May 22, 2023 With the Tacoma living in Las Vegas now, it's harder to perform various maintenance tasks as they pop up and between trips. As such, with a few general maintenance issues - oil changes, tire rotations, etc. - and a few items in recent Rig Reviews needing attention,…
10 CommentsTag: suspension
Shocks, leaf springs, bump stops, and more.
TL;DR - I no longer recommend SPC upper control arms (UCAs) if they contain X-Axis bushings. In my last rig review, mentioned replacing my UCAs due to a worn out bushing. Since then, I've added a significant update to Replacing my SPC Upper Control Arms ...with SPC UCAs which I…
Leave a CommentSeptember 2, 2022. Overall, the Tacoma has been doing great since my last rig review back in March, so I haven't felt any need to write anything about it. Still, there have been a few things worth noting on the last several trips, so let's get down to it. 250…
1 CommentTL;DR - the last time I got an alignment, the tech mentioned that the rear passenger side bushing on the upper control arm (UCA) was starting to get a bit loose. After some consideration, I decided to install completely new UCAs, with lifetime joints so I never have to worry…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - My dirver side limit strap in the front broke. I replaced it. When I was up in Canada with Mike, I mentioned one day that it felt like I needed to (finally) adjust my limit straps because my side shock seemed to be bottoming out when I would…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - I've really liked all of the bump stops from Durobumps, so I've installed a second set on the front lower control arms! Recently, I replaced a lot of the bushings on the front of my truck - the lower control arms (LCAs), steering rack, and front diff. When…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - I'm convinced that switching to extra tight stainless steel spherical bearings is the way to go, and I have numbers to prove it. I've replaced my spherical bearings several times (I put a lot of miles on the truck) and there have been no shortage of posts covering…
Leave a CommentIf I've learned one thing over the last several years, it's that bumpy roads are a lot of fun. The problem - as anyone who knows them can attest - is that in time, all good things get destroyed by bumpy roads. It is a conundrum. The key of course,…
10 CommentsTL;DR - The top, military wrap half-leaf on the driver side broke in two places. I'm not sure what I'm going to do as far as replacement goes, but I have two options. A couple days into the Last Minute Rush trip, I discovered that a new clanking sound from…
Leave a CommentOctober 16, 2021. It's been nearly three years since I installed my ADS suspension on all four corners of the Tacoma. I did the rears first - twice, actually - relocating them for more travel. The fronts were installed not long after, and of course I've been battling the spherical…
2 CommentsI've discussed the trade-offs between disposable and rebuildable shocks in the past as I've replaced spherical bearings in my ADS coilovers, but I've never walked through the process of actually rebuilding the internals of a smooth body shock before. But, now that my shocks have absorbed some ~50K miles, it's…
2 CommentsI've discussed the trade-offs between disposable and rebuildable shocks in the past as I've replaced spherical bearings in my ADS coilovers, but I've never walked through the process of actually rebuilding the internals of a smooth body shock before. But, now that my shocks have absorbed some ~80K miles, it's…
Leave a CommentAugust 1, 2021. It's been a while since the last Rig Review. Since then, I've put five trips and 20K more miles on the Tacoma. It has - as always seems to be the case - been fantastic. Scouting Black Rock Desert (Apr 2021) Owyhee West (May 2021) Forty-One Miles…
3 CommentsTL;DR - Replacing my LCA bushings didn't resolve my squeaks. Time to start thinking about UCAs and rear leaf spring bushings. After replacing the LCA bushings, I thought a bunch of the squeaking that I have as the truck bounces over rough terrain might be fixed. It wasn't. There are…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - The stainless steel bushings seem to be doing a bit better, but I'm not ready to say that they are the right way to go. Yet. So far, I have just over 16K miles on the FKSSX10T-F1 spherical bearings. The passenger side is still "OK," driver side is…
Leave a CommentSqueaky bushings annoy a lot of people. I am not one of those people. And so, as my bushings have squeaked over the years, I've just let them do their thing - usually until I next wash the truck at which point the squeaking stops. And so, my bushings have…
8 CommentsOver time, rubber bushings wear out and need to be replaced. This happened for me recently when I Replaced All the Bushings on my Tacoma, and I figured that others could benefit from a quick little guide that shows the entire process and lists all the necessary parts. Before getting started,…
42 CommentsMarch 8, 2021. Over the course of the winter, the truck has performed well. Four (!) trips down to the desert to stay warm have put a bunch of miles on the odometer and resulted in only a few little tweaks to the set up. But any tweak is worth…
11 CommentsI've replaced the spherical bearings on my ADS coilovers several times now. I only really mentioned it the first and second times, but its become regular maintenance every 10,000 miles or so - generally about 3-4 trips and ~2 oil changes. I chalked it up to normal maintenance required on…
4 Comments