Suspension advice

Morning all, I've got a little dilemma I'd like some advice on from the hive mind.

Currently on the truck I have a set of Radflo 2.5's with Toytec 650lb springs. To be installed is a set of used JBA UCA's with new ball joints. In the rear, I have low mileage takeoffs from a 2021 CM, coachbuilder +1", Bilstein 5150's and a set of Air Ride air bags with Daystar cups and a TRD sway bar. On this setup I sit .5-1" over stock, more than enough to clear the 295/70R18 Nitto RG's. Unfortunately, the Radflo's are looking pretty rough. I had them off in May in an attempt to adjust them and get a little more height prior to our big south Utah trip. The drivers side adjusted, but the passenger side is so heavily corroded that the adjusters are seized. I didn't have time for a full disassembly and rebuild at the time, so I pulled them and attempted to adjust them up with my brother (15 year Toyota Tech, MDT and shop foreman at a local dealer). At his shop with the coil over in a strut compressor to take the spring load off we attempted the adjustment. With myself and another 200ish lb guy, we held the strut compressor down, while my 300lb brother attempted to move the adjusters. It would not budge.

Since, I've been trying to consider my options. I'm not sure which direction I want to go. I'd like a little more height out of the truck. For the rear, I've got a used set of Coachbuilder +3" shackles, I'm going to pull the air bags off, and put on a RAS system if it will fit with the coachbuilders. For the front, I've been mulling around a couple options.

1) Ditch the coil overs completely and go with 6112's. I like this idea for ease of replacement as opposed to rebuilding the coil overs. A quick trip to my brother with the parts and they're replaced with no adjustments necessary. These would be installed with the JBA's at likely the 1.9-2.5 settings.

2) A local friend has a set of older Toytec 2.0 coil overs for sale for about $500. The plan with these would be to pick them up, have them gone through, and then tear down the Radflo's to see if they would be repairable.

So, What would you all do? Pic of the corrosion on the shock for reference. To clarify, the oil is from penetrant to try and get it adjusted, but the shock is now leaking as well and needs a rebuild. The silver match marks are from trying to adjusted and any misalignment was just from things not lining up. The center adjuster mark is where it sat, and did not move.

 

Id ditch all that save a few more Pennie’s for the Bilstein 8100-8112

 

i've ran 6112's since they came out and honestly, they've been great. I always looked at it as I drive a premium truck so why would i consider used or inexpensive "upgrades" and risk losing my appreciation for it?

 

^^This, or maybe 6112s & 5160s.

Having had the 6112s before on my last Tacoma, I will be putting some on my new to me Tundra eventually.

 

Here’s the difference https://youtu.be/uQfTdf6-AAM?si=EjvP4G8q0d9L8az4

it’s significant

 

I don't see the gain from the 8112's and their cost. I have another truck, a Toyota T100 in the process of a SAS. The eventual end goal on my Tundra is the family hauler/Tow pig and light duty wheeler when we want comfort. Eventually, I'll bump fully up to 35's, and likely regear to 4.88's with a rear LSD.

That sounds about like what I'm considering.

 

Better piston and valving with more Adjustment. Must've not watched the video of the performance difference. If it's a light duty rig then probably more than you need anyway.

 

I've seen comparison videos before between the 5100's and the 6112's, but that's the first I've seen between them and the 8112's and the bottom 5100's. To start off, I'll say that the type of offroad use in that video is well beyond what I'll ever do with my truck. I'm in Colorado, the closest my truck will see to that is occasional day trips in Moab on the lighter trails, and possibly the access roads around the sand dunes, which will be under 20mph. It's a great video, but just nothing I'll ever see.

Mostly the truck will see easier trails around Colorado and Utah. I ran Hurrah Pass and Chicken Corners last June, and the truck did just fine on the current setup. Around here it'll be mostly tough fire roads, and probably the trails in the Ouray/Telluride area. I keep telling my girlfriend I plan on eventually doing Black Bear Pass in the Tundra. That's why I've figured the 6112 is the better choice. I don't need adjustment, and I like the ease of maintenance involved.

