Do tacomas ride rough?

went way off down a bunch of old logging access roads hunting and camping this weeked. First time the Tacoma really been off road at all. Do Tacomas normally seem to ride extremely rough? like just going down a dirt rocky road, I could only run about 5-10 mph.. Every rock seemed to just rattle the whole frame and every piece of plastic all over the truck. Jar the steering wheel. It was actually rather terrible. By buddy in his stock 92 jeep Cherokee would run 20-25 where I was goin about 10, and feel smooth. If I went any faster, it was ridiculous. I rode in his most the weekend and his seemed a lot smoother than my 2011 sport. And the other guy with a dodge 4x4 with street tires rode smooth too. My tires are still stock street tires and don't have very much tread left at all. On another kayaking trip once I noticed this too. my buddy ran off and left me on on a gravel road in the F150. I was getting jarred so bad it was ridiculous and I couldn't go very fast at all. So, do tacamos normally seem to ride rather rough and Jarring compared to others? I mean I feel every single little rock through the whole chassis. or is it just my tires?

 

TRD Sport models have the firmest of the suspensions (stiffer for better cornering). Also, you have 17" wheels with a little less rubber between the rim and the ground.

Tacomas are not particularly heavenly to drive on rough roads as they come stock, but if you want to invest in some better tires, air them down a bit off road, and replace the suspension with a mid-range Old Man Emu setup, you will notice a huge difference.

 

Check your air pressure. You may be overfilled causing it to be a lot rougher than needed.

Distributing the weight seems to help the ride too. Put a couple hundred pounds in the bed.

How many miles do you have on the truck? May be time to update the suspension.

Also if it's a washboarded road, that roads gonna be rough no matter what.

My guess is the tire pressure though.

 

My 05 off-road is smoother than my wifes13 on the trail.Hers is smoother on the road.

 

the road was not real rough, just kinda rocky. 52k miles. Tires around 34 psi. It just seemed ridiculously rough and jarring. . Enough to make me not wanna go back. 7-10 miles sucks at 5-10 mph. If I went faster I felt It would rattle apart and fly off the road. And this is basically just a a dirt/gravel road. I just expected a lot better ride I guess. Especially compared to my buddies jeep with completely worn out stock suspension. He was just smooth as could be it seemed. No jarring, no jerking of the wheel all over. . even the other guy in the dodge pulling an enclosed trailer ran off and left me .

 

Mine rides like poop but I already had spacers on it so I don't know how it rides without them

 

I was decently loaded too. With 3 ice chests and gear and such.

 

Do you have a lift? Are you on Bilsteins?

 

Stock trd sport

 

Sports ride rougher then Off-Roads. I take my off-road with stock suspension in and out my logging road at 15-20 MPH with a decent ride.

 

Tire tread absorbs a surprising amount of road irregularity, especially the small bumps. Add to that the fact that you're running a fairly small diameter tire, and that tire is probably inflated for highway driving... That's a perfect recipe for a rough ride.

How many miles are on your suspension? Stock shocks are valved for on road driving. If they have over 50k miles, with where you like to drive, I'd say you're ready for an upgrade. My shock absorbers were worthless by 50k miles. I drive a stupid amount of really rough road, and distances that wouldn't make going slow prudent. 200 miles of potholed/ washboard road in a day... I'm not going 10 mph. I do air down to 25 or 30 psi when I know a day like that is ahead of me though.

Edit: my daily tire pressure is 40-45 psi.

 

My off road door sticker says 29 psi front and 32 psi rear. I know taking my 04 taco from 34-35psi down to 29 psi made a noticeable difference on woods roads. I work in the woods for a living so I had a good baseline to compare. Removing my sway bar made huge difference, although it is not recommended for on road handling.

 

My 2012 double cab 4x4 v6 is comparable to other trucks I've had on gravel mountain roads. Non trd and non sport with steel wheels and dunflops. Gotta be your sport and wheel/tire situation like others have said.

 

My 2013 TRD Sport rides rough but I am ok with it.

 

Drop PSI down to 30 and you will notice a huge difference.

 

I have a sport but I have 16" wheels. I cruise pretty fast on shitty dirt roads. I feel it really brings out the capabilities when I get it off the pavement.

 

Agreed. My truck is a bit more taut than the OR's, SR5's and base rigs I've been in. I don't mind it though. I'm used to the firmer ride

 

I need tires.. But I'm waiting on wheels to not be on back order. I just didn't think it would make THAT much difference.. And I may be a little too high of pressure.. And I plan on suspension next year.. 57k miles now

 

A rough ride is really subject to the person experiencing said ride. To me, the stock suspension was soft, but to others, some would say it is hard. There is no one firmness setting fits all straight out of the box.

 

Drop air pressure to about 12-15 lbs and the ride is much more nicer plus airing down gives a much larger foot print allowing better traction