BigB said:
I just purchased my very own 06 taco. Essentially the same truck that you have, good taste by the way. Question, when installing the Donohoe Suspension, did you have any issues that I need to be aware of, and also did you need to get an alignment done afterwards?
I just orderd mine online this morning. So it will be my first project on my new truck. Wish me luck.
Brian
Congrats on the truck, Brian. As far as the DR suspension, you will want to have a strong friend handy to assist you. Getting the suspension to droop enough to slide the struts out and coilovers in takes some muscle. You'll also want to buy a tube of Loc-Tite to apply to all the various fasteners.
The rear dampers are pretty straightforward but you'll need to raise the rear of the truck until the rear tires just barely touch the ground. If you can't raise it this high because your floor jack is too small it will be very difficult to get the new shocks in. They are under pressure and impossible to compress by hand.
My truck did not require an alignment because I did not raise it any taller than stock. I wound the DR coilovers all the way up to 0" of lift, as my goal is only to compensate for the weight of an ARB bumper, not to lift the truck beyond stock (for now, anyway.) Since there was no change in ride height, everything is still operating at the same angles as before. Toe and caster have not changed.
If you intend to raise the ride height you will, of course, require an alignment, as camber and caster will be altered and probably sub-optimally. Anytime you change ride height you will also change the front toe which will greatly affect tire wear and steering feel. You will also change the caster angle which will affect steering feel and vehicle stability. If you plan to raise your truck you should also plan on spending an hour at local shop rates on a front alignment to get the most out of the setup and to preserve your tires.
