2021 TRD Off Road Stock Suspension question

Hi all,
Since I have an older Tacoma my wife and I are thinking of finally upgrading to a 2021 TRD off road 4 door long bed. We really liked how it drove at the dealership and I was wondering if people are just putting a GFC on that setup with the bilstein suspension it comes with? It would be nice to be able to just run that and not have to throw any money towards new suspension. Thanks for anyone’s thoughts!

Whenever you add weight to the rear of a Tacoma, eventually you will need to upgrade the rear suspension. Even the ~200lbs of a V2. Whether it be a block (not great), an Add-a-leaf (in my opinion, a band-aid), or a full leaf pack (the best option) in the rear.

In the front you could do a spacer or a full replacement - like a Bilstein 5100, or go with something more expensive. But the front is not necessary right away.

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Agree with @fatfurious2. I wouldn’t recommend spacers or blocks, it is a bandage that will simply need a better fix in the future. Most people I have seen who have tried to avoid upgrading rear suspension have eventually given in and upgraded.

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I’m on the same boat as goosecharger, so thanks for asking!
@fatfurious2, when you say “eventually” do you mean that you end up replacing and upgrading because stock suspension wears down/sags more quickly?

Or is it that stock suspension + GFC handling/performance is annoying enough that you quickly have to upgrade despite brand new stock suspension?

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On Tacomas, in my opinion, the suspension that comes with it is good for as is - if you dont do any towing or hauling heavier weights for extended time. If you are going to have 200lbs in the bed constantly (like a GFC V2 but with no extra build out) it may last a bit, and then eventually sag. You might be able to get away with it for a couple months or a year, or it might only last a couple weeks. I havent had stock suspension for a long time, so Im a little out of the loop.

But generally speaking, if you add weight over the stock weight, it will sag more quickly. And especially if its constant weight. If you are just going to use the GFC for a weekend, and then take it off and store it, you might delay the replacement/upgrade of suspension components. But most of us here plan to leave it on all of the time.

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Anyone rolling with a stage 2 Ironman foam cell suspension with 3” lift? Curious how that leaf pack handles the GFC?

@fatfurious2 thank you! Super helpful, makes sense.

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I have a 2017 TRDOR. Until last week I’ve had a regular ARE topper + a constant load of about 100lbs in the back. That’s probably comparable or even more weight than a V2 GFC. Your stock suspension will be fine. I’ve had that setup for nearly three years and see no substantial settling.

I sold my topper last week in preparation to pickup my V2 here at the end of February. The rear end sits only marginally higher than it did with all the weight on the back.

If you want some performance upgrades, then sure, get some AALs or new suspension setup. If you’re just going to be riding down a few dirt roads to camp in the GFC, I think the stock suspension will be fine for a while. Don’t expect an instant squat when the camper is installed.

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I have a 2017OR With stock leafs. I got my V1 in November of 2020. just this week I’ve started noticing a little sag in my rear. Don’t do add a leaf because all that is doing is putting a Band-Aid on it.

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I’m picking up my V2 next week for my DCSB, running stock suspension and 265/70/17. I’ll report back with pictures of a before and after view, but like others are saying here it might take some time to settle out. Either way I do plan on upgrading because long term I know I’ll be exploring deeper wilderness than the stock suspension will really enjoy.

@TimboSlice
Awesome can’t wait to see the pictures and here your thoughts. Thanks for getting back to me everyone! Hopefully might pull the trigger on a dclb in the next month or so

Ok lots of don’t does Does anyone have a recommendation on adding hevy duty rear springs