Body Roll, Sloppy Suspension

I have an 06 Tacoma DBL Cab LB. I have the 5100's in the front set at 1.75 and a 2" AAL in the rear. The truck sits almost level with my cap. In the last few months I have noticed that when towing my trailer or w/ a load in the bed or just normal driving, the suspension seems to be really sloppy. The truck seems to have more body roll and is very unsettling going over bumps/pot holes. I have the stock coils in the front w/ the 5100's. In the rear I have the stock TRD Sport shock absorbers w/ my Toytec 2" AAL. I was thinking that maybe I need to replace the rear w/ 5100's but I want to make sure that is going to solve my unsettling/sloppy ride. FYI my truck has 75K on it. Any help would be appriciated. THANKS

 

It does get worst with weight, but it still noticable w/ just me.

 

Curious to see what kind of weight you're talking about also but with weight in the bed it's going to roll more. Stiffer shocks may help slightly with tracking and potholes but they don't do anything to support a load so I can't see them helping body roll. I believe there are rear sway bar kits available for the Tacoma but that might be a little extreme and will limit you off road. How do you feel about the ride when you're unloaded? I'm asking because I see you have a DCLB so yours should feel pretty damn stable when loaded, especially with a single leaf AAL.

 

Are your tires P (passenger) rated? I know going from the p rated rugged fails to e rated bfg a/t's really stiffened up my truck as far as body roll around corners...rides way better and feels more stable. What psi are you running?

 

Well the weight really isn't an issue, it does get worst when I load it up. This past weekend I really noticed it. I had this trailer and quads, 5 people in the truck, 3 cases of beer, some food and 2 dogs. I usually tow either this trailer w/ the quads or my boat. I haven't towed the boat since last fall and have towed the quads many times over the winter. In the past it wasn't ever an issue. It just seems recently (last few months) it has gotten really sloppy. Does anyone think my AAL is losing stiffness?

My tires are Cooper Discovery ATR 265/70/17. I just had them put on not to long ago and didn't notice any changes.

 

Do you have the TSB leafs or just standard? It's possible the AAL could be loosening up if you just have the standard leafs. The non-TSB leafs are prety soft which would put a lot more stress on the AAL. Has your suspension settled any that you've noticed? If you've towed/hauled frequently over the last 75,000 miles, you could be ready for some new leafs (or AAL). Air bags could be another option also for load carrying.

BTW, I have the same tires in 265/65R17 and love them!

 

I have the standard non-TSB leafs. I have towed a lot in the 5 years I have had the truck. I was out of warranty before I found out about the TSB. I bought the AAL thinking it would solve my problem w/ the rear weak suspension. I have only had the AAL for less than a year and probably have only put 10k on it. The 5100's in the front and the Toytec AAL were both put on at the same time. I have noticed some settling but nothing major. Most of the settling was within the first month or so after the AAL was put on. If I already need a new AAL i'm going to be a little pissed. What are my options as far as leaf packs that wont give me more than the 2" of lift?

I'm really happy w/ the Cooper Tires as well. I was ready to order the BF AT K/O when a friend told me about a listing on CL. It was for 4 Cooper ATR's for $340.00 brand new. I called the guy that day and ended up paying 300.00 for 4 brand new tires.

 

I really wish someone could drive it to see what I am talking about b/c I feel like it is hard to explain. I'm taking it to North Carolina in early May. I hope to have this issue taken care of by then as I will be towing my boat and having 3 other passangers, plus gear. I'm thinking I probably need new rear leafs to get the stiffness than I want/need. This is what I have come up with so far. But I am not sure this is my problem.

http://www.trdparts4u.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-7251

 

Doesn't sound like your AAL is the problem, it shouldn't be shot at 10k and it doesn't sound like you have any sagging or flattening of the leaf pack. I've heard good things about the Dakars but have no first hand experience, hopefully someone will chime in. There are a lot of other threads about that leaf pack you're looking at and it may not be a bad option vs. swapping out smaller parts until the problem is finally fixed. The smaller parts may just end up being a band aid. Good luck to you!

Edit: Is it bouncy? If so, you might need shocks also. It could be a compound problem with the suspension softening and your shocks being worn out.

 

Yeah, your problem is most likely the rear leafs. Your AAL has settled and is now soft. I would def. get a better leaf pack and shocks for the rear, that will help alot with the body roll.
And having a stiffer front end will help too. Maybe get rid of the stock springs and get some coilovers or Eibach springs to go with your 5100's..... Just a suggestion...

 

I guess the first thing to do should be get new rear shocks since I will probably have to replace them anyways if the got a whole new leaf pack. It isn't necessarily bouncy, but it does bounce if that makes sense. Thanks for you help, hopefully more people will chime in with advice.

 

I was afraid of that. I was hoping to not spend much $$$. But I'll probably getting the rear shocks first, then the whole new leaf pack. I really dont have the $$$ to do the front coilovers so that will probably have to wait till I win the lottery.


**Could my leaf/AAL be weak w/o having any sagging?

 

i was thinking shocks as well for the spongy feel. Is it bouncy? Are the shocks wet ?
AK27 i believe has a full set of tsb rear leaf's for sale. Might be cheaper and then you could re use the aal with them as it was made for that pack. Just a thought.
Check tire pressure. I do not use the sticker on the door to determine the pressure to use. read the side wall of the tire and I usually subtract a few pounds from the max and drive on that.
Good luck
Neal

 

The only way I can really describe it would be to say its loose/sloppy especially w/ a load. I looked under the truck to see if the shocks were blown/wet and neither of the rear are. I'm going to check tire pressure, but I just got the tires put on about a month ago so I doubt its that. Thanks for the help.

 

No problem just throwing everything i can think of out there. Check the lugs and make sure they are tight. Wouldn't be the first time a tire shop had forgot to torque them back on. All the nuts and bolts back there looking tight? Can't really think of anythinf else but like the other guy said could be a combo of shock age and /or fatigue with the aal working harder than it might have been meant to. Bushings on the leaf pack look OK?
With the truck sitting level in the DW push the truck side ways ? any noises?
I'm really grasping here.

 

hahaha.... I probably should check the U-Bolts from putting the AAL in. I've decided I am going to go ahead and order 5100's for the rear and see what happends. It does move when its parked on the DW and I push on it. And yes I have the squeaky leaf pack so it makes noise as well. I've kind of come to the conclusion its probably a weak leaf pack/AAL. I just wish they made these things a little beefier in the back. I know someone is going to say get a bigger truck, but I honestly don't have any desire to get a full size. I dont want/need to drive something that big as a DD. I'm hoping getting the shocks solves the problem as I really dont have much more $$$ to spend on it. If this doesn't solve my problem I'm just going to dive in and get the whole new leaf pack from the link above. Thanks again for all your help.

 

haha... after I put the AAL on I did re-tighten everything after I drove it for a month or so.