Ready to do some suspension work, please advise!

My 99' Prerunner is probably ready for some fresh springs and shocks. Im asking for advice because I really want to keep its stock ride height, but would love to put something better than OE under the truck. Poly bushings would be nice too, budget allowing. Finally, since this is my work truck and it gets asked to haul all sorts of things, any suggestions or thoughts on heavy duty leafs? Will they add height? Anything else I should do while I'm at it?

 

I went with OME shocks. 881 coils up front. Dakar leaf pack with add a leaf in the rear. Came with poly bushings from Wheeler's. I gained about 3 inches of lift on my 2003 Double Cab 4×4. If you lift that much make sure you get a brake proportioning valve relocation bracket to compensate so your brakes don't suck. Ask me how I know.

 

I have also put dakar leafs on the back and think they great. OME is great and cheaper than other brands

 

Ok, good to know, but I don't want the truck any higher than it currently is. Ive heard good things about the OME struts, will it lift the truck or is that dependent on my choice of spring?

 

I've heard good things about the bilstein 4600s. Or if you want to go more stockish, the Monroe quick struts seems to be a good option.


As far as springs go, I've been looking pretty closely at the HD spring pack from general spring. Not really intended to lift, but I would be surprised if it didn't sit a little higher in the back with those

 

People will often ignore what you ask, and instead tell you what they themselves did or want to do.

First off; if your suspension is worn, you are going to gain some 'lift' bringing it back up to stock height. For most, this is enough.

Depending on the kind of driving you do, if you intend to stay on road at all times, you can generally save some money and go with a softer (cheaper) shock like Monroe or Tokico.

If you want to stick with what the factory gave you, Bilstein 4600 will be your ticket. These will feel a tad bit firmer than Monroe or Tokico, but that just means it'll control body roll a bit more and handle unpaved/unimproved roads better.

I'm not familiar with what's available for front coil replacements aside from Moog's offerings, but any other brand you look at such as OME or Eibach, are aimed towards lifts.

That's another thing; coil springs and leaf packs support the weight of a vehicle, and provide lift. Shocks do no such thing.

As for the rear leaf pack, one that's mentioned often is General Springs. I even helped a member on here install a General Springs HD leaf pack and not only did he say it rode nice, but it handled carrying his camper shell and extras inside with ease.

If you want to stay away from any lift-over-factory-height, then I do not recommend OME as they aim towards lifting your truck.

Let's say I ignored your above question, I'd suggest you go 40s and tons. Below that, go long travel with Kings and custom rear shock relocation. A suggestion below that one even would be a mid travel setup with Kings all around and new upper control arms.

 

Lol jynx

 

Lol. You gave a whole lot better explanation though.

 

Ok cool this makes sense, thanks for the clarification. I assumed the worn out Bilsteins on it were pretty good at one point, and getting rid of any body roll is welcome. Extra weight is a regular thing for this truck too so hearing that the General Springs HD leafs rode nice is encouraging. A little extra height is ok if its providing some added capacity but the higher the truck goes the more I have to work to load metal and canoes and plywood and lumber on the roof rack.

 

@theophelias

If you want to chime in on the amount of weight you've been carrying on your leaf pack?

 

Following. I’m in the same boat as you.

 

Replace all the hardware (e.g., nuts, bolts, bushings). I also replaced the rear spring shackels.

 

Here’s a link for the generals
https://www.generalspringkc.com/Leaf_Springs_Toyota_Tacoma_1998_1999_2000_s/1931.htm

 

Yeah the truck is right under 200K right now, I'm sure a good bit of that stuff will need to go. Before ordering parts I'll slide under the truck, check everything out and make a list. I would rather spend a little more time and money now and get everything done all at once. Probably doing driveshaft support bearing while I'm at it, I know I would like to do the gear selector bushings too.