Front coil-overs

[bat]

Anything will brake after time and abuse but the OP said it was for rough trail driving not bombing runs. The is for you make it sound like they are going to fail tomorrow but in reality they should last the for a very long time.

[Kermit]

Anything will brake after time and abuse but the OP said it was for rough trail driving not bombing runs. The is for you make it sound like they are going to fail tomorrow but in reality they should last the for a very long time.

Oh for sure (if it has breast or wheels it is going to give you trouble ) LOL

Sorry if that was implied...but the Toytec and Sonora Steel are just slightly better than the stock TRD suspension. If you stay on fire roads you should be fine, and taking it easy on the rough stuff, even stock suspension can last a long time.

I dunno.... my stock TRD went 70K miles or so before it failed. (Actually it was fatigued before that, and I just kept on driving until it physically failed) And that is was just from having it overloaded, not driving like a mad man. We started going on some rock crawling trails...and with the weight of the gear and the drop offs, holes, square edges, and such is when I started breaking stuff...not by hucking it going 90 mph.

[deadbeat son]

Minor offroad jaunts you must be kidding right and as far as failing

Anything will brake after time and abuse but the OP said it was for rough trail driving not bombing runs. The is for you make it sound like they are going to fail tomorrow but in reality they should last the for a very long time.

Not just break, but wear out. Shocks have a limited lifespan, and in terms of vehicle life, it's not that long. When the shocks (struts actually...) wear out in the Sonoran Steel or Toytec kit, they're not rebuildable. You have to buy a new strut. I believe these struts have the adjusting collars bonded to them, so you'll have to buy one with a new collar bonded to it. If they're still available. This will be a more expensive endeavor than simply replacing a worn out Bilstein strut or OME strut without the threaded collar, and the only thing gained is a bit of adjustability when installing them. It really doesn't seem worth the hassle or the extra expense to me as compared to a simple strut spring combination like the OME.

The Sonoran Steel kit uses the stock TRD spring, which on my 2nd Gen Tacoma is simply too soft. I want something firmer, but have yet to bother with an upgrade. When my stock struts and shocks wear out, I'll replace the whole shebang then.

Good luck with your search!

[AxleIke]

I have a Toytec set up and its not that impressive. It isn't any different than the OME set up, and the springs bind in the upper arms under full droop. I would not recommend their product.

I don't have experience on these trucks with higher end stuff, but IMO, the only advantage to the higher end stuff is the rebuildable part, unless you actually tune the shocks.

If you buy a high end king, billstein, etc.. coil over, and properly tune the shock and spring combo to the driving you do, you will notice an incredible increase in performance. Having seen the results in the rock crawling world, it really is a thing to behold. HOwever, that usually means several builds and tear down's of the coilover, and test drives to figure out what you need to change. It is a fair amount of work, but worth it.

However, OME, Toytec, or the others are very much an upgrade over stock. My 99 4runner rides a TON better on the new suspension than it did on the stock suspension, and on the dirt, it is a far superior ride.

Personally, if I were to buy a brand new Tacoma or 4runner right now, I would be ditching the stock suspension as soon as I could.

[Ric]

I have and have had, the Toytec Ultimate kit on two rigs now, I have ran harder trails, and my rig is my daily driver, that being said, I absolutly LOVE the Ultimate kit, rides great on the street, and does awesome for the wheeling I do.


I have not ran any other kit out there, so I cant comment on how they perform, but IMHO there is no need, for what I run, Im VERY happy with my Ultimate kit.

[downhill]

I think the CO manufacturers have the valving for these trucks pretty well dialed in. Most of them end up pretty close in weight in the front after the usual mods. My Fox 2.5s are spot on, and they have absolutely transformed the ride and handling of the truck. The preload on the spring is adjustable of course and that is a huge benefit. It allows for precise ride height adjustment and compensation for sag over time.

It was one of the first things I did to my truck. Both the front and rear factory suspension on these trucks are junk IMO. Barely even usable for street driving.

[o84runner]

might consider Radflo co's I've been running these for some time now .Had stock then ome now radflo . happest witn these great ride on street and off road.I dont do high speed runs,just rock,mud ,trails etc.

[Scott C]

I have the ultimate kit and like it a lot. Any high end rebuildable will need a rebuild before a sealed non rebuildable unit would need replaced. For your application those would be overkill.

[Rocket-scientist]

Don't forget about spring rates on your replacements. I replaced my stock TRD set with ICONs to support the weight of my ARB bumper and winch. If you plan on upgrading your front bumper, adding dual batteries, or adding more forward mass you will need heavier springs, not just adjustable coil overs. It's cheaper to get the heavier set now if you plan to upgrade later.

[AxleIke]

I think the CO manufacturers have the valving for these trucks pretty well dialed in. Most of them end up pretty close in weight in the front after the usual mods. My Fox 2.5s are spot on, and they have absolutely transformed the ride and handling of the truck. The preload on the spring is adjustable of course and that is a huge benefit. It allows for precise ride height adjustment and compensation for sag over time.

It was one of the first things I did to my truck. Both the front and rear factory suspension on these trucks are junk IMO. Barely even usable for street driving.

The aftermarket shocks are okay, but they are a universal fit application, designed to work pretty well for everyone. Building a truck and then dialing the valving, spring rate, etc, for the specific vehicle is a huge amount of work, but a lot of benefit IMO.

As for ToyTec, the ride is good from their kit, to be sure, but it isn't better than OME by any means, and the fact that the coil spring is too fat, and binds up in the upper control arm, is an irritating feature and because of that, the OME kit is better for the third gen 4runners and similar year tacomas. It makes a really nice popping sound when the thing binds up. Which happens all the time offroad. Once you know what it is, you aren't worried about it, but the first time it happens, it gets you wondering what you broke.