Choosing a suspension kit, or parts, based on specific outcome

Starting from square one, I know NOTHING about suspensions. So if there are existing resources here or elsewhere that I should read or use, please feel free to point me to those. I'm not asking for or expecting an education on the fundamentals.

That said, it's come time for me to consider changes to my suspension. I've added about 1,000lbs in parts to a stock TRD OR. And I will be adding another 1,000 or so before I'm "done." The truck now wallows significantly and drives much more like a boat than it did when it was fully stock.

So I know something needs to change, but I don't know what or how. And that's what I'm asking, humbly, for your help with: given all of the additions have and will be making, how do I get the drivability as close as I can to back to what it was? I don't need a lift, I don't need a trail setup. I want to be able to cruise comfortably at 60 on an unpaved road (think country back road with the occasional washboarding, not crawling or trails) without rattling myself to death or wallowing from bump to bump.

If there's a "Choosing the suspension that's right for you" website out there, shoot me a link. Failing that, some guidance is appreciated.

 

I know you say you don’t want a lift, but if you don’t know anything, I would at least start here for a lot of basics, so you can understand any advice given to you a bit better.

A wealth of suspension related information on the first post alone, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read-this.11282/

With that said, my stock OR drove like crap out the door, so I changed out shocks, springs, UCA nd leafs for a much more controlled and stable ride, both on and off road.

With all that weight, I would think your OEM leaf springs are probably not handling things well, just to start since they are a weak link in what I think is kind of a weak suspension to begin with.

Others will probably say it’s fine, it’s all relative.

 

There are vendors such as @AccuTune Offroad and @HeadStrong Off-Road that can aid you.

2000 lbs is hell of a lot of weight for a taco that will put you well above GVWR. You cannot raise the GVWR by modifying the suspension. GVWR takes into account many other things such as brakes, frame, axles, etc. However, you can install springs with a higher spring rate and shocks with higher damping. At your weight you might need to get custom made/tuned parts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_weight#Gross_vehicle_weight_rating

https://accutuneoffroad.com/articles/coilover-spring-rates-for-toyota-tacoma-4runner/

 

What kinda of parts are you adding? With 2k in weight added you will have exceeded the gvwr by 1000lbs. You have no room for anything. No hauling things in the bed, no passengers and if you decide to pull anything you potentially will exceed the capacity of the brakes, tranny etc.

 

I tell people when they ask me where to start. Start with an understanding of what you want the truck to do and where you want it to take you. Then over build for that. It sounds like you have a good idea of what you are doing now. Consider that may get routine so you'll want to stretch her legs a little. Especially if you have crew or get into a crew of people that like to head out.

Based on your trail descriptions, any decent suspension kit will work for you, just stay away from blocks and spacers. Many options depending on price range. Post reads like you will not need UPCs or LPCs. Look into Bilstein. Perfect starter kits. Whatever kit you go with pay the little extra to have the front coils fully built/ already put together for you. Because of your weight, consider spring helpers, incase you don't want to purchase stiffer aftermarket leafs.
Something like this below. Many folks here run them, research them and options like them. I would go new leafs.






For on road drivability look into a tune and new gears. At least the tune. It helps with maintaining speed, holding in gears longer and overall will make driving just more enjoyable. With all your weight I would re-gear without a 2nd thought. It's pricy but a tune, re-gear and lockers front & rear are the top 3 mods you can do that will transform your truck in all driving scenarios on and off road.

Be prepared for a ton of contradicting info as many different options/mods have worked or not worked for people here. It's common with so many different driving styles and levels of comfort.

 

With that much added weight, I feel like you should definitely look at new leafs to support that weight. New leafs would add a lift to the back end without all that added weight but would ride level with it and much more safely and stable. You also need to look at new front coils with additional spring rate to support the weight for stability and both of these things will bring you back to stock ride height, with the weight. Is the weight permanent of fluctuating for trips because it will ride like crap if you make mods to help with the weight and then remove the weight.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, and for the very reasonable acknowledgement that there are a variety of ways to end up at the same result.

My primary goal is reaching 500,000 miles in the next ~30 years (145k/500k so far). I want to do that by extended road trips in areas with varied levels of infrastructure. More Pan American Highway, less Rubicon Trail. Current North American "trip goals" are the Pan Am (4k/19k), Vancouver to St. Pierre & Miquelon and Seattle to Tuktoyaktuk. All of that is technically on-road, but not all of the roads are paved. I've already done Deadhorse and back, and thats where I experienced the worst of the suspension actions. So I can do what I want with what I have, but I'd prefer it to perform better.

The tune is on the list for sure, but knowing nothing about tuning all I can really say is "I want optimum fuel efficiency at 80mph and at 100% GVWR." My limited knowledge in that area led me to believe re-gearing would either be required or be a recommended part of the optimum fuel efficiency solution.

 

Installations and modifications are intended to be permanent. I have both a bike and a car for daily drivers.

 

Being over GVWR by 1000lbs and driving 80mph at that speed maybe 10mph would be acceptable imo. Hell my truck unloaded at 80 mph gets about 14-16mpg. The traveling your planning sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.

 

Also worth noting that the upgrade roadmap already had a 6-pin BBK on it. That should the primary concern, after suspension, for being ~20% over GVWR, given the GCVWR is 11,330. The transmission, cooling systems and so forth should be able to handle the additional weight effectively given they're primarily addressing lateral force/momentum (GCVWR) vs the changes in vertical force (GVWR) which is handled by the suspension. But all of that is based on my understanding of physics, not my understanding of automotive engineering.