JBA Off-road

Got these in today… will update with review. Needed ball joints and control arm bushings.

If there was a time this was it.
They are packaged well…
Can’t wait

 

That's what I went with a couple months back. Couldn't be happier with the service and communication. Mine have been great so far.

(Edit: Sorry about all the extra lines. My phone went nuts.)

 

What shocks are those. They look nice

 

They're Dobinsons IMS shocks and Dobinsons coils. Ive got Dobs IMS shocks in the rear as well. I'm happy with them so far. A bit more stiff than I expected, but I'm still wearing them in as only about 2 months on them now and not much of that is offroad yet.

 

Nice! Would look even better having those calipers painted to really pop like the UCAs and coils.

 

Thanks! Honestly, i wasn't going for looks on this setup at all. I'd actually prefer it all to just be black, but I ain't going to spend effort changing them from the color they came in. Haha.

That being said, I'm toying with going to the 14WA calipers, so, who knows, could end up with some snazzy colored calipers in there soon.

 

I’m considering these or the Bilstein 6112 or fox 2.0. What made you go with the dobinsons ?

 

I was disappointed many years ago with Billsteins on my 1G Tacoma and don't care to give them a try ever again. Just my opinion/experience. Never tried Fox setups on anything. Fox is more money than i like to spend on suspension also.

I've been an Old Man Emu fan for many many years on many Tacomas, 4Runners and Land Cruisers so i normally stick with them. But they don't make a kit specifically for 1G Tundras. I did try the OME kit that Toytech put together for 1G Tundras using OME components and had it on my old 2005 DCab Tundra and it was horrible. Super spongey and sloppy. (That's what you get when running stuff engineered for a different truck). So I knew I didn't want OME on my new '06.

Had heard good things in the Cruiser and Tacoma circles about the Dobinsons IMS stuff so I thought I'd give it a try on the Tundra.

 

Nice. I’m looking at 1st gen off-road and was talking with Josh who owns it, he said the billsteins ride a little better but he likes how the dobinsons are rebuildable and easily adjustable. He said go with dobinsons for more race-car, billsteins for more Cadillac lol.

Im probably going to do the SPC upper arms, sway bar links, and lower ball joints with it all. Anything else you’d recommend? I see those JBAs are a lot cheaper

 

Before you blow the money ($1k) on SPC uppers, you should be aware Eibach sells the exact same product from SPC, exact same, for $600. Read this, and scroll up if you don't believe me. Josh probably isn't going to tell you this, so I'm telling you now (he does know his stuff, though!). I got my SPC uppers in an Eibach box for ~$550 from the vendor shown two replies up from that linked reply. Receipt there for proof, I believe.

Before you continue with your suspension, I recommend reading the "Suspension, wheel and tires ..." section in this thread.

OME does sell full static-lift strut lift kits for 1st Gens, but some have had pretty significant issues with their stuff which caused them to toss it and move to another lift. OME under-states their lifts for everything, and it bites guys like me with an access cab in the ass. You have a double cab, so it probably won't impact you much.

I can't understand a comparison of "Bilstein 6112 or Fox 2.0". They're nothing alike. One is a static lift, the other a coilover setup (sorry, had a mental lapse, but leaving my invalid statement there). Wildly different in many ways, not just price. If you need to get into coilovers for adjustable lift with rebuildability like the Fox 2.0 kit, maybe also consider the Toytec Aluma Boss, which is rebranded Elka, it carries similar reputation. Cost half as much as Fox, fronts only ran ~$800 with discount at end of year, complete. Good Elka quality, pre-assembled, 2-3" lift possible and fully adjustable w/o removal, for under $1k. They also have the less spendy Aluma setups (silver ones), which others have installed with success. I just prefer the idea of getting Elka's branded with a Toytec logo at half of Elka's price.

We do have quite a few people running Dobinson springs vs. OME here, and a couple with full-on Dobinson lift. There's a thread over here if you want to ask questions about Dobinsons specifically or read some input from 1GT drivers who have Dobs stuff.

 

This is not correct. OME absolutely does not make a kit for the first gen Tundra. I've worked directly with ARB and worked for a large Land Cruiser shop that sells one of the largest volume of ARB/OME in North America. OME/ARB does not produce a kit, nor a shock or coil that is engineered for the First Gen Tundra.

The OME kits out there for the First Gen Tundra are all pieced together by the vendors and are using shocks and coils that were engineered for the Tacoma/4Runner.

 

Yes, you're right. In fact, I don't think they sell anything directly to the public.

You definitely can buy OME kits. And the downside is, the lift #s being advertised w/those kits is how guys like the AC owner I linked ended get boned royally.

Words matter, thanks for the correction.

 

Correct. ARB does not sell direct in North America.

But the more important point is they don't engineer, produce, supply, or market any suspension component as being for the First Gen Tundra.

All OME "kits" out there that are advertised as for the 1G Tundra are kits pieced together by the vendor themselves.

This is no doubt at least part (if not most) of the reason why 1G Tundra owners have had issues with OME on these trucks. --the components weren't engineered for these trucks.

 

Definitely. It explains a lot.

Totally explains why DC owners rarely seem to have problems with OME kits. The DC is basically a Sequoia with a bed, and the Sequoia is close enough to the T4R that the numbers are on-point. The AC and RC trucks are a totally different frame setup, cab config, weight and distribution.

You'd really think vendors like 1stGenOffroad would be asking for cab types on any kit not engineered specifically for a vehicle so they could warn you about compatibility and problems. Seems overly irresponsible not to warn folks. I literally saw no warnings when I was initially shopping out my lift for anything OME.

