Bilstein 6112/5160, shims & shackles installed

Picked up my 2020 TRD off-road from the shop today.
Installed:
-Bilstein 6112 fronts set @1.9", 5160 rears (thank you Boss4x4!)
-Coachbuilder +2 shackles (thank you David!)
-Coachbuilder .5" shims, x2 driver, 1x passenger
-Diff drop kit
-Carrier bearing drop kit
-Alignment to Coachbuilder specs

I've added a few pictures of my truck next to a stock TRD Pro for comparison.






The truck is otherwise bone stock, and the only thing possibly affecting the stance would be:
-Gas tank is 3/4 full
-Rugged liner tonneau cover installed (~40-50lbs)

Driving impressions:
I'll start by saying my expectations were not crazy high. I expected perhaps a slightly stiffer ride and maybe better big-hit absorption, but nothing nearly as good as what I got.

I have NOT driven off pavement yet and my observations are based on a quick 50ish mile loop upon picking up the truck from the shop. I wanted to drive on familiar roads and certain sections I knew have upset the truck's suspension in the past.

The difference is immediately noticeable. The first little bit of travel is much more dampened and feels much smoother at slower speeds and over small imperfections in the road. Flat/corner-edged road surfaces like deep manhole covers and expansion joints are less jarring and less motion comes through the cab. I suspect that the Coachbuilder shackles have helped out massively as well to allow the leafs to move more freely. A good percentage of the bed jiggle has been eliminated as a result.

Handling-wise the truck feels radically different. The nose-dive in the stock suspension is all but erased, turn-in is faster and less upsetting to the rear end, and the truck's heft is much more manageable under load mid-corner. The rear end stays flatter and I would compare it to the stock TRD Sport having that big sway bar our back.

I've been able to drive most current (and previous generation) half-ton trucks, and with the exception of the current and previous generation RAM 1500, I would confidently say my Tundra now feels right on par with the competition that typically beat it in comparison tests. Particularly comfort and handling tests.

All in all I'm extremely happy. And if anyone is looking for a good shop in northern NJ please pm me. I took a flyer on these guys and I was pleased with what I saw from them.

 

The 4x4 place? If so, they did my install and I’d second recommending them.

 

What purpose is served by a diff drop kit and carrier bearing drop kit?

 

Are you using stock UCA?

where can I find the coach builder alignment specs?

 

time for new wheels and tires!

OP have you ever driven the TRD PRO? If so, how does it compare to your new set up? I drove the TRD PRO and the suspension was amazing, it was gliding over the roads while I felt every bump in the platinum. Felt like I was floating.

 

looks good, but time for new tires.

 

I don't know how this forum is about naming specific shops/stores, but oh well. I used Total Performance in Mahwah, NJ. They'll work on anything, but they definitely specialize in trucks/Jeeps. They were very familiar with the Bilsteins I got and had installed Coachbuilder products in the past.

When you lift the suspension the truck's the driveline pieces, specifically the axles, will droop farther away from their stock alignment to follow the now lower hubs. The diff drop kit goes on the front differential mounts to effectively rotate the diff down and better align the CV joints with the hubs so the angle is less extreme and more similar to stock. The bearing drop kit does essentially the same thing, but instead, it lowers the center driveshaft so it can better align itself going into the rear differential. Tricky to explain if you're not familiar with how/what all these components do, but I hope that helped.

Yes, the control arms are stock.
The shop contacted David at Coachbuilder and he sent over his alignment recommendation. They tried going off printed specs they found, but weren't happy with them, so they then reached out to David. I was happy they took the extra effort to get that info and dial-in the alignment more to their liking.

New tires are definitely coming soon. Funds are low right now as you can imagine. I'm vacillating between 285/75 on stock 18" wheels, 295/70 on stock 18" wheels, or go true 35s on Method 701s
Admittedly, the truck looks a little goofy now with the tiny tires. They didn't look that small yesterday

I have not driven the PRO. I'm a contractor, so my experience in trucks has been with coworkers vehicles which are mostly base/mid-level 'work' trucks, and test drives of other trucks that are typically mid-level models as well.
Despite the price tag,and how nice the 6112/5160s are, the fox components on the pro are still a notch above. From everything I've read/heard, the Pro is probably still slightly better, but the difference may be negligible. The critical piece here IMHO is the shackles. Without the Coachbuilder shackles, the pro is still better, but not by much. With the Bilsteins plus the shackles I think it's damn close, if not imperceptible now. Of course, I'm basing this on stuff I've read and comments from others. I'm just making an educated assessment.

 

Truck looks great! Im planning a very similar build!

 

Looks good! Very nice selection of components for your setup!

 

Looks great thanks for the review!

 

Any issues with TSS?

 

Nothing so far.