Suspension Guidance Please

[RodRunner]

Hello everyone,

My objective is to improve the on-road handling of my 13 4R TE without loosing the off-road capabilities it was intended to have as delivered by Toyota. I am not interested in lifting it.

With that in mind I would like to do whatever I can to eliminate the nose diving when breaking and rolling when going around turns as much as possible.

I was on the Toytec website looking for options to help me achieve the above and here is what I'm considering:

Front

TOYTEC/BILSTEIN HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE COILOVERS​

I spoke to them and was told these come preset to 3" of lift but can be adjusted to 0"​

Rear

BILSTEIN 5100 REAR SHOCKS FOR FJ/4RUNNER​

What do you guys think? Any input you may have would be greatly appreciated.

One concern I have with what I'm considering for the front is whether setting the coilovers to 0" in order to eliminate lift would result in my front suspension being too stiff. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

 

[3wbdriver]

Setting the height with the Bilstein setup doesn't change spring tension. It just changes their location on the shock, and therefore the ride height. So leaving them at 0 with the factory springs won't affect stiffness. But the new shocks will be slightly stiffer than the factory ones.

Going with the Bilstein shocks will reduce the nosedive, but will not eliminate it. It's simply the nature of the beast. The only way to eliminate it would be to put stiffer springs up front and you already said you don't want that. The Toytec link you posted had this little line of interest at the bottom, which leads me to believe they may be stiffer springs. So you might want to research them some more.

*Not recommended for reg cab Tacoma without additional front weight

As for body roll, that is more a function of the sway bars. And the thicker you make those the less off road flex you will have. I sail mine off into corners and curves as fast as or faster than 90% of the regular car drivers on the road, and I honestly have not noticed any excessive body roll with the factory sway bars. You may just feel like you are getting a lot of roll because of your relative height off the ground compared to a car. But that's a subjective thing and will vary from driver to driver.

I have the Bilstein 5100's on all 4 corners with factory springs. I do like the way they handle, but have noticed a slightly stiffer ride with them. Still soft on small undulations, but they stiffen right up on actual bumps. They are a good option, but I don't think they are the cure all for what you are describing.

 

[RodRunner]

3wbdriver thanks for the feedback, very helpful.