Leaf Springs and Stiff Rear (2018 TRD Pro)

I've had a used Tacoma for a while now but the Mrs is pregnant and has started to complain about the stiffness in the rear. So much so that she would rather drive her car than be a passenger in the taco.

I believe the previous owner had a camper/shell on it as I have a 12v lead to the rear of the bed + bed stiffeners. So after months I decided to roll up my sleeves and figure out why its so 'stiff'.

I got my hopes up when I discovered the previous owner installed airbags! Hoping they were just over inflated but upon tracking down where they ran the air leads; they are borderline empty/acting more like bump stops at the moment.

The leaf springs I believe are the TSB 3+1 mexico/canada replacement ones if you complained about bed sagging and are for 'work' trucks with constant load. (I still haven't found an exact 'copy' of my leaf springs, as they are 3+1 but also have a small (3-4") 'helper' leaf at the bottom further up. Not attached to anything but the other leaves. Super weird)

What is the most effective way to soften this up a little bit for the Mrs? LOVE this truck otherwise but the wife says it's crazy that it handles better at 40mph off road over rough terrain than hitting the smallest pavement bump at 5mph.

 

I don't understand why it's "crazy" that a suspension tuned for fast off road driving, feels best while driving fast off road.

 

Throw some weight in back (sand bags) Also air bags should never be left empty, min 4 to 5 lbs.

 

Not a lot of mystery here. The leaf springs are built to carry load. When the bed is empty there isn't enough weight, resulting in a somewhat stiff, bumpy ride.

In my experience a stock TRD OR suspension seems to ride more comfortably with ~300-350 lbs of cargo in the back, located over or past (farther back than) the rear axles.

Put in some heavy ballast like sand bags, or if available, large flat-bottomed pieces of steel. One downside to using unsecured ballast in the bed is that in a very hard stop or accident they are likely to become projectiles.

In my experience 200-400 lbs of extra weight does not seem to affect gas mileage noticeably, all other factors being held equal.

 

It was crazy expensive that’s why I expect more!!

 

Pro shocks aren't crazy expensive. Buy Bilstein 8112s and you'll get more.

 

Cheapest way and might save you some hassle, is inflate your air bags to 15lbs, and put about 200 pounds of sand bags in the rear. I see another suggested the same.

My TRD OR has Bilstein 5100 which are stiffer than the OEM that it came with. With no load in the rear and the air bags at any pressure, it is bumpy back there.

Put them up to 15lb to start with the 200 pounds of sand bags over the rear axle, or a little more back as another suggested. Mine sit right over the rear axle.

Counting my spare tire, toolbox and 2 sandbags, I have about 480 pounds over the rear axle. If I take the 2 sand bags out (65 lbs each) then it is very bumpy.

Play with the air bag settings, but don't go over 25 pounds and not under 5 pounds. The more air, the more stiff the ride will be and too stiff will give you a poor off-road ride.