Getting closer to that "Trophy Truck" soft suspension on a moderate budget?

[theKurt]

Ok, so this might be a unicorn I'm chasing, but I'd like to get closer to that soft Trophy truck feel in my Sport, but also maintain the cargo carrying capacity.

As I understand it, if I go softer I gain a nicer ride over rough roads but I'm also likely going to get a lot of sag or bottoming out if I load up the bed. I'll also likely get more body roll and its not great for rock crawling or low speed stuff. However, I don't really do rock crawling and I'll be on forestry roads far more than large-ish rocks. While I don't mind more body roll, this is my daily driver and I don't need my kids throwing up while driving them to school, so moderation is important. I'm also planning on getting aftermarket bump-stops anyways.

I believe the TRD Pro is designed to be more "trophy truck" than rock crawler, so something like the OME suspension might be what I'm looking for, but that would also likely mean changing out control arms. I'd probably have more of a "Bilstein 6110" budget for this rather than an "ICON" spend.

Anyone have experience with striking a balance of stock-ish cargo capacity, softness and budget in this or previous gen Tacos?

TIA

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[bigd9247]

This is a complicated question and one that I've wrestled with a lot because I too drive a lot of forest service roads but my truck is also my daily driver. For reference, I've owned Bilstein 5100, Fox 2.0, and custom tuned Fox 2.5 DSC suspensions (these were tuned for comfort and forest roads). All those were on a different truck so keep that in mind.

Shocks don't prevent sag from a load, that's the job of the coil springs. However, the shocks do help control the weight of the load. Generally your sway bars should control body roll more than your shocks but your shocks can play a role in that too (the digressive valving in Bilstein shocks tends to help with body roll).

In my personal experience, all aftermarket shocks have been stiffer than my current TRD OR shocks. The reason for this is to prevent bottoming out on hard hits, while the factory shocks are tuned more for comfort. Being tuned for comfort comes at the expense of bottoming out more easily.

What speeds are you driving at also comes into play. On my Fox 2.5's I could blast down forest roads at 50+ mph and they could handle even the largest pot holes. However at slow speed on the road they aren't as comfortable as my current TRD OR shocks. On the flip side, I don't think I'd want to be hitting large holes at the same speeds on the TRD OR shocks because they would bottom out.

Unfortunately, it's all a compromise. The TRD Pro shocks, OME BP51, and Bilstein 8112 are all internal bypass style shocks and supposedly they can give you a smooth ride while also providing bottom out control but I don't have any personal experience with those (they're also probably outside of your budget). Given your budget, the factory TRD OR shocks might be your best option unless you plan to drive fast. You might be able to find a set of TRD Pro shocks that someone took off.

FYI, airing down the tires also makes a big difference in absorbing the bumps when you're off road.

 

[ThatBronze4G]

Bilstein is slow to market with new shocks. you won't see 5100s or 6112's for a while. They just recently released 5100s for the 3rd gen Tundra and those have been out since 2022

 

[theKurt]

@bigd9247
It is definitely complicated, and a compromise will have to be reached. I also blast down forestry and back roads and eating up the bumps is pretty critical. Had some really hard hits in my previous trucks.

I assumed that getting that softer ride might also involve a lighter spring, but it makes sense that changing the spring might not be required at all. In which case I could pretty much maintain my cargo capacity, but I will get some pretty robust bump stops. I've already bottomed out carrying a load of firewood, so this might happen sooner than later.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'll take a closer look at the Fox 2.5 or general Fox lineup. If the pricing on the OME BP51 stays consistent into the 2024 tacoma as in previous versions, then those might still be an option for me.

@ThatBronze4G I think the latest news from Bilstein was Fall 2025, but that might have changed. No idea for sure when they will come to market, but I'll be watching.

 

[bigd9247]

@bigd9247
It is definitely complicated, and a compromise will have to be reached. I also blast down forestry and back roads and eating up the bumps is pretty critical. Had some really hard hits in my previous trucks.

I assumed that getting that softer ride might also involve a lighter spring, but it makes sense that changing the spring might not be required at all. In which case I could pretty much maintain my cargo capacity, but I will get some pretty robust bump stops. I've already bottomed out carrying a load of firewood, so this might happen sooner than later.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'll take a closer look at the Fox 2.5 or general Fox lineup. If the pricing on the OME BP51 stays consistent into the 2024 tacoma as in previous versions, then those might still be an option for me.

@ThatBronze4G I think the latest news from Bilstein was Fall 2025, but that might have changed. No idea for sure when they will come to market, but I'll be watching.

If you're considering the Fox 2.5 or King shocks, then I'd recommend talking to AccuTune Offroad. They can custom tune the shocks based on your driving style. They tuned my Fox 2.5's and I'm happy with how they turned out. Just keep in mind that they aren't softer than my TRD OR shocks, but they definitely eat up some potholes at speed.

 

[theKurt]

If you're considering the Fox 2.5 or King shocks, then I'd recommend talking to AccuTune Offroad. They can custom tune the shocks based on your driving style. They tuned my Fox 2.5's and I'm happy with how they turned out. Just keep in mind that they aren't softer than my TRD OR shocks, but they definitely eat up some potholes at speed.

Excellent. Thanks!

 

[ArnoldN.]

I have the King 2.5s and additional King links along with the Icon Billet UCA, and I will say it's night and day from my OR factory shocks. Mind you, before putting on the Kings, I took a trip to NYC and Rocky Mountain NP from Houston, where I live. I've got about 23k miles prior to my King's being installed. I'm currently at 26k miles. Houston has a ton of potholes. I did notice a bit more of a bounce/ roll when turning and coming to a stop. Oh, and I got the Icon rear springs. I jump any train tracks I can when I can, and I will say it's crazy what these can handle. I'm pretty happy. I'm on stock wheels, been waiting on RRW to ship my preorder since November. I plan on going with 34s. I'll update you once that happens, as I plan on going to Big Bend immediately. I will also say my Kings are adjustable, and I have them set to the mild setting.

 

[MT-Taco]

I have a set of JRI shocks. 6 stage adjustable, had them on 1 for a short time but was way to soft for me. 3 is similar to factory ride, 6 gives a very firm almost sport car ride. 1 is definitely plush! Mine are set at 3 in the rear 4 on the front. My biggest concern was how they would hold up to a Montana winter! I installed them around September and made it through the winter problem free. These are tough to beat for the price!

@JRI Shocks is also a forum sponsor

https://freedomoffroadusa.com/jri-1...ont-upper-control-arms-fo-t710fu-jri-700-362/

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