HOW to plan out suspension/tires part of build?

Great info and diagrams, @shifty`!

 

@shifty` Thank you! This is almost sticky thread worthy IMO

 

Excellent advice being given here. Another strategy that may end up being a viable option for you: start doing very regular searches for a truck that already has the suspension setup you are aiming for. Search all of the US, and even into Canada (Alberta and Saskatchewan trucks are the cleanest - they don’t use much/any road salt). You could very well save a lot of time and money by being prepared to fly to the truck and drive it home. This is the strategy that I used to find mine, and I have no regrets. My primary search criteria was a clean, rust-free ‘05 or ‘06, ideally an SR5, with the plan to immediately refresh the entire suspension, including new tires and a mild lift (for ground clearance on cranky back roads and old logging roads, not for looks…but it does look good, too). The truck I got had almost every item on my list already done, and with excellent quality bits and pieces (Bilstein shocks and springs, new OEM lower control arms, SPC uppers, fresh OEM LBJs, longer sway bar links, great tires, SUMO ‘springs’ at the back end - the kid I bought it from had done his homework and made great decisions.
The best part is that A) it was all done and sorted out, and B) for the price I paid I would have had to have started with a truck costing about $5K to end up at the same place cost-wise had I purchased all the bits and pieces and then paid shop time to install the stuff I don’t have the tools or inclination to do myself.
If you are budgeting $5K to upgrade your current truck, simply add that amount to whatever you can reasonably get for yours as it sits right now, and see how that compares to already-done trucks that come up for sale. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

You always have top notch advice but this is awesome. Nicely done.

 

For what its worth, these trucks are very capable with just a set of better tires to start.

See what you actually want to accomplish in the field with the truck first before you try to "improve" it.

In my opinion, for 99% of people on this forum, they won't be needing much past OEM in terms of suspension, whether or not they want to admit it.

 

@Mr.bee proved they are very capable stock.

 

Stock & worn out. But DJ was right, broken arrow is a very easy trail, and the cinders seemed almost paved. I wouldnt get off the main roads at hidden falls without skidplates and sliders.

 

You’ll have to do soldiers pass next year
It’s got a decent gate keeper

 

Yessir. Sliders and skidplates, and a 1" bodylift. Probably still have lady tires.

 

My bad for not getting back sooner, been a busy week. but...

Dude, this is seriously amazing. Thanks for taking the time to walk me through this. It's certainly helped me understand what I'm trying to wrap my head around, and even instilling a little confidence to give it a try myself. Although, as has been mentioned, seems like a majority of the costs are in the parts themselves. I'm currently speaking to Basil's Garage (SoCal suspension/build shop), and getting his advice and a quote. I imagine this is top of the line, at least as far as expenses go so I'm curious to see what I hear back. So far, I've been suggested ARB nitrochargers and Archive Garage rear leaf springs.

 

I mean, I'd argue the labor can be as much or more than the parts. Depends on the shop installing, and whether they're selling you the parts.

I got my Toytec coilovers, SPC upper control arms, rear shocks, and a few odds and ends for right around $2k. I got sick with the same shit I'm still fighting with today, maybe ~10 days before I went to install the coilovers and uppers. When I got in there, I was hacking my brains out and feeling about 60% strength, but determined to finish. I had a pain in the ass time trying to pop free my upper ball joint and had to abort. After like 9 months of trying to get a day with no kids around for to do the install, so I was pretty depressed. Never has an arm or joint gotten the better of me.

Anyway, on a whim, because I had a little extra coin, I called two local shops who primarily work on Toyota to get quotes on new tires, alignment, and installing the coilovers and uppers. One shop came back $2,025 for that alone, quoting 9 hours shop labor (they later updated it to 8hrs when I called back to ask their logic). The other shop took 2 weeks to get back to me and came in at $1,260.34 which is at least more reasonable, considering it's, like, less than a dozen bolts per side, and one awkward ball joint. And theirs included purchase/install of a 1.5"-2" AAL kit which I'm sure I'll end up needing.

Anyway ... I guess if you find the right shop, sure. But if you're budgeting this out to purchase/install in pieces, someone else doing the work, take whatever you'll be buying and double it. BUT know that cooler shops cut you a discount if you buy all the stuff from them. That $2,025 labor for UCA/CO install ... they wanted to sell me on Icon COs and Total Chaos UCA, and I think their install cost on that was like $1,100. YMMV. California is expensive.

But yeah, the guy at that shop was, like, "Install if you can. People that come to shops like ours can't, they're not like you or me where you've got the resources and knowledge. I cut 'em a break if they buy from us, but customers bringing parts in the door who can't do on their own, it is what it is..."

 

Why do I always miss the beginning of threads I have the most interest in....

In a world of completely redone and over-modified overland vehicles, I think these things are super useful in stock or mostly stock form. Mine is under-modified, which is fun in my opinion.

