'15 DCLB: General suspension and towing specific help

Hey suspension gurus, got few questions related to general suspension upgrades (or as many refer to as a lift). To make this more complicated, I also tow a loaded enclosed 6x12 v nose trailer, which causes Taco's rear end to sag. I am new to trucks, lifts, suspensions and towing...so be gentle lol

Here are my questions and any and all help is greatly appreciated.

1- I want to improve my stock Trd sport suspension handling, while lifting/leveling the truck approx 2.5". What are good options for such kit? OME? but which kit?

2- Would installing the above referenced kit require me to upgrade to aftermarket control arms?

3- what are my options for addressing the rear end sag (not a whole lot but you can see it the photo below) while towing? Should I be thinking about air bags or rear leaf helper? Or will the upgraded suspension take care of the sagging issue?

 

@geekhouse23 I appreciate your knowhow.... can you please weigh in? I am looking at this http://www.headstrongoffroad.com/headstrong-kits-tacoma-05-6-lug.html is it worth the $$$? TIA

 

in for answers. nice truck. Just got same thing but SR5.

 

Thanks man, congrats on your truck. With so many different products on the market its hard to put your head around it all

 

I'm not n expert, but a couple thoughts:

In your picture it looks like your front end high with the trailer attached. This means you've compressed about 2" out of the rear (taking out all the rake)

If you lift the front 2" you'll look really funny with the trailer attached, and the handling will suffer.

Either a new leaf pack, or air shocks will solve that issue. Air lets you adjust ride hight, and can take more weight than anything else in the truck. New leafs will give more lift with the trailer weight off the truck, and bring back rake.

There are a couple long threads around here on the leaf pack vs air ride trade off. I'd start there.

Good luck,
AE

 

That kit your looking at would be perfect. I got the 885 coils and the 1/4 spacer for driver side.
For the front the 5100s on 885 coils gave me 2 1/4 lift. Don't want 3 inches and my upper control arms were within spec but I will upgrade in future to get more caster

As for your rear; do not add just a leaf if you are towing all the time. Look into a old man emu Dakar leaf pack. Will help the weight of the trailer and keep the rear from sagging.

But remember when lifting you may get vibes. When you lift rear a driveline vibe can occur but a carrier bearing drop should solve hat problem. If you are 4wd the you may want to look into the clamshell bushing from ECGS for the front. The cv angles do not like to be angled on these trucks but if you follow all the right steps first them you should be good to go.
Good luck with your truck

For reference this is mine with 885 coils and 5100s with 285 tires; along with a 1 1/2 AAL

 

I have the same questions as OP, thanks for the answers, and for the OP questions.
If I may, I have a question.
If I where to go with a commercial cap, and ditch the trailer. Averaging 400 pounds.
Should I go Dakar leaf pack, or air lift in the back.
The kit OP is looking at, plus air lift ??

 

Are you suggesting to just lift the rear and leave the front oem?

 

First of all, just a beautiful truck you got there, did you have to do to a ton of cutting to get those 285s to work?

See, the vibes are something i could not live with. PS...mine is a 4wd, I was not aware of this ECGS bushing. You sure know your stuff

 

Thanks man! I appreciate that. I have mad love for these trucks. I have done things the wrong way and that's why I'm here to tell you to do it right first.

For the cutting part; did not cut much at all. Used a dremel and cut a little off of the bottom portion of the fender. The part you really can't even see. Mudflaps had to come off.

Look into that ECGS bushing for the front. The part is pretty cheap and not hard to install if you are mechanically inclined and know how to work with cvs. If you don't do it there will be a mild hum between 30-40mph.

The rear; our trucks have a two piece driveshaft and if you lift rear then the geometry is off BUT the carrier bearing drop should solve hat problem. Or if you really want to, you can get a one piece driveshaft made. Not to pricey if you find the right company.
I'm here to help.

 

No, I'm saying if you lift the front you must lift the rear somehow to handle the trailer load, or we very front end high witb the trailer on. Air bags will let you adjust the rear lift, so you can be level all the time. New leaf packs will result in rake when you take the trailer weight off.

My truck has 2.5" front lift, 4" rear lift, when empty. But will be close to level when I add 500lbs of hunting/camping gear. I went with leaf packs thinking them better for offroad use. I'm not sure I'm well enough informed on that tradeoff to offer advice.

AE

 

Drive shaft vibes are apparently all related to shaft angles and u-joints. Many folks solve it with shims or carrier drops, $50 in parts. There is a thread on how to do the math and figure out what you need to get back in spec, also some YouTube videos.

Some of us are able to lift with no issues, even though the driveline math says there should be.

AE

 

I'd message @YotaDan on this one, he works for Wheelers. The guys at deaver could build you a truly custom pack too. In theory you'll have a consistent load, so you can get a leaf pack to match the load and lift you want. Take a look at the OME Dakar pack, and the AllPro Expo pack.

AR

 

Thanks man...Would any reputable online shop be able to guide me through what I need?

 

That right there makes sense. I need to see how much I can lift the rear using air bags..

 

Probably. The issue is every truck is a little different. Google stacked tolerances if you really want to get into it.

Start here: see Erll's post about half way down.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/just-fixed-driveline-vibration-for-free.153050/page-2

This will give you a good idea of what's wrong with your setup, and then competent shop should be able to help you get the parts to fix it.

AE

 

Many TXS, I'll assume (hope) @YotaDan is willing to answer a few questions.
Didn't want to butt in to much.
But this is my next step, same truck 2014. I'm guessing same use or similar, I use mine for construction, and overlanding
Thanks again to you and OP

 

I'm looking for a set of overloads leafs do any of you guys that redone the rear have any laying around that they would sell?