Initial thoughts after Dobinson’s leaf springs install.

After doing some research, I bit the bullet and ordered Dobinsons 111-r leaf springs for my 2012 TRD sport DCLB with tow package, and had them installed last weekend. My nephew who is an apprenticing mechanic helped me out. I also installed Elka IFP 2.0 rear shocks rated for 2-3” of lift.

I previously had Bilstein 5100s in the back on 3rd generation leaf springs, and still have stock 3rd gen coil-overs up front, which will be replaced with Eibach Pro 2.0 Coilovers soon.

I found the stock leaf springs to be far too soft with even modest loads. With my cab high Leer canopy and steel rear bumper, there was a bit of sag. The weight with the canopy, and Body Armor bumper is approximately 260 pounds (bumper is 60-70 pounds heavier than stock), which falls in line with the Dobinson 111-r leaf spring recommendation. I forgot to measure because I was sick but the lift is right around 2.5” with 260-300 pounds in the back.

Following the install, I went off road to a river valley in Alberta that involved a few miles of gravel road driving with continuous washboards and shallow ruts. While stiffer than stock, the performance on washboards, ruts and potholes was a significant improvement over stock leaf springs with less bounce. A major test was going over a set of two train tracks with a large dip and bump, that would have really bucked my truck before. With the new suspension set up, it just soaked it up and there was no suspension kick back, extra bouncing etc. perfect. My drive back to BC was close to 700kms of highway driving. The suspension felt very controlled and firm, with less body roll and superior for impact absorption.

I picked up some wood rounds last night weighing 600 pounds at least, which dropped the suspension about 1.7 inches. This made for a total approximate weight of 860 pounds+ including the canopy and steel bumper. The truck drove and handled very nicely with the wood rounds in the back.

I hope this short term review will help some of you who are considering the Dobinson’s leaf springs and are on the fence between the 110 and 111s. I will likely be adding bump stops and will be getting the Eibach front coil-overs on soon, and will raise the front just under an inch.



The pics are of the truck loaded. I will throw up an unloaded pic soon.

 

That's some hunks of wood !

 

Yeah, and these were just the rounds I could get to fit. Old Pine in town that was recently cut. I plan on using the rounds for landscaping steps and possibly table tops.

 

Unloaded pic.

 

Nice slight rake stance unloaded.

 

Thanks, I could leave it this and be fine with it. The 3rd gen factory coilover gives close to 1” lift on a 2nd gen. It’s a worthwhile upgrade for someone wanting to refresh their front suspension on a second gen for a really low cost.

 

I love a guesstimate on how much that wood weighed in the back of your truck

 

I guessetimated 600 pounds for three rounds. Some effort involved to get them up the ramps.

 

Great review, thanks for sharing

 

what is the cosmetic appearance of what you're calling '3rd gen factory'

Billy's?



Hitachi?

 

Hitachi’s I believe. Higher spring rate on third gen. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but hitachis are/were stock on trd sport 3rd gen.

 

did you end up getting extended travel rear shocks? If you did, did you need new bump stops?

Was trading away down travel for up travel with a leaf pack designed for a 2" lift tolerable when going over dips and bumps?

 

The Elka shocks are rated for 3”. No bump stops yet and I have had no problems running it this way for a little over a year now. I don’t do serious wheeling though. Just forest service roads that get a bit rough and I take it fairly slow.

No regrets with the Dobinson springs and Elka shocks combo. Good compromise with the medium duty springs for eliminating squat while not being too stiff unloaded. A bit stiffer than stock but still fine for daily driving.

Also, no squeaking after running the Dobinsons for over a year now.

 

That's interesting. I didn't know there was a version of Elka 2.0s rated for 3" lift. Did you have to get extended brake lines?

I don't suppose you remember what collapsed/extended length of your rear shocks are? And good to hear the leafs are holding up well.

 

Elka offers the IFP 2.0 in the 0-2” and 2-3” for the second gen Tacos. I don’t remember the collapsed length of the shocks.

Kept the brake lines as is and just enough slack with no issues. I would suggest extending brake lines if running these springs and going through the travel on a regular basis. I just go off road to get to A-B and exploring in the mountains. I’m not into pushing the limits off road.

I went this route to deal with the crap leaf springs Toyota put on these truck and the associated squat issues. The lift is a benefit when I’m on the rougher roads. The truck also handles pot holes and sunken sections of highways significantly better now than stock. Night and Day difference.

 

nice post @Blaze Creek

to confirm, when you reference 'stock leaf springs' in this post, you're referring to the 3rd gen leaf pack you had installed, or the OEM 2nd gen leaf pack?

I ask because i purchased a take off 3rd gen pack with 2k miles on it to install into my 2.5 gen AC, hoping the refresh, plus a little, as I've read, will bring that part back to new with slight improvement. I don't carry a steady load, but do have occasional significant payloads. Meaning no topper, no bumper, but something like the rounds you loaded fairly often.

Are you planning to swap out your UCA's with the new front shocks, or roll with OEM?

I'm planning to go ELKA 2.0 0-2" all around and I'm on the fence about the UCA

 

Hi, I had both the original 2 gen leaf pack and the third gen take off from a 2022 trd sport. The sag was still there with the third gen leaf pack. I did notice a slight improvement paired with Bilstein 5100s, which are a bit stiffer than the stock, but the sag was still very apparent with moderate loads in the box.

The stock leaf springs are just not up to the task with a consistent load of 200 pounds+. With occasional loads it would be fine but you have to be very careful driving because the truck will blow through the travel really fast with 400 pounds plus in the back. It’s really hard on the stock leafs and shocks.

I am running 2022 take off upper control arms and shocks up front. The spring rate on third gen is a bit stiffer and you get approximately one inch lift over second gen. I have a bit of a raked stance with this set up.

I intended to replace everything a long time ago but life does life things. This configuration has worked ok for me but the front shocks need an upgrade. I have a set of Eibachs to go in that are adjustable up to 3”.

Stock upper UCAs still work up to 2” lift. Some say 2.5” is the cutoff for the upper UCAs to be safe. Definitely not my area of expertise. I won’t be raising the front more than 2” anyways.

 

got it. Helpful to hear.

word.

Me either. My aim in this is quality materials, quality of ride, resistance to abuse. Not looking for a lift and needing hardcore offroad capability. I truck with my truck. A lot. But it's miles with occasional loads thrown in . Convinced my self to go high quality and it's a chunk, with other things always coming up (bought a house and a ring this year. Yeah...THAT kind of ring) so it remains on the to do list.

Cheers.

 

Cool. I would suggest the Dobinson 110 leaf pack for what you need. I have read reviews and this pack can handle some weight without sagging, and would keep the lift in line with the shocks you want to run.

Dobinsons seem to lean to the low end for recommended constant loads on their leaf springs , and the light duty would be better than third gen leaf springs imo.

 

Which leaf bushings would you recommend with your Dobinson leafs and are the fit universal (or is it that Dobinson leafs require Dobinson bushings)?