1995 Tacoma Rear Shock Advice (With Pics)

Before I share my problem I will list my truck and suspension specs because


1995 Toyota Tacoma
SR5 4x4 V6
Ext. Cab


Front Suspension:
Sway-A-Way (AFE) 2.5 Coilovers
JBA Upper Control Arms


Rear Suspension:
Old Man Emu CS019R Dakar Leaf Springs (No AAL)
Old Man Emu Greasable Shackles (Stock Length)
Bilstein 5125 8" Travel Shocks


My Problem:
My rear 5125 shocks are way too short. While driving, the only time im using any travel is under initial compression on a bump. After that the leaf springs just top the shock out hard. The CS019R Leaf Pack yielded 4.5 inches above my old sagging suspension with 5100's and AAL in the rear.

I Know there is a that comes in at 24.35" extended but thats still too short for my setup here.

Measuring at full axle droop, the shock mount to shock mount measurements are at 26" on both sides. So Ideally im looking for a 26" extended length shock. Also because of the extended length needed, I will need to extend the bump stop upwards if I want to avoild bottoming the shock out under articulation.

Spoke to someone at Wheelers Offroad and he suggested the which extended is 25.93". This length would be optimal but then im sacrificing uptravel because the shock will bottom out before the bump stops hit. (almost 2.4" inches of uptravel lost of I go this route) I would also need to swap out the bushings for 3/4"id bushings. Not sure if that bushing swap is possible on this 10" shock but i dont see why not.

I am familiar with the shock relocation mod which improves articulation of your shocks/axle but its not easy to find a shop willing to do that kind of fabrication Here on Maui and i dont have the abilities to fab up my own shock relocation. Truth be told im not interested in getting the absolute most flex possible but I do need to order something asap to end the bouncy and constantly topping out rear suspension.

I have looked online and called on my own for a week trying to find a solution to this problem but now im turning to Tacoma World (my most useful resource since 2016 when I joined)
Yes Im sure there is another post or thread like this but I havent found many people running these early tacoma dakar leaf packs that were originally specced for toyota pickups. These leaf packs in particular are known for giving large lift yields on these 95-97 tacomas.

Any information or comments are much appreciated!

 

You are using a leaf pack specifically for 95 right? The early years had shorter springs than the later years.

 

You are right. Well technically its specced for the toyta pickups, but its also sold for 1995-1997 Tacomas beacuse they share the shorter leaf pack from the pickup. So yes I am running the correct length leaf pack for this truck. It is stated on toytec lifts that that leaf pack yields 3-3.5 inches of lift. I experience almost 4.5" of lift.

Before lift measurment in rear: 36.5"
After lift measurments in rear: 40"

EDIT: I later realize i didnt math this right but the problem was still real lol

 

I run these on my Tacoma and have 3" of lift in the rear. They don't publish the extended length or the travel #'s, but so far they've ridden incredibly and not seemed to limit flex. I'd suggest calling Toytec and seeing if they can give you the travel and extended length #'s.

Took some measurements that may help:
Rear Hub to Bottom of the Wheel Well - 24" (to compare lift)
Length from Top Shock Bolt to Bottom Shock Bolt - 20" (Center to Center at normal ride height).

Not sure if that means they'll extend to 26" or not at full droop.



How tall my truck sits for comparison:



And a couple shots showing it not really seem to limit droop:

 

Ill deffinately make sure to ask them about travel numbers when they call me back. Thanks for those measurements and pictures. Ill compare my measurements when i can park the truck on level ground this evening. You got a nice looking truck there!

 

How long have the leafs been on the truck? Why did it need a degree shim?

 

I've had literally this exact setup before... Speaking of if you ever want to rebalve those front COs hit me up. You basically need to run a Bilstein 5125 11" shock to use those leafs comfortably with all of them in the pack with stock mounts. But I recommend relocating and using a 10" smoothie shock from a brand you like instead

 

Leafs have been in the truck for 1 week now. I know thats not much time at all but ive heard from others on the forum that there isnt much if any settling with this leaf pack. It needed the shim to improve the driveline angle. At 4.5" of lift your driveline angles are way out of whack. I also installed a carrier bearing drop which probably helped the most.

 

Thanks for chiming in! Ive followed your builds and comments in various threads over the years. I am still getting a feel for these new CO's for now but will totally hit you up if i feel it needs a revalve after figuring out my rear end suspension. As for those 11" 5125's are these the ones you're referring to?

I also fount this chart of lengths of various 5125 shocks. Correct me if im wrong but I understand that the lower valving numbers mean a more soft and plush ride where the higher valving numbers are firmer and better for hauling heavy loads.


Specifically looking at the 11" 5125's you referenced it looks like theyre 28" extended. Do you think given my measurment of 26" for mount to mount at full droop that i should go for the 11" and have 2 inches of unusable travel as well as a less uptravel? Or in your opinion would it be better to go for the 10" that measures just milimeters shorter than my full droop? Thanks again in advance!

