Vertex Coilovers, Add a leaf (Icon), etc - quote

Hey y’all, I stopped by a shop that specializes in Tundras to get a quote for what I need to do to fit 35/12.5. I talked to the owner who’s apparently “the guy” to go to in DFW. I’m going to break down each item on the quote. Here’s my main overall question if you don’t wanna read my breakdown: is this a fair value for what I’m getting, and will this setup work? Wheel spacers where also supposed to be added. I think he recommended Spidertrax. Any opinion on those or other brands? He also said I’d need to re-tune my trans*

1,2,3: I’m pretty sure all of these are necessary. I think he made a typo- there’s supposed to be a diff drop. I assume that’s what one of those sway bar drops are supposed to be. Are there any negatives to these?

4: I’m good with SPC uca’s, but is it okay to mix those with Vertex Coilovers?

5: 3.5 Vertex Coilovers RC: Are these CO’s good? He said they are really good for the price. He also said you can also rebuild them, but after a little research I found out that’s not true. Not sure if he’s trying to pull a fast one on me or what. Might just be an honest mistake. He also said the 3.5 height was just fine with a diff drop. That goes against what most people have told me. One of his mechanics at his own shop said I don’t wanna pass 2.5-3 without a cross member drop. Anyone have any experience at that height?

6: He quoted me Bilstein 5100 for the rear. Is it okay to mix the suspension brands? Would it be better quality and cost wise to go with normal RC shocks in the rear?

7: Icon Add a Leaf: I know this is the most functional rear lift method, but I’m not sure I wanna add 3 inches to the rear. It would kill my leveled look. Are there any other leafs that don’t add that much height? Or would I need to go with shackles or a block?

8: I know the BMC isn’t the biggest deal, but I would really like to avoid it. With that being said, I’m thinking about going smaller than 35/12.5. Is it mainly height or width that affects the tire rubbing? What’s the biggest I could go without the BMC if I spaced the front bumper?

9: I’m good with the bumper spacer- that’s reversible and simple.

10: I’d also like to avoid a trans and speedometer re-tune. So I want the tire to be small enough where I don’t need that, but the biggest tire as possible. If that makes sense…

If you somehow made it this far, thanks. Id appreciate any sort of feedback. -Tex

 

Holy crap that’s a lot to digest, lol. Anyways I will start by the coilovers, never heard of them. And you did your research so there’s that. Rear shocks, it’s not wise to mix and match shocks since front and rears are matched sets for the best ride. The SPC UCA are good, they also don’t have anything to do with what coilover you run as far as I know. 3” to the rear is a bit much. Usually people do 3/1 or 3/1.5 and most of the time it’s done with lift shackles. Doesn’t get easier than that. My personal opinion and taste was a 3/1.5 with 33” tires. No rub, no mods to the body or bumper. I have seen 35” on 3” lift be hit or miss or issue with rubbing but nothing major. My speedometer is actually now on the money with 33”. Checked with a gps. So if I was you I would do A LOT of research before you go around asking for prices. Get to know the products and prices, also the shops in your area, that’s a big one. Seen plenty of crap work that turn into a nightmare down the road.

 

It was a lot, lol. That shop is supposed to be really really good, so I’m pretty confident in their quality of work (from what I heard- no personal experience). The Vertex CO’s are Rough Country. They are the only RC product he truly recommends, so that makes me feel a little better. I might wanna look into a 34/11. A little bigger than 33, but not as big as 35. I’m sure I’ll post about it again… Thanks for the input man. I appreciate it.

 

Oh,ok. Most people stick to Bilstein, Toyotec, etc. Toyotec had a nice set. Bilstein last I heard where on back order for the 6112/5160 not sure on the 5100. As for 34” tires that’s a tough one I would thing.

 

I think he's given you a solid quote. It's reasonable and if he's offering a labor warranty in conjunction with whatever parts warranty you get with the various parts, I see no reason not to move forward.

 

The trans "retune" is weird though....not sure what he means by that. He might be thinking that your shift points will seem different due to the 35s. I hated the OEM shifting even with regular sized rubber and was happy to tune my ECU partly because it would change for the better

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rough-country-vertex-coilover-review.93151/
this guy use it seems ok, I think rear 5100 is just keeping cost down, add a leaf only have 1-1.5 lift in back

 

I know it’s a mix, but what would cause rubbing first- going taller on a tire, or going wider? Right now I have stock 285/55/20, and if I go up to a 285/65/20 then it’s taller but same width. I would have to do a small wheel spacer to give a little more room to the UCA and I assume it would also help clearance. I’m just not sure where I’d run into rubbing first…

 

Wider and with wrong offset rims it will rub on rear mud guards and front fender liner bumper area. That’s why BMC and bumper spacer is needed…it’s the tire outer edge rubbing those area

 

The plastics are whatever- it’s the BMC I wanna avoid. So if I have a 3-3.5 lift in the front, taller but same width tires, correct offset it should all be fine? The specific tire I’m looking at has an overall diameter of 34.57 inches and is 11.2 inches wide.
Edit: This is probably a question to put in the wheels and/or suspension thread… Thanks for the input y’all.

