King shocks install on TRD Pro

Hello all!

New owner of a 2021 TRD Pro. First upgrade is King 2.5s in the front and back. I just had a few questions before I start getting ready to do the install. Although I’ve done most all the upgrades on my previous vehicle (2014 FJC), I’ve never done a suspension install so figured I would come here first just for some clarification on some steps. I know it’s a fairly simple bolt on install so it shouldn’t be too difficult when all is said and done. I’ll be swapping out the UCAs with Total Chaos Uniballs as well as the stock leafs with Deaver Stage IIIs, but i’ll probably hold off on doing that until I’m ready to install a rear swing out bumper, bed rack, RTT. Figured I should wait to put in the Stage III leafs until I have the added weight in place.

So as far as the Kings go, I plan on getting the most lift out of them as I can. If my understanding is correct, with the TRD Pros, the most added lift over stock I can get with these kings is 1”, is that correct? So out of the box, are the Kings set at no lift so I will need to crank it down to get the full lift? How many cranks to get there?

So it seems that beyond figuring out how to set the lift height, the rest of the install is pretty straight forward; unbolt the stock suspension and bolt in the new suspension. I know there’s more to it then that, but in a nutshell that’s essentially what this install is. Anything other important things I need to know that might get looked over? The biggest thing I came here for was just getting the lift height correct before the install and any and all tips you guys might have for me before I start the install.

Excited to be a part of the forum!!

 

Measure hub to fender before and after install. If you need to adjust the coilovers, jack up the front until fully drooped, adjust as much as you want then measure again. I lifted based on my cv angles.
Kings are not all set at one specific height out of the box. Need to measure and adjust.
These how mine look currently. It’s about a 2.25-2.5 lift but again the amount of threads don’t equate to height.

 

Installing UCAs on a tacoma is not just a simple bolt on. I really don't recommend installing the bolt backwards like some people do, and it's a bitch bending metal out of the way to get the bolt in and out.

 

Getting those UCA through bolts out took up majority of the time during my install. Too much shit in the way.

 

What pound coils? Best bet would be installing them and adjust the height while they are on the truck unless you have a spring compressor and you can get the coils off. To give you a general idea...when I hade my ext travel kings with 650# coils I had 11 threads on the driver side and 8 threads on passenger side after making adjustments.

Every truck is different and the only way to get it exactly where you want is to set aside an afternoon for you to be able to measure, make adjustments, settle suspension, repeat.

 

What are you worried about? This is how Toyota does it.

 

I think he's talking about installing with bolt head facing aft. Bolt head comes facing forward from factory

 

Right. But if you get factory service and they have to remove your control arms, to the best of my knowledge they cut then reinstall the bolt backwards.

 

You’d be amazed at what “Toyota certified” techs can do wrong for the sake of making their job easier.

 

Wrong, or is it in the manual? To me, bending factory sheet metal is more “wrong”.

 

I don’t know what the manual says but from the factory, the UCAs are installed on the frame before the body is mounted. The bolts are installed front to back so that in the event that the nut comes loose, the UCA bolt doesn’t walk itself out which would be dangerous even at low speeds. Speaking from my own personal experience, even in the correct orientation, the bolt can still partially walk itself out of the nut comes off. Sure there are plenty of people that install the bolt backwards and never have an issue but I’d err on the side of caution myself. I’ve installed several dozen UCAs and every time I reinstall the bolt in the correct orientation. Sometimes you don’t need to bend anything, sometimes you have to move metal and unbolt stuff to get them out. Either way I have enough experience with the job that I don’t find it difficult to do.

Going back to what the techs at the dealer will and won’t do: people are people. My father was an ASE certified tech for 40 years and as a kid I’d spend time in the shop with him. I’ve seen first hand that some people will take shortcuts just to get the job out the door. There are enough people that have had lug nuts cross threaded at the dealer to prove it.
My neighbor is a Toyota tech with 15 years experience and he offered to help with an install one time. He had no idea how to get the UCA bolt out and I had to explain it to him. Some guys get lucky and get the tech that cares and some guys don’t. It’s a toss up. .

 

check my previous post, added manual reference.

 

The engineers at Toyota were aware the bolt would be impossible to remove without disassembling the whole truck, cutting the bolt, or bending some sheet metal. I have to believe if there was no downside they would just flip the bolt from the factory.

 

Cool. Good luck.

 

Thanks guys! Suspension install is complete and kings are riding great!

Now I just gotta figure out what to do with this PRO suspension sitting in my garage.. They had just under 500 miles on them when removed so pretty brand new. $1600 shipped for anybody interested, or i’d do $1450 for anyone near Portland, OR wanting to pick them up locally.

 

You need 50 posts to get into any BST action

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/buy-sell-trade-rules-rev-2019.2577/

 

BST? What does that mean? Sorry, not trying to do anything wrong!

 

So if I am going for a 2.5inch lift with the kings, my measurement after install would be 2.5 inches higher than my first measurement with stock suspension?

 

Are king shocks really that much of an upgrade over the trd pro fox shocks to justify all the cost and labor? I’m skeptical.

Note that I have king shocks myself, but I have an OR. During daily driving I can barely tell the difference between the king shocks and the stock shocks. They are nice when going fast off road though.

 

Why is there a question mark on the end of that sentence?