Trail Hunter Tacoma arriving with Old Man Emu 2.5 Aluminum Shocks

Update - 05/23/23

We were wrong in our prediction! The Trailhunter isn't getting the BP-51 internal bypass as predicted, but rather a 2.5" Monotube shock in the front, and a 2.5" shock with remote reservoirs in the rear. They're described as position sensitive damping, which basically means they're tuned to provide different damping forces based on where the piston is in the stroke of the shock, and how fast the shock is moving through the body of the shock.

A big benefit of the announced Old Man Emu 2.5" monotube shock over their aftermarket BP-51 shocks is the damping surface area the new larger piston will provide. The Trailhunter shock piston will be approximately 60mm, compared to the 51mm piston in the BP-51 shocks.

While the Trailhunter shocks wont have the same bells and whistles of the BP-51 internal bypass shocks with compression and rebound adjustability, the new 2.5" monotube shocks will be very consistent, handle loads fantastic, and still allow for a level of high-speed off-road use. The 6061 forged aluminum body will help dissipate heat faster and withstand extreme conditions.

2024 Tacoma Suspension By Trim

Tacoma TRD Sport has red TRD sport-tuned shocks for a more responsive feel, without specifications to the design - these sound like Tokico twin tube shocks that showed up on previous Tacoma models, if they were Bilstein like existing TRD models, Toyota would say so.

Tacoma TRD Off-Road come equipped with Bilstein ESCV remote reservoir monotube shocks, similar to the ones that come present on the new Ford Broncos. These have a rebound and compression stop within the shock to handle hard hits, and from our experience - you can keep  up with the best of them in these shocks off-road.

Tacoma TRD Pro comes with the Fox 2.5 Internal Bypass QS3 shocks, which feature 3 levels of compression damping adjustment; soft, medium, firm. You can think of these 3 levels as comfort, standard, and maximum performance.

Tacoma Trailhunter comes with Old Man Emu 2.5" monotube shocks, with the rears featuring remote reservoirs. These are forged shock bodies, with a 60mm piston to provide consistency and a large damping surface area to handle tough terrain, while under significant weight loads. Very similar to the Bilstein 6100 and 6112 shock systems.

Tacoma Limited comes with Toyota's Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system with built in actuators in the front and rear shocks to continuously change damping forces based on terrain conditions.

April 2023

With the recent hype about the new Tacoma model slated for 2024, along with the special trim called the Trail Hunter, there’s one thing we don't need to guess about - the suspension.

Toyota’s aim at creating the ultimate off-road and overlanding utility vehicle will require a few key components that we expect to see on the Trail Hunter model; rescue / anchor points, a winch, front and rear differential lockers, and specialized shocks and suspension.

The reason we don't need to guess about the suspension is because we’ve already seen it on the Trail Hunter Tundra they showcased at SEMA 2022. It was clear as day; that vehicle had the Old Man Emu shocks, which feature 2 way adjustment - compression and rebound. There was no hiding them on the rotating Tundra display.

Now that Toyota has come outright and stated they’re working with ARB on the Trail Hunter model, it’d be a SHOCK to not see the BP-51 shocks on the Tacoma.

With that said, we’ve ridden on the Old Man Emu BP-51 shocks, on our 2006 Tacoma, and believe them to be one of the best trail and overlanding-oriented shock systems on the market. Yes - even better than your typical Fox, King, and Icon race-shock options that everyone is more familiar with.

Why Old Man Emu BP-51?

Why are BP-51s better than other popular shocks for trail use and overlanding? A host of reasons:

• Internal bypass creates a more plush and comfortable ride zone, especially compared to a digressive option like Icon. This means the trail chatter, small rocks and bumps, are subdued and reduced.
• Compression adjustment to refine the ride control on and off the pavement. Adjusting the compression (higher setting) allows for an increase in performance off-road where handling is a higher priority compared to comfort (soft setting) - See our TroubleShooting Guide here
• Rebound adjustment - none of the above race-shocks have rebound adjustment on their OE coilovers and shocks. Rebound is the unsung hero of ride comfort as it can help reduce harshness in choppy environments, and affects how loose or tightly the vehicle responds after encountering obstacles.
• Longer life between service intervals, unlike the 30k-50k mile requirement from the race-shock manufacturers. ARB has a 3-year warranty, and people are getting upwards of 100k miles without need for servicing.

The shock body itself is 2.9 inches, with a 51mm (2 inch) piston. While this is smaller than the 60mm piston found in the race-shocks, but that doesn’t mean you can't rip around on these shocks, and you certainly won't experience any shock fade.

And while the Tacoma Trail Hunter is still a ways out, and will be supremely hard to acquire due to supply and demand, you can achieve the same results right now on your own Tacoma, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Fj Cruiser, Toyota Tundra, Jeep Wrangler, and more.