Ride smoothing

G

geekless

New member
Hey all, 2002 3rd gen v6 Sport here.

I want to make it my all around daily driver but the ride harshness is keeping me from doing that.

I just want to make it as forgiving over bumps as much as possible without it being a swaying boat. Dare I say, make it feel more “modern”.

What exactly would you do and what parts would you install?
 
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How many miles are on the truck?

If your suspension isn't shot I had the best results by replacing the rear control arm bushings. I went the poly route and don't regret it.
 
It’s probably harsh because the shocks are probably really old.

SL or Load range C LT tires make a huge difference also.
 
Shocks and coils all around. I also highly recommend OEM new coils, as well as OEM Tokico black shocks that came original with the vehicle. They are the smoothest and softest shocks on the market and great on the road and for light off-road use. Any other shock or coil available for our 4Runners that is aftermarket will be harsher.

If you are not up to doing the lower control arm bushings, new sway bar and sway bar end link bushings (12 total) are an easy job than can be completed with a 12mm socket and a 14mm wrench. Takes a little time but very simple. In this case, I recommend the Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings over the stock OEM rubber, but new rubbers are great too. I think the Energy Suspension ones are cheaper if you buy the whole kit.
 
Does anyone know which parts if any from a 2022 Tacoma stock suspension will fit our third gens?
 
Has anyone tried Eibach Pro Truck shocks? I've heard these are similar to 5100's only they are progressively valved instead of digressive.

I'm hoping to do 2" lift that will ride 'good' on bumpy streets without getting into coilover money territory.
 
gamefreakgc said:
...

If you are not up to doing the lower control arm bushings, new sway bar and sway bar end link bushings (12 total) ...
Click to expand...

How many lower control arm bushings are needed, 4?

Is 12 the total number of bushings for front and rear sway bars and sway bar end link bushings? Thanks in advance.
 
geekless said:
Hey all, 2002 3rd gen v6 Sport here.

I want to make it my all around daily driver but the ride harshness is keeping me from doing that.

I just want to make it as forgiving over bumps as much as possible without it being a swaying boat. Dare I say, make it feel more “modern”.

What exactly would you do and what parts would you install?
Click to expand...
I use my 02 Sport Edition as a DD as well. It had 180K miles with original suspension when I purchased it.
First thing I did was replace springs and shocks/struts all around as well as front and rear end links. I went with OEM Toyota springs and KYB shocks/struts as well as OEM end links.
This was a major improvement and no regrets 30K miles later.
I also replaced the LBJ’s with OEM parts.
About 20K later I replaced my rear suspension bushings (upper & lower arms and panhard rod) with Whiteline poly bushings.
I did the rear bushings as I noticed some sway from the rear when I was on the highway.
All of this made for a great DD with a comfortable ride.
Next up are the front lower control arm & steering rack bushings which are all waiting patiently on my workbench for me to stop being lazy.
 
phattyduck said:
Front springs will, and likely provide 1"-2" lift. Nothing else will fit. Unless they are TRD-pro or whatever springs (from the big 2.5" OEM shocks), which don't fit.

-Charlie
Click to expand...

If I'm not looking for any kind of lift, just try to sell them? They clearly won't woth with my third gen.
 
Sarki said:
I use my 02 Sport Edition as a DD as well. It had 180K miles with original suspension when I purchased it.
First thing I did was replace springs and shocks/struts all around as well as front and rear end links. I went with OEM Toyota springs and KYB shocks/struts as well as OEM end links.
This was a major improvement and no regrets 30K miles later.
I also replaced the LBJ’s with OEM parts.
About 20K later I replaced my rear suspension bushings (upper & lower arms and panhard rod) with Whiteline poly bushings.
I did the rear bushings as I noticed some sway from the rear when I was on the highway.
All of this made for a great DD with a comfortable ride.
Next up are the front lower control arm & steering rack bushings which are all waiting patiently on my workbench for me to stop being lazy.
Click to expand...


This is exactly what I was hoping for! Interesting you mention the highway rear sway. When I’m on the highway I feel like the front is being lifted and the tires are barely touching the ground. Makes for a very unsettling drive.

It’s got 205k miles and the shocks were replaced about 6-7 years ago. I just got new tires (Michelin 235s I think) and man they are the pits. Hard as rocks.

One owner above mentioned something about a certain tire that can help too.
 
Texmax said:
If everything on it is original and high mileage, replace the coils and shocks. if it's 2wd, go back with the original OEM coils and Bilsteins.
Click to expand...

I put bilsteins on about 7 years ago and they were never really that comfortable. It’s a 2wd, yeah.
 
I know you mentioned not being a fan of the 5100's, but I can't recommend the Bilstein 4600's and 99 tall coils highly enough for ride quality on road. I bought my 99' with 4600s and drove it from California to Oregon (about 500 miles) and it drove fantastic on road and great offroad if not a little soft. If your planning on using it as a daily with little offroad I think the 4600's would work great for your rig. Also, I'd strongly recommend replacing the lower control arm bushings with either whiteline poly bushings or new OEM bushings. I recently did this on mine and it made a huge improvement when hitting potholes as it previously would jerk to the side, but now it feels tight and tracks straight even when hitting ruts or potholes on the highway. Just my .02
 
geekless said:
This is exactly what I was hoping for! Interesting you mention the highway rear sway. When I’m on the highway I feel like the front is being lifted and the tires are barely touching the ground. Makes for a very unsettling drive.
Click to expand...
Replacing the bushings in the rear suspension eliminated the rear sway. I normally go with OEM bushings but lots of guys have gone with poly bushings and no regrets so I did the same and have been very happy.
I believe Whiteline sells a complete kit of poly bushings. Having a vise as well as a press makes the job a nice weekend project.
 
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