Weight capacity/ handling effects.

I want to upgrade my handling while carrying 600 lbs plus. I would like to do so without adding lift. Is there any way this is possible? I don’t want to risk the reliability of my truck with a lift but also need to be able to carry more when I go camping.

I searched and searched and can’t find much on this topic. Thanks!

 

My upper body strength isn't what it used to be, so carrying 600lbs won't work for me. If I have to lift something that heavy, I'll call a friend or three, or use a dolly.

 

Bumpstops/sumo springs or a spring replacement for the front end. You can also upgrade your suspension to the exact same height you have now so technically you wouldn't have a lift and compromise your paranoia about reliability. Do a lift correctly and spend the money and you won't have to worry about that paranoia about reliability I see you're in HI so I'm sure your perception of a lift on a Tacoma is much different than a functional upgraded one here in CO. So keep that in mind. Your thought of a lift might be far different than what we run here on Tacomas.

 

Airbags..

 

Are you running 600lbs in the bed all the time? I'm consistently running more than that, so I went with an entire new rear spring pack. But if it's intermittent, and you usually only run empty, and heavy for camping, you should probably looking into getting a set of airbags.

 

Yeah look into helper bags / sumo springs. Or look into a custom leaf pack.

 

This

And Dobinson makes a 700 lb leaf pack btw

 

I've been thinking about the Firestone Air System, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. It seems this solution has bee around for a long time with proven track record. You may wish to do your own research on this product.

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/firestone-2407-ride-rite-air-bag-kit-toyota-tacoma-4wd-2005-2020

 

I've carried more than 1/2 a ton in the bed of my tacoma...thought it handled well and rode smoother than it does empty.

 

Probably does ride smoother. As long as you don't find the bump stop

 

The one thing that airbags do that other choices don’t is allow you to tune the ride to the weight for any load and as soon as the load is removed you can let some air out. For my rig it works out to the minimum 5psi plus 5 more for every 50 lbs of weight so with the shell on it rides well with no bottoming @ 25psi. With my tools and storage on board it’s ~35psi. With a load of concrete rubble in the bed 65 psi rode very nicely allowing travel but no bottoming. They eliminate the bro-lean when loaded and aired up.

 

Timbren can help

 

Yeah your right. I am following mainland builds.. Tacoma’s here seem to mainly be built for show. The big island is the size of all the Hawaiian islands so it’s really the only island with capable rigs to travel around the trails.
Thanks for the confidence a lot on TW causes major paranoia with upgrading suspension.

 

Airbags. Inflate when you need em, air then down when you don’t

 

Airbags. Airlifts or Firestone. There when you need them, deflated when you don’t.

 

The following is more than you probably wanted to know, but ride and driving were mentioned early in the thread.

Cargo weight affects the drivability in other ways, as it depends on the center of gravity of the load. In this example, consider a 300-pound load securely carried so that it tied down to be immobile (and no liquid if for a tied down a container). For the 300 pounds directly over the rear axle in the center of bed (and centered left and right) the extra weight is felt only on the rear wheels during normal driving. The weight on the front tires is the same as without a load. Except, when braking or cornering. First, when braking, the forward momentum of the 300 pounds will cause the front end to dip more than without the load. Also, if the 300 pounds has its center of gravity “say” one foot higher than the bed of the pickup, then allowance should be made for the additional braking power by the front brakes. I am unable to find a CG diagram of the Tacoma, but the diagram below illustrates the point. Pickup trucks generally have higher CG (from the ground) than automobiles. The discussion of center of gravity and its effects would be appropriate subject for an upper class person in an engineering curriculum, which I won’t go into.



I have a 2020 TRD Off Road (short bed) extended cab. The rear axle is about 1/3 distance from the front of the truck bed and 2/3 distance from the tailgate. Hence, if the load were place exactly in the center of the pickup bed, the CG of load would be behind the rear axle and cause a very slight lifting effect on the front wheel, when compared with no load. (It is generally accepted that a modest load in a truck should be centered over the rear axle). The CG of the load would increase the overall CG height of the vehicle (not much, because the Tacoma weighs about 4450 pounds empty). It is the increase of height that negative impacts driving while cornering. Routinely carrying 500 pounds in the bed of the pickup (well positioned) likely won't result in any problems.

Now consider that a trailer is being pulled, and for the moment ignore the gross weight of the trailer. Just consider the trailer has a tongue weight of 300 pounds on the 2” ball. Note that the ball is about 32 inches behind the rear axle, This creates a lifting force on the front tires, which is noticeable in handling and steering. Even though the CG resulting from the tongue weight is low and will lower the of the overall CG height, the position of the CG is significantly shifted toward the rear axle. When braking, the front end being lighter means the feel of braking is different and there will be a tendency is to over-steer.

Now include the gross weight of the trailer. This means more attention needs to be given to the stance of the frame of the trailer and truck. It is important that the stance line be level, and not have the trailer tilting down to the ball hitch or tilting up to the ball hitch. Minor rake or rise will not cause problems as long as the gross weights of the trailer and truck and tongue weight are within Toyota’s recommendations. However, too much rake or rise will not be good in an emergency braking or handling situation. If braking on a curve, remember that the trailer wants to go straight. For instance, if braking on a left turning curve, the trailer to want to push the ball to the right (outside of the curve).

It is the truck stance issue that I believe the OP is seeking advice. In my case I pull a light (1800 pound fully loaded) teardrop trailer with about 220 pound tongue weight. Probably not this summer, but typically I go for 70 days and about 8-10 thousand miles visiting different places. In the past I drove a 2007 FJ Cruiser and stance was perfect, but I noticed the Tacoma sits a little lower in the rear with the trailer and other gear in the truck bed, which is my reason for participating in this thread.

 

Thanks for all your replies including this very detailed one above. ^^
I learned something new.

I too have a trailer it is a 2000 pound single axle with about the same tongue weight as mentioned.
I have loaded my SR5 up 1200 pounds in the bed easy.. pulled a 5000 pound trailer as well. The truck handles fine I just hit the bump stops a good amount off road and on. Pulling and not pulling. Sometimes I’ll even hit them unloaded. I have some gnarly speed bumps where I live. I’m not looking for trophy truck kind wheeling I just don’t want to bottom out on my bumps when I’m loaded and going off road. I think I’m going to go with new bump stops all around and a set of sumo springs.. after that if it’s not much better I might swap my leafs out for a heavy duty set or some airbags.