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Thinking about adding Long Travel to your 2007+ Tundra.....Read this first

Discussion in 'Long Travel Suspension' started by jberry813, Sep 15, 2015.

  1. Sep 15, 2015 at 7:54 PM
    #1
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    That I am.

    OP...are you a fabricator by trade or hobby? Do you have a welder and a tube bender and are you proficient in usage? If you answered no to either one of these...how deep are you pockets? Unless you've got 30+ grand laying around, 2nd-3rd gen tundras are frankly a terrible idea to LT, especially if you've never owned a LT vehicle before. Some first thoughts

    • There are a few companies that make off the shelf bolt on LT kits for the tundra. My personal favorite is the TC kit which is a +2.5" per side kit that will pull about 16" of travel while maintaining 4x4. As everybody knows...tundra is not a light truck. Running a 2.5" shock body coilover alone means heavy valving. And by heavy...I mean heavy. 10 minutes into any session and the shocks will be too hot to touch. Meaning plan on at least a 2.5" bypass, preferably a 3". Hell I can cook an egg on my first gen tacoma front shocks and those are 2.5" coils and bypasses. They get so hot that I have to rebuild them annually. Not to mention...toyotas are not known for component strength. Plan on spindle gussets, cam tab gussets, frame plates, secondary shock hoops, at the very minimum a coil bucket crossover tube engine cage to prevent the frame from cavitating. Oh and unless you want to continue the tundra twerk...fully plated rear frame with new tube crossmembers.
    • Leaf springs suck. Take it from a guy that owns a supercharged 5.7, you will never get leafs to keep up with a bone stock 5.7, let alone a supercharged 5.7. Not to mention, if you've gone ahead and went with a TC front kit, you need the rear to outperform the front by roughly 20-25% in terms of travel otherwise hold onto your cowboy hat...be ready for buck buck buck. Having a front that outperforms the rear just means you will never run the truck to it's potential. And unless you've got wicked discipline, overdriving the truck is very common which leads to very broken shit. Ask me how I know. There's no 62 or 64 inch leaf SUA pack that can pull those types of numbers. Which means your only options are links. Links...are not bolt in. It's not something you can just pick up off a shelf and slap onto your truck. Link length, link placement, anti squat, anti dive, sway bar design, rear steer, all need to be taken into account...or you may as well have not started the project in the first place.
    • 5.7 v8 means...speed. Links and anything over 80 mph...you just might have a deathwish unless you run a cab cage. That much horsepower, that much speed, and that much weight...say goodnight the first time a dirt bike jumps out in front of you out in Barstow. No less...given the weight of a tundra, to be SCORE tagged (if you decide you want to start racing), you'd have to run 2" main tubes for the cage...minimum. Not to mention adding in a supercharger puts you in open class which means you're going to be up against the baddest fucking trucks on the planet. Even if you don't want to race, that much travel and horsepower in a LT dirt truck is asking for trouble without a cage.
    Not trying to detract you from your decision, but the 2nd/3rd gen tundra is a huge fucking truck to LT. Huge trucks come with huge price tags when it comes to building a prerunner. It's not just some simple bolt on hack job. And expect a very large annual maintenance bill as well. Race car parts cost race car money. And factor in break/fix bullshit (you will break things...not "if" you break things).
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2015
  2. Sep 15, 2015 at 8:28 PM
    #2
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    As an alternative...OP, don't be scared to look into a MT setup on the new Tundra. It's by no means equivalent to what you were used to with a Tacoma. In fact, a MT tundra is closer to a LT taco. Shock ratio is FAR better compared to a taco. Bolt in coilovers are almost a 7" stroke shock and utilize a 16" coil. Again, basically what a LT tacoma uses.

    I'm cycling over 13" with my Kings up front paired with TC stock length UCAs and retaining factory everything else including 4wd. The bolt in rear stuff leaves a little bit to be desired. I had to play with the valving to get it to live up to my expectations, but by no means does it suck. The MT definitely helps keep you driving within your means with a big truck with lots of balls at a significantly smaller dent on the wallet. And...it still handles business. Just ask @Relentless. :D
     
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  3. Sep 16, 2015 at 8:23 AM
    #3
    csuviper

    csuviper Moderator Staff Member

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    Some Mods :) See build thread for details
    Good thread Jberry :spy:
     
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  4. Sep 16, 2015 at 9:20 AM
    #4
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    LOL...WTF?
     
