High-speed off-road suspensions?

I'm looking to procure a smooth highway cruiser that is also capable at high speeds off road. The Raptor is pretty much a slam-dunk in this department, but it doesn't come with a clutch pedal, and that's a deal-breaker. Does anyone know to what extent the Raptor is smoother off road over ~40mph than the TRD Pro? How much better is the TRD Pro than the TRD Off-Road (stock) for this purpose?

I'm not opposed to modification, but it's new territory for me outside of Jeeps. For $5-7k all told, I can put a long-travel (4.5-5.5") Metalcloak suspension on a JKU and have a damn fine "prerunner" without compromising on-road handling much. Is there a similar route for a 3rd gen Tacoma?

I thought I'd start my search with the term "long travel", but as a result I've been reading about a lot of cutting and fabrication...Perhaps I'm looking for a mid-travel suspension...? Or is the IFS just not conducive to this much lift? There is also a lot of talk of noise from these suspensions that doesn't seem as common on Jeep lifts.

 

Sounds like you want performance coilovers...Kings, Icons, Fox, Swayaways, Radflos, etc. Better yet go long travel, but that requires more cutting and fab work like you said.

Sounds like you're aware of what the cost could end up being, so that's good. Too many people want what you want, but only want to spend < $1k or so.

 

You should browse the suspension forum and educate yourself on Tacoma specific suspension a bit more. There is a wealth of knowledge there and it would answer your questions.

Also, comparing a Raptor to a Tacoma TRD Pro is useless - the only commonality they have is they're both pickup trucks.

 

I go in search...

I would reeeally like to avoid cutting or fabrication if at all possible. An exception would be, like, to have a shop weld brackets on or something like that. My fab skills are abysmal, so that would be factored into the total cost.

My understanding is that the Raptor and the TRD Pro are both specifically designed with high-speed off-roading in mind...The Raptor simply does it better at an additional cost of ~$10k.

 

Going fast requires a lot of money. The engineers who built the truck didn't have going 60+ mph through rough desert terrain in mind. Things like motor mounts, transmission mounts, the semi-float axle, and the frame among other components were not built to be a trophy truck. Lifting alone does not allow one to run a bigger tire. Either metal has to be removed or bumpstops have to be adjusted greatly (Jeeps with 5" of lift have to have giant bumpstop spacers unless metal is removed to allow more travel also).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfzJiNDXRXs

 

This is from another forum someone else posted,"toyota had a stock Tundra TRD PRO run the entire baja 1000 and it made it to the end"

But at the end of the day, Icon or Fox kits long or medium travel will be worlds better than anything that toyota will put in the stock trucks. Because toyota wants to save that $$$
my 2¢

 

Whats your point? A stock SR5 Tacoma could "make it to the end" if you arent taking in consideration the speed they did it at.

Comparing a full size truck that was modeled after a full size baja/desert runner (Raptor) with a ton of power to a capable mid size trail rig with some amenities (Tacoma TRD and TRD Pro) with a NA V6 is silly. I dont understand why so many people try to compare the two. They werent built for the same goals in mind at all. How about comparing the Colorado ZR2 to the Tacoma like its supposed to be?

 

On the high speed offroad performance side you have the total chaos 3.5" race series long travel kit with king coilovers. Probably a caged rear with a SUA kit. I've heard that with all of that you end up with a truck thats no longer optimal for the street tho.. imagine driving a trophy truck on the steeet but not as extreme and minus the engine.. I'd wager this setup would be better than a raptor at speed offroad.

More on the street oriented side but still high speed offroad worthy you have kings oem performance series. Bolt on 2.5s with remote resis. This setup isnt far from what the TRD Pro brings to the table but I'd say its a notch or two better. It could be debated though. This setup retains good to excellent street manners assuming you dont put too much preload up front and dont run heavy stiff tires.

