95 2.7L extended cab 4x4 manual, suspension help

Hey all, i got this truck for free, and although I drive it daily, I only drive about 5,000 miles a year. It currently has 305,000 miles on it. I have 235/75r15 that need replacement bad! I would like to put 31x10.5r15s on it, but before i do, I think I should replace the front strut assembly's and might as well replace the rear shocks.

Whats the consensus on the middle of the road strut assembly's and shocks? Should I avoid the sets available on ebay for all 4 units (@ $135-$160).

I'd like to order them and have them installed so I can get an alignment when I get the tires put on.

My truck does sit a little bit lower on the front drivers side, will putting new strut asemmbly's on solve this?

 

tacoma lean is pretty common...

 

Are you ordering completely assembled struts?
Have you checked any of the other suspension/steering parts for wear?
Any idea what gears you have in the diff? I have a 97, 4x4, 2.7, with 3.58's. Turning my tires (32's) is pretty slow unless I keep the RPM's up. I plan to re-gear soon though. Up to you.
I'm skeptical of stuff off eBay. I'm pretty happy with stuff from rockauto.com though. Decent prices and usually a full lineup of available brands.

 

Yeah, I want to order assembled struts. Everything else is nice and tight. The main reason I want to get new struts is because the front drivers side is really sagging. I thought new struts would be a good idea. And might as well replace the rear shocks.

The front right tire is showing steel belts on the inside, and the left isn't much better. So I know it needs an alignment anyways.

 

Bottom line... the taco lean is due to the additional weight on the driver's side.
And sag to your original springs is likely due to gravity /or time.

The well known Tacoma lean is generally towards the driver's side
it is caused by the added weight of the Battery, Fuel tank/gas, Driver.
plus gravity and time additionally play their role.

The Tacoma uses differently rated front coil springs (L&R)
and possibly the rear leaf spring rates off set somewhat as well.
When new... the Tacoma sits level.
But over time when the springs begin to wear and settle a little...
the driver's side lean becomes more noticeable.

New struts with new coil springs will help for sure.
But realize the original two front coil springs
have different ratings or lengths.
The coils are marked by a paint color splotch signifying.
The Driver's C spring is generally longer then the Passenger C spring.
Maybe .5" or somewhat less (metric).

Often the OEM coil springs on the front of a Tacoma
will show two different Toyota part #'s when ordering.
Aftermarket coil springs may not account for any difference.

If by chance you were to bump up to an adjustable CO
then those could be adjusted or more finely tuned
to compensate /or offset for the added weight on the driver's side.

The rear leaf springs could also be built to off set the added drvr's weight
and reduce - eliminate the ill-famous taco lean.

Meaning:
I have adj. CO up front... both are adjusted equally @ the same pre-load height.
however... I have custom built leaf springs in the rear.
When I had those built... I requested .5" more arch be put into the driver's side.

This added arch to the driver's side has compensated for the driver's side weight lean...
without needing to compensate using my front adj. CO's.
So either the front or rear springs need make for compensation

Best is if both L&R are replaced in pairs.
And it's likely your rear leaf spring are sagging too
and in need of reconditioning or replacement.

You just may not notice the rear springs until the front springs are refreshed.

good luck with it.

 

So I got the tires (31x10.5) on and boy, the trucks feels much better. It had these little 235×75/15 Khumo white wall passenger car tires on it. And they were WAY overdue for replacement. I also bought new strut assemblies and shocks from NAPA. Shocks went on easy but I can't reach all the upper nuts holding the strut assemblies on. Should I just torch the nuts and retry? Or can I cut them off with a sawzaw?

 

What do you mean "can't reach them"? They should be fairly open... I used a box end wrench and a ratcheting box end for mine.

 

I ended up cutting one nut off each side, got the other two per side off with a socket.

So new tires, quick struts, and shocks are on.

Thanks for the help guys