Another Thread on Shocks/Struts

I know, another thread asking for advice on these. I've been reading the other threads and have some questions still so hoping you guys can help me out figure out the best route to take here.

I have a 2006 TRD Double Cab. The truck had all 4 shocks replaced by the dealer at 102k in 2015. It's currently got ~157k on it. It still rides a little rough for my liking so I'm hoping I can make an improvement. Not sure if it's due to the current setup or just age after 55k miles and 7 years.

I'm not going to be doing much of any off-roading, although I do live on a dirt road and there are plenty in my area that can get really rough in the spring (heck, even the paved roads are bad). I still want to be able to do truck things like haul a load of compost, so I'm not really interested in a lift/level. Really just looking for the best possible ride on the dirt roads/pavement. It's not a daily driver by any means but it is our long-distance vehicle if we need more space/cargo capacity than a Honda Accord can provide. Another thing to note is I'm way up north and this is also our winter vehicle when the conditions demand it, so I'm not really interested in anything that isn't going to handle those conditions well.

It seems that not wanting a lift automatically disqualifies me from a number of options. I am not looking to spend a ton of money but would consider it if I can greatly improve ride comfort. I've been looking at coilover assemblies because I've messed with the rent-a-spring-compressors in the past and I'm not really looking forward to it again. I'd also consider trying to get a local shop to do it, although the last time I tried that I was told I had to buy the parts from them.

Any advice? I'm thinking the simplest option would be to get new Bilstein 4600s or 5100s, reuse the factory Springs and call it a day. Are any other options worth it for my situation?

 

5100 would be a great choice, I have the 6112 in the front and the 5100 in the rear but the 5100 would also be a great choice for front and rear and the price is affordable as well, the quality and the ride is great

 

I always hear the 4600s will give a softer ride than the 5100s.

 

If my reading comprehension checks out, it seems the only difference between the two other than the ability to lift is the zinc coating and the heavier duty boot covering. Being in the far Northeast that may be worth it alone.

This helps a lot with the 4600 vs 5100, but I guess my other question is are any of these fancy schmancy $$$ shocks worth it for my use? Or would I just be throwing my money away? Same question for new springs - any reason to go new other than convenience or should I just take off my old ones and find a shop to swap out the shocks for me?

 

No lift? 4600's


Best ride on dirt roads = coilovers. Spend time valving them like the desert guys do. But $$$.

 

Quality may not be what it was ~20 years ago and if dealer put OEM on 55K ago, they should still be good. It’s not an exact science but I bought my DC in 2009 from a one owner with 113K. He was meticulous with maintenance receipts including dealer info. To my knowledge, mine are the original from the looks of them and have no problem as I approach 200K. They pass my bounce test and is driven strictly on concrete or asphalt.

my .01 worth

 

@tdrich7 do you have a picture of what's on the truck now?

 

@NickB_01TRD Here's some pictures of what's currently there

 

If those were put on in 2015 then they should be in great shape. Though I'm not sure they were. Unless the dealer had some sitting around for 10 years I doubt new bilstein shocks for a first gen would still have Toyota stamped on them. Think that was just an OEM thing. I could be wrong though. We're you the one that had them switched out previously or was it PO?
If your truck is a TRD then that means you have the TRD coil springs in the front which is good.

If you think these are too rough/stiff I definently wouldn't go with 5100's as they are stiffer. If you're just wanting to try something new for the heck of it I'd just go with another set of 4600's and roll with it. Otherwise I'm not sure of a great brand suggestion that would be less stiff but also not cheap crap.

 

Well, this is interesting. I swear I had gotten the information that they had been replaced from the Toyota service history using the website feature. I have a whole Excel sheet typed up with the service history of the truck, based on both that and the Carfax provided when I bought it. Unfortunately that Carfax was texted to me in screenshots, and I have since replaced my phone, with my text history falling just outside of that range. I know for a fact I had referenced part #s which came up as OEM Bilstein shocks, but I can't seem to find the same information now. And for some reason the service showing up as suspension repairs on 9/2015 (exact month/year I have written down) is showing up as having been done at 22k miles (which doesn't make sense either). Here's screenshots of what is showing on the Toyota service history website. I'm not sure what's going on but I know in the past I was able to see more details on the website/PDF downloads than this, such as the part numbers listed in the details by the dealer. Perhaps a call to the dealership this was serviced at could clear this up, but it still seems most likely to me that 4 struts were replaced in September of 2015 based on the year/date, my notes, and the list of 2 suspension repairs (front/back?).

 

Then again I'm now realizing I had struts/shocked listed as being replaced two different times within 3k miles of each other so something screwy may have been going on from the start. There is nothing corresponding to the 6/6/15 date in the Toyota service history other than this: "*** OPCODE NOT ON REPORT ***,MISC. SHOP CHARGES,PERFORM WHEEL ALIGNMENT,PERFORM TRIM REPAIRS,"

6/6/2015 99,289 Shock Absorbers/Struts Replaced
6/6/2015 99,289 Wheel Alignment Done
8/15/2015 101,027 Airbag replaced
9/30/2015 102,254 All 4 Front and Rear Shock Absorbers Replaced (OEM Toyota Bilstein)
11/21/2015 103,930 Spark Plugs Replaced
11/21/2015 103,930 Trans, Brake, Coolant, Power Steering Fluids
12/3/2015 104,102 Rear Brakes Cleaned and Adjusted

 

Phone call to the dealer might be your best bet. Maybe they can see more than you can.
If those shocks were just replaced I'm not sure how much smoother ride you could get out of it.
If they're original you may have some room for improvement.

Are you looking for a softer ride or what exactly?
What is it that's really getting to ya?

 

Your pictures of the front shocks show the lower shock mount bolt in the opposite direction of how they are installed at the factory. Usually the nut is on the front side and the bolt goes in from back to front. It seems a lot of people have trouble replacing the bolt in that orientation and just replace it from front to back without any issues. That alone tells me they may have been replaced at some time in the past

 

Good eye! Think you're right