Back in the Toyota fold

[Hotel Papa]

Well, got tired of my 14 silverado having electrical problems all the time. I sold it and picked up an 04 Tacoma at an auction for a pretty good price. It seems to have been fairly well taken care of, though a little behind on preventative stuff. Now with 166k on the clock, she's all caught up and running like new.

Here's where I'm hitting a brick wall: suspension. The stock suspension is clapped out, and I mean bad. So, I've got to decide what route to take. Problem is, the Web is so clogged with search results I can't figure out what's going to fit my needs. Pretty sure I'm going with the toytec boss lift up front. After that it gets hazy. This is my hunting, fishing, and roadtip rig, so the rear suspension needs to be stout. What are the benefits of, say a shackle over an AAL or vice versa? I am in the weeds over here...

 

[austintaco]

I was an early adopter of the Tundra coil swap for my 03 double cab Tacoma, and after the original used Tundra shocks in the Tundra coils were wearing out, I went with adjustable bilsteins. This setup is very similar to what Steve at Sonoran Steel sells, and I highly recommend it.
For the rear, I first had all pro lift springs in the rear. With a campershell, they were fine, but when loaded up, they sagged immediately. The springs were designed for flex, not weight carrying. I added an AAL, and that helped, but when I put on a Flippac, and a new rear bumper and swing out carrier, I knew it was time for new springs. For me, with the Flippac, and the tire carrier, plus camping gear, I went with the All Pro expedition springs, and I think they are perfect.
It all depends on what you plan to do with your truck.

 

[Hotel Papa]

Guess I accidentally deleted my reply. Just came back from allpro's website and that expedition setup looks perfect. I probably won't do a rear bumper for a few months. With just a Leer shell and cargo are my kidneys going to take a beating? Are you getting the tacoma lean?

As for use, this thing will be a DD as well as carry me through all types of desert, 5/50 roads, mountains, and what not. Not doing hard core crawling, just your typical overland hunting, fishing, back country stuff.

I appreciate you taking the time to answer questions that have surely been asked a thousand times.

 

[mbrewer]

how much lift do you want?

I went with all-pro lift all the way around on my last rig, non-expedition springs. My bumper was pretty lightweight. I had a Leer 122 shell, a lightweight platform that sat on the bed edges, and the entire bed was filled with gear. I lived out of that rig for just under a year, sometimes with my GF.

With that setup I got a 2" or 2.5" lift, almost level when loaded, which was just what I was looking for. The ride was great out back, a little stiff up front, but this may also be my fault for never airing down, and that was a 2002 extended-cab 4-banger, so lighter in front. I would've been disappointed if I wanted 3" or more of lift, but I didn't.

That rig is gone (ended up going to my now ex GF, who still likes the ride), I'm building a 2000 extended cab v6 taco, and I plan to go with the same setup again... all-pro all the way around for the lift, Leer 122, similar platform, and I expect to load it a bit more than before if anything.

Both rigs are also DD's, the non-expo springs ride awesome with the rig empty.

So, Expedition is probably what you want if you're pushing the GVWR most of the time, have a swing-out, or if you really want the whole 3+" of lift. If you just want a better ride and a couple inches, and will ever drive it mostly empty, I'd go with the normal ones.

Oh, and no... no taco lean with the new springs.

 

[redthies]

Congrats on the new Taco. My wife still misses her '01 DC. I'm a big fan of Old Man Emu suspension for your type of usage, but you've probably considered them already? If not, give ARB USA a call (in Seattle). Their tech guys are awesome!

 

[mbrewer]

Congrats on the new Taco. My wife still misses her '01 DC. I'm a big fan of Old Man Emu suspension for your type of usage, but you've probably considered them already? If not, give ARB USA a call (in Seattle). Their tech guys are awesome!

I haven't seen a good comparison of an Old Man EMU suspension and an AllPro suspension... the latter is a touch cheaper, the former is the Australian standard and in the same ballpark price-wise. Any thoughts?

 

[Hotel Papa]

I thought a lot about the OME Dakar pack for the back, then during research i started reading some not so great stuff about them. And I'm afraid they'll be too high and harsh.. Though if you order them from toytec i hear they'll put the bushings in for you, and I'm still having nightmares from when i did the bushings in my 80 series...

 

[ADVW/Liam]

Why I went with OME

I have a second gen Tacoma, and I went with OME because of its origin. Australia is a huge country, and a lot of the roads are dirt. Some have signs that say do not travel unless you have 4x4. OME has been designed to be dependable in the outback, miles from civilization. They simply have more years experience with developing overland suspension. It is not my intention of knocking any American companies, but most roads here are accessible and crossable with a Civic. If I lived in the desert and wanted to emulate a Baja truck, had about $3000.00 laying around, I'd have gone with something from ICON, or the other American companies. I live in Texas, and mostly commute with my truck. I have the Dakar leaf pack, and 5100 Bilsteins in the rear. Front is all OME with an exception of ICON UCAs (highly recommend for ride quality). It rides great, better than a 2015 GMC 1500 Texas Edition that I test drove a few weeks ago. I'm getting my truck set up for camping / road trips with my kid, as soon as I get the rest of the gear together. Truck is pretty much done, with the exception of a re-gear due to tire size. Now I just need to get the camping gear together. Surely someone on here has an OME equipped Taco that lives near you and will take you for a ride to get a feel for it before you buy.

 

[Hotel Papa]

OK, speaking of UCAs, are the icons really worth 300$ more than the LR?

 

[redthies]

HP- The reason I suggested you call ARB is because they offer many different spring rates for most vehicles. For my 100 series I think there is something like 5 options for the rears and 4 for the front. Their tech guys will be able to recommend something for your truck based on what you will have in/on your truck, how and where you drive etc etc.

 

[Hotel Papa]

Good to know. I'll give them a call, thanks for the input.

 

[austintaco]

I forgot to add that while trying to make the original All Pro springs work with the added weight, I also put in a timbren bumpstop, so I had the regular AP springs, with an AAL, and the timbrens. That setup worked with a regular shell, loaded to the max with gear, but it was riding on the timbrens. When I added the flippac and the rear bumper, that was too much for the setup so I went with the expedition springs from AP. What size tire are you trying to run?

 

[Hotel Papa]

Just a 265/75/16. I've actually already got them on, but have a little rubbing. What I'd really love is to just have the quality aftermarket components with as little lift possible. You can solve a lot of problems by choosing a good line and having patience.

 

[Hotel Papa]

Are UCAs necessary if you stay under 2.5 in the front?