FWC + Tacoma suspension upgrades -- NOOB questions...

[zirkel]

New FWC owner here. Just purchased a lightly-used 2019 Fleet, which is sitting in storage until I can find a Gen 2 Tacoma to put it on. The Fleet will live on the Tacoma year-round, and I plan to use it as my daily-driver on non-motorcycle-friendly days.

I was planning on prepping the Tacoma with:

1. Firestone airbags
2. Old Man Emu suspension kit (EK2301A1)
3. Cooper AT3 4S tires

Questions:

1. The OME suspension kit includes front coil springs, leaf springs, sport struts, sport shocks, U bolts, drivetrain spacer kit (50mm front, 55mm rear). This appears to be a bombproof setup that I should never have to worry about. Will the airbags be necessary/redundant with this kit installed?

2. Will the Cooper AT3 with STD load range be more than sufficient to accommodate a 1000 pound (dry) camper, or are XL load range versions recommended instead?

3. Any other tried and true suspension re-configurations that I should consider when adding a FWC to a Tacoma?

Thanks for your insight.

 

[tacollie]

You will need airbags with those springs. There are some venders that have been using OME Hilux ini Tacomas which may be a good option. Custom leaf springs may be a good option since the camper will be on full time. That OME kit is simple and reliable.

 

[cdthiker]

Custom Leaf pack is the way to go any time you are going to have set weight that is always on the truck. I found that for about the same price as aftermarket I was able to take my truck to a local shop and they designed and installed a custom pack in the rear of the truck to meet my requirements and then put on some 5100's all the way around on my tacoma. They built out the rear to support the full load rating of the truck. I have been fairly pleased with how my Cooper at3's have held up but they are the older version and not the 4s/ newer ones. id say six months out of the year I am packing close to a thousand pounds around betwen the canopy, traction weight ( winter is long up here ) tools and other nonsense + my fat self. Have considered airbags for the summer time when I take the cap off and go on the never ending search of firewood to heat my house with all winter. The folks that ended up doing the leafs/ rest of the suspension on my tacoma said they probably do about 40 toyotas a year ( getting set up for a FWC) turns out they are a dealership for them too. The great part about the airbags is that they are easy to deflate if you find them to be over kill and you will love that they are on when you need them.

 

[justbecause]

skip the taco and get a full size truck.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

I had a overweight Tacoma for a while and I would recommend against it as well. Get an ECSB F250 you won't regret it.

 

[plh]

How heavy is the FWC Fleet - loaded and empty.