TSB + 5100s + Eibachs

Went in for the rear TSB yesterday and had 'em do the 5100s (set at 0), Eibachs, and 1/4" driver side spacer, as well. Doesn't look a lot different, but man what a difference it makes in the ride. No more hoopty bounce over every dip. No more bottoming out on every dip. No more jostling around on bumps and railroad crossings. I was going though all of that every day to and from work, and I was definitely paying attention today.

People will ask how much firmer the ride is... Well, everyone's butt is different, so I think it's a subjective question. I personally never liked cushy rides. When I was a kid driving my dad's Oldsmobile, I felt like I was driving a beached whale. The ride is firmer, but it's not harsh. My last truck was an '01 Taco, and I changed over to full Old Man Emu within two weeks. I prefer the firmer ride. My previous Jeep... same thing, had the heavy-rated OME suspension on within a few weeks. My 1/2-ton Dodge prior to that... 1-ton coils and add-a-leafs. So yeah, I like a firmer ride. I think it makes me feel more in control of what I'm driving. Like a sports car, I guess.

I think I got what I wanted, here. I wasn't going for lift. I wanted a beefier suspension that rode better (to me) and could handle some weight . My 3-leaf springs were bottoming out on dips with only a tool chest with about 250lbs in it in the back. So I played the game... went to the dealer, explained the problem, and they took a look at it. They "let me know" there were upgraded springs they'd install for me, so I said "hey, that's great! By the way, I've got these other springs & shocks..." They wanted to charge me for the alignment, however, so I had to pull out the TSB on my iPhone and show them where it said it was to be done even when just replacing the rear springs. So everything came out good in the end.

So now that you've skipped over all of that, here's da pics.

Before:


After:



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After:


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After:


Profile (no before on this one):



Again, not much difference visibly, but man it sure feels better. Keep the following in mind: I have just over 3300 miles on the truck. All of the before pics above are without my tool chest. The tail end had already begun sagging by the time I put the chest in. Here's a pic from just a couple of days before getting the chest:



That's with no weight in the back other than a few odds and ends in the bed side cubbies. It only got worse from there. The final straw for me was two or three weeks ago when I loaded up two containers of kitty litter and a few groceries in the back, sat in the driver seat, and could tell that the truck was noticeably moreso ass-low than usual. That's just freakin' unacceptable, IMO.

I'll let the springs settle for a few weeks before deciding on an add-a-leaf.

 

nice.. and good job on providing plenty of shots

 

This is the route I am going soon, thanks for the detailed post!

 

Alright, so this is kinda like a quiz for me since I'm very interested in what you did and loving how it looks. SO, the Eibachs give a 3" lift, which means you have your 5100s set at 0", right? The TSB added, I think 2", so you have a slight rake? 1/4"? What does the driver's spacer do? Keep it from leaning to the driver's side?

 

What did you set the 5100s at?

 

Eibachs for 2nd Gen Tacos advertise 1.6" of lift. (How they came up with 1.6 rather than 1.5 or 1.7, I don't know, but 1.6 is kind of an odd figure, if you ask me. But I digress...) I don't know what I got out of either the Eibachs or the TSB. I didn't do any measuring. Sorry, I'm bad about that.

I have the 5100s set at 0. (Forgot to mention it - I'll add it.)

Correct on the spacer - it makes up for the weight of the gas tank, battery, and my fat ass on the driver side.

 

Looks great man! Very subtle!

 

See above.

 

looks good!

Def raised it up just a bit but more important, its leveled out now and easily raised in the future if you wanted.

amazing what a bit of lift and some tires can do for the looks

BTW where'd ya get the "4wd" emblem that replaced the "v6 sr5"

 

Thanks. I'm sure it'll settle quite a bit. I'm not too concerned as long as it keeps performing. I expect the Toyota leaf packs to settle quicker than the Eibachs. I'm not a stickler for the whole "level" thing. To me, a truck should have a rake so when you put stuff in it, you're not draggin' yer ass, so I may end up with add-a-leafs(leaves?) later on down the road.

Got the emblem off of Ebay. It's a Toyota emblem, I think off of a Rav4, Tundra, Sequoia, or something... not sure which.

 

Now paint those rims!!

well, only if you want to - hahaha

heres how i did mine:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/51358-painting-stock-rims-easy.html

 

D'OH!! Well, 2 out 3 ain't so bad. heheh Thanks for the info!

 

Looks good brother!

I got to stop spending so much money on turkey hunting and get my truck set up like yours. I do have an appointment at the dealer in a couple weeks so I plan to hit them up for the rear TSB.

 

Nice looking truck man, i just got this setup installed on mine too, need to get the alignment today. And just to add back up to the questions asked above. For this setup.
Eibachs = 1.6 of lift, they do the lifting not the billys
Billys = set at zero, to get the lift that TXBulldawg got
Rake = alittle front rake, if any. Also dependes on what you have in the front or rear of your truck as far as tool box, brush guard, etc...
Note - that is with the TSB completed if you don't you may end up alittle nose high, not what you want. And it is not recommended to set the billys at anything other than zero, although some people set them at .85 this will make the ride alittle bit harsher.

 

Looks great!

 

What size tires are you running? 265/75 ?

 

Yep.

 

Did you ever have any rubbing with the 265/75 BFG A/Ts? I notice you removed front and rear mud flaps...