Ride Height the same front to back?? Not normal right?

Ok so I just measured my ride height front to back...on the passenger side it's 35" from ground to bottom of fender in front, and the same in the rear, 35". On the driver's side, it's 36" front, 36" back. So it's riding completely level, the spring packs are laying almost perfectly flat with no frowning or visible cracking from what I saw...isn't the rear supposed to be 1" higher than the front? Original leafs, original shocks, 194k.

Is this a sign that my rear leaf packs are starting to go? I know it's been discussed quite a bit, but I'm looking for some direct info after reading through 10 pages of threads. Can I get a brand new leaf kit or would a helper spring be the answer? Looking for inexpensive solutions, btw.

Short or long answers are both appreciated!

 

Ya sounds to me like your leafs are just old, if they are origional odds are they are shot as far as stiffness. You can get replacement leaf packs check out wheelersoffroad.com there prices are around $400

 

Thank you for offering this suggestion rather than telling me to search, I appreciate it. I suppose I could call Wheeler's and tell them what's going on they should be able to help me get my truck set up.

 

Ya I would give them a call, I cant believe no one else has given you any of their opinions yet!? Im not sure if you have to replace the whole leaf pack but that would be my guess, just because everything is older and has been under weight for so long.

 

I have the same problem with my truck. I put a toytec AAL in the back and put billys at all for corners and set the fronts at 2.5. My truck now has alittle rack and rides better then it did before. The whole setup cost me about $450. With that many miles on it the springs and shocks are definatly shot.

 

hmm...my other browser session has search results for 'springs'. I'm on page 8 of 10 I forgot how much of an issue the 1st gen leafs were. Anyways, my plan is to:

- get the 1.5" wheelers complete leaf pack
- bilstein 5100's at all four corners, front's set to 1" height

or

- wheeler's 1.5" complete leaf pack
- 2" toytec front spacer
- 5100's at all four corners (front @ 0")


Thing is, since I'm down ~1" in the rear, is the 1.5" pack going to actually give me 2.5" of height since I'm down an inch from factory in the rear?

Do I need to fab a bracket to raise my ebrake cable? I'm going to keep the stock 31's but run some black wheeler's steel wheels so clearance for 32's is not a real concern, i just want my firm-ish ride back, as well as a solid suspension foundation with a little bit of height...this thing is floating and rolling over every imperfection in the road!

 

I was down alittle over an inch in the back and the AAL picked it up at least 2.5-3 inches. My fronts are at 2.5 and now my back its a half inch higher then the front.

 

I just dont think that you need to replace the whole leaf pack. Just tryin to save you some money. I didnt need to move my e-brake cable. but a diff drop is a good idea if you go up 2.5 in the front.

 

Well I think my springs are fu*ked since they're laying perfectly flat and I'm level. So the inexpensive route is to do the AAL to the stock spring pack and more expensive would be the wheeler's 5 leaf pack right?

Now I'm thinking OME coil/spring for the front - the comfort one for 1.25-1.5" of height along with the 5 leaf pack and 5100's for the rear??? How does this sound? Would I be fairly level or would I just do the 4 leaf pack, get myself back to stock height (1" hjgher in the rear), then level it with 5100's in the front set @ 1"? So many different combo's to go with.

 

You can give Dan at Wheeler's a call and discuss your needs and see what he recommends for leveling. I need to talk to him too. I just bought the 5-packs and Billies all around, but I just measured my front coils and they are shot. More than 1 inch lower than new stock spec. This is too much for the Billies to compensate for and level the front with the 1.5 lift 5-pack in the rear without being at the top setting, which will make for a harsher ride and I think still not be level. I won't do that. So I will be getting OME 880s or 881s and want to avoid putting the Billies on any setting above zero so I benefit from their full travel.

Alternatively, you could get the OME shocks/struts, but they ain't cheap. Of course front Billis ain't in stock...

[edit] Oh, forgot about the 4 versus 5 pack. Do you have bad axle wrap? Most of us do. I went with the 5 packs to help reduce it, even though I really didn't want to lift. The Toyota attachment design and angle on these leafs just isn't very good, and I want these to last as long as possible...Jesus....

Don't agonize over the money. I know you said you didn't want to spend too much, but these trucks are not safe with worn out suspension. Traction and handling are compromised. This is a good, necessary investment.

 

This is the one thing I don't want to skimp out on, but also don't want to spend a fortune. I got this truck in good mechanical nick, but at 15 yrs old (built 3/95) and from what I can tell all original suspension, it needs an overhaul.

I am getting axle wrap, its brutal over bumps and other imperfections. The ride is also extremely soft with lots of roll and vague rebound on the front. If there's one thing I AM going to spend a little on, it would be the suspension.

So it sounds like your route will be OME 880's or 881's with the 5 leaf rear, and you'd be running 1.5-2" of lift all around? For me this is perfect since I'm going to keep my 31's and throw on a set of black wheeler's in 15x8...just want that slightly higher, aggressive look with the wheels sticking out just a bit from the fenders (like maybe 1").

 

Basically. I want to end up at no more than 1.5 all around. My cap and a thick rubber bedliner I estimate to be about 200 pounds of constant load in the rear. For the coils, I wouldn't mind a little nose-down rake (.25 to.5 inch) if that's how the numbers come out. I am running stock 265/70 16 and won't change that. I want to crunch a couple more numbers (because I overanalyze everything) and then call Dan.

I did more research last night and found that the OME 880, 881, and 882 all have the same spring rate (500 lb) and vary only in height (each is 20 mm or .79 inch higher than the previous). I believe I can use these with my Billy 5100 struts. I think with the 883 and up, they have a higher spring rate and require a matched OME strut, but that is a different league.

http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tech_OME_coils.html


Also check out Tacomaman06's truck. He has this setup, but because I am a dumbass, it took a while for me to realize that my coils are crap and what I really need do to the front end.


You said "The ride is also extremely soft with lots of roll and vague rebound on the front." This is exactly what I have going on. This is all shock and spring issues. I have felt like I am going to end up in another lane sometimes in high speed curves on rough highway.

From what you said, I'm not sure that you have an accurate perception of axle wrap. It isn't really an issue going over bumps. It's a phenomenon that occurs under high-torque accelearation or hard braking. It feels like clunking or surging/lurching under these conditions ( a dry drive shaft can exacerbate this feeling). The spring deforms into an S-shape. Pretty much all stock Tacomas suffer from it, because it is caused by spring-over-axle design coupled with weak leafs. Give it a good googling for more details.

 

I'm doing basically the same thing that you are planning on doing. Gonna get the 3" lift leafs from All-Pro and set the billies at 2.5" up front. My suspensions needs a complete overhaul... All-Pro's price seems to be pretty good, and I have heard good things.

 

Thing is, if you're getting a helper leaf to an already shot leaf pack, shouldn't you just do the 5 leaf complete pack from wheeler's? This is the route I'm going. Then I'll do 5100's up front and in back and in the front adjust up to 1.75". MAY need new coils too but I hope not.