Suspension Recommendations

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clindsay123

Joined
Dec 18, 2024
Threads
9
Messages
83
Location
Los Angeles
Hey all,

I'm curious if I can keep stock suspension for my current build. Only thing I plan to add in future is sliders. I do have airbags as well that I could add PSI to support the rear.
Can I keep OEM shocks and maybe add a medium rear spring at most? I daily the vehicle so like it to ride comfy.

Front
BIOR steel bumper - approx. 135lbs
Engo 10,000 winch - 88 lbs

Rear
BIOR steel bumper - approx. 135lbs
DIY wood drawers - ?? maybe 100lbs
-88 lbs because 3rd row removed

Other
Gamiviti roof rack - ?? maybe 100lbs
White Knuckle rock sliders - 120 lbs total (future addition)
 
clindsay123 said:
Hey all,

I'm curious if I can keep stock suspension for my current build. Only thing I plan to add in future is sliders. I do have airbags as well that I could add PSI to support the rear.
Can I keep OEM shocks and maybe add a medium rear spring at most? I daily the vehicle so like it to ride comfy.

Front
BIOR steel bumper - approx. 135lbs
Engo 10,000 winch - 88 lbs

Rear
BIOR steel bumper - approx. 135lbs
DIY wood drawers - ?? maybe 100lbs
-88 lbs because 3rd row removed

Other
Gamiviti roof rack - ?? maybe 100lbs
White Knuckle rock sliders - 120 lbs total (future addition)
Click to expand...
Remember shocks don't support weight.

-Up front, that's the job for the torsion bar
- In the back, that's the job for the coils and in your case the added air bags

>> Do you already have all of this stuff installed except the sliders??

- Measure for the center of your wheel hub to the fender lip and report back here with numbers

- I forget the exact measurement but a stock weight 100 series is something like :
Front - 19"
Rear - 19.5 - 20"

- You want to keep a bit of rake from rear to front . You don't want to increase the front end over 21" without planning on a diff drop and other consideration since your CV angle will be increased

Front :
Your first step will be to adjust your torsion bars for current weight to get yourself around the 19 - 19.5" measurement

Rear :
Our rear is meant to handle a bit of weight with a third row of passenger, those seats you removed, and a few hundred pounds of tongue weight for towing . So unless you add a lot of weight a stock coil can handle most use cases . I'm not a big fan of airbags but that's just me.

----
i'd say next step would be to get a measurement of your hub to fender on all four corners to get an idea of how your truck is sitting
-

My front end is 100% stock Toyota and I have an ARB bumper, spotlights, and 12k winch. The nose dropped an inch or so and then the torsion bars were adjusted to bring it back up .
 
Mike NXP said:
Remember shocks don't support weight.

-Up front, that's the job for the torsion bar
- In the back, that's the job for the coils and in your case the added air bags

>> Do you already have all of this stuff installed except the sliders??

- Measure for the center of your wheel hub to the fender lip and report back here with numbers

- I forget the exact measurement but a stock weight 100 series is something like :
Front - 19"
Rear - 19.5 - 20"

- You want to keep a bit of rake from rear to front . You don't want to increase the front end over 21" without planning on a diff drop and other consideration since your CV angle will be increased

Front :
Your first step will be to adjust your torsion bars for current weight to get yourself around the 19 - 19.5" measurement

Rear :
Our rear is meant to handle a bit of weight with a third row of passenger, those seats you removed, and a few hundred pounds of tongue weight for towing . So unless you add a lot of weight a stock coil can handle most use cases . I'm not a big fan of airbags but that's just me.

----
i'd say next step would be to get a measurement of your hub to fender on all four corners to get an idea of how your truck is sitting
-

My front end is 100% stock Toyota and I have an ARB bumper, spotlights, and 12k winch. The nose dropped an inch or so and then the torsion bars were adjusted to bring it back up .
Click to expand...
All of this weight is currently installed except the sliders. Curious why you aren't a fan of airbags?

Last time I measured (4 months ago) all 4 corners basically matched factory specs, but I have added the drawers since then and the back might be sagging a little as the rake looks leveled now - I will measure again tonight to confirm. I also want to lift the truck a little bit so maybe a front (torsion) and rear (spring/bag) adjustment will buy me some weight "headroom" so to speak.

Factory Spec | Actual Measurement
Front left: 19.37 | 19.4
Front right: 19.37 | 19.4
Back left: 20.2 | 20.4
Back right: 20.2 | 20.5

Factory Spec (as seen below):
Front: 19.37"
Back: 20.2"

1772670155398.webp
 
clindsay123 said:
All of this weight is currently installed except the sliders. Curious why you aren't a fan of airbags?

