Stock leaf spring replacement

I put dorman leafs on mine with rancho shocks and like it. Although my suspension was badly blown before and I haven't ran this new suspension much more than a few thousand miles.

 

This thread is quite amazing because 40 years ago leaf springs seemed to last forever. Unless someone needed custom springs for racing or serious off-roading. I bought Deaver J59's for my Taco and the paint fell off and they rusted within 2 months. Everyone else seems to have issues as well with other manufacturers. I haven't had any problems with my Deavers after 2 years but it seems that there isn't anyone that makes a high quality spring these days and I can't figure out what is so hard about it when it comes to these manufacturers.

Hopefully, my Deaver's will last the test of time but as rusted as they are I have to wonder if they will still be working as they have, which is great so far, for another 20 years. Which they should. I don't carry heavy loads and I don't off-road to the extreme.

I love the way my J59's work. They are perfect for my use but what is so hard about "coating" them with something that doesn't rust solid in a month or two when used up north? Or anywhere else on the planet for that matter. I would have paid extra for that.

 

They don't build things like they used to. Cheap steel and low standards of production.

That being said, my '77 F-250 is still sitting on it's original 41 year old springs and they are shot and sagging pretty badly. When I put my 450 atv in the bed the rear sags about 6 inches, like it's hauling 1,000 of firewood.

Things just wear out.

 

Update: I have really bad clunking/shudder which I believe is probably related to these springs or the MOOG coils up front. Another forum member also had clunking/shudder with their General Spring HD springs so I expect the leafs are the problem. Overall I wish I had spent the extra cash for OEM replacements since my needs aren't heavy duty enough to require super thick rear leaves. This is especially true since I have air helpers in the rear. If I needed thicker leafs I wish I would have tried Dakars or Deavers.

Overall I'm not impressed with General Spring. 1.5" lean driver side lean, driveline problems (clunking, shudder) which I attribute to the rear leafs, and customer support basically told me to try swapping left to right. That's a decent amount of work for me and would just buy enough time for the springs to exit their warranty period, after which the swapped spring will also wear out by the drivers side to become equal.

What I estimate is happening right now is that the drivers leaf is weaker than the passenger due to the extra weight on the drivers side wearing down the drivers side spring. The OEM springs have a stronger spring on the drivers side for the 1998-2000 Tacoma. What I have is a weaker spring on the drivers side than the passenger side. What I need is the opposite: a stronger drivers side spring and weaker passenger side spring. It should be no surprise that I have driveline problems now. Very disappointed in the product and unhappy with the company.

So sorry to the previous poster, who I ignored, who warned me that General Spring is the Harbor Freight of springs. It's true!!! GENERAL SPRING IS THE HARBOR FREIGHT OF SPRINGS! Stay away.

 

Yeah I'll be coming up on needing springs and I'm not looking for heavy duty ride, I'd like the ride just like OEM when truck was new. Is there a spring pack available, besides OEM, that fills that void?

 

Sub'd need to do mine also.

 

I bought the standard (non HD) General Springs which are arriving today for my 02 XtraCab 4WD TRD Tacoma. I just bought the truck, only 100k miles on it and very clean (no rust, garage kept, 1 owner) but the previous owner used the truck for towing a small camper, so the suspension is ready to be replaced. Especially the rear.

I bought four Bilstein 4600 shocks and replaced the fronts this past weekend. I kept the original coils, as they seem fine, but the leaf springs are pretty flattened/tired. I'll be replacing the leaf springs and rear shocks tomorrow and I'll try to report back on how much lift (if any), etc. I'm not looking for any lift, just trying to restore the truck's ride/performance to new.

Here's the before/after on the fronts-

 

Interested to hear what you think about the quality of the GS springs. I ordered an HD pair that should be here next week. Seems like the reviews are mostly positive, but some people have posted awful experiences with the springs.

 

Yeah I noticed the same, so I'm also curious to see how well they do. I'm sure they'll be an improvement over the 100k mile 17 year old stock leafs, but wondering how long they'll hold up. Luckily I live in California so I won't be seeing much snow/salt, and I don't tow or haul anything aside from some mountain bikes and camping gear. The price is definitely right at just $129.99 each, but a lotta times we get what we pay for.

As this thread has highlighted, there aren't a whole lot of options for leaf springs while trying to keep it close to stock height.

 

Well, I chickened out on the leaf springs and only did the shocks for now. It was not an ideal setup and I didn't feel good/safe about doing it unsupervised since I've never done it before. I'm going to enlist a mechanic friend's help to do it this Saturday and I'll report back after.

