Is this the right suspension for my use? (pretty specific)

Hello! I’m brand new here so please bear with me! I tried finding my answers but this is pretty specific, so thought a new post would be better than jacking someone else’s thread. Also...I don't know much about truck mods (I know nothing!)

Background -

My husband and I purchased our Tundra in 2019 but recently started light off-road trips in it; this is one of our daily drivers, but we like to go remote backcountry camping. We have the stock TRD Off-Road suspension (Bilstein) but are ready to upgrade to hit some more remote spots...got into some sketchy trails this past weekend in Death Valley and got lucky making it through!

He's adept at off-road driving and is mechanically inclined, but not specifically in vehicle mechanics, etc. I like to buy fun toys and go along for the ride. I've been researching this forum and other resources for the last couple of months and am pretty settled on Icon Stage 4, 2" lift, 18" wheels, 34/35" tires. I went in to ORW and got a quote for Stage 5 for the “worst cost scenario.” This is very new territory for me and I started from the bottom on my research.

I’m thinking we could get away with Stage 3, but I chose Stage 4 because it seems like an easy upgraded UCA to Stage 5 if we decide we need that later…(I don’t know…) I tend to be overprepared and like to buy a level up on any survival/technical gear to be on the safe side.

Question #1 (two parts) –

1. Does the above build sound pretty good for our situation?
2. Do we need bump stops? (Icon Part # 56108) Why?

Question #2 (two parts) –

The Icon stage 5 comes with:

• 58750 | 2.5 VS RR COILOVER KIT
• 51200 | REAR EXPANSION PACK KIT
• 57720P | REAR 2.5 VS PB PAIR
• 58460DJ | TUBULAR UCA DJ KIT (upgrade from Level 4)

Now that I’m getting deeper into this, I see that the quote from ORW wasn’t for the full kit, just the coilovers, shocks, and UCA.

1. Is there a reason you think he left out the expansion pack kit - 51200 (Is this a necessary component or something our Tundra TRD Off-Road already has?)
2. If the expansion is not necessary, to achieve the Stage 4 kit would we just need the front coilovers and rear shocks (58750 & 57720P)?

I appreciate your help!

 

I have icon 2.5 coil overs with the cdc valve in the front with the icon dj tubular uca and rear shocks with the cdc valve. I went with longer shackles for the rear. I didn’t get a kit, I just ordered the parts separately on Black Friday 2 years ago.

The kit is good. One of the limits of off roading with the tundra is the size and weight. Those coilovers will help. Might want to consider 700 lb springs if you ever plan on switching the front bumper out, esp if you get a winch.

Do not spend $750 on the icon bump stops unless you plan on jumping the truck. I got timbren bump stops for the front and have airbags in the rear. Timbren makes rear ones.

Not sure why the add a leaf was left out. All tundras have the same stock leafs, even pros. Look at shackles. Same lift for less $. Just know that stock tundra leaf springs are soft and some report they flatten over time. Some people replace the entire leaf pack. Icon makes replacement ones. They are called rxt.

 

Thanks for the info! I honestly have no idea what shackles are or what a CDC valve does or any of that...and the whole mix/match different parts confuses me a little which is why the standard kits are easier to understand for me for comparison purposes. So I guess I need to do more research...or hopefully someone can give me more insight into suspension in general.

The 700 lb spring could be a good idea...we do plan to install a beefier bumper with a winch. Haven't looked into the bumper too much yet and not sure when that will be so might wait to upgrade the coils when it's time to buy the bumper. We are going to buy sliders before the bumper.

I'll need to look more into bump stops...and airbags? The guy at ORW didn't even mention the bump stops but I am wondering if we need them because I have seen some people talking about them on this forum...I'm thinking they would be good to protect the suspension if we go over a large bump too quickly? Like I said, I tend to overprepare.

So is it the shocks or the leaf expansion that adds the lift in the back? I notice the leaf adds 1.5" but am not finding anything about the shocks. How is that factored into the overall 2" lift I'm looking for? We are carrying a 160 lb RTT on top of an RCI rack right now and pack the back of the truck full of gear, so it's got some weight in the back.

I'm wondering if I should move this over to https://www.tundras.com/threads/update-icon-tundra-stages-explained.21840/page-5 ....

 

I've never run Icons on anything, so no remarks on any of the products you're selecting. But in regards to your more general questions:

Leaf springs and shackles: Your rear suspension has two components, shocks and springs. The springs (leaf springs) are attached to the truck on one end, and "pushed down" at the other end with shackles. If you look under your truck, the shackle is the part at the rear that swings and connects the leaf springs to the frame. The rear shocks do not lift the vehicle, they only provide damping (control/tuning of the suspension so it doesn't bounce up and down). You can lift the rear in two ways, by modifying the leaf springs or by extending the shackle (in turn pushing the leaf spring down and giving you a lift).

CDC Valves: This is Icon's terminology, but is an adjustment knob that changes the shock damping characteristics. Other brands have other names, but they are compression/rebound adjusters (depending on configuration). They give you easy adjustment of the shocks performance, primarily for making the suspension firmer. For example if you're offroading and there's lots of puddles or G outs and you keep blowing through your travel and bottoming out, you can just turn the knob by hand and the shock will absorb the bumps better and then change it back to be a softer ride onroad. It gives you easy and simple tuning of the suspension to a degree.

Bump stops and air bags: Your truck already has bump stops, they are rubber pucks/cones that stop the suspension travel and are meant as a "hard stop" ultimately and to protect the shocks and springs from being over compressed. These can be upgraded, and there are options from replacement rubber ones to full on mini-shocks which is an option Icon has. The mini-shocks (referred to as hydraulic, hydro, or air bumps) are the fancy setup and are a small shock absorbed with a ton of compression (and tunability) so that the last few inches of travel before you truly bottom out are a lot more controlled and "plush" than say a half inch of rubber. However, like everything they have trade offs, namely being cost and to some extent they can be loud (it requires a certain amount of force to get the bump stop to move, so if you lightly tap them you might hear a clunk for instance). Again, another rabbit hole. Air bags are typically used for towing and leveling your truck with a trailer, however they too can act like bump stops and a spring (though if you're not towing, I wouldn't recommend them).

I think you have the right approach getting one of the stage kits, and then building off of that as needed. For suspension stuff, you generally get what you pay for in regards to performance and longevity.