Leaf Springs needing to be replaced?

Hey all,

I've been working on my 97 SR5 4wd trying to give it a little more off road compatibility without totally sacrificing economy, and I was curious as to if the leaf springs would be better if they were replaced? The bed of my truck doesn't sag at all but I was wondering if replacing them would be worth the money in the end. I've already completely redone the front steering and suspension systems, and everything is functioning well and ready to hit the trails.

 

I'm running an icon 1.5 inch progressive 3 leaf pack and it's really smooth. 5100s in the front currently and Still get 20mpg on the highway

 

So would I want to get an OEM replacement, or an upgrade? Also, what is a progressive leaf spring?

 

Aftermarket upgrade - way more bang for your buck. Check out wheelersoffroad.com, allprooffroad.com, and toyteclifts.com, headstrongoffroad.com, and downsouthmotorsports.com to see what's out there compared to your budget.

A progressive add-a-leaf that you add to your existing leaf pack or a full progressive leaf pack will flex more softly at low speeds / impacts and get increasingly stiffer the faster you're going / harder it works.

 

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If you have redone your front end and did not add any modifications for additional lift, and your rear springs have no sag as you have indicated I would not see the need to spend the money. If you goal is to gain additional lift then you have lots of options- most replace their rear springs to correct Taco lean/sag or add additional height.

If you want to lift it- go the 5100 route and you have lots of options for adding lift to the rear.

Best of luck.

 

OP, you didn't state how many miles are on your truck. I can say that by 100K miles, the leafs on my truck were DEAD. Keep that in consideration.

 

Take a look at your leafs, if they have somewhat of a "w" shape to them, DON'T put an add-a-leaf on it - Your springs are warn out, and it's better to just replace the whole leaf pack. Yes yes, more money, but you'll be better off.

Just remember that ALL leaf springs wear out over time, even the really expensive ones (but they usually last longer, even with abuse). You might consider getting your springs "re-arched" which means a shop can sometimes just re-bend them to a more factory shape (not the "w"). But this is really (IMO) just a band-aid fix. Spend another $200 above what this would likely cost, and you could have all NEW springs...

The springs you want depend on how much lift you want (if any lift at all), what type of loads you intend to carry, how much off-roading you do, and of course, your budget.

A very well regarded set of springs are the Old Man Emu leafs, but I don't believe they have stock height springs. For your '97, their leafs have ~2.25" lift. Wheeler's has some that are ~1.5" lift. Quite honestly, I haven't looked into stock height springs, aside from OEM replacements...

As others said, if you want to add a little bit of height, the 5100's are by far your best bang for your buck (buy them from DownSouthMotorsports, a vendor here, and you get a discount). I think I paid $299 for a set of 4 5100's from DSM (that was 6 years ago, though). If your rear leafs aren't warn out, add an add-a-leaf to match the height that you set your front 5100's add.

But as others said, if you are happy with the height of your truck, and the rear doesn't appear to sag, I wouldn't waste the money on new springs.

 

Or just spend $200 on a 3 leaf add-a-pack and call it a day. Its up to you. My leafs were completely inverted and I threw the add a pack on and it honestly feels on par to my old Deaver 8 pack from my last truck.

 

One thing you're going to get from an aftermarket vs OEM plus Add a leaf is articulation. If your wheels don't leave the ground as much you'll have much more traction.

 

I see, when i rebuilt the front end I included a 1-3/4 lift. I do a considerable amount of off-roading and don't exactly take it easy. Also, my truck has 160k miles.

 

My Taco has 141K miles. I replaced the leafs @ 120K or so, and the change in ride was DRAMATIC. Unfortunately, the ride height change with my leafs, so I had to add coilovers and upper control arms up front. The truck does ride like a dream, so there's that.

 

Where exactly did you purchase the ICON? That is what I am thinking about putting on mine since my lift was 1.75"

 

Got them from Polyperformance