Unhappy with Tundra lift with 906s

F

freshley

New member
I installed my lift late in the summer and thought after I put some miles on it the ride would improve but it is stiff as a rock. It corners nice, but every little bump jars you around the cabin. Here's what I have:

Tundra TRD springs up front
Tundra Bilstein height adjustables up front on lowest perch
OME 906 rear springs with 10mm trim packers on each side
Bilstein 5125 (24-065283) rear shocks. Bought these from Down South Motorsports who said they have had good results with them. Made for F150s. 298/94 valving, 20.2" ext. & 8.2" travel.

I do all highway driving but wanted a mild 2" lift. I love the stance it has now but not the ride.

Anyone think the problem might be the rear shock/strut combo? I'm considering going to 890's with HD's or possibly Rancho adjustables.

Give me your thoughts...
 
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How a truck rides is very much a perception thats going to differ from one person to the next. With that being said, what size, load range and type of tires are you running?

I run 890's in the back of my 4runner, which should be close in height, and that rear shock seems very short, i remeber needing a shock somewhere around 14 inches collapsed and 19 or so at ride height. I'm not sure but it might be possible that your rear shocks are topping out (reaching their full extension) which can make for a terrible ride. I have heard that when using a shock at the upper or lower limits of its travel will affect how it "Feels"


I would be very curious to know your static, or ride height shock length as well.


Mike
 
freshley said:
I installed my lift late in the summer and thought after I put some miles on it the ride would improve but it is stiff as a rock. It corners nice, but every little bump jars you around the cabin. Here's what I have:

Tundra TRD springs up front
Tundra Bilstein height adjustables up front on lowest perch
OME 906 rear springs with 10mm trim packers on each side
Bilstein 5125 (24-065283) rear shocks. Bought these from Down South Motorsports who said they have had good results with them. Made for F150s. 298/94 valving, 20.2" ext. & 8.2" travel.

I do all highway driving but wanted a mild 2" lift. I love the stance it has now but not the ride.

Anyone think the problem might be the rear shock/strut combo? I'm considering going to 890's with HD's or possibly Rancho adjustables.

Give me your thoughts...
Click to expand...

Ya I dont know the difference in rear end weight between an f-150 and 4runner, but I wouldnt use a shock built for a different vehicle unless it was previously tested and had positive reviews. Perhaps they are a slightly stiffer shock, and combined with the 906s the back end is too stiff. For the front, you hear different things from different users as all of our opinions of our ride are relative, but generally users say the TRD coils with bilsteins are a stiffer than stock ride. I have TRD coils with the stock (non-adjustable) bilsteins up front. Previously I had PP coils and KYB gas shocks up front, which felt stupid stiff. The TRD set up is similar, but more planted feeling, and just slightly softer.

In the back I have 890s with LC stock Tokicos and like the ride for the most part. I also do primarily highway driving and my setup feels well planted for the most part. The 890s probably would be an improvement in the back for you as they are a bit softer than the 906s (somewhere on the forum theres a list of the OME coils with their spring rates). Perhaps you could try the same set up I have, or first just replace the coils and see how they work with your bilsteins. Then if you still have issues, maybe try the tokicos, or 5100s.

Either way, it took me a while to get used to the stiffness of my 3rd gen. My 3rd gen is noticeably stiffer than my dads 09 TRD Tundra. And if you have ANY weak links in the front end (upper/lower ball joints, steering rack, rack bushing, inner/outter tie rods, wheel bearings, a arm bushings, steering shaft slip joint), it will feel terrible in combination with the stiff suspension. I have learned that the stiffness is manageable IF everthing in the linkage is tight.
 
shmabs said:
How a truck rides is very much a perception thats going to differ from one person to the next. With that being said, what size, load range and type of tires are you running?

I run 890's in the back of my 4runner, which should be close in height, and that rear shock seems very short, i remeber needing a shock somewhere around 14 inches collapsed and 19 or so at ride height. I'm not sure but it might be possible that your rear shocks are topping out (reaching their full extension) which can make for a terrible ride. I have heard that when using a shock at the upper or lower limits of its travel will affect how it "Feels"


I would be very curious to know your static, or ride height shock length as well.


Mike
Click to expand...