Last time I measured (4 months ago) all 4 corners basically matched factory specs, but I have added the drawers since then and the back might be sagging a little as the rake looks leveled now - I will measure again tonight to confirm. I also want to lift the truck a little bit so maybe a front (torsion) and rear (spring/bag) adjustment will buy me some weight "headroom" so to speak.

Factory Spec | Actual Measurement
Front left: 19.37 | 19.4
Front right: 19.37 | 19.4
Back left: 20.2 | 20.4
Back right: 20.2 | 20.5

Factory Spec (as seen below):
Front: 19.37"
Back: 20.2"

View attachment 4097284
Click to expand...

Im not against air bags or anything like that, just preference for my cruiser since I'm lucky enough to not have to daily drive it and its built for camp / long haul / off road duty and I just want it built according to the weight I carry. I could see why some folks who have varying payloads may want to go with airbags

Nice, thanks for posting those actual measurements I wasn't totally sure ..

How does your truck currently ride and handle?

This is just one guys opinion but the closer you stick to those stock specs the better the 100 series will handle. The higher I went on my rig, the worse it handled and with 20.5" + inches up front it became harder to properly align with stock upper control arms.. You don't really gain much out of it, I guess if you were working towards stuffing bigger tires in there maybe but idk.
 
You’ll know if you need stronger coils as you’ll have to have the pressure in the bags higher in their range.
 
I want my truck to sit right to slightly high in the back with no atypically heavy load (without any bag assistance). That way the load either settles to an acceptable level or, if not, THEN bring the airbags into play. But not ever relying on the bags for any long term lift for the sake of stance.
 
Trapper50cal said:
I want my truck to sit right to slightly high in the back with no atypically heavy load (without any bag assistance). That way the load either settles to an acceptable level or, if not, THEN bring the airbags into play. But not ever relying on the bags for any long term lift for the sake of stance.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. What spring would you recommend for the rear? I measured and was sagging a bit. I want it be about a 1” lift above the factory spec of 20.2 so 21.2. Then i adjust front torsion for .5” lift.
 
clindsay123 said:
That makes sense. What spring would you recommend for the rear? I measured and was sagging a bit. I want it be about a 1” lift above the factory spec of 20.2 so 21.2. Then i adjust front torsion for .5” lift.
Click to expand...
Tough to say...so many factors. I have OME 863 Heavies in the back but I'm after a lot more lift and I have a 178lbs. RTT on a +50lbs. roof rack and the front about .375" over recommended max of 21.875" hub to fender edge measurement. (With SPC adjustable UCA's and a diff drop). It all depends on planned weight additions both on the truck and in the truck. The other thing to consider is that brand new coil springs settle a bit after carrying the load for a little while. But I think OME 865's would be in your range. (Maybe 860's if the bumpers are soon) I don't know the Dobinson's offerings weight/lift ranges.
 
Trapper50cal said:
Tough to say...so many factors. I have OME 863 Heavies in the back but I'm after a lot more lift and I have a 178lbs. RTT on a +50lbs. roof rack and the front about .375" over recommended max of 21.875" hub to fender edge measurement. (With SPC adjustable UCA's and a diff drop). It all depends on planned weight additions both on the truck and in the truck. The other thing to consider is that brand new coil springs settle a bit after carrying the load for a little while. But I think OME 865's would be in your range. (Maybe 860's if the bumpers are soon) I don't know the Dobinson's offerings weight/lift ranges.
Click to expand...
I already have all the weight added from my post, except the sliders.

Will give the 865s a look!
 
Mike NXP said:
Im not against air bags or anything like that, just preference for my cruiser since I'm lucky enough to not have to daily drive it and its built for camp / long haul / off road duty and I just want it built according to the weight I carry. I could see why some folks who have varying payloads may want to go with airbags

Nice, thanks for posting those actual measurements I wasn't totally sure ..

How does your truck currently ride and handle?

This is just one guys opinion but the closer you stick to those stock specs the better the 100 series will handle. The higher I went on my rig, the worse it handled and with 20.5" + inches up front it became harder to properly align with stock upper control arms.. You don't really gain much out of it, I guess if you were working towards stuffing bigger tires in there maybe but idk.
Click to expand...
I measured the rear and it was sagging around 18.5-19 inches so looks like I'll try and add some springs in the rear. I'd like it to sit about 1 inch higher than stock which is ~21.2". I think some medium springs could be good. Do you know of any good recommendations? I'll plan to raise the front just a .5" lift to 20" total.
 
clindsay123 said:
I measured the rear and it was sagging around 18.5-19 inches so looks like I'll try and add some springs in the rear. I'd like it to sit about 1 inch higher than stock which is ~21.2". I think some medium springs could be good. Do you know of any good recommendations? I'll plan to raise the front just a .5" lift to 20" total.
Click to expand...
@crikeymike
 
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