ATS Leaf Springs - adjusting review to thumbs down

3/29/21 - Original review overridden - I cannot recommend them anymore

https://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/index.php?p=home

First off, awesome people! Quick response the one time they had to get back to me & whenever I called during biz hours, someone answered. Very knowledgeable & helpful. If you don't see an option for what you want, they'll try to make it happen. First time I called I talked to Bob. There was not a kit for my particular year, so he came up with one with a very doable price tag. That was where the sales type talk ended. In other words, he was not at all pushy. We then chatted about football, moving south.... He said to call if I had anymore questions & call I did. Probably four or five more times & each call was handled just as warmly professional as the first.
However, I do understand that this alone does not mean quality parts.

I have never purchased a set of springs, so bear that in mind (edit - ever since I put that I've been wondering how I pulled this off since my '86 had 365,000). Also, I held off on posting this because my truck has needed other work that either kept me off the road for a bit or may affect suspension. However, I wanted to get this review out there & if need be, I will update later.

The springs feel good, especially after the sorry state my old ones were in. The alignment was proof of that. & the hardware certainly seems of excellent quality. I have an '01, so it is supposed to ride like an older truck. Not too rough, yet you feel the road (can't think of another way to put it right now) & that is exactly how the truck now rides. My bed is back to norm. & the clincher? No squeaks, no noises! I was all nervous after seeing that this has been an issue for some doing new installs....

Odds & ends -
He said if tech support was needed during business hours to give them a call.
They have been in biz for four generations, since 1941.
There are at least a few TW folks who have springs from ATS & had nothing but good to report.
This is a link to their spring source - https://standens.com

Course I forgot to take a pic of the springs....
The "kit" was the hardware (minus bump stops) in the pic plus a standard set of springs. 345.00 plus 60.00 delivery from PA to MA. He called it an even 400.00. I placed the order on a wed by the cutoff (noon I think) & had them Friday.
Pen writes nice too....

 

This is great to here K! The springs they sell are Standen, was that right? I don't know if any other retailers common to the taco world that sells Standen so it's very cool that we have a new option.
Did you end up with much lift? Maybe just an inch or so of sagging that was corrected? Hoping to not get lift

 

Yes. Standen. Glad you asked cuz I forgot to put that in the review.
& the springs basically put me back to norm. Just that slight pinch of lift we are supposed to have if there is no load in the bed....

 

I'm so excited to have a normal height option
Also after a few weeks put up a pic from the side, so we can see how the height or stance, if you would be so kind, I should say

 

I purchased a set of ATS stock replacement springs (90-171, 90-173) for my 1996 xcab 4wd V6 after reading this and a couple other threads. I am beyond satisfied with them. My intent was to (temporarily) keep my suspension as stock as possible. After three months and 3,000 miles, the rear height is exactly as specified when measured according to the factory service manual in the alignment section. The rear was previously 0.30" under the specification with the 24 year old springs.



I placed my order on a Tuesday night and received my ATS springs on a Saturday! I only purchased the springs. Even though it is probably a great deal, I did not order the package of springs, shackle, eye bolt, and u-bolts. It's an Arizona truck and it did not even need new eyebolts. And... yes, God forbid, I reused my u-bolts. I reused them 20 years ago when I broke the first leaf, and God forbid, I replaced ONLY the SINGLE broken leaf, and for all you deniers, it lasted 20 years!

I contemplated replacing my springs for many years, and probably read every leaf spring related thread on this site. No solution seemed appropriate and the opinions are extremely varied. I settled on the ATS springs for the following reasons:

1. They responded to my email in less than 12 hours (General Spring did not respond to my inquiry).
2. They have the specifications for their springs listed on their website (General Spring does not list all the specification that ATS lists). The springs I received were also exactly as specified.
3. The ATS springs are right/left specific (General Spring did not have R/L specific springs). My driver's side body lean is now minuscule (I also replaced the body mounts with factory mounts).
4. Finally, ATS had the lowest price shipped from PA to AZ, and they included grade eight eye bolts.

 

Why can’t you recommend them anymore?

 

I will go back in & edit later. I am kind of hurrying thru this, so there may be typos, etc.

Bob, the owner, was great (or so I thought) until there was a problem.
His answer to this



was to send me new bushings, oh, & "free of charge". I sent him the pics mid-December & had not heard back from him. So I contacted him right after the New Year. So as this unfolded (there is more), the quick responses I once received, disappeared. The replacement bushings were two piece with the flanges. The ones installed in the spring were one piece. Does this matter? I dunno, except Toyota uses two piece for the rear eye. While there are one piece that allow for articulation, I believe this is the idea behind two piece that have a slight space where they meet. Can one claim to sell an OE product if this is not the same? Was this the issue with my springs? I don't know. What I do know is it was a PITB to press the old ones out. The sleeve was paper thin compared to the replacement ones he sent. The only thing I could think of to use to press the sleeve out was the new bushing, or at least get it started & deal with backing it out or whatever, later. Whelp, wouldn't ya know that bushing went right in & popped right back out. I thought maybe I was dealing with the issue I have read about with aftermarkets & stock bushings, so I went ahead did the other side (PITB). This time the bushing was slightly tighter. Come to find out the spring eyes had stretched & while the left somewhat tightened up after the sleeve removal, the right one did not. The stress marks on the shackle bolts was evident, especially on the right side.
Sent him the pics & realized the springs did not resemble Toyota stock ones in more ways than just the bushings, although the pics on his site, did. (Very small pics). Course I kick myself for not having known better to look at them closer when I first received them. I sent him comparison pics & of course, had to call him & call him. Here are the comparisons. He insisted they were no different.
I contacted the member who purchased his right after I did. This is what he sent. As you can see the difference in the leaves. His were more like stock. So, call I did & call again & wait. Meanwhile, all this time, I am in traction. & eventually, eventually, he sends new springs he just "happens to have found out back". Oh, & "free of charge". Did he advise me to use new ubolts? Maybe that is on me to know as I was self-installing, however being that I was still under warranty you would think they would have been sent with the springs.
My point about the ubolts & you can throw the bushing solution he came up with, is that my safety was not of a concern. There was not a single moment along the way that he bothered to work with me to maybe figure out why this had happened. Nor was there ever an apology.
The only time I received feedback was in regards to the first pics. He stated that they looked properly torqued, etc. & he had never seen this happen.

Was it tha I am a "girl"? Did he assume that the only things I would be using my truck for was going to the mall & putting flowers in the bed? (his stereotype, not mine) I don't usually go there. But obviously, it has crossed my mind....

Oh, & I decide to just purchase some ubolts locally. They were way "beefier" than the ones he sent back in the beginning. I regret not having purchased my springs from the local spring guy....

There is another review on TW regarding the difficulty he had with them after receiving an incorrect part.