Normal leaf springs?

I doubt it. Is this a typical thing with a 10-year-old Tacoma. These look . . . flat to me. I'd expect a smile, instead of a strait line.

 

lol... those look awesome compared to mine.

Mine have been frowning for years.

That's pretty typical I'd say. How many miles on your truck?

 

Typical for toyotas, the biggest weak points of these trucks are the springs and lower ball joint bolts.
Mine are into negative arch already, but i'll be rebuilding them soon
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/194386-tacoma-spring-refurbishing.html

 

Wow,you got ten yrs? Mine went negative in 7.

 

Normal Sir....

 

213k miles. It's ok to load and use this truck with springs like this?

If they are flat with the truck empty how do you know when you've got it over-loaded?

 

I wouldn't put more than 100 pounds in it. Your spring will "frown", heck it will "frown" with 30 pounds probably. Too much weight in the bed will cause the front end to "float" when you drive. "Over-Loaded" will ride on its bump stomps .
Like what others have posted, a straight spring pack is very common. I think its a Toyota Patent

 

Seriously? To me, that's a truck that can't be used like a truck.

The curb weight is around 3500 pounds. GVWR is 5100. That should be 1500 pounds or so of usable payload. Do I have to put new springs on it to get back to that?

Edit: Holy crap. Just looked up the price. $500 per side?!

 

Once the frame touches the leaf pack upper bump stop,,quit loading. Give it about 1" clearance for saftey. If you pull the bump stop, you will/can pound the shock mounts off on a oem setup.

There is a rear brake bias valve back there Matt for proportioning the brakes when loaded. Read up on that.

 

Take to spring shop and add a leaf? I broke my springs under warranty and after factory replacement went to spring shop. Added leaf for 125.00 each side. Was still smiling after ten yrs. I do load wood and stuff regularly. Lost everything to rust eventually. Just priced same deal,went to 200.00 per side!.

 

Take a peak in here:

http://www.generalspringkc.com/Leaf_Springs_Toyota_Tacoma_2001_2002_2003_2004_s/1932.htm

These will, get you back to stock set up...The $500 sets Give lift also...

 

Thanks, that helps. On that page I see three entries - the first two are the same except specific to right and left. The third are matched, but a different pack thickness. Is that measured by measuring the entire stack of leafs? In other words, how do I know which is appropriate for my truck?

Follow up question, what is that strait leaf at the bottom that doesn't follow the curved contour of the others?

 

Looks better than my way.

 

Hello, If you are just using it for normal household chores, errands & helping friends move and such you are fine for now... But if you plan on adding a shell, hauling heavy items or keeping a tool box full of tools i would recommend upgrading them. Go with the Prerunner Heavy Duty rear leaf spring, 4(3/1) leaves. The bottom straight leaf is extra support if you are carrying Heavy loads..If you just want to upgrade to the Heavy Duty in case you need to haul heavy loads just be aware the ride will be a bit stiffer when empty.. Really depends on what direction you want to go with the truck. If you want to lift it or keep it stock height with a softer ride then you would go with the first set on that page..
There are lots of options for these trucks & lots of folks here that can guide you on how to best spend your $$$$

 

I wanted to Lift mine.. Just got er done. 3" lift

 

Or rebuild...

 

Now you are teasing me..... Hope to see your Friday.....

 

You could also get a 4 or 5 leaf pack from wheelers. 4 will stay at stock height. 5 will lift 1.5"s

 

I ordered those exact springs from general and they were straight once installed. No smile with an empty bed. They ride pretty nice though but don't handle weight very well. Once I added a cap they were frowning. I'd say you get what you pay for.

I just added a 2" aal to them. I haven't had the chance to see how it helps with a lot of extra weight but it still rides nice with the cap on.

 

Sorry didn't mean to make it sound that bad! You can load it up, but once you're sitting on the bump stomps (which doesn't take much with stock springs) the handling capability starts to get affected.

I installed a pair of air bags on my '98 I had, when I towed or had substantial weight in the bed I would air those bags up.