Unpopular opinion: Boss 2.0 coilovers are a rough ride

Hey guys, this is one part review/rant and open discussion about boss 2.0 coilovers. For starters before I bought my boss coilovers back in July I was running Bilstein 5100’s with eibach coils (650#) for 2” lift. I moved to the Memphis/north Mississippi area back in May and the ride of my truck was horrible due to the infrastructure problem we have in this area (potholes everywhere). The roads are literally the equivalent to driving down whoops and back roads just on city streets and around the suburbs. When I reached out to Toytec with my problem I was originally looking at purchasing the OME kit but my salesman suggested the boss coilovers instead because the 700# coilspring would “soak up the bumps”. Well besides from looking generally ugly (just my opinion), he sold me on it and I went ahead and bought the whole kit with boss reservoir shocks in the rear as well as the icon progressive AAL.

So I installed my coilovers thinking that my shocks would perform as advertised, after all there are numerous regulars on this site that swear by them. However I drove 500 miles and thought the suspension was pretty stiff which was to be expected. However here I am August 19th and the stiffness remains and this supposed great ride has yet to be seen. I have adjusted the coilovers several times and I cannot find one setting that will give me the on road ride I am looking for. I currently have the coilovers set at 2 1/8” of lift (24 1/8” from hub to fender) and removed the sway bar and I can feel every single tiny bump in the road and when I hit bigger potholes and bumps I can feel the front of the truck hitting really hard. I currently have brand new Toyo open country R/T tires at 33 psi and The ride is for sure worst than stock.

Number one, the whole kit cost me around $1800.
Number two, to pay 1800 just for 2” of lift is Disappointing considering I’m getting such a harsh ride.
Number 3, for my ride to be worst than 5100 series shocks I’m really disappointed.

I reached out to Toytec and they suggested turning down the lift and dropping the pressure in the tires to 35 psi. I have done everything to improve the ride but I can’t seem to get a response from them anymore.

Question guys is am I the only one? Am I crazy? Is 700lb coilsprings just too much spring rate for 2wd tundras? Has anyone else been disappointed in boss 2.0’s? The salesperson who sold me the kit never even mentioned the aluma series was coming out, maybe that would have been a better ride..? I think because I live in the south my sales person didn’t believe me when I said our roads are really bad.

 

I wonder if your Eibach 650# spring will work with the Boss shocks. I would think 700# springs would be harsh for 2wd with no heavy bumpers or winch, as well as no 4X4 system to weigh it down. Also, those potholes look very sharp and abrupt. I don’t imagine anything soaking up those without feeling it. It looks like you’re on 20’s? 17-18 rims would help too.

 

No input for your situation. But daaaamn, I will never complain about CO roads being lousy again. I've been to many 3rd world counties that have those kinds of roads.

 

I threw the picture in just as proof of how bad the roads around here can be. Majority of the time it’s just small bumps, patches and warped roads. But the eibach coilsprings won’t work, the bottoms aren’t flat. These tires are new and not cheap but have about as much sidewall as the stock tires On 18’s id imagine.

 

I agree with everything @15whtrd said. Also, I know you've said you've adjusted the height several times with no improvement, but at 2-1/4" there's quite a bit of preload in those springs, which also isn't helping. The other thing is, it's a truck not a luxury car.

 

You have to be careful who you listen to. I would say the majority of people who buy something say its the latest and greatest because they paid for it. Also Toytec has a big following here on Tundras.com for some reason, maybe its some behind the scenes deals that went down or something, you can just never know. I have never been a fan from the research I have done.
I have heard plenty of people complain about Toytec lifts. From T4R to TacomaWorld and some on here.

With that said have you ridden in any other tundras with different set ups? Maybe find someone with Bilstein 6112's in your area. You can then sell your kit and replace with whatever else you want.

I had Icon coilovers in the past. Actually on two 4runners and my Tundra. I switched to the Bilstein 6112 and they feel just as good to me for half the price and I am hoping they hold up to the elements better than the Icons, time will tell.

 

I was attempting today to actually set them down stock height but was unable to. When I dialed the bottom past 1/4” of tread the spring started to become unseated and loose while at full droop. so I can’t see how one would even be able to get 0” of lift from these coilovers anyways. Where I have it now gives me the reassurance that they’re at least holding the spring in place when at full droop.