This is very true, as I have learned from experience. If the shock is riding at the top of its extension, chances are you will have a really bouncy ride. On the other hand, if the coils are too short causing the shocks to ride too far compressed, the shocks will restrict the coils rebound too much, and the ride will be really stiff and just generally terrible
 
I have the exact same setup as you (except for the 10mm trim packers) , and I was worried about the stiffness. But I was pleaseantly surprised, I think the truck rides pefectly. It is a bit stiffer in the back, but to me the valving of the 5125s smooths it out nicely. I do carry about 150 LBs of weight in the back of my 2000LTD. Have you tried putting some weight back there to see how that affects the ride.
here's my setup.......
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/129612-lift-installed-my-review-pics-lessons-learned.html
 
Last edited:
Audiness,
Are you running the same shocks? Down South said that they have used them on a few 4runners and had good results so that's why I went with them. The valving is stiffer than the HDs and are 2" longer than the HDs in all dimensions so with a 2" lift they shouldn't bottom out or be too long that the springs fall out. I knew they would be stiff, but there weren't a whole lot of options out there in 5125s. I didn't go with the HD's because they are made for stock height but I know they would be valved better.
I know the 906s are the stiffest springs they make so the 890s should make for a better ride. I haven't tried loading the back up but I would think with a fill tank of gas to empty it would ride different and it doesn't.

Thanks!
 
I have the same springs with Tundra HD shocks in front and OME N86 shocks in back. I don't think I could be more happy with the way it rides, although I think a lot of the nice ride can be attributed to the Falken Wildpeak tires.

I would suspect the rear shocks and tires may be making your ride too harsh.
 
I'm running Bilstein 5100 with OME 883's on the front and Monroe shocks with OME 906's on the rear. I am very pleased with the ride quality on the front, but the rear needs to be changed. The 906's are a little too short compared to the 883's in front. I know where you're coming from. My future plan is to go with the Bilstein 5125 with OME 890's on the rear to level out my lift, and help fix the rear "bounciness".
Here is a picture of my rig. You can tell that the front is definitely higher than the rear.
uga8ysut.jpg
 
It's gotta be the valving on those rear shocks. Seems the 5100/5125 are middle of the road on soft vs firm scale; OME shocks & Bilstein HD among the stiffest, and lower end Monroe/ Gabriel/ etc among the softest. That valving looks way too high for the weight of our runners.
 
Dezert4Runner said:
It's gotta be the valving on those rear shocks. Seems the 5100/5125 are middle of the road on soft vs firm scale; OME shocks & Bilstein HD among the stiffest, and lower end Monroe/ Gabriel/ etc among the softest. That valving looks way too high for the weight of our runners.
Click to expand...

Recommend any tweeners? Some mild stiffness shocks?
 
I've got hd w/ 906s and I love it. Don't know what to compare too b/c my previous rears were oem w/ 199k on them. I would think f-150 shocks would cause your issue. Reckon those things weigh near 2,000 pounds more than a runner
 
freshley said:
Audiness,
Are you running the same shocks? Down South said that they have used them on a few 4runners and had good results so that's why I went with them. The valving is stiffer than the HDs and are 2" longer than the HDs in all dimensions so with a 2" lift they shouldn't bottom out or be too long that the springs fall out. I knew they would be stiff, but there weren't a whole lot of options out there in 5125s. I didn't go with the HD's because they are made for stock height but I know they would be valved better.
I know the 906s are the stiffest springs they make so the 890s should make for a better ride. I haven't tried loading the back up but I would think with a fill tank of gas to empty it would ride different and it doesn't.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

yes, I definetly have the 5125s, not the HDs. I heard the HDs were too harsh, so I went with the 5125s from Toytec.
 
I ended up with Tacoma Bilstein shocks. I was told by my local shop that the Tundra shocks run really stiff compared to the Tacoma ones. Obviously because a Tundra weighs more than the Tacoma.
I have front and rear Bilstein shocks with FJ Cruiser coils and I have not one complaint.
 
Last edited:
If you got your 5125 from toytec, then they aren't the same model shock as mine.

Mine are 24-065283 8.2" travel 13.27-21.5" with 298/94 valving
Tundra 5125s 24-100144 8.6" travel 13.84-22.4" with 129/76 valving (full ext. you may lose a spring)
4runner HDs 24-024518 7.5" travel 12.7-20.2" with 179/78 valving
Toytec 5100s 25-186291 8.33" travel 12.95-20.11 with 255/70 valving
Stock toyota 7" travel 12.375-19.375"
Tokicos are 8" travel 11.75-19.75" (seem too short)
Rancho RS5000 7.88" travel 12.875-20.75"
OME's are 8.25" travel 12.95-21.2" and I was told these are the longest you should run or you may cause damage. Not sure what was meant by that though. I would think as long as the compressed length is not bottoming out the shock, and still hitting the bump stop, you should be ok.

As you can see, I researched the crap out of this before I stepped up and bought them. Nothing seemed to be perfect.

I may take you up on your offer PBR! At least then I will have something to reference. Currently my trucks squeeks with every little bump as the door seals rub against the body. Never had that before and it's driving me nutz!
 
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