 When the shock is installed,...  When the shock is installed, the upper charge port must be positioned towards the outside of the vehicle. There are two spacers for mounting the eyelet on the lower A-arm, the short one of which must be positioned towards the front of the vehicle to maintain clearance for the 4WD components. |  Suspensions can bottom and...  Suspensions can bottom and top out on compression and extension. Because we knew the Two-Week Taco would see some airtime, we removed the coil spring and cycled the Donahoe unit. On full droop, the shock exceeded the range of travel for the stock A-arms, and at full compression (even with the factory bumpstops removed) the Donahoe unit matched perfectly. Another important feature is an internal limiting valve. At full droop, an internal system of valved washers will limit the shock 0.25 inch before it makes metal-to-metal contact. the next time we run into him there could be some big rat motor under the hood. |  We pushed our ride height...  We pushed our ride height to 2.5 inches of lift, and to avoid any driveline vibration, Randy Ellis suggested installing a 1-inch spacer kit for the front differential. We still had some vibration in four-wheel drive, but not until we hit 60 mph driving home in the snow. |
 With the new front coil springs...  With the new front coil springs installed, brake-line clearance is at a premium. With the wheel at full lock and the suspension slightly compressed, the brake line will hit the coil. This was anticipated, and Donahoe suggests gently bending the line away from the coil spring (toward the brake caliper) with a mallet. Randy Ellis strongly recommends regularly checking the line and nut for tightness or movement. |  About one of Donahue's Plush...  About one of Donahue's Plush Ride springs, one of the last few springs manufactured in the U.S., Kreg Donahoe said they are "not as cheap as the foreign springs, but after considerable testing we found that the tighter controls on tempering and finer grain of the American-made steel is superior to what is found overseas. This equates to a superior product and increased longevity." Eight leaves, four retainers, Teflon pads between leaves, and a full military wrap end-the Plush Ride covered all the bases. |  Donahoe's nitrogen-charged...  Donahoe's nitrogen-charged remote-reservoir rear shocks are almost exact replicas of the front coilovers, but with a 2-inch shock tube and a remote reservoir. Due to the range of axle travel and spatial limitations (length) when using the factory shock mounts, and to attain full droop and compression without bottoming out the shock, Donahoe maintains that a remote reservoir must be added to hold the guts of the shock. Because the right and left require different shock lengths, the Donahoe units are designed specifically for the Tacoma application. |
The sole purpose behind a nitrogen-charged shock is to avoid cavitation in the oil. Cavitation is the formation of vacuum air bubbles which reduce the viscosity and effectiveness of the oil as it passes through the shock's valving (G). The nitrogen (A) is separated from the oil (B) by the dividing piston (C), which moves up and down the shock tube (D) to maintain constant pressure as the shock shaft, piston, and valving (E) enter and leave the tube during compression and rebound. Two seals-a dust seal to keep dust out and an oil seal to keep the oil in, located in the seal head (F)-prevent leaks and contamination to the oil.