Single AAL vs. 3 Leaf AAL

As others have said, I did the Headstrong 3-leaf and did NOT put the OL leaf back in. I got exactly 1.5". Ride is great as well, btw.

Oh and to the person who asked, I left the whole leaf pack on the truck when I installed the AAL. Just keep it sorta clamped down and push/pull the axle down to make room to add in the AAL leafs.

 

I have a brand new headstrong 3 leaf aal never installed in the box all wrapped up
Decided I needed more than 1.5” of lift so ordered the Deaver stage 1 expedition pack which is supposed to give me 2”
I know everyone wants the Headstrong one and they are on backorder so if I can’t return mine for credit it will be up for sale
Just waiting on a response from Headstrong

 

I just ordered a set of Icon 3 leaf AAL to go with my falcon shocks i was wondering are you guys leaving in the over load and if so how much lift is it giving you? I have an ARE topper and bed platform in the back so I’m thinking of leaving mine in. I’m not really looking for more lift than the 1.5” but I don’t want it to sag when i load it down with camping gear.

 

Rbcb01 you sold them yet.?

 

@birry How'd you make out with the single AAL? I'm on the same line of thinking that it's worth trying and worst case I'm out $75 and the time to install (was planning on doing myself).

 

Kinda depends on your goals. My only goal was to give myself just a tiny bit more load-carrying capacity before I bottomed out - mostly when hauling lumber or camping gear (I don't have a shell). The help it provided in that regard seems negligible except for the fact that it raise the rear like 1.5", so I have more travel before the sag bottoms out. I don't have experience with a full leaf pack, but I would guess that if your goal is to put full-time load (shell, gear, etc...) back there or haul trailers regularly, you'd probably want to get a full pack. The AAL seems to primarily help with lift / looks / leveling, and doesn't seem to increase load capacity much if any.

That said - my goals were accomplished for sure, but I had to spend a lot to get it. Not on the AAL itself. It was everything else. Raising the rear 1.5" required a front lift as well to keep it looking somewhat level (I hated the factory rake), which caused all the normal problems (front diff bearing, alignment issues, driveshaft vibes, etc....), so I'm still working all that out. My current setup was a good first step, and I'm about to do another $1,000 worth of stuff to get it (hopefully resolved).

Front Suspension:
OME 885 coils
Bilstein 5100 shocks
1/4" spacer on driver's side for lean correction <--- Not enough on mine, about to swap for 3/8" or 1/2"

Rear Suspension:
Wheeler's AAL
Wheeler's bump stops

Corrective Maintenance Post-Lift:
ECGS bushing
Torn CV axle boots (installing new CV axles this week)
Replaced lower control arm bushings <--- Passenger side originals were actually seized completely when we went in to work on the suspension
New center carrier bearing
Tried carrier bearing drop kit (hasn't helped much)
Tried 3° rear axle shims, which required extended u-bolts (also hasn't helped much)
Maxed out upper control arms (installing new aftermarket UCA's this week from JBA)

Feel free to ask any other questions here or via pm. I can give you any information you need about my experience with it!

 

@birry thanks for the feedback! I can see how once you do one thing with suspension it becomes a slippery slope with having to adjust other things. My suspension is completely stock, but I have a shell, not much in the way of full time gear in the bed, and I’m simply looking to counteract a little bit of the sag that’s going on in the back to stay closer to stock ride height in the rear. I definitely want to avoid going down the rabbit hole of lifting front to match, uca’s, ecgs, etc. I may try a single 1.5 aal in the rear and leave it at that and if it doesn’t work or causes problems I’ll just take em out

 

Yeah, if you're willing to take the incremental approach and just see how the AAL route goes, then it might do the trick. I'd be curious to see how it turns out once you get them installed.

FWIW - the rear AAL install isn't very hard at all if you have a floor jack, jack stands, basic tools, and someone to help you. We were able to re-use the stock u-bolts on mine initially, so as long as the AAL comes with the longer center bolt, you shouldn't need much in the way of additional parts.

 

I’ve got a couple months on the Deaver 1.5” AAL. It gave the advertised 1.5” lift, the install was easy, and I can’t really say there’s much of a ride quality difference.

I combined the AAL with Sumo Springs for more support when loaded and towing. The Sumo Springs don’t make contact until needed.

I also lifted the front of the truck 1.5” with an ADS Level I kit, which I love, but that’s a more expensive option.

 

@rustyfromskowhegan Did you end up doing the single AAL? I want to give the rear end a little help after adding a topper but don't want to mess with anything else suspension wise if I can help it.

 

Not yet, I still want to do it but just haven’t had the time yet. Back end definitely needs a little help with the topper plus stuff that inevitably accumulates in the bed

 

Agreed @rustyfromskowhegan . Anybody else have experience with this? I'm hoping the combination of the topper and an extra leaf will balance out to give me something close to the original ride height in the back.

 

I'm in salt free Arizona and I recommend a 3 leaf pack just to be sure. I think a single AAL is just begging for for more work later.

 

I'm considering a 3 leaf as well, just looking for more input on keeping the rest of the suspension stock for now.

 

misfire, sorry

 

Bump

 

Anyone running the eibach lift notch two with aal or 3 lead with OL in?

 

I agree with dz. Go with Dakar or the HD OME. I put on super springs too for
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/four-wheel-camper-fwc-thread.520138/page-29#post-27094607

 

What he said! As others have said, I know it's kind of a "band aid" option, but I dont have the $ to go with a full suspension setup at the moment. Thinking Icon AAL with OL left in. Have the 200lb camper shell full time, hoping that with nothing else in the bed, it will give it more of a factory rake like before, then when loaded with camping stuff, it will be level. Thoughts? Thank you!!

 

Did you leave the OL leaf in when you installed?