Slight Rear Rake...need help!

First off, I really appreciate TW and all that contribute as I spent a solid 2-3 weeks reading thru threads and viewing photos of other Tacomas to determine what I wanted to do. It was immensely helpful...so thx to all of you who participate.

I have recently purchased a 2005 DC LB 4X4 and after much deliberation I decided to perform the following;
3" RevTek leveling kit (spacers in front AAL in rear)
Bilsteins front and rear (fronts set at 2.5)
MotoMetal 955's (17x9 Machined)
285/70/R17

It may be the weight of the Tonneau (approx 100lbs) but the rear squats about 1/4 inch...It bugs me pretty bad. I want to level the truck and need some guidance on options. I really do not want to adjust the Billys in the front down to 1.75. Nor do I really want to block the rear. The truck is primarily a commuter and daily driver, although I willl be hauling MX bikes, boats, and enclosed trailers. Should I invest in bags to level the truck under load as well as gain the 1/4 to 1/2 inch I am looking for during daily use? What are the pros and cons? Thanks in advance for any guidance or suggestions (experiences).

 

I'm confused....

What exactly do you have in the front?
3" spacers?
OR
the bilsteins set at 2.5"?

You can't physically (or shouldn't) have both.

 

x2 I iz confuzed

 

Looks perfectly level to me

And you're stressing about 1/4"?? Dude, that difference could be how your parked or something

 

I'd be more concerned about getting that door molding off asap

 

Looks leveled to me. .. And yes, the molding must go.

 

I have a set of 1/2" aluminum blocks sitting on the shelf that I had on my 05 if you want them. They work fine with the stock U-bolts... just pop em in.

 

I didn't install the kit, rather had a local shop do it as a complete package with Wheels and Tires...my assumption was that the shocks would be set to match the AAL. But clearly there are spacers installed so the shock must be set at stock setting "0"???

Either way, I willl need to gain a small elevation in the rear to address the "sag" as I will be unable to adjust the front (without removing the spacers and setting the shock/coil).

Ya'll don't appreciate Grandpa's custom door moulding? I bought the truck from a gentleman who was retiring and heading to Arizona...He took great care of teh rig and was quick to point out his custom moulding. He thought it was really a strong selling point!...funny stuff. Guess I will have to tackle that later.

still wondering about solutions when towing though...to address teh loading when tongue weight applied.

Thanks!

 

The easiest way to fix this is to remove the spacers and set the billy's to 2.5. That will give you a much better ride, and it will lower the front 0.5 inches. Best of both worlds.

 

Thanks KPT...I will adjust accordingly.

 

those dont look like billys to me. The billstein 5100's are a brushed stainless steel look, not black.
looks like you have just a spacer lift. As for the rear, if your gonna be towing and not really any offroading I would look at the air bag helper kits, they are pretty straight forward and can adjust to your load

 

That could be the angle of the picture. The billy's have a sliding plastic sleeve a few inches long at the top to protect the shock.

OP: is the metal part of your shocks silver or black?

 

They are silver at the base (brushed aluminum look), they are Bilsteins. In the attached photo you can just make out the black plastic cover at the top.

 

Yep, those are the 5100's. Take it to the shop and tell them to take the spacers off and set the bilsteins at the highest setting.

Spacer lifts are junk anyways.

 

Or if you want a little more rake you could set the billys at 1.75". That's the second highest setting.

 

I like your first suggestion, I don't want a chicken-hawk look, just a slight positive rear. You nailed it when you said that I would gain a half inch using the shocks adjustment. this will change the trucks telemetry from 1/4" lower in the rear to 1/4" lower in the front...exactly what I am looking for...and, hopefully like you said I will gain a better ride (less stiff up front), it isn't terrible right now but is is noticeably stiffer than pre-spacers. thx for advice.

 

No problem. Report back with the results.

 

yea I forgot the billys came with those black plastic covers.