TuRD03 said:
What rear shocks do I need to buy to match a toytec 2.5-3" suspension lift (brand and lenght)? What would offer the best ride but support hauling 1200-1500 lbs in the rear on occasion. How much are these shocks gonna cost me?
Another quick question, even with the diff drop the CVs are going to wear faster than normal, correct? If so how long do typical stock CVs last non lifted vs lift? Any better life out of them if I do 2.5" vs 3" or is it negligable?
It won't be shocks you'll need for that much weight, its new aftermarket leafpks. shocks just dampen the bounce, they have nothing to do with ride hight unless you get into adjustable air shocks.
I've had NWOR hd leafpks for about 2 1/2 years now and they still give me 2.5-3" of lift and handle 2000# with no problems. The just don't flex well...duh

I started out with a heavy duty rear shock (KYB) but the ride was very stiff. I switched to the ligher valved 5150s and now my truck rides better than my wife's RAV4

I got the shocks from
www.camburg.com just mention ttora for a 10% disc.
http://www.bilstein.com/flash/shocked.htm
for the differences in 5100s and 5150s but basically the '50s just have an external rez. and come come in a lighter valving.
The real problem with going to the '50s is the lack of lengths available in the lighter valving. Taco rear shocks come in 2 different lengths with the pass side being 1" longer than the dr. side. Most of the 5150s come in 2" incriments which sucks.
I had to add 1.5" shackles in order to be able to run the 10" and 11" shocks I have now. Until I add longer bump-stops I still run the risk of bottoming out the shocks and breaking the mounts. So far, so good though.
CV wear is caused by having the boot fins tightly pressed together. One wears a groove into its neighbor. If you have some daylight between fins you should not have a problem. if, on the other hand, the fins are jammed together you may get 2 mos out of them depending on how many miles you drive. this is usually only a problem with the inner boots.
As for how long yours will last...its a crap-shoot. Some guys have the high lifts and have never had a boot issue. some have minor lifts and have gone through boots like oil changes...go figure.