In the meantime, here's a look at the shocks. I wiped a bunch of things down under there since I was already in there.

 

Victory! Swapped out the 100k mile, 17 year old stock leaf springs with the standard (non HD) General Springs.

With the stock leafs I had very noticeable axle movement when coming to a complete stop. That issue is completely rectified with the fresh leaf springs.

The truck is about an inch higher in the rear with the new leaf springs than it was with the tired old stock springs. The old ones were well worn since the 100k miles they saw included many miles of towing a camper.

It only took 2 hours including setup and cleanup, etc. I brought it to my buddy's shop and he sorted it all out quickly.

 

Drove around a bunch in the rain over the weekend. I live in Oakland, CA and we were up in the hills, lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. The truck performed flawlessly. Cornering and braking are vastly improved. Some of that is probably due to the 4 new Bilstein 4600 shocks as well. Also noticed an unexpected improvement in acceleration from a stop--which makes sense since the axle wrap/movement has been corrected, that's more power to the wheels.

I just wanted to follow up and give a definite thumbs up on General Spring's standard/stock 1st gen Tacoma springs (at least as far as the initial impression/performance). I don't do any towing or hauling of any heavy loads, so I stayed away from their HD leaf spring offering. I'm trying to keep the ride comfortable while keeping performance in mind. The truck is used mostly for city/highway miles, but has a Snugtop camper shell and a mtb hitch rack for weekend adventures.

I have read a couple of complaints on these leaf springs only lasting a few years, so time will tell, but since I don't use this truck for work/hauling I bet they'll last a good long while.

 

Sorry to bring an old thread alive.

I too will be installing HD General leafs on my 2013 today. Hoping the back won’t take too much time as I am doing the front suspension too along with the steering rack system (replacing bushings and inner-outer tie rods). Figured a good two days or 16-20 hours of work should do.

 

I did front and rear leafs and coil springs including spring assembly in front. Inner and outer tie rods and upper and lower ball joints in one day. It was a long day. I made a lot of mistakes and could do it a lot faster next time. Mostly just make sure you order the right parts and have the right tools. Timmy the Toolman has great videos on YouTube. I think low range off-road has some too. Good luck! It might take more than a day.

 

Much appreciated feedback, hombre. Still happy with them? This appears to be my likely option. Don't need or want lift, just some fresh leaf packs

 

Sub'd I think I'm going to try the generals and will report back. Don't feel like dropping $700 on deavers so I'll give em a shot.

 

Installed General Spring KC HD leaf with 5100s. Install went smooth. About an hour each side. The fronts got Bilstein 6112s. Drove it around the block and immediately can tell a difference. They feel so nice, ride is not harsh but feels more like a truck than an SUV now. Original suspension had 95k miles.

 

Keeping in mind what I said about the Deaver J59's and the rust problem. I'd still recommend the Deaver's. Surface rust is one thing. Every type of steel "rusts". It's whether or not the rust actually eats the metal away that matters. My Deaver's may be red after 3 years but I love them. The J59's would be better better with Kings (I have OME Nitrochargers which are a load carrying shock) or something else comparable for shocks. Furthermore, I may have just gotten a "bad" part of the batch. When the time comes I'll call Deaver for another set and I WILL tell them about this set. J59's will not work if your going to load up 1000 lbs and head off to Moab or the Rubicon. You will wreck them. 500lbs max for serious off-roading is what I have read.

It sounds like your use of your Tacoma is the same as mine. You can also call Deaver and they will make custom springs. J59's do add about 1.5" of lift which I didn't want but they are really an awesome spring for my DD and mild off road without a bunch of weight. I have a shell and carry about 500 lbs in the bed almost year around to keep it level and get better tracton on the ice and snow. If I take everything out of the bed it has a very slight "stinkbug" look but I have a RC 2.7 4X4. A longer, heavier Taco with the V6 might not have that "look"

 

I ended up ditching the general spring hd. I'm on Alcans for stock weight rating. They lift the rear by at least an inch, despite what they may tell you. That said, with stock TRD suspension, moog coils up front, and stock wheels and no camper shell, no steel bumper, I absolutely love this setup. My truck drives so nice. I was considering a third gen and had test driven one, but I decided I prefer my first gen for now, even ignoring cost. The only downside of the Alcans is the leafs are more active than before, meaning they might be perceived as more bouncy. This may be true, and I consider it a personal preference. To me the springs are ultra smooth and ride good loaded with a dirt bike or empty bed. I can ride in the left lane on California highways 85 mph no problem.

 

What was the price for the alcan springs?