Suspension newb needs help with incredibly rough ride.

[Excelsior]

Right now on my truck I'm running the ToyTec Coilovers. I have an ARB bumper and M8000 winch, which I thought would smooth out the stiff ride in the front, but any small disturbance in the road (Erosion ruts across the trail, rocks, severe washboarding) rattles the truck so severely that I worry something is going to break off.

I know that I can't expect to go highway speeds off road, but I can't go much over a crawl without slamming my head into the roof.

The odd thing (to me) is that large obstacles, such 3' mounds, I can hit at speed and the front soaks it right up.

Would taking the coilovers down a bit help? Would it lower the truck much? I don't really want to do this as the trails I take are steeply rutted and I get hung on the skid plate sometimes as it is. (FYI, I've got the ToyTec's on the factory Preset)

Would a different brand of C/O be better for smoothness? (Fox, ICON, etc...)
I don't really have the funds for a full on LT setup, but a new set of C/Os or even just shocks would be just fine.

EDIT: I knew I'd forget something. I'm on ******** Cepek FC-II radials at 265/75/16 and ~35psi. They're the SLT version, which means they are heavy and have several layers of Kevlar throughout the tire. Would airing down help with the ride noticeably? I haven't been doing that because I only have a plug-in compressor that takes a very long time to air up anything.

Or, maybe I'm just a newb and there's no way around it and I should get used to it.

 

[Desert Dan]

Check your air pressure

 

[BigDaveZJ]

35 psi is a LOT off-road. For crawling, I normally run around 12psi. I'd drop yours to around 15 and give that a shot.

 

[CA-RJ]

On the pavement I run my 285's at 35 psi and the ride isn't bad. Try dropping yours to 30 psi and see if that helps.

For anything off the pavement, 35 psi is going to stink. I personally run 15 psi on any fire road or desert track. If rocks are involved, I drop down to 10 psi.

 

[TEJASYOTA]

Reducing the air pressure will help, also note that Kevlar is a stiff material, even in weave form, that is used for tires.
Suspension acts very differently with what you are carrying, Type of vechial (frame over body vs unibody), terrain, tire type, shock/leaf/spring type, and even wheel type (steel vs alloy).

How are your bump stops?
How old is your suspension?
Other than what terrain you drive on, is there other types of off-roading you do?
How does the leafs look? Flat or negative arched?
Changing brands should be your last option.
All if not all current off the shelf C/O from Icon, Saw, Fox all are similar.
Unless you really pay for a custom unit, you would never tell a real difference.

Hope this helps.

 

[Excelsior]

Thanks all for the advice. I'll definitely try airing down my tires next time.

I also forgot to specify the truck: It's a 2010 Tacoma DC shortbed non-trd. I've got the toytecs in front, and AAL's and 5100's in back. It's all fairly new, maybe about 3100 miles on it, mostly highway.


The reason I asked about brands is I wondered if a wider shock body or ext. resivoir might help, but if just airing down tires will do it, I think a mounted compressor would be much cheaper.

 

[Hedge]

If you need a reasonably priced compressor, take a look at the MV-50. Inflates a 33" tyre from 15 psi to 35 psi in ~3 minutes. Amazon usually has the best price. I normally carry one in each Cruiser; when we go off-road we take both and run one on each side of the car for a faster pit stop.

 

[Excelsior]

Thought I'd update folks.

I went back into the Santa Fe Ntl. Forest, this time with my fronts aired down to 20psi (Taking the valve cores out drains air fast, but it's very loud.)

The difference was shocking, the front was very smooth while the back would skip and shimmy around.

I think this has solved my problem, however I -am- concerned about losing the bead on the tire. How low can I take the pressure before I have to worry about the tire separating from the rim?

 

[TangoBlue]

I take my down routinely to 12 lbs... haven't lost a bead yet. Specs in sig line below and the LC80 wheel is 8 inches. It looks more scary than it actually is.

 

[TEJASYOTA]

At 20psi, I would not even sweat it.
Just be smart on the speed you are traveling, remember the less pressure inside your tire, equals the MORE travel, your tire will take, before hitting your rim.
The higher the pressure, the less travel, your tire will take.

The only times I worry if my beads break free is if I was rock crawling at 13-psi, up a rock face and I have to use my side walls to get grip.
Or going between two vertical surfaces and you need to use the side walls for grip.

One last thing, it also depends on the size of tire you are using with your rims.
Make sure you use the correctly sized tire for your rim.

 

[matt s]

Do your shocks allow the suspension to move? It sounds like you may have too much shock only allowing your suspension to do anything when it really gets hit. You really shouldn't have to air down just to run a gravel road with a little bit of bump.

I too solved my problem for a while with airing down every time I went off pavement. I fixed the real problem and now only air down when the situation actually calls for it.

 

[Excelsior]

I wouldn't know... How would one adjust the shocks? Is it the rod at the top?

 

[jim65wagon]

If you bought coilovers listed for a Tacoma, that probably is the correct part, and shouldn't be your problem, but you can find the part number on the CO and call ToyTech to reconfirm.

I'm going to agree with the tire pressure statements. I know at street pressure (38f 34r), even on a mild forest road, the truck feels like it has no suspension. It's unforgiving, throws you around from side to side, bounces your head into the ceiling, and if you've driven all day to get to the dirt your kidney and bladder will be screaming in a few short miles.

Airing down to even 20 makes a world of difference, 15 works just fine too, I've never tried less so I have no experience there, but 20 will be fine with the beads, as will 15. Just pick up that cheap air compressor and air down.


Have fun.