Embarrassing Question…

While I have read just about every thread on old man emu setups and eighbach/bilstein setups I don't think I have read about passenger weight being in the equation as far as weight being up front. I read about the recommendations to use 882 & 883 coils only if you have added weight up front from an aftermarket bumper/winch. What I'm trying to ask is does it matter how much I weigh? How much my family weighs? With wife and kids there could be 600 plus lbs in the cab. Will 881's last? Will 882 or 883's still be too high or stiff ?

 

...good question. Do you plan on adding a front bumper anytime soon? I'd say 882's would be your best bet though.

 

Not in the near future, I can afford about one expensive mod a year. This year will obviously be adding new suspension. Maybe in a year or two I would like to add front and rear bumpers but I'm not sure if it will be at the top of the list next year. I was planning on just running with the 881's but I can deff tell these stock worn springs are not up to the task and I don't want to have to replace the 881's prematurely because they aren't either.

 

I'd go for 883's or eibachs, I have eibachs and a plate bumper and there isn't much drop at all when my cab is full of people

 

Don't forget the 882. Will prob give you a better ride, since the spring rate is lower. We just discussed this on another thread I'll link you to it in a min.

Here you go: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141055

It's on page 30 and 31. Might want to check out the rest too, good info there.

 

It's a good question. I think the reason that the bumper and skids are usually the focus is because they hang off the front of the truck. That means that the front suspension bears almost all of their weight. When you load the family into the truck, the weight is being distributed between both the front and rear suspension. That being said, I know that my 600lb springs handle my wife and I with dogs and gear in the cab without a noticable difference. But I've got a bumper, winch and skids on my rig.

 

I highly recommend that you read Brett's build thread as he's posted impressions and pictures of the various coils on his truck from OME:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-builds/305098-bretts-average-build-thread.html

 

Thank you all for the replies. I've been following Brett's build, a great resource and help (thanks Brett)! It is a help but how much difference does it make with the weight in the cab vs the front bumper?

 

^When your weight is in the cab, it gets distributed between the front and rear suspension. As a quick rule of thumb you could think of it as 50/50. So, your 600 lb family is resting 300lb on the front suspension and 300lb in the rear. When your weight is in front of the front tires, all of the weight is basically riding on the front suspension. So, your bumper, winch, front skid and IFS skid would weigh down the front suspension but not the rear. This can give the truck extra rake and make it ride "like a stink bug" instead of just squatting the whole rig evenly. I think that's the main reason people worry about it more when only the front sags.

 

Makes sense, I wasn't sure if the weight was distributed equally front to back or not. Thank you.

 

Just keep your OEM stock coil springs they're good enough. Ask longo toyota or japanese truck out of wilmington california. they said that oem coil springs last forever and is not necessary to change regardless of miles considering your taco is in stock configuration. if you've done serious off roading or plan on doing so...thats a different story. trucks are made for offroad and light load duty use. They're also made for us heavy people...you should be fine. Rear is different.

 

:speechless:

Edit: I am guessing the op does or plans on taking it up a notch with his truck, considering the concerns about weight of armor / winch but this is all speculation on my part.

 

That's why I said if you've done serious off roading or plan on doing so then that's a different story

(_)_)|||||||||D ~ ~ ~ (())

Hehe

 

Um... That is pretty funny. Saving for future use haha.

 

Thanks for the compliment

If it's just you and the family and no bumper for a year or two, I'd go with the 881's and possibly a top spacer if needed.

The 882's without at least an extra 100lbs on the front will cause an overlift, meaning the struts will pretty much be at full extension and the ride will be stiff.
Passenger weight should not be an issue as it's evenly distributed for the most part.

Depending on your future bumper, if it's just tube and no winch, the 881's "should" handle it fine. I'm thinking 70lbs or less would be okay. ( A 70lb bumper is actually only adding around 30-40lbs or so of weight as you will lose 30-40lbs on the stock bumper alone )

My bumper/winch combo weighs in around 130lbs, so an extra 100lbs was added overall after removal of the stocker.

After what I experienced i would only go 883 if you plan on a full armor plated bumper, 8000lb or bigger winch with wire cable and a heavy set of skids..but some like the stiffer ride. It wasn't horrible, just too stiff for my tastes and I was concerned about possible lack of compression.

I'm sure you'll find somebody here that'll be willing to take those 881's off your hands if you go bigger and need heavier springs down the road.

Or you could just throw some tractor weights on the stock bumper with the 882's

 

Thanks again, and I am leaning torwards the 881's. Not a bad idea with the weights for the 882's.

 

Sweet. You can always add the 10mm spacer on later if you need moar lift. Just make sure to get the extended studs for your shock/spring assembly in case you need it!