some of their videos on progressive vs. digressive shock valving. That’s one of the big differences between a “rougher/stiffer” bilstein and a cushy/soft fox 2.0 shock. They both have their pros and cons. They also did a shock shootout comparison video with a handful of set ups on a Tacoma.

 

[KurtR]

TDS Suspension – Custom Suspension

tdssuspension.com

This is my brothers shop he can do what ever you want and put it on the dyno to back up what your getting . Having the right quality springs matter as much as the shocks . Built shocks for pretty much everything from nascar to Baja stuff.

 

[displacedtexan]

Shock upgrades are nice.

Spring upgrades will change your world.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Have Bilstien's and OME on mine now. I dont have much good to say about them.

Next money spent on this rig will be deavers and kings

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

Have Bilstien's and OME on mine now. I dont have much good to say about them.

Next money spent on this rig will be deavers and kings

Bilstein shock with OME springs? What level of spring and what kind of vehicle?

I put bilstein 6112s and 5160s on my tundra. They’re ok, not my favorite though.

 

[mthayr]

Generally speaking, most internal bypass struts with a 2.5" or greater diameter and a remote reservoir are your best bet... if the budget allows. Bilstein 8112, Fox 2.5 or 3.0 Race series, etc.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Bilstein shock with OME springs? What level of spring and what kind of vehicle?

I put bilstein 6112s and 5160s on my tundra. They’re ok, not my favorite though.

04 tacoma.

I ran stock suspension with 32's. Had to lift it a touch to clear 33's. Struts are far from being cranked down though. While the stock suspension was lacking, it was still far better than what I have now. It just rides like shit as it is

Bilstein 6112 Strut & Spring Assembled + Rear 5100 Shocks Set for 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD

Fits 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD Bilstein 6112 Strut & Spring Assembled + Rear B8 5100 Shock 33-247717 33-247724 47-310896. New parts, expert support, free shipping.

www.shocksurplus.com

OME dakar leaf pack. Claimed 2.25" lift but that was a bit much, so I pulled a leaf out.


After talking to suspension dorks that know way more than I do about the subject. Plan is a fairly long shackle, spring under deavers, and kings. I've spent enough on that truck this year though.

 

[displacedtexan]

Have Bilstien's and OME on mine now. I dont have much good to say about them.

Next money spent on this rig will be deavers and kings

I've been in a few OME Toyotas, always been impressed. Never owned a Toyota though.

My rears are Deaver. Love them.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

Im a king snob. Every taco, Cummins and tundra I’ve owned has them. My current 25 tundra is all stock for now. When I get bored and level / lift to stuff 35s kings and coils will be going on it. Nothing has some close imo.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

04 tacoma.

I ran stock suspension with 32's. Had to lift it a touch to clear 33's. Struts are far from being cranked down though. While the stock suspension was lacking, it was still far better than what I have now. It just rides like shit as it is

Bilstein 6112 Strut & Spring Assembled + Rear 5100 Shocks Set for 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD

Fits 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD Bilstein 6112 Strut & Spring Assembled + Rear B8 5100 Shock 33-247717 33-247724 47-310896. New parts, expert support, free shipping.

www.shocksurplus.com

OME dakar leaf pack. Claimed 2.25" lift but that was a bit much, so I pulled a leaf out.


After talking to suspension dorks that know way more than I do about the subject. Plan is a fairly long shackle, spring under deavers, and kings. I've spent enough on that truck this year though.

Kings are nice but boy are they expensive. Most of their models are way overkill for my use. I’m really interested in OME’s new MT64 models, but they don’t make em for my truck. Maybe in a few years when my bilsteins are worn out…

 

[Steve300xcw]

Kings are nice but boy are they expensive.

Oh I have no doubts I'll be spending some money when I do it. I'm ok spending money on that lil rig though

 

[GotDraw?]

More detail needed, your question is too general and leading to useless speculation and non-targeted answers with everyone tossing spaghetti on the wall.

What do you mean by "missing the way your Colorado "handled" on/off road"? What is wrong with your Tacoma?

What is/are your off-road use case(s)? What do you want from the truck?
Washboard at speed? Whoops? Forestry roads? Rock crawling? Mall Crawling?
What speed will you drive in your use case(s)?
How much of a load will you carry?
Are you towing, need air bags too?

Readers can throw all kinds of ideas at you RE Fox, King, OME, etc... but you haven't even suggested a budget?

So-- the biggest question you need to answer is how much are you willing to spend $Min/$Max?

Lift kits do nothing for anything but a cheap, tough truck look and some added clearance. Zero substitute for an actual, well tuned off-road suspension.

BTW-- The more you want off-road performance, high odds the more you sacrifice on-road performance and vice versa.

Provide more background and I'll provide targeted suggestions! Good luck with it, well tuned suspensions are awesome.

JL