Which One?????--------Suspension

One of the most asked about questions. "Which suspension systems do I get?" I have a two wheel drive pavement princess that will never see off-road conditions. If I can help it, it will always be on some kind of paved surface. I bought the truck knowing this was going to be my intention from the start. The only suspension modification that I have done to the truck is put front and rear TRD sway bars on it. I like the better handling feel going around corners due to the added sway bars. Even before installing the sway bars I knew a suspension upgrade would be in the future, I just had no clue which one. Well, I still have no clue which one. Here is my criteria/wants I would like to address when upgrading the suspension.

1. I like the fact that my truck fits in my garage, height wise, so I am not looking for this giant 8" lift to raise the truck up. If possible keeping the truck at stock height would be desirable or as minimal of a raise as possible is also OK.

2. Better and improved ride quality. I'd like the suspension to better handle bumps, potholes, and railroad crossings. What I mean by that is, I would like the travel over these types of obstacles in the road to not be as harsh/jittery in the cab.

3. Not sure if this one is possible but I would like the suspension to compliment and be compatible with the TRD sway bars. I enjoy the more confident feel going around corners but also want better ride quality in straight lines.

4. I don't want to spend a ton of money. I realize it sounds like I want my cake and I want to eat it too, but maybe for those who are more well versed in suspension, can point me in the right direction that generally meets the "wants" I have listed while not breaking the bank.

Thanks to those in advance who can provide some guidance.

 

for a pavement princess.....i'd say Bilstein. gonna be a similar ride quality (maybe a bit better). Oem quality and the 5100's are cheap.

If you want a bit beefier front shock, you could go with the 6112's. I like mine.

 

As mentioned, the Bilstein setup will be the cheapest. It will ride better and you can level it out. I went with the Toytec Alumas on mine.

 

Was there a particular package you got? Front and Rear? Roughly what was the cost?

 

I bought the 6112 assembled at 1.9" lift (it prefectly leveled the front) from Boss4x4 for $700. I'm still running the stock rears. I'll eventually get 5160's for the rear.

You can put 5100's on all 4's...they cheap
https://boss-offroad.com/i-30498930...on.html#!year=2013||make=TOYOTA||model=TUNDRA

 

I did 5100’s as a stock replacement(bottom clip). It for damn sure rides no better than stock.

It’s not worse but definitely no better. Not meaning to complain, i didnt expect anything other than to look better and replace the 150k mile stockers. But if your looking for a noticeable improvement, gonna have to step up a notch.

 

If you could go back in time knowing what you know now, would you repeat your purchase of the 5100's?

 

Can anyone rank the major brands of suspension from highest cost(potentially best quality) to lowest cost(potentially no different from stock)?

 

Interested on this one too. My stock shocks have about 160k miles on them, and thought about replacing with the next set of tires. I'm hesitant to go with the 3" lifts because my 275/70/18's I think will look too small!

 

Yeah, sure. They look better and dont cost much for a factory replacement. Easy to change ride height if thats what your lookin’ for.

I was just going for a factory replacement. Had bilsteins on my z06 that seemed to work well. I didnt put much thought/research into it.

Was probably HOPING for a noticeable improvement somewhere inside but wasnt surprised there wasn’t.

 

Given your intended use I would just go with the Bilstein 6112 setup. The ride is noticeably better than stock and they are inexpensive.
If you can find some TRD Pro take offs at a good price that’s an option also.

 

Is it the consensus that 5100s ride the same as stock?
How much firmer are TRD Pros than non-TRD?

 

Another vote for 6112.

 

I’ve got the 6112/5160 combo, they ride a little stiffer than stock, more truck like IMO. For a street rig they feel more planted than stock, when you come to a dip or rr tracks that would normally make you cringe, they just soak it up like nothing. I like them a lot so far, have about 20k miles with them. Happy with them off road too.

 

I was debating between the OME, Bilstein 6112/5160 but ultimately went with Toytec primarily because I didn't want to dick around with shims an I really wanted 3" up front. I wanted the height adjustability to dial in what I wanted. An frankly I feel Toytec invests more in Toyota specific development then the others.. Plus I went with Aluma series because I live in winter salt wonderland an the Aluminium body will holdup much better in my environment. Its a good quality product. At a lower price point than fox or king.. However given your not looking for height an or off road improvement I'd probably lean at Bilstein on a low setting.

 

So it seems the vast majority are suggesting, for my needs, the Bilstein set up. This is very helpful and I appreciate the recommendation. Now that I have narrowed down the brand, how do I know which version of Bilsteins to get for the front and rear to achieve what I am trying to do? I have seen some comment that if I were to go with the 5100s all the way around, I would not notice a difference from stock suspension. Would most agree on that? If so, for those that know or who have had the Bilstein set-up, what would you recommend for my original post criteria???

 

Agree with this. For your purposes, 6112's on the front and 5160's on the rear are as good of a road ride you will get for what you want to spend.

 

ToyTec Boss for me.. I off-road a lot. But it definitely is a far better ride on bumpy shitty paved roads. Adjustable Without disassembly to correct the “lean” and desired height.

 

Another vote for 6112’s

 

Anyone have any recommendations for where to order from?