Suspension options headache

[UnpavedPreferred]

Trying to get some feedback/thoughts/opinions/observations from the hivemind.

Many have gone down the trail of lifts and such. I'm a fan of buy once, cry once.
I would ideally get 2 inches of lift in the front and the rear.
I don't mind the stock rake so up in the front and rear at the same is what I'm aiming for.
I'm not in baja, nor doing big air. I don't see the need for long travel.
Having my tires on the ground, traction and comfort is the keys in the use cases.


Here are my use cases:
Able to drive from Minnesota to Arizona on highway/2 lane blacktop.

Washboard road driving without feeling like the truck will rattle apart. (this was our experience at Sheep Mountain Table and other gravel roads in Wyoming/Montana/South Dakota and Minnesota).

Drive from Minnesota to Utah then run something like fins and things.

What I'm kicking around:
What I'm fairly certain on:
UCA: Ball Joint Upper Control Arms | DK-811901
Rear: Deaver/Dobinsons leaf pack.
If I'm running around town, I'd be running the armor and tonneau cover.
If I'm long hauling to a location, I might be carring bikes and gear.

Now for the undecided:
Shocks/Coils:
Front: I'm thinking based on my use cases, on the side of the road adjustability is going to be ideal.
650 lb coils.
King OEM Performance Series 2.5" Coilover w/ Reservoir and Optional Compression Adjusters - 05+ Tacoma
Rear: Same with the front, adjustability.
King OEM Performance Series Rear Shock Kit with Optional Compression Adjusters (PAIR) - 05+ Tacoma 25001-121/25001-121A

Tires:
Looking to run about a 32" tire, nothing bigger as I don't want to go down the road of cutting too much as of right now.

Weight over stock:
Front bumper and winch estimating ~150 lbs (to be ordered).
Rock sliders: ~ 200 lbs.
Diamondback cover ~ 100 lbs.
Skids:
Gas tank skid ~ 25 lbs.

Gear:
Usually around 200, depending on camping, backpacking, cycling, etc.

 

[3cent.Taco]

What does your on-road/off-road driving look like? Are you like 50/50 or 60/40?

I don't think you can go wrong with your suspension selection with the Kings. The only thing I would recommend would be (maybe) sticking with 600 lb springs for a softer ride on road, if you're looking for that. I think you can still achieve 2" lift with 600 lb springs. Accutune is a pretty good resource and if you're going all out with the Kings, it doesn't hurt to purchase through them and have it tuned for your use. They can also help you in the right direction for spring selection.

For weight estimations, I'd flip your front bumper/winch weights with the rock sliders. For example, CBI's rock sliders are 150 lbs for the pair.

 

[UnpavedPreferred]

What does your on-road/off-road driving look like? Are you like 50/50 or 60/40?

I don't think you can go wrong with your suspension selection with the Kings. The only thing I would recommend would be (maybe) sticking with 600 lb springs for a softer ride on road, if you're looking for that. I think you can still achieve 2" lift with 600 lb springs. Accutune is a pretty good resource and if you're going all out with the Kings, it doesn't hurt to purchase through them and have it tuned for your use. They can also help you in the right direction for spring selection.

For weight estimations, I'd flip your front bumper/winch weights with the rock sliders. For example, CBI's rock sliders are 150 lbs for the pair.

Probably around 60/40, I work from home so mainly this truck is something I use to explore and usually need to take tarmac to get away from the Twin Cities.
I know the blitz sliders are around 200 lbs that I have on and the streamline bumper plus winch estimates put me about 150 lbs up at the nose. I don't plan on running a full width bumper since I believe it would be overkill.

Thanks for the input/feedback. I've been over all kinds of pages/videos as of late and came across Accutune.

 

[UnpavedPreferred]

I should note I'm not married to Kings either. Fox seems to be very difficult to come by as of late. Mainly thinking about being able to adjust the shocks from tarmac to dirt/gravel/larger rocks what have you.

 

[3cent.Taco]

Probably around 60/40, I work from home so mainly this truck is something I use to explore and usually need to take tarmac to get away from the Twin Cities.
I know the blitz sliders are around 200 lbs that I have on and the streamline bumper plus winch estimates put me about 150 lbs up at the nose. I don't plan on running a full width bumper since I believe it would be overkill.

Thanks for the input/feedback. I've been over all kinds of pages/videos as of late and came across Accutune.

I should note I'm not married to Kings either. Fox seems to be very difficult to come by as of late. Mainly thinking about being able to adjust the shocks from tarmac to dirt/gravel/larger rocks what have you.

Gotcha. I went with Fox 2.5 through Accutune all around, with the adjustable feature. Like you, I wanted something I could adjust for on/off road. I'm on pavement closer to 90% of the time because the truck is my daily and there's not much off-roading around where I live. Overkill suspension on my end, probably. But again, like you, buy once, cry once. Since I don't off-road much, and mostly traveling solo rig, I wanted to ensure that I could overcome anything I came up to on my own.

With a streamline bumper, I'm almost certain a 600 lb spring, probably longer length, will give your 2" lift you're looking for, while maintaining a softer ride. Others that have gone through both spring rates may attest to this as I don't have first hand experience/expertise. I'm just speaking based on my research and what I have on my truck.

Going with any high end tier shock from any company will do you very well - Fox, Kings, Icon, Elka, OME, Dobinson. They all have adjustable versions of their shocks. At the end of the day, it may come down to color scheme. At least for me, it was between Fox and Kings.

 

[NLV Taco]

I have Icon RTX leaf springs on mine. I like the fact I can go from a light duty to medium duty to heavy duty when I make additional mods to the truck. As for shocks I run the bilstein 6112/5160 not adjustable but I’d probably just set’em and forget’em anyway. I’m super happy with them right now but I don’t have much extra weight on my truck right now. So I’m not sure if that will change. I have good on road and off road manners with this setup. $2000ish setup so not bad on the bank account.

 

[New Holland Overland]

Personally with your added front weight I would go to a 650lb 14" spring instead of the stock 600lb 13". This will help reduce the amount of preload on your shock while giving you the lift and supporting the added front weight. If you stick with the stock 600lb spring rate, id be nervous your gonna have to really crank your preload, and you'll cycle through your shocks a lot faster than you should during the washboard/rough stuff. If you really want an expert opinion, then call Acutune or Downsouthmotorsports. They will tell you what spring you should need for your trucks weight and setup.

If your planning on adding things like a compressor, 2nd battery, sliders, skids, etc, hauling some big gear. Then you may want to consider a 700lb spring.

 

[Aven2rus]

Personally with your added front weight I would go to a 650lb 14" spring instead of the stock 600lb 13". This will help reduce the amount of preload on your shock while giving you the lift and supporting the added front weight. If you stick with the stock 600lb spring rate, id be nervous your gonna have to really crank your preload, and you'll cycle through your shocks a lot faster than you should during the washboard/rough stuff. If you really want an expert opinion, then call Acutune or Downsouthmotorsports. They will tell you what spring you should need for your trucks weight and setup.

If your planning on adding things like a compressor, 2nd battery, sliders, skids, etc, hauling some big gear. Then you may want to consider a 700lb spring.

I would follow this advice. I run the Skyjacker Coilover lift that uses Fox body with Skyjacker Coil Spring that are 675lb with a free length of 14.75". These achieved 3" of lift without excessive preload on the spring so ride quality is maintained with the Bumper and Warn 10.5 Winch on the front.