Looking For Help with Long Travel

Looking for some help in the long travel department. I don’t know a whole lot about what I need to buy to get started. Can anyone give me a 101 on how to piece together a decent LT setup?

I have a 2014 Tundra CM. Current setup I have a 5” zone lift with 35”s, 12.5, wheels are 12.5x20 -44 offset. She looks nice. But I want to work on mobility and a better suspension.

I purchased the bedside fenders and fenders from ADV Fiberglass. Can someone point me to the next steps?

 

Welcome from OKC! A boat load of cash, lots of patience, a second vehicle to drive and a good mechanical aptitude will be a good start.
@snivilous can build it all or help tremedously with putting you in touch with those who are qualified to assist. While waiting for his response, you can hit the search feature here and begin reading by typing in long travel. Great bunch of guys around here who know a thing or two about building and breaking shit! Good luck with your pursuit!

 

@reywcms is the better one to answer your questions, unless you want a custom setup which it doesn't sound like.

 

I’d first confirm does that zone lift cut the factory cross member etc? Second is how do you plan to wheel the truck? Do you want to have shocks under the bed or through the bed? Who’s doing the install etc? What’s your budget?

 

A full long travel suspension with supporting frame modifications and install labor, you’re looking to $30k-$40k conservatively. You don’t really piece it together. It’s as simple as just a bolt on. It involves a lot of parts and custom fabrication. A lot of people say they want “long travel suspension” without knowing what that actually means. Unless you plan on hitting jumps at 70+ mph, you do not need a long travel suspension.

 

I disagree on maybe every single point you mentioned, there is a spectrum of long travel and not everyone needs a fully built prerunner. Even if you're just running through fire roads or small whoops, long travel can be beneficial. The majority of long travel kits are 100% bolt on, and frame reinforcement isn't needed. I have hit plenty of stuff at 15mph where my Kings were blowing through the travel and long travel would have been a huge improvement---just a plain jane bolt on kit without bypasses or hydros or reinforced frame. And if you're mildly capable with a wrench you can install it over a weekend or week on your first try. Hell, @reywcms setup we just pulled off and all of his stories and pictures of his truck come from that setup which is 90% bolt on with literally four welds which were for the front bypass shock hoops. I'm not saying long travel is cheap, or doesn't require work, or isn't "more beneficial" at higher speed, but everything you listed is very exaggerated imo.

 

Sounds like you bolted up a mid travel kit.

 

The camburg, dirtking and total chaos all bolt to the factory pivots. The only welding that’s done included in the kits is the bypass hoops. Now the lsk race kit is a different story. For the rear it depends which leaf spring setup you. Spring under does need relocating the perches etc and the shock mounts. The off the shelf bedcages bolt in.


Things to do for LT that I recommend additionally.

Cam tab gussets
Motor mounts
Shock tower brace ( the towers start to push in)
Some don’t run a bypass I absolutely recommend it.
Certain frame plating in areas if you’re really looking to maximize the chassis
Tuned and valved shocks
Secondary intake relocation
Intake point of entry since the fenders remove the liners
Abs guards / they get hammered
Extended wheel studs for the front
Depending on the rear setup wheels spacers are needed
I’m sure there’s more I’m missing but off the top of my head some good items to add

 

Thank you all for your insight. It’s is all helpful. I don’t think I want to spend 40-50k on a LT. I personally like the wide body look. Having the LT suspension would be a bonus. My current suspension is not the best. I’ve had my current setup for 10 years now. I’ve babied my tundra. I only have 75k miles on it. But the Zone Lift is dated. And I honestly don’t know if I need to buy a whole new lift or just add parts to my current setup.

Does anyone know if I would need to buy a whole new lift kit on top of everything else?

 

Not a lot of people know about zone lift kits. I guess it’s not a popular brand. I tried to upgrade my shocks a few years ago and no one could tell me what shocks would fit my current setup.

If I could keep my zone lift on and add around it to complete a LT then I would do it. But if it’s not possible, I guess I’d just like to know that and then figure out from there what to start working on.

 

Thank you. Now would this all work with my current setup? That’s what I need to figure out before I start buying parts.

 

That zone lift looks like it cuts the crossmember and has its own spindle etc you’d need a new shock to match the length specs they use but those shocks could be improved

 

No you’d need to remove your zone setup and install a factory cross member etc. which can be done

 

To add on to what rey has said, it's really going to be costing you even more money than usual to go down the long travel route solely because you'll first have to spend the money to get your truck back to stock (or at least where it matters)

Fixing the crossmember would likely be the hardest part, most shops probably aren't going to want the liability of messing with chopped up crossmembers.

You'll also need to either find a set of used OEM spindles/knuckles for sale online or upgrade to an aftermarket pair like the camburg ones (even more money)



The wheels you have are also going to just increase stress on everything suspension related. -44 offset increases the leverage your wheels and tires have on everything, which definitly becomes amplified with a long travel kit.

The only thing you have currently that you'd really be able to retain would be the ADV glass, which is probably the cheapest part about long traveling a truck lol.

Now's the time to decide if you really think it's worth all the effort for what sounds like a truck that won't see the full benefits of a long travel kit in the first place.

If it were me, I'd probably just get some new shocks all around and call it a day. Have you tried contacting zone offroad directly for the shock specs on their kits?

 

wow. This is really good to know. Now i wish my truck was stock lol. Welp. I wonder if I could just call Zone and see what I could do to at least upgrade the shocks. And maybe throw on the fiber bedside and front fender kit and just keep it there for now.

 

@memario1214, can you assist OP with some suspension parts or direct him to a reputable source for his lift?

 

appreciate it!

 

OP any updates on your decision?