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  5. Sep 16, 2015 at 9:22 AM
    #5
    jlee

    jlee New Member Vendor

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    Oh one or two.
    Your the man you don't even have to make your own threads!
     
  6. Sep 16, 2015 at 9:23 AM
    #6
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    Clearly I really am a special kind of asshole.
     
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  7. Oct 7, 2015 at 10:04 PM
    #7
    Supermoto

    Supermoto New Member

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    Amen to this! When the second gen came out in 07 I got one of the first 4wds off the truck to build it. I got pretty deep into the build and sold it because they are just too big. It was a great tow and chase truck but LT on them is useless IMO. And that was very far from my first build.

    This is my 07 before I sold it

    97df151e92739dc92d3c4ff31291ae72_b890412acdd45e21f5e2c76ed41383a326871191.jpg

    7de7282d0760e00e711a7d8dba119949_93c75d2b34be8ba5f7467c441d0cc0f2e5f0114c.jpg

    97d2cb405b7bbefd1d43d23a169364bc_96cf587dacff934dca7ad61103dd9fdd9b85a2d6.jpg
     
  8. Oct 8, 2015 at 12:37 PM
    #8
    chphilo

    chphilo Tundra addict

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    That looks sweet.

    Is there anything in the long travel kit that requires the rear end sit lower than the front? It seems all trophy trucks have similar stance. Just curious.

     
  9. Oct 8, 2015 at 12:45 PM
    #9
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    I think you are confusing trophy trucks with wannabe SoCal bro trucks.

    Uptravel is your friend in the desert. Also sometimes pictures are deceiving as the rear suspension typically tucks up in past the glass. Just because the wheelwells in the bedsides seem close to the tire, doesn't mean the tires stop at that spot. Looks a lot different when you lift the skirt:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Oct 8, 2015 at 9:11 PM
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    Supermoto

    Supermoto New Member

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    Yep fiberglass is deceptive. A truck decides it's ride height. Also with links there really isn't a ride height. You just tune it till it works best. Half the time I park it's ass high and half the time it's squatted in the rear. And trophy trucks are a tube chassis that has so much more up travel then a factory framed truck so what you might think is low still has 12" of up travel.

    My truck likes to sit pretty neutral. This is with about 300lbs of gear in the bed plus the spare tire, co2 bottle and jack.

    5c9322a207864c8470ab9c81adc66c41_eebca805583ac80f31342e42675b66b9529d6e08.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2015
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  11. Oct 10, 2015 at 8:38 AM
    #11
    chphilo

    chphilo Tundra addict

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    Those look sweet. Now I want one of those, haha. It's so impractical for me, but I still want one.
     
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  12. Oct 10, 2015 at 1:24 PM
    #12
    TruckyTruck

    TruckyTruck Dumbest Username

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    What a load of good info! They look bad ass, but I know what I'm not going to be doing with my truck now...
     
  13. Nov 24, 2015 at 8:47 AM
    #13
    T-Rex266

    T-Rex266 Elon approved Staff Member

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  14. Nov 24, 2015 at 3:45 PM
    #14
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    Last edited: Nov 24, 2015
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  15. Nov 24, 2015 at 5:07 PM
    #15
    T-Rex266

    T-Rex266 Elon approved Staff Member

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    His jumps were also small....I wanted to see some air...with a truck that fucking size I'm not sure he would / could do it without seriously breaking some shit
     
  16. Nov 25, 2015 at 8:53 AM
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    Sefferston

    Sefferston #37sandlongtravel

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  17. Jan 8, 2016 at 5:02 AM
    #17
    Sefferston

    Sefferston #37sandlongtravel

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    @jberry813 @Supermoto

    What do you guys think of LSK? Not saying I'm looking into it, but I wouldn't mind it if I just so happen to convince my wife otherwise.....
     
