Dakar leafs with one removed review?

I want to hear from you guys with dakars minus one leaf, how much lift did you get? How does it handle a load and towing? How does it ride on the road and wheeling?

 

Some results in here as far as height

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/173193-2nd-gen-ome-dakar-hub-fender-measurements.html

 

Thank you, I have read that thread, missed the part with removed leafs though. Have you heard what the ride and payload is like?

 

I just installed my Dakars with the 3rd leaf removed(not the overloads) and it rides so much better than stock on road. I have not tried it off road yet, and payload should be a lot better than the factory leafs. I got about 2 inch lift in the rear.

John

 

I have the Dakar but did not remove the 3rd leaf. It rides good on road and great off road.

 

I read two differnet responces on TW about the Dakars for 2nd Gens.

1) Some people like them and and say they ride just fine(without the 3rd leaf removed)

2) Others are saying that they wouldn't recommend them unless you plan on having a lot of weight in the bed and or an aftermarket rear bumper.

I've become confused and am not too sure if getting the OME is the way to go or not. I recently got a set of Icons and need to get some leafs soon so i can put it all on already. Deciding on a Full Leaf Pack vs. and AAL was the first part. Second part was to choose which AAL or Full Leaf Pack to go with. It has me going in circles.... Any factual input will be most appreciated.

TacoBrah....I hope you don't mind this post, I wasn't trying to thread jack you...

 

Anyone that says the Dakars don't run stiffer than stock is full of shit , they are definitely stiffer especially unloaded

If you don't carry constant weight , tow or haul , a less stiff pack is probably the way to go

Having said that , if you do carry constant weight or haul , the Dakars are awesome

 

Personally, I'm starting to think about adding the add-a-leaf.

I wouldn't remove a leaf unless your bed is empty all the time.

I should add that I carry three cans of gas, some heavy tools, recovery gear, high lift jack, a winch, and the relentless rear high clearance bumper back there pretty much all the time. I have no idea how much that all adds up to - but it's quite a bit. Sometimes I empty out the bed if I need room to carry some bulky stuff.

 

Me too , I already bought them

 

I have the third leaf removed. It rides great, a little stiffer than stock but handles weight much better, they also soak up bumps pretty well. I carry about 200lbs in my toolbox in my access cab and the rear end sits about 1/2" higher than the front with 885s. I will be putting the leaf back in soon when i mount my rear bumper with a swingout and full size spare (roughly 150lb increase)

 

I have the extended length Icon shocks with the Dakars with 3rd leaf removed. I have been driving on them for about 3 months of winter. I dont have a cap and have not hauled anything yet, The rear is very stiff. I still got almost 3 inches of lift from my old sagging leaf springs.

In the parking lot of my work we have 3 speed bumbs I hit everyday, the front absobs them, the rear does not have enough weight to compress the leafs so it feels and sounds alomst like the leafs are not there.

On the road everybump resonates through the rear because of the lack of weight to compress the leafs to get that rebound effect. I feel like it might be getting softer, and i dont mind the stiffness knowing that i will be able to haul a heavy load when i need it.

It actually is smoother if I have 4 people in the truck or a couple hundred lbs in the bed. I am running General Tire HTS, a highway tire untill i get new rims in the spring, so those are very soft tires.

I almost wish I got a custom set that was slightly more forgiving. Overtime I think they will loosen up. Hope that helps.

 

Kind of like my experience. Dakars with one overload removed and extended Icons. About 2" lift over stock flat leafs after install. Definitely stiff when it's just me or me+1. It's not unbearable though unless you're driving over absolutely awful roads. I'll take the stiffer ride and improved payload over the crappy soft stock leafs. I also plan on adding some armor down the road so it should be better then. Looking back, I might have been better off removing the 3rd instead of the overload to reduce the spring rate instead of just reducing lift, but it doesn't bother me enough to care.

 

No problem at all. After reading the two posts above this I am glad I didnt get the Dakars. 95% of my driving is with no load, the other 5% is with no more than 600 lbs in the bed, and I rarely haul. I read a lot of posts in here that said to "do it right the first time and get Dakars" and I almost did, but Im now happy with the 3 leaf HD.

If you wanna jump in my truck sometime soon and see how you like the ride of the 3 leaf HD let me know.

 

(if you don't want the details...skip to the bold at the bottom of my reply)

I installed the complete pack and ran it for about a week on road. Was much stiffer (or so I thought at the time).

I then removed the third leaf and the ride was much better on road and even crawling offroad was good.

The only issue is that it really could not hold the wait when towing (within both tongue weight limits and total trailer weight limits). It also sagged a lot with all my gear in the back. On full flex with my 285/70/17, they would then rub the fender flares.

I added the 3rd back in. Really didn't think it rode that much stiffer. Towed with it, loaded the bed up with gear and performed much much better.

Bottom line...really liked the ride on and off road without the 3rd leaf if not towing or gear but realized it was a must to have the full pack wheelin with gear or towing.

 

Ya know...it does help quite a bit, thank you for the input. I think I may go another route and get either an Icon 3 leaf AAL or get a full leaf pack by another manufacturer. It really sounds like the Dakar Leafs are just too stiff for how I use the truck.

 

I'd like that. This way I'm able to feel the ride first hand...

 

Is a leer camper shell enough constant weight? I'm assuming my shell is 150 -200lbs (DCSB). I'm probably going to remove a leaf though...

 

Mine seem to like my cap + my tools , so 400-450 lbs

 

I love the Dakars, I have the whole leaf pack in rides great on and off road much better than stock. I got 3" of lift. Now my truck only sags an inch when I hook up my trailer a 16' X 7' inclosed. The stock leafs are just bad replace ASAP.

 

the dakars ride much better than stock leafs, I have a 2010 sport with a full oem and it rides much better than stock... but I have 32" cooper AT3 not mud tires...