 

When I wrote that I hadn't considered the fact that they are a completely different leaf pack than used on my truck, 2002. Mine did sit high at first but then settled, and with just a shell on the back I decided it needed the xtra leaf to handle any additional load and retain the wanted lift.

What about removing a leaf? Doesn't ARB note that as being an option? I still would use a longer shock. I use 10" travel Bilsteins in the stock locations, but again, mine is a different year. I did have to extend the bump stops, but not a crazy amount, and the trade off is that I can use the entire range of shock travel. If I end up removing the extra leaf (no longer run a shell or weight in the rear), I might go down to a 9" travel shock and adjust the bump stops for additional up travel. The 10" (or was it 12"?) travel Bilstien 7100 short body shocks would do the trick but require some sort of modification to the bushings.

 

Thanks. I'm pretty happy with it, but it'll look really gnarly once I start on cosmetics. Been focusing on getting it setup to be a bad*ss hunting rig (Eaton E-locker and dialing the suspension) now I'm gonna start really focusing on making it look good.

 

Some good info to have here thanks. Yeah my truck is in the oddball years where 95-97 got kind of neglected as far as having options for leafpacks and customizability. I spoke with ARB and they do not recoment removing any leafs from the CS019R Leaf Pack. I have read some threads where others have removed the 3rd leaf from the top. One person even removed the 3rd and 4th leaf from the top of the pack. I dont want to resort to this though. I dont mind the height at all. Its just harsh as all hell with shocks that ride overextended.
Ive never looked into the 7100 shocks. By modification to the bushings what do you mean? do you mean install new 3/4" hourglass shape bushings or drill them out or do you mean like custom bushings will need to be ordered?

 

I'm pretty sure that the 170/60 valving is for a dual shock configuration and will be to soft for a setup with a single shock at each corner. The 255/70 valving is for single shock applications.

 

That would actually make sense, im going to have to call wheelers who stocks the shocks and see if maybe they can verify that. Does anybody else know if this is acurate? Thanks for chiming in! Everyone is being so helpful!

 

Definitely share what ends up working for you, I'll be getting these soon as well and have been worried about the over-lift issues.

 

I was able to verify that yes 170/60 valving is for dual shock applications where the 255/70 is for single. Thanks for saving my ass there lol i woulda been out of like $300 in pointless shocks.

After much thought and advice from various members on TW, Ive decided to purchase a set of 10" travel 5125's and the correct bushings for our trucks. This will give me much more usable travel and if i decide to take a leaf out of the pack the shock should work just fine. Will update when they come in. Should be a couple days!

 

How did they turn out?
Do you also know which bushings you got?

 

I had to bust out the calculator, just to check

 

Its about time for an update ive just been so busy. The shocks turned out awesome! I ordered the 10" travel bilstein 5125's and used sockets and a vice to press out the bilstein bushings and installed new Energy suspension 3/4" inside diameter bushings. They have to be the hourglass shape bushings that look like this. That trick with the vice and sockets worked like butter. No problems at all!


Heres the new next to the old 8" travel 5125's. Big difference in overall length!


Now for my review on the ride as my front and rear springs have now had a chance to break in and isnt so stiff and jarring anymore.
The bilstein rear shocks ride fantastic. They ride as great as unlifted but of course with the added absorbsion from a more firm and controlled shock like the 5125. I would recomend these shocks to anyone who finds themself in the same predicament where even the extended length shocks arent long enough. The down side is i know that with too much compression in the rear I could potentially bottom out the shocks before hitting the bump stop which would not be ideal but i havent tested that theory yet. It takes quite the gnarly obstacle to reach full compression anyways.
The 5125s in conjunction with the new sway away 2.5 coilovers ride like a dream on the road and offroad as well they have great dampening. Ive even had compliments from 3rd gen tacoma owners that say they are impressed with the ride they provide for an older truck offroad.
Over all im very happy. With the help of all of you in this thread @Speedytech7 @Digiratus and some other users chiming in on other threads @Blackdawg and others, I was able to find a solution that rides perfect for what im looking for. Thank you all!

Also... Somehow snapped my swaybar in half while doing some very mild offroading through a pasture?????????????????????? So now i have no sway bar lol. I know many on this forum dont run swaybars anyway. Its a slight adjustment driving but a much improved ride allowing each front wheel to react independently from on another on bumps.




Just a bonus update:
I picked up some new to me wheels from FB Marketplace for $600 which is a pretty good deal here in HI.
DX4 Terrain wheels in Matte Black. (Essentially a trd pro style wheel) but I dont mind much the fact that they arent oem TRD Pro wheels.
They are 17x8.5" (not sure what offset but they are pretty even with the fenders)
Wrapped in some 265/70/17 Falken Wildpeak At3W's. Theyre essentially a 32x10.5 inch tire.
Let me know what you all think!
The Wheels:


Before with stock 31x10.5 tires and wheels:


New DX4 Terrain Wheels going on:




I think this is the perfect stance for this truck although some may say a 17" wheel has no business going on a offroad vehicle. Let me know if yall have any thoughts or questions on all of this.