Here's where you can save some money:

Buy fully assembled 5100's or OME struts for the front, whatever's on sale. I don't think you'll notice a big difference between the two. I got mine for sub $600 last summer? (5100's with 2885 coils). Suspensionlifts.com is usually the cheapest for fully assembled. There's probably a labor day sale coming up?

By buying a completely assembled strut, now you can just take this strut to an alignment/suspension shop and ask to have the new part installed and aligned at the same time. I've used a local shop (Nampa, ID) to do this 3 times. It's always about $200 for the strut to be installed, which isn't bad at all. You will have to call around to find a shop that doesn't upcharge for "lift kits" and also allows customer-supplied parts, but if you can go this route, you're gonna save yourself some cash.

Keep the lift height low. Under 2", there's nothing saying you have to get an aftermarket upper control arm. There's nothing structurally or mechanically wrong with the OEM upper arm or ball joint, it's just that jacking the front end of the truck up too high calls for an arm that can accommodate those new operating angles and make the front able to be properly aligned.

If your lower control arm bushings are shot or your cams are toasted, you'll shell out some unexpected money at this step so that the shop can get the truck aligned. Either cross your fingers or have some extra cash to cover this scenario.

A lower lift height with a stock or near stock travel suspension setup (bilstein or OME, for example) won't absolutely require extended sway bar links, it just won't. I've never put them on.

Then, keep the stock wheels, most or all of which I believe are 7" wide.

Because you have 7" wide wheels AND because you don't want a wide tire that might rub on the upper control arm, you can mount some skinny tires that will have alot of benefits:
1. Lower cost
2. Better MPG
3. Equal or better traction compared to wider tires
4. Better braking performance (less weight and rolling resistance).

I went with some 235/85 r16 Falken Rubitreks, which were about $175 / tire. 3 peak rated, nice all terrains that handle well and aren't noisy.

Total Cost Estimate:
Front Suspension: $600
Install + Alignment: $3-400
Tires: $750

This setup is dirt tested, road trip tested, it's been great. I've got 10-15k miles on this with thousands of miles on I-80 and hundreds of miles offroading in Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.

Here's some footage of me doing chicken corners in moab as well as a trail in Sedona:
https://youtu.be/OsAi4pK4LqE
https://youtu.be/cj4b-IZA6Bg

 

@208Tyler great reply. I only had a thought to add in a couple places:

Or just check in advance. If a visual check isn't conclusive, jack up one side and use a 2x4 or similar leverage to try to lift the LCA, probably directly on the LCA half an inch shy of the bushing housing. It should expose LCA bushing issues, probably not so much w/cams though. And if cams are bad, stick with OEM, others have had issues with aftermarket parts, specifically the sleeves getting destroyed, either b/c plastic or soft metal.

I think @NickB_01TRD would disagree with you here, with damage reports here and also here. Anything over an inch, inch and a half, I'd recommend to toss in extended swaybar links to cover for that extra inch. Stock are ~6", popular extended are ~7". It's worth the $130 or whatever.

If it's not Nick, there's another member on here who is running 5100s and only lifting ~1.25" and had an annoying as hell clunk that went away after recommending extended links.

You thought up several other things I didn't, I love to see how differently each of us thinks.

 

Broken arrow was a blast, but i didnt trust my TRE for the notch. Didnt even hurt my yankee mudflaps. Extra lift and oversized tires is more of a mud thing, aholes dig some ruts & little tires just cant reach.

i'm a million dollar idea away from getting portals.
https://motorsports.74weld.com/product/4-gear-tacoma-4runner-portal/

 

Cool videos Tyler. I want to get to Moab, my brother lives in SLC. Have to get his raptor on those trails!

 

We met all your bros in this video in Sedona this year. Hope you can join next April.

 

Yup. Nailed it here. Even with the small lift it seems necessary. Maybe unless you are doing exclusively street driving. I did only damage mine while on a light Moab trail so if you're doing any offroading you'll notice a difference.

 

Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I'm completely open to being proven wrong on the sway bar links. I've had the stock ones in for a while now with no issues, doing both Chicken Corners and Broken Arrow. Plenty of time with the stock links sitting on a 2" lift. I always figured if the travel length of your struts weren't longer or much longer than stock, the sway bar link could handle that range of motion. Of course if I went mid travel, I would expect to need extended links. That being said, so far so good one year in.

 

If travel is the thing to do, I'd shoot for Santa Rosa. "Smaller" sized city I take my truck to for work - I live about 45 min from here. I like to think of it as the leeway city between the Bay Area and where things get cheaper and the people get poorer the more North you go, but I also live in an area where everything is overinflated so cheap may be different for me for you. About an hour north of SFO and a pretty drive. Best of luck!

 

Really dig your videos. Tons of info. When is the next one coming out?

 

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Whenever I can haha. I am so behind, and have my work cut out for me to get a video out next week.