Heavy Tundras choice of suspension

[jmllenos]

I have a 2014 Tundra Crewmax. I am at GVWR and will go about 100-200 over if I add extra fuel, water. I'll be upgrading the suspension soon and I would appreciate feedback from fellow Tundra owners who are at or slightly over the GVWR. Much of the weight is at the back.

I am close to purchasing OME kit . BP51 and ICON stage 8 are tempting but they are twice the cost, Are they worth it? I'll be driving mostly on paved roads then to BLM roads.

Thanks !

 

[billiebob]

So much more to the GVWR than just the springs and tires. What will you do about frame, steering, brakes, suspension joints, ..... ask Toyota if going over their GVWR will affect warranty.

I've seen a Ram go into a dealership while on vacation with a broken front knuckle u-joint. The dealer scaled the truck and formally voided the warranty.

 

[jmllenos]

Yeah I will need a trailer to pack extra fluids. I went to a CAT scale and I am 60 pounds under max.

 

[MobileAndMonitoring]

I recently had Alcan Springs make a custom leaf pack for my over GVWR Tundra (first gen though). I'd give them a call with your specs.

 

[rruff]

Yeah I will need a trailer to pack extra fluids. I went to a CAT scale and I am 60 pounds under max.

Many Tundras and other 1/2 tons are overweight when loaded with pretty much anything. Don't sweat it if you are <1000 lb over. Get an upgraded leaf pack for the rear, better shocks, and E rated tires... and drive sensibly... and you'll be fine.

If you aren't doing fast offroading I think I'd look at Bilstein 5100s. Keep the front lift to ~1.5" or less unless you want to get UCAs also.

 

[Regcabguy]

Upgrade the brakes too.

 

[jmllenos]

Many Tundras and other 1/2 tons are overweight when loaded with pretty much anything. Don't sweat it if you are <1000 lb over. Get an upgraded leaf pack for the rear, better shocks, and E rated tires... and drive sensibly... and you'll be fine.

If you aren't doing fast offroading I think I'd look at Bilstein 5100s. Keep the front lift to ~1.5" or less unless you want to get UCAs also.

A friend of mine who was a mechanic for Toyota and worked on Tundras also said the same thing. I'll look into those Bilstein's. Thanks! I am getting aftermarket UCA, probably SMC.

 

[jmllenos]

Upgrade the brakes too.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[rruff]

I am getting aftermarket UCA, probably SMC.

You want lots of lift? I don't think they are worth it otherwise. Pretty sure the Pro uses the same UCAs as the other Tundras.

Also, what is a good brake upgrade for a Tundra?

 

[jmllenos]

You want lots of lift? I don't think they are worth it otherwise. Pretty sure the Pro uses the same UCAs as the other Tundras.

Also, what is a good brake upgrade for a Tundra?

At this time I don’t have plans to increase the size of my wheels, tires. So I think the UCA can wait.
I’m gonna be looking to upgrade my brakes too. Powerstop seems like a good brand.

 

[rruff]

I have fat 35s and no lift, no rub. 1.5" is enough for 37s. You do need to trim plastic and might need to cut the body mount, but more lift doesn't solve anything there, unless you go much higher... you'll still rub when you hit bumps.

 

[Dalko43]

So much more to the GVWR than just the springs and tires. What will you do about frame, steering, brakes, suspension joints, ..... ask Toyota if going over their GVWR will affect warranty.

I've seen a Ram go into a dealership while on vacation with a broken front knuckle u-joint. The dealer scaled the truck and formally voided the warranty.

FWIW, the Tundra is somewhat over-engineered and underrated as it comes from the factory. Toyota lent an unmodified Tundra to a ranching operation where it was pulling +12k lb cattle trailers and performing general ranch duties on rough roads for 100k miles. Didn't seem to cause any undue wear. The Toyota engineers obviously stated that they don't condone going over the tow ratings, but that they weren't surprised the truck fared as well as it did.

That aside, I agree with the above post: there is more to GVWR than springs and tires. I don't know what the OP has on his Tundra so that it is already within 100-200lbs of GVWR. If you need to exceed that 1.5-1.6k payload on a frequent basis, I'd heavily consider getting a 3/4 ton.

For suspension, I'd take OME (either the old nitrochargers or the newer BP-51's) in a heartbeat over anything else. ICON makes very capable suspension setups, and I'm sure they last for a while. OME still has a better reputation for reliability and longevity. The tradeoff is that OME won't have the same degree of comfort and ride compliance as a high-end ICON kit (at least according to those who've done direct comparisons). I'd trade a little bit of comfort for better reliability.

 

[rruff]

OME still has a better reputation for reliability and longevity. The tradeoff is that OME won't have the same degree of comfort and ride compliance as a high-end ICON kit (at least according to those who've done direct comparisons). I'd trade a little bit of comfort for better reliability.

A note concerning OME; you get more lift than they say. All the springs are 730lb, the "heavy duty" options just have more spring length and preload. I'd go with the lightest spring (med duty for the small v8) even with a load.

Another option from Oz is Ironman. https://www.tundratalk.net/forums/t...mcell-struts-shocks-springs-bushings-etc.html

Don't know if anyone has tried them on a Tundra, but one guy is now taking the plunge: https://www.tundratalk.net/forums/tundra-suspension-talk/733665-iron-man-suspension.html#post9442282

 

[tacollie]

OME and Dobinson make good suspension kits for managing weight. The only reason I went with my Radflos is because I wanted less lift. Let's is know what to decide. I'm still trying to figure out a low height option for the rear without airbags.

The previous owner upgraded the rotors and pads on my truck. It has a ton of stopping power. Even at gvwr.

 

[Grendel Kahn]

I'll second the Alcan leaf springs. I have a 2016 Tundra Pro. I'm not at GVWR but when loaded down for camping and towing a small teardrop the ass sagged more than I liked. I upgraded springs to 500 over GVWR and 2 inches of height. They were great to work with and will build the springs to what you want.