 

I always said we have V-8 Tacoma’s
Curb weight we aren’t far off.

I ordered a custom set of Mid Travel Icons for the 07’ Sequoia, and I’m pretty sure they were not for the Sequoia, but the shop put a custom spacer in it to limit the down travel to keep the CV’s in their happy place. And the Icons ride incredible plush. Especially compared to the Tundra’s 5100’s and 885’s

But to the OP, I ran JBA’s on my 5th gen 4Runner with 6112 topped out, and the truck aligned perfectly. My only issue was with the Ball Joint boot. I could not get them to stay in place. I think they have since changed their boot design.

 

Which dob springs are you running?

 

Appreciate it. Why are those SPC priced lower?

Also, im looking at the fox 2.0 performance coilovers, is that not comparable to the 6112?

 

I can only guess. My guess is, SPC doesn't want to be in the direct-to-consumer sales game, so they price theirs way higher for more-direct sales under their brand name. If it comes in an SPC box, guess who gets to handle customer support, returns, replacements, etc.? That all costs money for staff, freight, & other resources.

Eibach already has resources in place to support direct-to-consumer because that's their business model going back decades, and they recognized SPC makes a killer product already, so they're buying in bulk off SPC, dropping the product into an Eibach box, and selling it at what SPC used to market it at years ago.

Mevotech is doing the same thing as Eibach, but selling left/right arms individually, and under a very specific line (so you need to be careful only to use the product numbers I linked to if you go with the Mevotech arms). To boot, you're NOT going to get the same customer support experience from Mevotech you'd get from Eibach.

If you're new to the consumer product world, you should know: This shit happens all the time. There are really only a couple of home appliance manufacturers, but dozens of brands. Electrolux makes a ton of the appliances under other brand names, like Frigidaire, for example.

So you really have three choices: Buy two SPC uppers in an SPC box at $1,000ish shipped, buy the exact same two SPC uppers in an Eibach box for $650ish shipped, or buy the exact same two separate left/right SPC uppers in a Mevotech box for $525ish shipped.

Again, I don't expect any vendor, like 1stGenOffroad, to be this forward - maybe because they don't know, or maybe because they like the fact they can make an extra $300-500 off you, pure profit. I can't say for sure.

EDIT: Sorry, I got my product numbers confused. For some reason I read 6112 and saw 5100 . 6112 is a CO. My bad. I would still probably rather buy the Fox 2.0 setup if I were going to spend the money. But the 6112 and Toytech Aluma Boss (which is basically Elka's $1800+ offering with a Toytec logo) will basically be in the same ballpark, costwise, and probably performancewise.

So rather than rehashing that topic, I'll talk about upper control arms.

You should be aware, there are at least 3 types of upper control arms/UCA for our trucks. I personally wouldn't install JBAs, but that's just me (nothing personal to anyone). If you want a comparison of the three main types, check this out. The biggest "aha" to pay attention to which joint is used. uniball/delta joints come with their own maintenance challenges and quirks, like squeaks, etc. And if your UCA uses a more traditional balljoint, make sure it's something strong and serviceable.

 

So on Eibachs website they are sold out but I found these: https://shop.redline360.com/product...MIwLXvzKi9_AIVRCmtBh1Pqw06EAQYBCABEgKen_D_BwE credible?

I did some research and some people were saying the Eibach and Mevotech might be the older gen SPCs. Stating that the new ones have a X axis joint and not a bonded rubber bushing. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ty-products-company-25470-vs-mevotech.697268/

can anyone confirm or deny?

 

Maybe credible in 2020, when there was still older-version inventory floating around, before the pandemic made everyone go "overland crazy".

I recently had $900 SPC uppers in my hand. I have the Eibachs in my hand now at the house. I bought them ~3 months apart. I took massive # of pictures of the SPCs because I had to return due to missing parts. I can tell you, with ZERO doubt, they're 100% identical. No bonded bushings, all poly bushings.

The Mevotech (at least) previously sold w/the old style of balljoint. That's discussed in the other thread I linked. Members here who've bought Mevotech and Eibach recently confirmed: They're using the newer style balljoint. I confirm: My Eibach have the same balljoint, bushings, construction as the SPCs on delivery.

Eibach's and Mevotech's websites use outdated "stock" photos. People making these comments are going by what they seeing in those old stock pics. I'm talking to you as someone who has purchased both in the span of 4 months and held both in my hands. However, I cannot speak confidently on Mevotech, I didn't buy those.

You asked about Redline360. Legit? ResellerRatings is always a good place to look. It's all 1s and 5s on the ratings, though... which is always interesting
https://www.resellerratings.com/store/Redline360_com

Sounds like, as long as you don't need customer service, and there's no issue with shipping, delivery, or the product, you'll may get a 5-star experience. It's risky though, the 3 most recent reviews are from people who needed some customer service, they left a 1 because they couldn't get anyone to help.

Elite Race fab price is higher, with free shipping. You may want to call and see if they'll price match, though. Can't hurt to ask... Here's a link to their Eibach SPC kit. I had a great experience with them. Looks like they're still open for online chat. They're veteran-run, so may offer military discount too.

 

@Pronto13 it appears the coupon code "cart" will take an additional 5% off at the Redline360 site, if you choose to go that route. Will help lessen the blow on tax, maybe get you under $600 on the Eibachs.

 

Thanks. I will probably go with those then.

 

I was just checking out the Mevotech option and apparently there is a Dorman offering as well that also looks to be a match. Found it on Summitracing.com

 

I don’t trust Dorman anything.