Icon 1.5 progressive add a leaf

I was looking to see if anyone had any input on whither or not if you liked the ride of the add a leaf or disliked them. Preferably on a 1st gen Tacoma. There are other threads on this topic but nothing 1st gen specific. Thanks

 

Good question to ask is, why are you looking into an AAL?

Not saying that there isn't anything wrong with it, it's just that some use it for the wrong reasons.

 

Thats a great question, so originally I had a set of Firestone airbags on my truck and took them off as I didn’t like the ride and I never loaded my truck, so I didn’t feel they were useful for my application (bag are currently for sale). I have a set of tundra coils up front with an arb so I have about 1.5 inch lift, currently the truck sits relatively level with the front, and little lower when full of gas on the drivers side. However my rear leaf springs are pretty flat, and I don’t want to lift my truck more than 2 inches so the Dakar’s are kinda out of the picture, and I just don’t think there is a quality set of new leaf springs that won’t clap out like the stock leafs do. I have a canopy not on the truck right now, but once I put it on I can guarantee it will sag my truck almost to the bump stops. So I’m looking for something to support the weight of my canopy and give a little lift, and keep a comfortable ride. I’m mainly driving in town, but I do off-road occasionally so I would like to have some flex. Kinda. Long response but that’s my thinking and reasoning for these being my option.

 

I think it comes down to your shock choice more or so over the leafs

 

No worries.

So, the OEM leaf pack sits pretty flat and that's the "norm". It's only when they're frowning that you should replace them.

I'm curious as to the whole "tundra coils up front" and all...but anyway, you're going to have a "sagging" rear end because your front end is lifted, and the rear is sitting at stock height. I don't recall the vehicle having that much rake to compensate for even from the factory, but due to this difference, any additional weight in the back will surely make it look like a dog scooting it's ass on the rug.

I wonder if your leaf pack is pretty much at the end of its life; springs/coils/leaf packs provide lift and a lot of people forget that, you start to lose that ride height.

An AAL will help support a bit more payload and will also provide a small bit of lift as well.

As for flex? Well some people have pushed their OEM springs quite a bit but there are a ton of leaf packs available that flex a good deal more.

 

What didn't you like about Firestone? Did they change the ride when not inflated (I mean inflated to minimum recommended). I have fiberglass canopy (that is close to 150lb) and carpet set (another 50lb) and leafs are flat. I got airbags (not installed yet) because I wanted to load additional 700 lb on the bad without bumping stops but still ride unloaded comfortably. Now your statement got me worried. Did airbags made the ride harsh?

 

The ride wasn’t harsh, it’s just firm. I was talking to Marie from Headstrong and she made it clear to me how the bags actually function, she explained to me how they function almost like a bump stop and when you hit a bump they activate instantly, so in a sense you loose some of the absorption, that the factory leafs provide. I had them paired with a set of Bilstein 5100s, and didn’t mind them, they just weren’t ideal for me as I rarely loaded my bed, but if you going to use your truck like a truck there not all to bad.

 

Thanks. This is the best explanation I have ever read about airbags behavior.