 

My personal experience with 6112/5160 and my current set up, Fox 2.5 Performance Elite DSC, is that I will never go back to a digressive shock again. With the 6112 I felt every pebble on the road. It was too much of a stiff ride for my liking and for the 99% of road use, I see no point in them. The Fox ride way better, closer to stock but controlled. None of the up and down rebound the OEM shocks have. The Fox take care of that and just are comfortable for road trips. I paid $2800 and another $220 for Fox 600lb springs. I am 2wd so I had to go with the 600lb instead of the 700lb they come with.

 

I can answer that... you were expecting King/Fox/8112 performance from a shock that's primary function is to lift the vehicle over stock height and the bonus (depending on how high you push them) you will likely get a marginally better ride than stock.
Also, for context 6112's and 5100's were roughly $700USD when i bought them. I'd hope a set of shocks that is 4x the cost of another performs/rides better. Valving... Digressive valving is meant for a consistent daily driver where as progressive is more suited to offroad use which is why they're popular for things that ride in rough, irregular surfaces like mountain/motorbikes and offroad specific vehicles.
6112's are not meant to conquer moab and it seems a misunderstanding of expectation is when people are let down by them.
Hope that helps someone trying to make a decision between lifting medium-duty shocks and proprietary off-road shocks.

 

I get all that. But I would also, after having them also, take the Fox 2.0 over 6112. My personal preference for what I want my shocks do. If I did more off road, like 70% more, then I would probably get the 6112. And that would still be dependent of the style of off roading I did.
As for the expectation and letting people down, you are correct. So many people raved about them, that's why I jumped on the bandwagon before actually doing more research and understanding shock technology. The rave was more geared towards a affordable 2.5 shock and not actual ride characteristics. Had I know this, I would have just spent the money on Fox to begin with.

 

for sure and i hope my reply wasn't taken as disparaging in any way. Just was hoping to clarify for the next guys buying new shocks.
The hype with Bilstein's is more around the lift they produce for the money and less about the performance gains. I was in the same boat with 5100's probably 15 years ago in thinking they were a huge improvement, cranked them up to get some lift and wondered why they rode so stiff and eventually switched out the stock springs for eibachs and produced the lift that way which was waaay better riding.

 

No, not at all. Always good to have a discussion on products for our trucks. Back then I just wished I found more people like me that have really voiced their opinions about actual ride quality and not based it off price. Lucky for me I bought them slightly used and then sold them for half of what I paid, so not a huge loss like most these low end shocks are. Truth be told, I sometimes wish I would have just gone with the Fox 2.0. I DD my truck and it seems like 5-10% off road, so even the Fox 2.5 I have now are an over kill.

 

This is more along the lines of an answer I was looking for. I'd say that the trucks main use will be 90-95% street use and towing, with the occasional venture off road in the situations I mentioned in a previous post, so I'm leaning more towards the 6112 based off of this. I'm not expecting life changing ride quality, I understand it's a lifted truck and will ride as such. I also have my T100, as I mentioned above, for the serious off road situations.

Hopefully this helps outline my expectation for the truck and which suspension recommendation I'm looking for. And just to be clear, I've also considered the OME and Ironman, I'm just more familiar with the Bilsteins and like their height adjustability.

 

I’m in. I’m running out of trails to do in that area and that one is on the bucket list.

Mineral Creek is another awesome one once the truck is built. And Imogene of course.

 

Imogene is a fun one. I've done it in my T100. Planned on doing it in the Tundra on our trip to Utah back in June of 2024, but they had an emergency closure the weekend we were in the area so it wasn't possible.

 

I did it back when my truck was stock-ish.

 

What Platinum said is true about digressive vs progressive. Digressive is "better" suited for on road and progressive for off road. But here is were I had the problem with that. The digressive, in small bumps and whoops, doesn't react fast enough to absorb the impact,making it a stifer ride. Now, on road use side it's a stiffer shocks it handles more like a sports car since it's stiffer.
Progressive are opposite. They react better to small bumps and whoops on road. So, it absorbs them better. A draw back is that the truck is a little more loose when it comes to maneuvering. This is where Fox DSC or any shock with dual adjustment shine. You get the best of both worlds. But obviously at a price.
In the end it's up to you what you valve more. For me, I wanted a better on road comfortable experience (Fox) over a more controlled stiffer on road experience (Bilstein)