  18. Jan 8, 2016 at 5:28 AM
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    TRON

    TRON Is LIVE on the GRID.

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    Lots of good notes from this thread! :thumbsup:
     
  19. Jan 8, 2016 at 7:06 AM
    #19
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    They don't make bad products. I personally wouldn't run their kit but they do good work.
     
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  20. Jan 8, 2016 at 8:26 AM
    #20
    Sefferston

    Sefferston #37sandlongtravel

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    Reason I ask is, their kits come with fabbed spindles. TC and Camburg only offer weld on gussets. All roughly the same price, but from what I've seen only 2 have really been tested.
     
  21. Jan 8, 2016 at 8:28 AM
    #21
    equin

    equin Texarican Tundra

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    Agreed!
     
  22. Jan 8, 2016 at 9:16 AM
    #22
    equin

    equin Texarican Tundra

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    Very informative thread. Sorry for the dumb question, but are "frame plates" the same thing as "fish-plating" a frame?
     
  23. Jan 8, 2016 at 10:04 AM
    #23
    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    The tundra frame is just a c-channel frame. My preference is to box the channel and plate (sometimes referred to as fish plates) the outside of the frame.
    As an example, here's my tacoma frame:

    IMG_0826_0ebe23177fcf9d98f72858cbb9bf3f91224b3e8b.jpg

    IMG_0827_eeff4c553043d884a920072bd05b6e5e1673967d.jpg
     
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  24. Jan 8, 2016 at 1:47 PM
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    equin

    equin Texarican Tundra

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    Thanks for the pics, JBerry813. That's exactly what I did to my 1st Gen Tacoma using DeMello plates and a buddy's MIG welder. Looks like you have a really nice LT Tacoma. My '03 Tacoma was just midly modded for mild trail fun. Given the more narrow trails near me, it's just not practical to tackle those same trails with my comparatively behemoth-sized, weight-scale busting Tundra, but I'd still like to modify it just a bit to make it a bit more trail-worthy if I ever go on some more open-spaced trails further west. Not sure I'll test my welding skills this time around with a fish-plating mod for the Tundra, but at least you confirmed what I suspected about that part of the frame needing it for a bit more strength.
     
  25. Jan 8, 2016 at 6:47 PM
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    jberry813

    jberry813 [OP] The Mad Scientist Staff Member

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    Thanks man. Yeah my first gen taco is a fun toy. It's light, nimble, and even 7" wider with the LT it's only 2" wider than a stock 2nd gen. My tundra is a tow pig. It sees dirt, but nothing like the taco does. It's too fucking big to do any rally fun stuff. But the wide dirt roads here in Nevada are still gobs of fun with a bolt in MT kit and tuned valving.
     
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  26. Nov 16, 2019 at 5:58 AM
    #26
    roypark

    roypark Semi-pro High Fiver

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    A little of this and a little of that. Its pretty run of the mill.
    I missed this warning against LT suspensions for a Tundra before I wasted a bunch of money on a useless toy. Hopefully this message finds anyone looking at LT, so they can learn from my mistakes.

    https://youtu.be/Nx1RwUL-lTY
     
  27. Nov 16, 2019 at 6:57 AM
    #27
    fisherman951

    fisherman951 MT dreams

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    Lol now u wasted all that money for no reason
     
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  28. Nov 16, 2019 at 7:09 AM
    #28
    roypark

    roypark Semi-pro High Fiver

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    A little of this and a little of that. Its pretty run of the mill.
    Exactly. I thought this place was supposed to warn me to help me avoid wasting money.
     
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  29. Nov 17, 2019 at 8:48 AM
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    osidepunker

    osidepunker OsidePunker

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  30. Nov 17, 2019 at 8:49 AM
    #30
    roypark

    roypark Semi-pro High Fiver

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    A little of this and a little of that. Its pretty run of the mill.
    What don’t you understand Alex? LT only makes sense for Tacoma’s. Tundras are too wide and big to make use of the extra travel. Or to wheel in any significant manner.
     
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