TRD Pro vs Raptor stock v stock at 40 offroad should really only be answered by someone who has driven both in said cases but I'd wager the Raptor would handle it better but not astronomically better. You would definitely be able to go harder/faster in the raptor tho. Higher top end in a number of different aspects.

As far as TRD Pro v TRD OR in said situation..the pro should handle it significantly better due to the 2.5 foxs.

 

you could probably get away with some decent remote reservoir fox or kings medium travel and be totally fine with minimal fabricating. it'll give you better handling on road and off without sacrificing ride quality. unless you plan on racing it like a madman, i'd stick to mediums if you want little effect on your on road performance, less fabricating, and less cost.

 

i saw someone post that and thought id share. idk if its true. in no way do i personal think a trd pro compares to a raptor. just thought it was something interesting to share.

 

I've driven a 2014 raptor and a TRD Pro taco (only off-roading with the Raptor was low speed trails). One is as close to a purpose built, out of the box Baja truck you're going to get. The other is an appearance package + mid grade, regular travel shocks and some off road electronics. The raptor is essentially long travel from the factory.

What you're looking for you are unlikely to achieve (without compromise) with a taco. Period. If you're willing to compromise, you're going to be spending $6k+ on a lift that will make you similarly capable as a raptor. Consider the price delta to get everything you need, all while destroying your factory warranty for the end result.

I bought a 3rd gen taco for the third pedal and the size (and that I'm a Toyota guy). Seriously consider how important the third pedal is for what you want to do.

If you need more info, there's a guy in the 4Runner forums who spent an absurd amount of cash ($15k range) turning his 4Runner Pro into something that could keep up in Baja. He trashed his rig and is in even deeper to fix things that the Raptor guys had no issue with.

OA

Edit: Here's the 4Runner I was referencing: . Start at page 114 and move forward from there. Fair warning, the guy can come off not so great, but he put his money where his mouth was.

 

Interesting. That clutch pedal is worth enough that I investigated the cost of putting one in a Raptor (final estimate: too much). $6k I can swallow, because my alternative is a Wrangler, and those things just aren't made to bounce out of the box, so it's in the budget.

I'm not looking to race through the desert and catch air (well, that would be fun), I just greatly prefer sliding around in dirt/mud/sand over slowly making my way over technical obstacles. Any setup can be destroyed if pushed beyond its limits, I'm just wondering how different setups perform within them. It's very difficult to get real-world experience, particularly if you include modified vehicles. No dealer will let me take one to the desert, and friends with access to a particular configuration and terrain are few and far between.

I mainly cite the Raptor because it's my only goal post. There is a lot of information out there; videos, etc. Most reviews tout its smoothness off road and on at-speed. TRD Pro reviews seem more geared towards rock-crawling and spec comparison with vehicles that compete in size and price point.

I'll check out some of these companies...I always find it interesting how often suspension companies are specific to a brand or model. It seems like the 3rd gen stuff hasn't quite hit full speed yet in the aftermarket.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mtbs-2-0.410188/

Looks like you're a candidate for mid travel.

 

I'll repeat myself...you should do more research in the suspension forum especially to the bold part of the quote: 3rd gen suspension is the same as 2nd gen which has been around for 14 years now. There is a ton of information helpful to you there.

 

Glorious. Forgive my ignorance. I'm a stranger here myself.

 

King and icon are 2 of the biggest names in suspension, especially anything that involves racing. They certainly aren't model or brand specific.

 

When you put it that way, do yourself a mid travel front, long travel rear and be done with it. As stated plenty of info in the suspension threads that have been linked above.

OA

 

I got some ADS 2.5 coilovers with clickers and 2.5 shocks in the rear with clickers and dakars and this thing flys offroad. The clicker adjustments allow for changing of the dampening and can absorb those lumps at high speed when turned up. They arent cheap, but the build quality is as high or higher than icon, king and fox. These things are stout and made for high speed off-roading. I got a group buy on the ADS stuff but I am sure you can contact Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road and she will get you all squared.

 

Thank you so much @riz_atx I would be glad to help