Tacoma Suspension/FWC Questions

[Michael Crouch]

I've spent about 20 hours reading 1,000 posts on suspension and what I should do, yet the choices are too numerous for my tiny brain to comprehend.

I've got a '21 Double Cab Long Bed Tacoma OR that I just picked up to replace my 2nd gen tacoma that was stock. The old tacoma did everything great and never gave me any issues or didn't let me get where I needed to go even though I beat the hell out of it.

I do get out to Moab/Wyoming/Baja frequently for climbing/surf trips and end up on some pretty long dirt roads and like to drive fast when I can. Some trails to remote canyons have some technical terrain (like the Maze in Canyonlands). Many short trips with a lot of road time. Some long trips for a month or two. I know that I'm overweight and should get a bigger truck so we don't need to start that conversation.

Currently the truck has:

• Eagle FWC on it. 700lbs dry/1100lbs wet on longer or gear intensive trips.
• Not going to add anything to the front end like a bumper/winch (at the moment).
• Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT 265 70r17's (31.6")
• Firestone ride rite/Daystar bags/cradles

That said, I'm looking to upgrade the suspension once and be done with it. I don't necessarily want a huge lift. I'd like to not spend a ton, but I'm not that opposed to nicer options if they're going to 1) hold up and 2) make offroading more fun. I understand that a little extra maintenance is needed for higher end suspensions. I like the idea of a little more droop when off road so aftermarket UCA's sound like a good idea.

Here is what I'm thinking:

• Dobinsons MRR kit
  • With all the goodies, including UCA's, this comes to $3500
  • The rear springs are 600lb, I'm choosing this because I want to drive without the camper on sometimes so I feel like this will be a good middle ground and I won't have a 2" lift. (Correct me if I'm mistaken or should rethink!)
  • I like the option of being able to tune the suspension like on a mountain bike based on weight and what is in my truck at the time, especially if I'm overweight.
  • I like the option of being able to customize the valving later for the weight.
• Fox 2.5/2.0 combo:
  • 
  • Similar setup as the Dobinson's, but with Deavers.
  • $300 more
  • No adjustability on front shock (or custom valving), but can adjust the rear.
• Or do I just get the tried and true Old Man Emu 2" setup (not BP-51s, as they're not in stock anywhere) and save myself $2000 because let's be honest, I'm not going to be going 80 down any of these roads with a huge load on my back???
  • 
• Questions:
  • What would you go with and why? Am I on the right track here?
  • When the camper is on, what would be level for the truck? When the camper is off, I'm assuming I'll have a pretty significant rake and it'll drive like a dump truck but it will likely only be around town and I mostly bike when I'm home.
    • I'm guessing the answer is that I'll have to find out when installing the suspension and adjust as we go.
  • Should I just get the 700-1000lb springs from Deaver and deal with a crazy rake and rough ride without the camper on?

Would love some input from others with Tacoma's and FWC's! I've picked these in particular because many companies are out of stock on a lot of other options (like bilstein 6112/5160 combos). I'd love to hear opinions, options or your setups.

 

[TommyArgh]

I ran the Old Man Emu Medium Duty kit with Firestone Ride Rite air bags and Daystar cradles and it handled it pretty well. If I did it over again I would have ran Deaver Springs in the rear.

 

[highwest]

I do not have a camper, so feel free to pass this one by. I normally load trips near payload, but rarely, if ever, over payload. Daily driving is camper shell and platform only - my medium OMEs are a tad bouncy when unloaded, but perfect with most any additional load all the way up to max.

I’m partial to simplicity/reliability, so I vote OME (non-BP51), Dobinsons (non-MRR), or Ironman (maybe Foam Cell?) with as heavy duty of a rear spring as you can get (if the camper is on full time)... most of those offer an added leaf for heavy duty. Then add air bags, if needed.

I know these basic kits aren’t desert-racer-cool, but there’s not much to go wrong and no rebuilding/servicing - when they go bad (which seems rare), just replace them.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I have FOX 2.5 (non-remote reservoirs) suspension and would recommend OME. It's not that higher end suspension is bad I just find it unnecessary for typical use, kind of a law of diminishing returns. You get a decent step in performance with plain OME (or Ironman, Dobinson, etc.) for not a ton of money. The next step up isn't as much for a lot more money.

I think the sweet spot for value might be a FOX 2.0 level all around but only if you have money burning a hole in your pocket. OME (etc) will do 95% of what you need and you keep more gas and beer money.

Plus if you stick with 2" diameter FOX or OME in front with reasonable lift you don't strictly need upper control arms. With a 2.5" shock/ 3" OD spring you have to use UCAs to clear them even if you don't end up with any lift.

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

I don't have a truck camper but my 2018 Tacoma weighs in at around 5800 pounds daily driving weight so the load is probably similar (especially when you add in camping gear and trailer). I have the Icon stage 10 system with 700# front springs and hydraulic bumpstops in the rear. I've run about 10k miles with it through all manner of terrain, loaded and unloaded, and I couldn't be happier with it. It's got a fair bit of rake (maybe 1.5 inches) at normal weight but squats down to about level with the trailer attached. I keep the shocks dialed down for daily driving then dial them all the way up when loading out for a trip. It rides and handles great in both configurations. "Fast on dirt" is really what Icons are made for but they also behave superbly in every other situation I've thrown at them.

