Alldogs offroad koni suspension

Hey all,

Pulling the trigger on some new goodies for the truck this week (bumper, sliders, suspension) for black friday and was curious if anyone had any experiences with alldogs offroad and their koni suspension package:

https://www.alldogsoffroad.com/alld...t-koni-82-series-shocks-3rd-gen-toyota-tacoma

With all the upgrades it sounds like I'll probably end up with 2.25" of lift by the end of it which I should hopefully not need to do a diff drop for. I was hoping to stay below 1" of lift (As close to TRDOR stock as possible) with the new suspension but I'm not sure if that's realistic due to weight.

I'm not in a big hurry to buy the suspension yet as I won't be putting anything on until spring (Michigan winter), but with 15% off it's very tempting to make a move now.

 

Don't know, or heard of anyone running that lift/suspension.

 

^That's because Koni doesn't make shocks for the Tacoma. Looks like Alldogs pieced together the kit using shocks for the Hilux or Prado (our GX460).

Twin tube shocks should be avoided if you plan to drive on dirt- or gravel roads above 4-lo speeds. That makes the Koni 82-series shocks potentially worse than the commonly available Bilstein 5100s, despite being similar in external size.

 

Kind of a weird blurb without actually mentioning the manufacturer.
"The manufacturer we've partnered with is a significant producer of coil springs for the military. Their coil springs are also found in nuclear reactors across the country."


I kind of agree with above comments. I don't know anything about that kit, but if I were to buy a digressive kit (and I did), I'd stick with Bilstein.

 

I was looking at the 6112/5160 combo and some upgraded leaf packs. I really would like to stay as close to stock height as possible and that seemed like my best route to go. With the camper shell and my camping set up (100AH AGM battery and fridge) I definitely need some heavier duty leafs, not sure if I can keep it stock height going that route.

 

Do they just ride too rough? I'm learning more about shock tech in the last few days then I ever knew so I'm just piecing everything together myself. I was also looking at the Bilstein 6112/5160 combo as an alternative.

 

Yes you can. I'm on 6112/5160 with a 3-leaf AAL. Overall I'm raised up just a hair over one inch, front clips are on center setting (6 position shock, I'm on positions 3/4). I think I've spammed one too many threads on why I'm happy with them.

Depending on your goals you can easily recreate stock height with that combo.

 

Haha, Feel free to spam away. Would love to hear another opinion, sounds like you went the route I want to go. 90% of my driving is in Michigan/Ontario going to remote lakes to fish. I don't want to go too overboard with height as it may cause some issues on tighter trails with the kayak.

Toughest trip I've done so far in the truck was on Drummond Island and my Ontario trip last year in October. Those convinced me to buy some sliders and a front bumper/winch as I go out solo a lot.

You can definitely get a lot of places with 32's at stock height.

 

Agreed. I can go more places than I would want to in a daily driver, anyhow.

You asked, so here is my honest review on the 6112s. I keep saying that they are the Sport suspension on steroids. They are stiff as hell on the road, and they kinda, sorta loosen up off road. I'd sum it up as a fantastic highway suspension that's pretty good on trails. And that's what swayed me to buy into it: most of my highway use is either commuting or pulling the camper somewhere, and I might be poking along on light to medium trails on the weekends. So I wanted something that leaned towards pavement performance.

On road, they are sporty as hell. Smooth on the straights and they stiffen up in the turns. There is no wallowing, hobby horse type action that most offroad suspensions suffer from. And as stiff as they are, they don't ride like an empty dump truck. It's a smooth ride, pliant in the right places and planted when it should be.

Off-road they are no slouch either. These things are beefy for the money. Unlike the stock suspension they don't get hot or show signs of fade. I just got back from a trip that included 50 miles of nasty washboard, and the shocks behaved the exact same from the beginning of the trail to the end, and then again when I drove back out a few days later.

The biggest characteristic that impressed me is their rebound/dampening ability. For a budget-to-mid-tier shock, the rebound is supreme. It takes the hit and immediately plants the tire back to ground without any chatter or bounce. It makes for confident driving.

On the downside, rough trails are rough. I went through a little bit of a rock garden on my previously mentioned trip, and it was slow crawling. To be fair I still have my sway bar on and my lack of flex was a definite contributor to it being less than comfortable. It was still doable, but I imagine that a more off-road geared setup could have done it smoother.

But overall, it's a good compromise in all the right places where I want compromise. It isn't too expensive, excellent on road, good on trails, and merely adequate for hard terrain. And the ride height, where I have them set isn't bad either. Definitely a good bang-for-buck value.

 

No idea if the Konis ride rough. Twin-tube design is horrible for cooling, as the nitrogen between the outer- and inner tube acts as an insulator for the oil in the inner tube. That's why all the performance shocks from Bilstein, Fox, King, Icon, ADS, Elka, Radflo, Sway-A-Way... are monotube. Overheated shock fades or leaks.

Go with the 6112/5160 setup you've been eyeing.

 

Nice camper! How much did you pay for that if you don't my asking? I've been looking at the used market for a bit or possibly building one myself.

I was curious if if anyone had tried the 8112's and how they compare to the 6112's. (EDIT: NVM, way out of my price range lol)

 

Sorry I meant the twin tube design riding rough. Your explanation on why they're not great makes sense though, I appreciate the info. This is all pretty new to me.

Any opinions on leaf packs? I've seen Deaver's recommended a bunch.

 

Thanks. Flastaff 206STSE. Bought new in 2017 for $11.5K, I think. I have almost as many mods into it as I do my truck. Pop-ups are fun. Sure, it takes a minute to set up and take down, but the size of them on the interior is insane. Plus I can level it on more surfaces than most.

 

I've been considering getting a used pop up and just changing out the leafs and tires on it until I settle on what I want to do for a final trailer. I just know once they start having waterproofing issues they tend to go downhill fast so that's why I've been a little hesitant. Size wise they're about perfect for me though, I would use the shit out of that roof rack on there for my kayaks. You're definitely making me thinking about checking out that avenue again...

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMWw6PQVRM&t=39s

 

I just watched his video on diff drops. This guy is great, thanks for the link.

 

If you are not looking for a lift and you are not adding a lot of weight to the truck, why are you replacing your springs and shocks? What are your goals?

 

Can't speak for the Tacoma but ADO has been selling Koni kits for the Frontier for about a year and a half. I've only seen good reviews, twin tube or not. They are a much softer shock absorber, compared to a 5100. Think of it as TRD OR vs Sport (Koni vs Bilstein respectively).

ADO has their own springs manufactured to their specifications, I don't know who that is that makes them though.

 

I am adding a lot of weight to the truck. Currently I have a 100AH AGM battery and fridge in the bed with camper shell and a full set of Metal skids and I'm close to the bump stops, especially with camping gear. I'm going to be adding a front bumper/winch and sliders as well (purchasing this week) so I definitely need to do a little updating to account for the additional weight. I would like to keep it close to stock ride height with 32's as that's perfect for 90% of my offroading in Michigan and Ontario.