Should I do the Spring TSB?

I have only had my 09 for a week now and the ride compared with my old 01 is great but I haven't hauled anything at all in it yet. I have read many many pages of many many threads talking about the spring tsb and I downloaded and printed off the latest one that includes the 10's.

The only question I have that I haven't been able to answer is this, will it negatively affect my ride and do I really need it? I won't be hauling heavy loads on a regular basis but I will definitely have the occasional stuffed bed of firewood or load of mulch or loam and I feel like 220 lbs shouldn't make the springs sag like it does.

I loaded 220 lbs of sand bags into the rear and measured before and after and also took pictures of before and after. The center of hub to bottom of fender unloaded is about 22 inches, with the 220 lbs of sandbags it was at a little over 21 inches, so 220 lbs made it sag close to an inch. Normal or no?

Pictures - I don't have any comparison so I don't know if this is what they should look like or not, but it only has 14000 miles on it.

Unloaded:



220 Lbs of sand:

 

You might be out of warranty so you might want to check on that first. I had it done when I had my 09 and started to notice vibrations from the front of the truck. It rode fine though.

 

I'll call the dealer tomorrow to ask, but I guess I just assumed I was still in the warranty period because it only has 14000 miles on it and the first person who owned it had a lease. I guess my biggest question is do y'all think that's a normal amount of sag with only 200lbs? You can see the bump stops have definitely been used as there's a small shiny spot in the frame above them.

 

Sub'd for opinions

 

I just bought an 09 about a month ago. Put my Triumph Bonneville in the bed, and was bottoming out over speed bumps. did some snooping on here and found the TSB. Called the dealer, expressed my concern, they called the Toyota warranty people...and even though I have a bumper to bumper and powertrain until 100k, they won't replace "unless it breaks"....

as far as im concerned I have two options, upgrade with aftermarket parts, or break it and get the TSB

 

I'll have to measure mine next time I put my 2 450s dirt bikes and all the gear in the back.

 

Shit... free leaf springs, why not do it?

 

You might want to try if the vehicle has been in service less than three years.

You look to be a SR5 model/base so if they do allow the TSB you will get new shocks as well and an alignment.

Not bad for free parts and if the TSB meets your needs then you just saved yourself some time and money.

If you plan to haul or tow then do not even waste your time since the TSB is not that much better than the three leaf pack.

 

do it if you can.

I had it done on my 2010 SR5...major improvement.

My 2012 Sport has the 4-leaf.

 

Mines an 09 so if the dealer says yes I'll only get the springs and alignment, no new shocks.

So for those of you who had it done you liked the ride even unloaded? It didn't make things too harsh?

 

I did my 07 after it was a couple of years old and a few thousand miles. The ride was fine. I then added the Bilstein 5100 shocks on all four corners and the ride and handling was much better than new. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

Just called the dealer and I'm dropping it off today. The tech I talked to didn't say they will or won't do it but they will at least "take a look at it". I'm 3 days past the 36 month warranty

 

The new ones sucked because they still sagged, or they sucked because the ride was worse?

 

Mine (3 leaf) started going flat after only a year. Granted, I did do a fair amount of hauling during that time, but just on weekends and it wasn't anything extreme. I shudder to think how fast those things die if you actually use these trucks for work everyday...

So, I got the TSB packs. Dealer didn't fight me on it. It did stiffin the ride; truck rides more like a truck now than a Camry. That doesn't bother me, but some people don't like it I guess. I don't regret getting them at all. From what a lot of people on here say, these won't last me much longer than the originals, but at least they were free and bought me some time to figure out a more permanent solution.

 

Did the TSb to my 09 about a year after I got it. Decided to go ahead since I wanted it done while under warranty. My opinion is that yes the ride was firmer,,, to be expected since they added a leaf, and it raised the back end by a bit less than an inch. After it was done, IMO it seemed like the front and back suspension were on different settings as the rear was firmed up, but the front was still a bit soft. I ended up upgrading to 5100s fr/rear with the fronts set to .85 lift. This set the rake back to stock, preloaded the front springs for a firmer front ride and firmed up the shock settings. For me it balanced the suspension back out, but note that I prefer a bit of a firmer suspension setting. Stock suspension was a bit too fluffy for me.

End of the day IMO, the tsb springs do firm up the ride and raise the back end some. Your call if it's worth it or not. To me, without the 5100s, not sure if I'd have liked the TSBs by themselves that much.

 

better take your check book along

 

Well, if it's not under warranty and the dealer won't do it without charging me I'm not going to get it done.

 

don't blame ya.

you can do an AAL for a few hundred.

either way...if one is going to use a Tacoma for more than a grocery getter...the rear springs need to be addressed.

 

Has anyone used Bilstein 4600 shocks after a rear leaf TSB or adding a leaf rather than the 5100s?

 

When I did mine, they upgraded my shocks as well with the Factory Bilsteins. Sold them on eBay to help pay for the 5100's