Canada vs US "stock" ride height

Greetings ,

new member , but long time lurker of these pages , this site has answered many questions I hadn't even thought to ask .

I have a 09 TRD Sport 4x4 and I am looking at getting the Toytec Ultimate Lift kit installed . I don't intend to crank the front up to 2.5 " but keep it at 1.75 " in order to avoid some of the issues others have been talking about on this forum . I am in Canada and my truck has the 4 leaf (tsb ) pack . I am happy with the rake that I currently have .

I intend to get the OME Dakars with the lift as I hope to improve my load capacity as I pack around a lot of tools on a regular basis . The Dakars are advertised to give 2.75 " of lift and this is where my question finally comes into play .

The 2.75" lift that the Dakars give is above "stock " ride height . But obviously the Canadian 4 leaf pack "stock" ride height and the US 3 leaf pack "stock" ride heights are not the same . A search of these pages has told me that owners in the states gettting the leaf spring TSB done to add the fourth leaf that I already have , are getting a lift of approx 1" above "stock " .

OK hang in there with me , if I already am effectively 1" above "stock" with the 4 leaf pack , can I expect only a further 1.75" of lift from the Dakars , in which case raising the front 1.75" with the billies will give me the exact same rake I currently have but the rig will sit 1.75 " higher front and back ?

Thanks in advance to anyone who didn't get bored and made it all the way to the end of this long drawn out query .

 

the dakars will give you the difference of about 1.75" and raising the front with the new struts and raising the back will be even lift numbers but might not be after the front springs settle and sag a little. but thats an easy fix just crank them up a little more.

sounds like you got a good idea and it definetly sounds like itll be what your looking for!

 

where in bc i go to whistler, pemberton 100 mile house every summer for about a month

 

Thanks ,

I'm in the Gulf Islands , which are west of Vancouver

 

You could also look into removing 1 leaf from the Dakars. That way you could leave the front set where they are at, but just lower the back a bit. I think a few members on here have done that

 

Thanks Canadianboy ,

I want the lift in the front as well as the back but didn't want the truck to look like a funnycar and be way too tall in the back .

 

Canadianboy ,

I see in your sig you have a shortbox auto 09 4x4 , I seem to remember when I was looking at trucks that the shortboxes here all were standard and the long boxes were all auto .

Maybe I wasn't paying attention .

 

I have the TSB 4 leaf setup in the rear and 5100's on the front set at 1.75". In addition, I have a pair of Firestone air bags installed on the rear that I can inflate/deflate according to the weight of the load I carry.

The bags provide a little lift because a minimum of 5 psi must be left in the bags at all times. In addition the bags supports some of the weight between the axle and the chassis so my TSB springs have settled very little in the past 3 years since they have been installed. I usually run 7-8 psi normally. With 7-8 psi in the rear it still sits 1.5" - 2.0" higher than the front and I have a fiberglass tonneau cover installed that must weigh 100 lbs at least.

Even with 1000 lbs in the rear the bags only need to be inflated to 30 psi or so to get the rake back into the proportion you describe (bags rated for 100 psi max). Much cheaper than new leafs, especially since you are only going 1.75" from stock. Don't know what new leaf packs are going to cost you, but I imagine its more than $250 for the air bag kit. Also the OEM rear shocks limit droop on the rear axle before the bags do.

I like the fact that no matter what I carry in the rear, I can inflate/deflate according to avoid that squat in the rear look. You can also adjust each side accordingly to avoid that leaned look from the rear.

 

Fortech ,

you are in Newfoundland , and you needed to get the spring TSB done ? What gives , did the Canadian trucks used to come with only 3 springs or did you get one from the states ?

 

You are right, you cannot get a trd sport double cab with a short box and auto in Canada. So, I bought it in the usa

Good observation!

 

i learned how to surf in tofino! haha

 

Canadianboy ,

I guess I'm still pissed off at not being able to get my longbox sport in standard , but having said that I have gotten pretty comfortable being able to drink my coffee on the way to work and not juggle everything if I need to shift gears . Must be old age setting in .

 

hey dude just installed dakar leafs with one leaf removed in the back of my access cab. i ended up with about 2 inches of lift from the 4 leaf packs. I'm sitting at 24 inches from the center of the hub to the top of the fender opening.

 

You are right, the Canadian 4WD SR5 has only 3 leafs (mines a '06). I just looked at a new Acces Cab and it had a four leaf set-up. Looking at upgrading now. Truck bottoms out like crazy. No help from the stealership, too many KMs. GRRRRR I have a quote for re-arching and adding a leaf and new u-bolts and centre (center for my American counterparts) bolts. $480 Canadian money. American spring shops $$$? I live on the Maine border so don't mind getting work done in the States. The folks in Maine have always treated us New Bees awesome and it doesn't hurt being a veteran.

 

They must've changed for 07, as my 07 4wd sr5 DC has 4 leafs, it bottoms out on occasion.....I was in cape breton highlands moose hunting, 4 guys, the thing banged on every bump it seemed. The problem is the springs aren't stiff enough, they are trying to get them to ride "like a car"!!
Its the only issue I have with the 05 and up tacoma.

 

They didn't add the 4 leafs from the factory until 2007 or 2008 - can't remember which year.

 

Borderbrat , did you get your Dakars in Canada or ship from the states ? I'm looking at big bucks to get my kit sent up here .

 

Can anyone else confirm / deny I will only go up another 1.75-2 inches from where I am now ?

Thanks

 

i bought it from cap-it victoria i could have gotten a better deal at North Shore Off Road but i was in a hurry i think i paid 1300 or so for the entire kit 4 shocks coils leafs and driveshaft spacer

 

If you remove 1 leaf from the dakars it should only lift you 1.75"-2". I purchased my OME stuff locally from Radd Cruisers. There are ARB dealers all over the place check out www.arbusa.com they have a dealer locator. I'm sure there will be a dealer somewhat close to you, I dunno which island your on, but there are lots of dealers on Van Isle all up the island!