Wherever you land, I think you definitely want manually adjustable shocks and I'd recommend them all the way around. I went with the Icons because everything is engineered to work together as a system and designed specifically for the Tacoma.

 

[rruff]

....with as heavy duty of a rear spring as you can get (if the camper is on full time)... most of those offer an added leaf for heavy duty. Then add air bags, if needed.

Seems like the most sensible approach if you will be taking the camper on and off regularly.

I wonder about rear shocks with a camper. Most of these are designed for no load. Won't they be way under damped with a heavy load in the back?

 

[highwest]

Seems like the most sensible approach if you will be taking the camper on and off regularly.

I wonder about rear shocks with a camper. Most of these are designed for no load. Won't they be way under damped with a heavy load in the back?

I usually plug simplicity, but maybe adjustable shocks would shine in this application?

 

[rruff]

I usually plug simplicity, but maybe adjustable shocks would shine in this application?

If you have the camper on and off, adjustable should be the way to go. Places like Accutune will custom valve the shocks they sell (Fox and King). My camper will be on full time, so I could get away with just "higher than normal" damping on the rear shocks. The front won't be a huge change from loaded to unloaded, but there will be a big difference in the rear.

That's why I don't see how OME, Dobinsons, or Ironman would work very well with a camper. Surely they are designed assuming no or light loads so the rear will be underdamped with a camper on. For offroading you also need good heat dissipation to go with that higher damping (more damping = more heat) so wouldn't you also want large shocks in the rear and maybe a reservoir? Or is it less of an issue than I imagine?

The less hard core camper guys like to buy Rancho 9000s which have adjustable damping. They also say they fail regularly. High damping in a small shock with lots of washboard does not last long apparently...

 

[idriveabox]

Take a look at Elka suspension. Just got a set ordered up and the reviews speak for themselves.

 

[Michael Crouch]

Thanks for everyone's reply! I really appreciate it. It's incredible how complex these systems are, and since you can't try before you buy, you're simply just relying on someone else's opinion. Incredibly frustrating since you're investing so much money into your vehicle.

I actually bit the bullet and got an interesting setup that I think will work for me:

Fox 2.5 Front (no remote)
Fox 2.5 w/ Remote Reservoir DSC Rear (from accutune)
Icon Delta Joint UCA
Deaver Expedition Stage 3 Leaf springs

So far (I haven't gotten an alignment yet) I really like the feel and the ride of the truck on the road. This week I'll take it in to get an alignment and next week we are leaving to go to the Maze in Utah for a week so I'll give you an update after that how it performs.

My only issue is that my rear seems to give me a little more lift than I was looking for, even with the camper on the back:



1. I haven't had an alignment yet.
2. We are waiting for the suspension to settle a bit and check the torque on everything @ 500 miles before making any changes.
3. Currently sitting at 9" top of the wheel to the top of the fender in the rear, 5.75" in the front. I've got a 3.25" difference. Ideally, I think it should be around 1-1.5" for when the truck is loaded.

I'm thinking I should remove a leaf or two. Anyone done this with Deavers?

 

[highwest]

Hell yeah.

Load ‘er up with a week’s worth of supplies and gear and report back.

PS - I like rake so the truck sits level when fully loaded.

 

[Tacomacamper]

Thanks for everyone's reply! I really appreciate it. It's incredible how complex these systems are, and since you can't try before you buy, you're simply just relying on someone else's opinion. Incredibly frustrating since you're investing so much money into your vehicle.

I actually bit the bullet and got an interesting setup that I think will work for me:

Fox 2.5 Front (no remote)
Fox 2.5 w/ Remote Reservoir DSC Rear (from accutune)
Icon Delta Joint UCA
Deaver Expedition Stage 3 Leaf springs

So far (I haven't gotten an alignment yet) I really like the feel and the ride of the truck on the road. This week I'll take it in to get an alignment and next week we are leaving to go to the Maze in Utah for a week so I'll give you an update after that how it performs.

My only issue is that my rear seems to give me a little more lift than I was looking for, even with the camper on the back:

View attachment 650146

1. I haven't had an alignment yet.
2. We are waiting for the suspension to settle a bit and check the torque on everything @ 500 miles before making any changes.
3. Currently sitting at 9" top of the wheel to the top of the fender in the rear, 5.75" in the front. I've got a 3.25" difference. Ideally, I think it should be around 1-1.5" for when the truck is loaded.

I'm thinking I should remove a leaf or two. Anyone done this with Deavers?

Great looking truck. I’d love to set my truck up with that camper!

 

[mikeyb1976]

3. Currently sitting at 9" top of the wheel to the top of the fender in the rear, 5.75" in the front. I've got a 3.25" difference. Ideally, I think it should be around 1-1.5" for when the truck is loaded.

Your assumptions are incorrect here. The fender openings don't always equal front to rear when the chassis is level. A quick search finds that the latest gen Tacoma stock is a 1" difference, higher in the rear than the front, when the truck is level.

Therefore, you really only have a 2.25" difference, unloaded. And you'll need that extra lift when lugging that weight off-road. More weight = more travel. I would not be removing or changing anything with the suspension.