The stock bump stops on the 3rd Gen Tacoma are short and made out of a hard material. This results in a harsh and jarring feeling when your suspension bottoms out and hits them. This can also cause loss of control and on rare occasions, damage to your body, frame, or other suspension components. This is especially true for lifted applications.
Wheeler’s SuperBump front and rear bump stops help remedy this issue. They are made from a high-quality and durable micro-cellular polyurethane material. If you have a lift and larger tires, their extended length also helps protect your truck during articulation.
With their special material and extended length, they provide more control over terrain obstacles. In addition, a much softer and more progressive response to bottoming out your suspension. If you pair these with the U-bolt flip kit, you can also gain more ground clearance in the rear by minimizing the risk of hitting your U-bolts on obstacles.
These have been a game changer and shown a significant improvement in how my suspension performs. This post will be focused on my 3rd Gen, but the product fits the 2nd Gen as well, and the installation is the same. I’ve linked an install video at the end of the post as well.
Features & Specifications
- Exclusive micro-cellular polyurethane bump stop material
- Corrosion-resistant zinc-plated steel brackets
- All necessary hardware provided (includes custom length Allen wrench)
- Flip kit helps with ground clearance
- Optional spacers for suspension fine-tuning (sold separately)
Find It Online
- Bump Stops & U-Bolt Flip Kit: Check Price
- Bump Stops Kit (no flip kit): Check Price
Discount Code
- Use code – TRAILCO – for 10% off!
Table Of Contents
Front Installation
Although the process for installing both the front and rear set is straightforward, the front is definitely the easiest of the two. It even has the hardware and almost all of the tools you need included with the kit.
Tools Required
- Allen Key (Provided)
- Pipe Wrench
- Floor Jack & Jack Stands
Before you begin, you may want to jack up the front of the truck. The front jack point is located in the center right behind the front skid plate. This part is optional but may provide more room to work between the lower control arm and the frame.
Ensure that you properly use jack stands and wheel chocks to keep your truck elevated and secure for your own safety before crawling under the truck.
Step 1. Remove Factory Bump Stop
Locate the factory front bump stops that are above the lower control arm and screwed into the frame. Then, loosen them using your pipe wrench. The best way that I found to do this is by using the pipe wrench on the hexagon-shaped outer ring to give yourself enough grip.
Once loose, you should be able to unscrew them the rest of the way by hand.
Step 2. Mount SuperBump
Place the provided screw inside the SuperBump and hold it down by using the Allen key that was provided. Insert the bolt that protrudes from the back into the same spot the factory ones were located and tighten by turning the Allen key. You can use blue Loctite or a similar thread locker to make sure they do not loosen over time.
Now that you have one side done, repeat the exact same steps on the opposite side.
Rear Installation
Now that you have the front installed, let’s move on to the rear. The rear is pretty simple but is a bit more involved than the front. It also requires more tools so make sure you have everything you need before you start taking everything apart.
Tools Required
- Floor Jack & Jack Stands
- Torque Wrench
- Ratchet
- 14mm & 19mm Sockets
- Cutting Tool (grinder with metal cut-off wheel OR metal hacksaw)
- 7/32 Allen Key
Step 1. Jack Up Truck Rear End
Start by jacking up the rear of the truck by placing your floor jack under the center of the rear differential housing, sometimes referred to as the “pumpkin”.
Then, place your jack stands underneath each side of the axle next to your U-bolts. Make sure to leave enough room between these and the jack stand so you have plenty of room to install the new U-bolts. Chock your front wheels.
Step 2. Remove U-Bolts & Bump Stops
Remove the four nuts holding the U-bolts and their plate in place using a 19mm socket. Once you remove these, you should be able to pull down on the mouting plate to remove it and the U-bolts by pulling them up over the axle.
Step 3. Install Flip Plate & U-Bolts
Slide the new U-bolts onto the axle with the threaded ends sticking upwards. Place the flip plate on top of the leaf springs and ensure that the leaf spring center pin is in the middle hole on the plate. Next, place the new U-bolts into the four holes on the plate and snug them by using the four provided nuts and washers with a 19mm socket.
Do not tighten these down all the way as you will torque them to spec after everything is installed and the truck is back on the ground.
As you can see above, I started to cut the excess length on the bolts. Once you’re done installing the plate down, you can grab a grinder or hacksaw before you install the bumps to shorten them.
Step 4. Install SuperBumps
Next, grab the rear bump stops and the mounts that were provided. Place the provided Allen head screw down through the stop so the threads are sticking out from the bottom.
Then, place the SuperBump on top of the circular face of the plate and install the provided face nut on the bottom where the threads are showing. Tighten by holding the screw down with the 7/32 Allen key and tightening the face nut on the bottom with a 14mm socket.
Step 5. Mount Bump Stops To Flip Plate
Place the bump stop assembly on top of the flip plate and align the holes on both sides. Screw the two provided bolts, washers, and split washers into the threaded holes on the left and right sides of the flip plate. Finally, tighten them with a 14mm socket until completely tight to secure the mount to the flip plate.
Once this is done, repeat on the opposite side and put your tires back on. Lower the truck to the ground and torque your U-bolts to 90 ft-lbs. in a crisscross pattern on both sides. These will need to be re-torqued after you drive 50 miles and then again after 500 miles.
Final Thoughts
This kit has been a great addition to my Tacoma. I have had the fronts installed for a little over a year now and have been extremely satisfied with their performance and durability. They’ve been great dialing in my suspension response and also helped with my larger tire rubbing issues since they limit the up travel a bit compared to stock.
With the rears being the newest addition, I really wanted to put them to the test on trails and compare the differences. I immediately noticed a night and day difference. When hitting the stops, instead of the jarring feeling I was used to, I was met with a plush one. Sometimes, I couldn’t even feel when I hit them.
The Wheeler’s kit is an awesome and more affordable easy mod for any lifted Tacoma owner looking to make their ride more comfortable and controlled while on and off road.