I ask since I while not thinking full Long Travel (I wish) I want to remove my BDS kit, have an OEM crossmember cut and welded in to hopefully bring it back to stock and just go with 3" or so coilovers and different leaf pack to handle my weight with a slight rake.
I need to find a reputable welding off-road shop to get their feedback.

not to hijack the thread, just thought it was related to OP thoughts.
Anyone know if you need to replace the knuckles if you return the crossmember to OEM location?

1. Another thread provided Part# for OEM front crossmember on another thread.

 

yes you will need replacement knuckles as well

where are you located?

we may be able to help you find a shop to do the work

 

Yes your bds spindles won’t work

 

he'll need new spindles depending on which kit he has no?

 

Thanks!
Yeah figured I would need knuckles too.
I have always built out my rigs from stock. Made the mistake of pouncing on a great deal this truck, I didn't know what I was getting into with the BDS Lift and long-term "Fixes" Don't get me wrong, truck has been great and I have had no issues with it, other than scraping the crap out of the skid and getting stuff constantly stuck in the BDS logo for the stupid drop bracket.

I'm in Seattle, WA area. I haven't called any places yet, my desire to reconsider this has popped back up while looking at my truck budget and deciding on getting a suspension that rides better than this franken setup or re-gearing to 5.29s

 

If you're picking between going through the trouble of making your truck stock again vs regearing it I'd do the regear 100%.

Toss in a true LSD in the rear while you're at too. The powertrax grip pro is a popular one for these trucks

 

Thanks, I hear you.
Yeah, I have lived with the BDS for almost 10 years with varying degrees of suspension happiness so I might just get properly spec'd custom ADS shocks and make the best of it.

I put 4.88s in it with ARB lockers F&R 8-9 years ago (before Nitro made 5.29s) I need a seal housing and air line replaced in my rear locker, so I am tempted to save a bit of labor and suck it up to go with the 5.29s. I have 37s so it should be a better driving experience.

 

oOooo that'd make choosing a lot harder between the two.

I'd redo the suspension then since you've already got the 4.88 gears AND lockers front & rear even though 5.29s definitely would be better. probably not worth the extra money to do so.

4.88s with 37s is only turning a marginally lower rpm at speed than the factory gearing and tire size was (40rpm at 80 mph).

If you really are getting tired of the BDS stuff I'd say go for the swap or at least refresh it!

Here's a spreadsheet with a graph pinpointing gear ratios and tire sizes by rpm I made when I was bored a couple weeks ago:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAWh9BfXN5D-EjKrLS80JQBWmCNLqkF84Zu0rnouAgI/edit?usp=sharing

It's mainly to compare how each tire size and gear ratio affects rpm in 6th gear at 40-80 mph. 6th gear is pretty much unusable at 40 mph unless it's regeared with anything larger than a 34" tire.

 

No worries! This is an open forum. And you’re bringing in good points.

So after doing more research and deep pondering. I’ve decided to keep my current 5” Zone lift on and just upgrade the shocks to Fox 2.5 for the struts and rear shocks. I will also upgrade my UCA that fits my setup. Zone off-road was able to find the shocks and parts that fit my lift and was also able to throw in some discounts.

Like you said, to go LT you would have to re-weld a crossmember and also all the other things to bring it back to stock. Then would have to start tapping into the LT gear. It just doesn’t make sense for me personally and financially since I don’t really plan on going at high speeds on the dunes. But upgraded shocks, UCA, wide fenders, upgraded front bumper will make me just as happy. All parts have been ordered. I’ll post updates once everything arrives and is installed.

 

Thanks man this chart is great. It's just there is such a small sample size of anyone that with 37s has run both 4.88s and 5.29s for real world comparison.
I waa dead set on gears until this last weekend I rode with a buddy on a rough road with his truck snd realized how much better his truck felt. Mine has limited up travel. And the rear bypass are a pia ro get dialed correctly on vs offload (not clickers in the rear.
Maybe I'll win rhe lottery snd do both!!

 

Would you be willing to post here or DM me the
Shocks and specs they recommended. BDS was not helpful to me, only wanted to sell me there version which wasn't what I wanted
Id love 2.5 RRs wirh adjustable compression.

I did already upgrade to Icon billet delta joint UCAs (damn cyber Monday 20% Icon got me).

I figure your zone 5" vs my BDS 4.5" is close enough I do a tiny bit of math to get the right size for me

Thanks snd best of luck!


QUOTE="Trose808, post: 4022034, member: 112582"]No worries! This is an open forum. And you’re bringing in good points.

So after doing more research and deep pondering. I’ve decided to keep my current 5” Zone lift on and just upgrade the shocks to Fox 2.5 for the struts and rear shocks. I will also upgrade my UCA that fits my setup. Zone off-road was able to find the shocks and parts that fit my lift and was also able to throw in some discounts.

Like you said, to go LT you would have to re-weld a crossmember and also all the other things to bring it back to stock. Then would have to start tapping into the LT gear. It just doesn’t make sense for me personally and financially since I don’t really plan on going at high speeds on the dunes. But upgraded shocks, UCA, wide fenders, upgraded front bumper will make me just as happy. All parts have been ordered. I’ll post updates once everything arrives and is installed.[/QUOTE]

 

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So BDS and Zone are apparently the same company. At least that’s what the associate told me. I think there’s a 4.5” BDS kit that has the Fox 2.5. But you can’t find the shocks and struts alone on their website. You have to special order it. Honestly I would just call Zone. They were very helpful and verified all the parts fit my setup. And since they’re basically the same company they will have what you’re looking for.
I don’t know the specs on the shocks and struts but I have the part numbers. Lmk if you want the part numbers. I can DM you.

 

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also if you don’t mind me asking. What was the deal on those icon UCAs?