Front shock / coil combo replacement, no lift?

(Before you jump, I've searched the forums but couldn't extract this specific answer, may have missed it)

My 97 is in the shop for heart and leg transplants, and some front suspension work. I need new front shocks, no question. I've been advised to replace the coils as well.

What I want is a ride that is as stout as 1997 OEM, but also a bit smoother, akin to 2001 model year for example.

Plenty of votes for Bilstein 5100s here but I have not seem them paired with coils, to save the labor. Also, I'm not lifting so 5100s may not not be needed?

So, what would y'all recommend for the best front shock / coil combo, without lift? Bonus points for a pre-assembled combo, to save on the labor.

Thanks!

 

Bilstein 4600; meant for stock height.

 

There is no ride difference between any year of 1st gen Tacoma. They all use exactly the same components.

If you want a smoother ride, I hear the Monroe shocks ride nice, but the Bilstein 4600s are an extremely popular choice for stock height. There's like one guy on this forum who doesn't like the ride you get from the Bilsteins (he's the one who likes the Monroes).

As for coils, either go OEM, which are rather spendy, or something like Moog, but I think General Spring makes them too.

The only pre-assembled stock height combo you're likely to find is the shit from the auto parts store brand stuff. Don't go there... Assembly is easily enough to do yourself with a free tool rental from said auto parts store. Or, toss your mechanic a 6pack and he'll more than likely just throw in the labor since you've got a ton of other things going on, too.

 

Perfect, thanks guys.

Interesting info that the 1st gens are all same components. Mine always felt burly but super stiff, and the younger 1st gens I rode in felt burly but softer on washboards. Not sure what I was smoking.

 

Monroe quick struts (strut, spring, mount pre-assembled).

You get all new stuff, ready to install easily, lifetime warranty, OE equivalent design/ride characteristics.

That's 95% what we use in the shop, no issues in 9+ years.

 

I don't think you can beat the Monroe quick struts for the price.
They are around $80 each already assembled and ready to go.
No coil compressor needed.

 

I think KYB also makes a version of quick struts

 

I don't think KYB makes them for the first generation. They aren't listed in their online catalog (https://www.kyb.com/catalog/).
It appears that KYB started them with the second generation tacoma.

 

Be careful with these. I bought a set from Autozone. They were 1.5" shorter than my originals. I didn't notice until I made turns into drives and my mud flaps would rub the tire.

Bought another store brand set from AutoValue...same thing!

I went this route to save time. In the end I had take my original set apart and use those coils with the new shocks. I lost a lot of time.

In addition, I thought my 98 xcab 4x4 ride was better than my 04 xcab 4x4.

The 98 had 15" wheels and the 04 has 16". I think the taller sidewall made the ride better.

Both trucks are stock with no lift.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...on,strut+/+coil+spring+/+mount+assembly,15174

 

you may think you don’t need a coil compressor, but I promise that you definitely do unless you want a pain in the ass install using crowbars and attempting to raise the truck with your body weight.

 

I did Monroe Quick Struts

$61 171352L Suspension Strut and Coil Spring Assembly for Toyota Tacoma

171352L and

$63 171352R Suspension Strut and Coil Spring Assembly for Toyota Tacoma

171352R on my ‘04 4-cyl extracab his past January. Greatly improved the ride over the worn out pogo sticks they replaced and restored original ride height. Can’t speak to longevity yet. Being the frugal type, I will say you can do Monroes 3 times for the price of one pair Bilsteins. I got both of mine as dented box specials on Amazon and was out the door for $150.

 

Plus there is a Rockauto discount code on this site somewhere if it is still valid.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ore-expires-may-12-2020.652217/#post-22808793

 

this just totally threw me into a vicious cycle loop

was thinking of trying the monroe setup to see if there is any difference in ride since they do not seem pricey but do not last so long i read somewhere
try bilsteins? ... or other?
stick with new Toyota branded wholesale shock absorbers and new strut mounts that require spring compressor action, i think my coils are ok still but idk
what to do what to do, got so much to do its crazy

 

From everything I have read about Monroe they are good but not great. However, I opted to with bilstein 4600's and installed the rear shocks this morning.
Now I have a dilemma: I can pull the front assembly and pay $25 for each front to be loaded on the OLD coilovers 170k miles) or I buy 2 loaded monroes and spend the extra $250.

 

I had to make the same decision. The coil springs are responsible for the ride height and my truck had a pretty fair rake which told me the springs were sagging so it didn’t make sense to me to reuse them. When researching replacement coilovers i considered my truck is not my DD so I really couldn’t justify the spend for 4600 or 5100’s since the Monroes were about 1/3 the price of Bilsteins and my truck spends 99% if it’s time parked in the garage. So the Monroe’s suited my purpose but YMMV.

 

For what it is worth I went with the Monroe Quick Struts but it was 5 years ago the company building them for Monroe may have changed.

I had no problems with the install but for getting the old ones off all 6 nuts needed cut