 

Why not share the name of guy and the shop?
This is a Tundra forum and this guy works on Tundras. You might get real feedback from people that have used this shop.

 

Fair point, I don’t know why I did that… The shops name is Ratchet Brothers. They also have a performance shop behind- but that’s irrelevant to me. The owners name is Sam. Like I said before, he’s supposed to be “the guy” to take your Tundra to.

 

What's your reason to avoid a BMC?

 

The first place it’s gonna rub is the body mount area. Lift only going to help while it’s on flat ground, but not in full motion of front suspension. I’m only on 275/70-18 but I got wrong offset rims…lol

 

It’s just the fact of having to cut and weld part of the frame. I know it’s such a minimal amount, but it’s just the concept of it. That’s the main reason. Most people say it’s 100% safe if it’s done correctly, but I’ve also heard some things about it affecting the truck during a collision.

 

My tires are factory size (for TSS package) and I don’t hear or see any rubbing. I’ll have to have someone turn the wheel so I can see how close it gets. So are you saying that the wheel will hit the BM before the front bumper?

 

The front you could take out the factory flaps and push the liner further into the bumper for 33’s at lease

 

What years is your Tundra? The inside of my wheel well (specifically on the BM side) doesn’t quite look like that. Here are some pictures of my wheel at different angles. I managed to not take one at full lock… 285/55/20 (first 3 photos the wheel is straight). The mark on the BM is from my finger- not rubbing. To me it looks like I’ll hit the front bumper before the BM.

 

19 with mud flaps

 

And like what I’ve said, I got wrong offset rims, and I got the KO2 with more square edge

 

Do you know if there’s already a forum about what offset to run with different tire sizes? I’m sure I could just look it up, but sometimes other members already know of a good one.

 

Are you running stock rims? What size wheel spacers do you want to run?

 

Sam is as solid it gets man. Seriously. I’ve used him for years. He has always been thorough on all of my trucks. Found issues other “mechanics” couldn’t find. His pricing is on par with everyone else.

I had him quote me the exact setup. He is recommending the vertex because he wasn’t/isn’t happy with his Kings, and RC has a 3 year warranty on those coilovers. I ran them on my F150, had to have them replaced within a year. They did ride pretty good but a little harsh for me on washboard roads in Colorado, like rattled my teeth out bad. Now over most surfaces they did good, felt great on corners. But a little jarring on potholes and washboards. Like I said, that was on my 2019 F150.

I am personally going to be doing toytec boss rears, and 6112 fronts. Or toytec complete kit. SPC control arms too. With 285/75r17 toyo at3. Double check the lift in the rear with the 5100’s. Thought they’d only do 1.5 inches.

What I would recommend is figuring out what you want, then have him quote that for you. Ratchet Brothers is a solid shop, and trust me I’ve had shit mechanics. They are the main reason I am back in a Tundra, its what they do. I recommend them every chance I get.

 

I’m running stock TSS rims for the 2017 year. I think I’d need a 1 inch spacer to give the UCA plenty of room if I went taller on the tire. That’s just from me looking- I could be wrong on that though.

 

What dampening setting were you on? I’m going to be doing little to no off-roading, but if it comes down to it, I wanna be able to take my shit where I need to take it. Obviously I won’t be able to flex up a wall like some built Wranglers, but it needs to be able to do more than drive up a gravel road…

 

I played with them all. It didn’t make a huge difference on the washboards. But my understanding is that may have more to do with the valving more than anything IE progressive vs digressive. And for reference I took that same road the year before with 5100’s and it felt much better than the vertex. Now like I said. They also replaced those coilovers because they were squeaking like a crazy, so maybe I had a bad pair. But for the money I’m personally not gonna take a gamble on that being the case. And while the warranty is nice, it’s also a pain to have to pay the labor to have them reinstalled, aligned, and have your truck down during the process.

 

That’s true. I’ll have to bring that up to Sam. It’s like you said, a company can have the best warranty in the world, but you’d still have to pay for the install and everything else that comes with it. One thing that did make me skeptical is him saying I can do 3.5 lift without screwing up my CV angles (w diff drop) or LCA joints. A couple months before I was talking to another mechanic at his shop and he said I don’t wanna go past 2.5-3… I’m just gonna do some more research, find more people who have experience with that setup, and talk to Sam again. You might be hearing from me again. Thanks for your insight, man.