GEN 1 First suspension mods

[GHOLDS7]

Sup guys. My father recently handed me down his Gen 1 Raptor. It's got ADD bumpers front and rear, some lights, method wheels, and corsa extreme exhaust. We offroad it a few times a year down at the beach, trails, hills, and Texas Raptor Runs when we get the chance. This is my dream truck. I'm looking to do some more upgrades on this truck and really get the most out of it. I'm still young so obviously throwing some king 3.0s and a long travel kit isn't really feasible right now but I'm curious of what a lot of the experienced Raptor owners do for their more mild builds.
I'm thinking: Bump stops (prob svc kit), UCA's (stock ones look like a little dainty), progressive springs up front, and I'd love to do some deaver leaf springs too. Is there any particular order you guys would go with this or anything i'm missing? Anything unnecessary? I'm not looking to do anything too extreme but i would love to make it less chattery offroad (don't care if it affects on road driving), beef up the components a little here and there so i can be more confident in taking it to TRR. Just all around make it more offroad worthy. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[II Sevv]

Look for used parts and you’ll be able to do things a lot more efficiently. I bought my king coilovers and icon leaf springs new, but paid $150 for my camburg UCA’s, $650 for my SVC bed cage, and $800 for my rear icon 3.0 bypasses. A guy local to me had some RPG full tie rods up for $300 and an SDHQ bump stop kit for $450. I honestly don’t see the point of buying bump stops before shocks because bump stops are only intended to be used within the last of your travel, whereas 3.0’s will make a difference across your entire range of travel, and to me it makes sense to buy things that make the largest difference first, and just adjust your driving to prevent massive bottom out conditions. The stock 2.5’s are so horrible that you’ll constantly be on the bump stops.

I personally would never bother buying new parts. I’ve even bought used tires and discount tire sold me warranties for them...

 

[CoronaRaptor]

If possible I would get the shocks rebuilt and set the fronts at midperch, install a set of deavers for the back, the size of the deavers depends on if you intend to tow anything or load concrete in the box occasionally. This will give you a better feel offroad and better traction as well without wheel hop. Congrats on the hand me down!

 

[B E N]

Driving time. Spend the money on fuel, tires and maintenance. Nothing will improve the capability of the truck more. If you can swing it go to driving school, doesn't matter if it is rally, drifting, road race or off road; learning vehicle mechanics will pay massive dividends.

And the skill transfers to every vehicle you ever get behind the wheel of, in every condition.

 

[GHOLDS7]

If possible I would get the shocks rebuilt and set the fronts at midperch, install a set of deavers for the back, the size of the deavers depends on if you intend to tow anything or load concrete in the box occasionally. This will give you a better feel offroad and better traction as well without wheel hop. Congrats on the hand me down!

I've thought about that, cuz now I'm at 114k miles and they've never been rebuilt. I'm uninstalling the leveling kit my dad put on it years ago and going to mid perch soon. And the wheel hop on this truck is insane I'll definitely prioritize throwing some deavers on it. Thanks bro!

 

[GHOLDS7]

Look for used parts and you’ll be able to do things a lot more efficiently. I bought my king coilovers and icon leaf springs new, but paid $150 for my camburg UCA’s, $650 for my SVC bed cage, and $800 for my rear icon 3.0 bypasses. A guy local to me had some RPG full tie rods up for $300 and an SDHQ bump stop kit for $450. I honestly don’t see the point of buying bump stops before shocks because bump stops are only intended to be used within the last of your travel, whereas 3.0’s will make a difference across your entire range of travel, and to me it makes sense to buy things that make the largest difference first, and just adjust your driving to prevent massive bottom out conditions. The stock 2.5’s are so horrible that you’ll constantly be on the bump stops.

I personally would never bother buying new parts. I’ve even bought used tires and discount tire sold me warranties for them...

Wow i didn't realize used parts were going for so low. I'll def check out fb and whatever else i can find. I was considering doing bump stops because I was planning on leaving the stock shocks on it for the time being, and wanted to minimize chances of bottoming out. Especially paired with softer leaf springs. But i'll see what i can find used. Any other places besides fb you look for used parts?

 

[II Sevv]

Wow i didn't realize used parts were going for so low. I'll def check out fb and whatever else i can find. I was considering doing bump stops because I was planning on leaving the stock shocks on it for the time being, and wanted to minimize chances of bottoming out. Especially paired with softer leaf springs. But i'll see what i can find used. Any other places besides fb you look for used parts?

With upgraded leaf springs you’re right they’ll bottom out more, but they do such a ****** job of absorbing bumps that you won’t even want to do anything that will result in them bottoming out. Look on OfferUp and Craigslist. I’ve bought a lot of parts out of state and had them shipped.

 

[Christyle]

I bought deavers because I planned to tow a bit here and there, but I'm not sure they're necessary right off the bat. UCAs aren't super necessary to me, how often do you see a broken UCA with a properly set up suspension? If you find a deal, sure, but I really think they're more for bling, and money can be better spent elsewhere. The rear airbump kit I got mostly for frame support, secondarily for the airbumps. If you do get it, go with the 2.0 airbumps. My 2.5 airbumps have hardly any pressure in them and are still harsh, they're just oversized. The front shocks are much more in need of replacement than the rears, the fronts just have no oil volume and heat up really quick, the rears are a little better. I'm not dying to put new rear shocks on mine, my factory ones are working decently. The Fox 3.0s with DSC I installed on the front are amazing off road. I went from a decently well built tacoma to this and have had plenty of other off road trucks in my past, and the front end is amazingly smooth and never harsh on bottoming compared to past vehicles. Pricey, but worth the money to me.

Mostly though, just drive it, and get used to it. Gas, Tires and trips. A good race radio is nice for going on trips too, or even just a handheld. Makes trail and highway drive banter a lot more fun if you and your friends have them, as well as being a great safety tool.

 

[GHOLDS7]

I bought deavers because I planned to tow a bit here and there, but I'm not sure they're necessary right off the bat. UCAs aren't super necessary to me, how often do you see a broken UCA with a properly set up suspension? If you find a deal, sure, but I really think they're more for bling, and money can be better spent elsewhere. The rear airbump kit I got mostly for frame support, secondarily for the airbumps. If you do get it, go with the 2.0 airbumps. My 2.5 airbumps have hardly any pressure in them and are still harsh, they're just oversized. The front shocks are much more in need of replacement than the rears, the fronts just have no oil volume and heat up really quick, the rears are a little better. I'm not dying to put new rear shocks on mine, my factory ones are working decently. The Fox 3.0s with DSC I installed on the front are amazing off road. I went from a decently well built tacoma to this and have had plenty of other off road trucks in my past, and the front end is amazingly smooth and never harsh on bottoming compared to past vehicles. Pricey, but worth the money to me.

Mostly though, just drive it, and get used to it. Gas, Tires and trips. A good race radio is nice for going on trips too, or even just a handheld. Makes trail and highway drive banter a lot more fun if you and your friends have them, as well as being a great safety tool.

interesting. I forgot about a radio but that would be super useful for TRR. Especially if i do the baja one a few years from now

 

[Christyle]

interesting. I forgot about a radio but that would be super useful for TRR. Especially if i do the baja one a few years from now

The PCI chase kit is a great setup, and fairly simple install, for the average user. Or, grab a $40 baofeng handheld on amazon to keep it simple, and keep as a spare for the future.