I’ve recently purchased a GFC camper for my 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD off-road, double cab, long bed model. I live in NJ, but next month my wife and I are planning to drive to Belgrade, MO for install. After, install we’re planning to spend a month and a half camping throughout MO and CA.
The high-level plan for the rig is to be able to work remotely while off-grid, exploring the more remote surf breaks in the Americas.
Given that we’ll be living out of the truck of most of the trip while also working remotely, we have a lot of weight in the truck - IceCo fridge, two rigid solar panels, Goal Zero 1500x power station, awning, etc… I estimate we’ll have roughly 1300lbs all-in weight after GFC install. This includes a full tank of gas, driver weight, and passenger weight. I plan to use the rig as my daily driver and estimate daily, unloaded weight of around 800 lbs.
Everything on my truck is stock at the moment including the Bilstein 4600s. Given my load and plans for the truck, can someone please recommend a suspension system? Based on my research on suspension in this forum, I suspect I’ll need to upgrade.
That is a lot of weight for a Taco. There will be lots of recommendations here. I will offer that I have a 2nd gen Taco (2006) w/ Old Man Emu heavy duty rear leaf packs, Total Chaos UCAs in front, & Fox shocks front & rear. This setup has been excellent.
Accutune Offroad is an awesome vendor that will work with you to design a system for your needs. You may not have enough time between now & your trip but it might be worth a call to them to talk it through. The rear Fox shocks I got from them transformed the performance on that end of my truck.
I am in a similiar boat. I have 400lbs in the bed during the week and 600+ while camping. I’ve been researching for a few weeks and settled on the Dobinsons 2" lift kit with the L59-111-R leaf springs.
Air bags is the cheaper option that will also suit your needs. Another option is Add-a-leafs which people say is just a bandaid fix.
Like you, I’m interested in a more long-term solution. I’ve read the same about the add-a-leafs and so I’ve sort of written them off. I’d rather spend a bit more on my system upfront to avoid the problems presented by AALs down the road.
Ive got about the same build you plan on, i dont think my total weight is as much, but here you go- king 2.5s with resis an adjusters, icon rxt leafs in option 3, camburgh uniball UCAs, wheelers bump stops in all 4 corners, and archive garage hammer hangars. Rides better than stock even with a load in all conditions.
What a beautiful setup. Do you have the King 2.5s on both front and rear? I’m not really planning on sending - I’ll just be driving on highways, forest trails, and beaches so I’ll probably hold off on bump stops for now.
I’m stuck between the OME and the King 2.5s. I think I’d be happy with either but maybe I can save a few hundred with OME.
I’m an engineer in the aftermarket suspension industry. Your ideal setup is going to be pretty close to what @Medicfung has right there.
That’s a lot of weight you’re planning, so a full leaf replacement is the way to go. Don’t waste your time with add-a-leafs or blocks. Deaver Expedition or Icon RXT is what I’d recommend, but there’s other options out there, too. Then choose your preferred flavor of extended-length rear shocks to go with the springs. Hard to go wrong with the big names like King, Fox, OME, etc. Accutune can get you sorted with that. You’ll then want adjustable coilovers up front to dial in your rake and ride height, and usually to match the rears, but that’s not necessary. Depending on the coilover you choose, you’ll most likely need a new aftermarket upper control arm, but that’s not always necessary. If you do get an aftermarket UCA, I’d recommend something with a ball joint instead of a uniball, especially living in NJ with road salt and wet weather. Uniballs are race car parts and they require race car maintenance.
@RawwDawgg thank you! Yea, i am rocking 2.5s both front and rear. Figured I cry once and buy once and have zero regrets. I wouldn’t hold off on bump stops, they take up some of the mid travel harshness and it crosses into full compression, you dont bottom out at all, it’s very plush thru the whole travel. For the extra cost it was worth it.
@sethbakescake youre right about the UCAs, ive had to replace the uniballs once already in 60k miles and will likely need to do it again in the next 20k miles. They start to squeak and then it gets worse until you fix the problem. I love the articulation but its kinda pia to get it replaced as i dont have the skill nor tools to do it myself. The x joint or delta joints look interesting .
Dude, I really appreciate this. I was seriously considering a uniball UCA so your input probably saved me some headache (and cash).
I’m really not looking for optimal off-road performance since. I’m most interested in safely supporting the weight I’ll be lugging around and buying quality parts that’ll last a long time, so ball joint UCAs are probably right for me. I’m leaning toward an OME BP-51 2-3 inch lift kit with heavy load leaf springs. I’m definitely getting aftermarket UCAs and I may just keep it simple and go with OME for these too.
Do you think I’ll need a diff drop with this setup?
Nope you shouldn’t need a diff drop with that kit or any kit like it. The most important thing is to make sure you maintain at least ~3” of droop travel after install, that will keep your axles and your ride quality happy. The OME arms are a great option, the greaseable ball joints and the maintenance free pivot bushings should fit your use case perfectly.
It looks to me like the real problem is too much stuff. The aftermarket follows popular rigs such as the Tacoma like a wolf pack follows a buffalo herd. Judging by the name-brand familiarity in the responses to suspension upgrades the aftermarket has succeeded! The GFC weighs about 275 pounds, if left unmolested by build-outs. If you just go car-camping mode you won’t have weight problems and save big bucks in mods. Toyotas are world-class engineering, aftermarket mods can conflict with that; leave the truck alone, go on a real vacation without working remotely, dump the fridge, awning, power station, solar panels, etc. Shoot the Zen arrow.
@Tmbrbst I appreciate your point of view. Being new to all of this, your perspective is refreshing after spending so much time looking at offensively complex and unnecessarily expensive builds the last few weeks.
I do have to remind you though that I’m from NJ. There’s no overlanding scene here for a reason. The natural beauty of the American west isn’t easily accessible to many of us, nor are the world-class waves - both of which are probably best experienced slowly and thoroughly with a vehicle. California is far from me. Montana too.
I can experience the west (and north and south) in week-long increments of ‘paid time off’ over lifetime in an expensive rental van, after taking an expensive flight, and probably staying a few nights in an expensive airbnb. Or, I can spend some money upfront and explore more slowly at my leisure. My breakeven point may be a few years down the road, but it’s there somewhere. I’d rather stare at my excel spreadsheets against a scenic backdrop and with the possibility of great waves on the horizon than under sterile white lighting of an office building in downtown NYC, but to do that, I need resources like solar panels and StarLinks.
I’m still somewhat new to traveling like this, I’m definitely a newb when it comes to vehicle modification, and I’m a bit short on time so, at this stage, I’m perfectly fine equating brand familiarity with brand quality, especially when the brands are vetted by a community like this one. If the day comes when I have unlimited time to research my build and more experience to draw on, I’m sure I can find better parts for a better price.
I totally hear you on shooting the zen arrow. On this upcoming trip, I’m working remotely for two weeks and then spending the following three weeks completely disconnected from my corporate hellscape; just hiking, cooking, surfing, and slamming beers.
Thanks Seth and @Medicfung. Your input really helped to narrow the scope of my search. I ended up going with OME BP-51 shocks/coilovers, heavy duty Dakar leaf springs, OME ball joint UCAs, and bump stops all around. Getting them installed early next week so I’ll be ready to go for the trip! Thank you so much!
@KCKC I’d considered brake upgrades but the voices in my head told me I could hold off for a bit by driving carefully. Do you think brake upgrades are required in the short term? If yes, what specific upgrades should I consider?
You’ll be fine… even fully loaded just take your time obv… been up and down some pretty steep trails with gear in the back and never felt like I needed better brakes