 

Only reason I didn’t go this route was because I wanted the full adjustment option and dial the ride height to be even all the way around. Problem is with the 5100’s and any lift like that was that my driver side sagged about 3/4” too low and when I put a shim in it still wasn’t exactly level. I also didn’t like the 5100’s because they couldn’t handle the roads around here so I didn’t even bother giving bilstein another look. I was actually about to bit the bullet and just go crazy and get the fox 2.5’s but stopped myself because there’s no guarantee that’s even going to alleviate some of the roughness

 

I’ll bet the e rated tires are contributing more to the stiff ride than the shocks.

700lb springs are too stiff, i would drop back down too

 

I know you’re tired of throwing $$ at it but do they offer lighter springs? Also I wonder if it’s possible a poor alignment can contribute to a poor ride? And definitely the E rated tires don’t help. I wonder if there’s any local guys here that have a different set up you could compare the ride to? My wish list has always been Kings, ADS or Fox. Although Elka has my attention.

 

I have 650# springs since I am not planning a heavier bumper nor winch. Ride is what you would expect from a truck. I bought it cause it was highly recommended here on the forum (there was no side deal) and so far they have performed great on/off-road.

 

I am curious why they sold you 700# coils when you have a 2wd. Thats bad advice.

 

Before you spend a bunch more money, do you know anyone with a stock tundra? Can you take a ride in it over those same roads? Maybe the roads just suck ass

 

I was actually thinking of running by the dealership and riding in a stock one and then a TRD pro just to compare

 

I have the Toytech Boss kit in front. Bilstein 5100 in rear with shackles. Ridge Grapplers 285/75/18 , 55 psi. 4x4. A little bumpy at times on bad roads. Way better than the stock set up it came with. IMHO. I feel like I am floating in the lap of luxury most of the time.
Good luck. D

 

@Dabutcher why do you choose to run such high tire pressure? I run E rated 295's and run 34 psi, I couldn't imagine the ride with 55 psi

 

33PSI on an "E" rated tire is actually very low.

I answered a similar question on another forum but I'll just copy and paste here..
To answer your question with the short answer, it's because an E rated tire needs more are pressure to hold the same amount of weight than a P metric tire.

https://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/589830/23447320/1378330097907/Discount+Tire+inflation.pdf

We’ll compare numbers on a real world application.
We’ll refer to the chart for numbers.
Let’s say I have a customer come in with a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 with a 275/60/20 114S (standard load/SL) and manufacturer minimum recommend tire pressure is 39 (we’ll round to 40). This means the tires need #2601’s load to support max GVWR.
That same customer wants to switch to a load range D 275/60/20 BFG K02 with a load rating of 119.
The standard load 114 needs at least 36psi to carry 2601 pounds. The BFG LRD Tire needs 55PSI to carry 2680 pounds.

 

Good idea. We tend to imagine the grass is always greener elsewhere.

When my truck was stock. I took it to the tire shop week 1 and switched to e rated tires. The ride got SIGNIFICANTLY stiffer. When you go from a 35lb car tire to a 55lb truck tire you are going to feel it. Adding the icons didnt help but i enjoy the cornering now. Sidewall flex of the stock p rated tires absorb lots of little bumps, but they also corner like garbage. Ill bet when you go back to lighter coils you will be much more content

 

It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole when it comes to our trucks for sure lol. Who knows maybe I’ll just upgrade to the TRD pro and be done with it all together. But yeah the eibach coil springs do ride better, I threw them on today just to compare and it actually took on the bumpy roads much better, just wish the 5100 shocks were valved to handle it better as well.

 

I've been running 35 psi in E rated tires on every truck/suv I've owned in the last 20 years or so... if not towing. Never had a problem and completely eliminated sidewall and tread punctures in West Texas. I still do, to this day.

 

First of all, without going for a ride in your truck, everyone here is just giving their best guess. But I’ll chime in anyway. Your 700# springs are too stiff. Shocks are rarely too “stiff”. “Stiff” ride is usually related to the spring rate or stiff sidewall or low profile tires. If your road pic is representative of what you face, an off-road quality suspension setup is probably best. I’d also keep your E rated tires. I believe the spring rate on the Bilstein 6112 is 600# which would make your suspension much more compliant.

If possible see if you can meetup with other Tundras in your area and try out different suspension setups.

Although I’ve got a 1st gen, it’s my third and I’ve used many Bilstein products over the years. The 6112/5160 combo is the best setup I’ve had. It truly soaks up the bumps on and off-road.

 

BTW here are comparison pics of the Bilstein 5100 vs 6112

 

add #500 pounds of sand or softener salt to your truck in the bed and then go drive. See if it feels any better.

 

The rear of the truck rides great over the bumps even unloaded. I should say that the icon AAL actually helps to stabilize the truck over the harsh bumps and reduces that floating feeling through the warped roads.