2013 PreRunner Bottoms Out with ~300lbs Gear: Need Recommendations

Hey Guys,

A couple of weeks ago I finally got out for a camping trip. My gear is pretty normal-tent, totes, firewood, etc. and the back was seriously bottoming out going over 6" potholes or bumps at 15mph with my gear. It's all stock suspension with a TRD Offroad package and only 66k miles. I do haul stuff now and then at what I feel is not quite the limit but I may have pushed that a couple times. Either way I use my truck for a truck. I've been through 5 shops in the past week in Sac area. Either they are 'too busy', 'call me back in a bit', or recommend a simple lift/level when they find out its a 2WD. I've yet to receive any calls back.

I've read countless reviews on several TW forums and have some ideas but a lot is based on 4WD capability so I'm asking for help. I work on my truck for some stuff and mods but I'm sure this job is too big for me. Can someone please recommend a reputable place in Sac/north Sac area? I'm ok with DIY'ers but have to be cautious since I'm a woman so would like a legit shop recommendation first. TIA. Apologies for long post but hope I covered enough details. Can provide pictures if needed.

 

Not sure what you are asking.

I stock suspension before and it would bottom out very quickly.

keep in mind….you have 300lbs of camping gear, plus you and passengers. (Plus firewood usally weighs more)

I would recommend a leaf pack upgrade. Not a block, not an add a leaf…but the whole leaf pack.


As far as shops that can do it….I don’t know anyone. I do everything myself.

 

I agree with pahaf, you are likely over 300lbs especially with passengers. Do not get a lift. In your case it would be a waste of time and money. If you had a 4x4 and you were off roading on more than pot hole rutted roads then maybe a lift. I would suggest 2 things. First get new shocks. Your shocks are 10 years old and 66,000 miles. They need replacement. . Stock shocks on new vehicles are good for 50,000 miles or 10 years. I know a lot of people go longer and more miles but that doesn’t mean their shocks are performing as they should. I suggest Bilstein 4600’s. They are the suggested replacement shocks for your oem shocks. The 4600’s are way way better quality than your original shocks. They will stiffen and firm up the ride. Second get a set of heavier duty leaf springs installed. The leafs and shocks will resolve the bottoming out problem.
Most tire shops will install new shocks and many will install leafs also.

 

Thank you both. The 300lbs is all the gear in the bed and cab, and is just an estimate. I have an Ultraflex that covers it so add another 70lbs, and I was the only passenger which I'm less than half of the estimated gear weight. I was thinking that shocks and a set of leaf springs were needed, and I don't mind a little lift so heavier duty is fine with me. I'll keep calling around.

 

Here's my $.02

Get new shocks. The 4600 is a good option, as mentioned above.

Load up your truck with all the same stuff you mentioned, the most you will be carrying.

Drive over to Sacramento leaf spring. Call and make an appointment first of course. They will re-arch your current leafs and add additional leaves to appropriately support that load. Their turn around time is really good too.

Cash is king there too.

 

Thank you. I'll give them a call Monday. It would be pretty time consuming to load up my gear just for that, but I'll see what they say. I do have cash.

 

Your truck may be eligible for new recall leaf springs; mine was. Check with your Toyota dealer and you might get them for FREE!

 

They may or may not have you do that. If you have a ballpark of the weight of your load it probably won't be necessary. I carry a lot of weight consistently so it wasn't much of a hassle in my case.

FYI, I had bought a high-end leaf pack first, but was still left with a saggy rear. Sac springs fixed it right up. They even make custom u-bolts to accommodate the thicker leaf pack.

 

@Steves104x4-I like free! Will call them, too. Thanks.

@TOP TACO-Yeah, loading my camping gear requires a lot of ladder trips and Tetris skills. Would be easier to pop off the cover and get another load of landscaping material that I need but have been holding off until I fix this issue.

 

The leaf spring recall was for Tacoma model years 2005 through 2011.

 

Ya, free is good. Now you can buy some nice new shocks.

 

Well, thanks for spoiling that…

 

See what they say, a bed full of landscaping material might be the simpler option if they even need it. You got options. If you were to get off the shelf leaf packs, I'm sure you could find some resident TW degenerates to help you install. Most will work for beer. Keep us posted. GL

 

a little tip to save money.....keep a eye out of facebook market place and craiglist. i seen some OME Heavy duty leaf springs with 5k on them for $200 a week ago. they usally go for $600 or so.

i use craiglist a lot and found bilstein 6112/5160 with 5k on them for $500. OME meduim leaf pack brand new for $400.

i load up my truck for camping trips about 1200lbs of extra weight with everyone and everything in it. it is ok for the most part. i bottom out here and there once in a while when we go to usal and i speed thru the ruts. but its not that bad.

 

Appreciate the tip, @pahaf and I'll do that. I browse craigslist and have gotten pretty lucky with the people I've bought goods from. The only drawback is that I'd like to secure a reliable person to do the install before making any purchase I can't return. Since this last trip was a fairly light load compared to one I did last year and one coming up I don't want to risk damage to something else.

 

Sumo springs.

 

@MyWyfsRnnr would be a great option for a timely install. He has done work on a bunch of member's vehicles. Extremely familiar with yotas. He is in Citrus Heights.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/folsom-area-shop-for-ecgs-bushing-install.759338/

 

Thank you. I know you mentioned 'working for beer' and I like beer but I also value time-especially someone else's who is helping me. Citrus Heights is pretty close. I'm more optimistic now about this than I was when I started this post. Appreciate your messages.

 

PM'ed

 

For anyone who was following this post or who is looking for options with similar issues on their Taco, here's an update. There's a lot of ways to go about 'fixing' something like this, and ultimately I was able to do something that worked for me. I did A LOT of research and asked endless questions of very patient guys with a lot of experience who helped me make informed decisions. I chose to put Bilstein 5110s all the way around with the fronts set to 2". I also added Deaver Stage IIs. I actually like the bit of rake it has. Even with the lift it's now a comfortable yet solid ride, and the best part is that I can use my truck how I need to.

Ever grateful and heartfelt 'THANK YOUs' to:
@TOP TACO for guidance, info and introducing me to @MyWyfsRnnr. You guys are good people.
@MyWyfsRnnr for his quality work like the truck was his own; details that you will only get from someone who really knows what he is doing and cares about his work, and making sure I understood the work that was done.
@AccuTune Offroad for their advice and information plus their website videos that taught me what 'suspension' is so that I could be confident in my decisions.

I purchased the leaf springs from Runnin4Tacos and my experience with them was very positive from the conversations on the phone, fast/free shipping, competitive pricing and a GovX discount. I purchased the 5100s from Shock Surplus who had the kit I wanted, great pricing, and free shipping to get me the parts in 3 days.

This forum has a ton of information in many places, and not every mod/build/fix is for everyone. That's one of the best parts of owning a Taco in my opinion though. You can truly change parts to make it to fit your needs or leave it stock. I hope this short thread helps someone else, too. Here's my before and after pictures, plus one extra for my latest mod and upgrade.