5 -lug Leveling strut

are there any leveling struts for first gen 5-lug tacomas? ive been looking forever
i found this one
https://www.carid.com/2001-toyota-t...erformance-strut-leveling-strut-80939405.html
and when i asked they said "As per the manufacturer, it is designed to fit all models of the Toyota Tacoma 2001-2003" but i'm not sure about it

 

Will Work on prerunner, not base model

 

Technically there are no 'leveling struts' for any Tacoma...........

1) we have shocks, not struts, regardless of what ads call them.

2) no shock or strut controls ride height, up or down, on anything. That is the job of the spring.

3) Shocks/struts that have adjustable spring perches (using the spring as mentioned in #2) either preload the spring to lift, or unload the spring to lower.

So the better choice is to pick a spring suitable for the goal of lift or capacity, and control it with the appropriate damper.

You're in the right forum. Look around and you'll find varying methods folks have used to lift. Just don't expect fantastic results. IMHO you're better off to trade your truck for what you want to accomplish rather than invest too much in one that will still be limited in function after all reasonable alterations are made. And you've have negated the prime benefit of our sweet 5 lugs, that being economy and simplicity.

 

So are there leveling springs for our oem shocks?

 

Not that I'm aware of that is specifically marketed as such.

The 'right' spring change would create some lift. One that is stiffer, longer, or a combination of both, yet be the same OD as the OE spring to fit right. It could even be a spring from another marquee.

However, I don't know of anyone who has put the time or effort into trying to figure that out.

And said spring could give the look wanted parked for photo shoots and result in a horrid ride.

For how I use the truck, the 1" of real ground clearing lift gained from going to 235 x 75 tires was enough for me.

 

leveling/lifts with our 5 lug suspension are different because we run off a coil spring in a coil bucket with the shock tucked inside. 6 lug's can run off strut/coilover. If you wanted to get a strut on your tuck, your closest option would be getting a coilover in there after changing out the lower control arms with something aftermarket. They used to have a downey mid travel kit where it would give you new uppers/ lowers, and you could actually use the stock coil bucket if i remember to run a coilover inside. They sadly no longer sell this and you are now forced to find a used kit, go full long travel in the front, or find a local fab shop or friend willing to take on helping you do aftermarket lowers and buying or fabbing new uppers. The problem is that the angles created by our stock lower's and their mount points will not allow a strut or a coilover to fit in our suspension. 5 lug suspension lifts would involve getting a larger/heavier coil spring (i.e if you have the 2.4l like me you can buy the v6 5 lug coils and get an inch of lift in the front---- which that's next on the list for me because I want more ground clearance, and my shocks are blown so I need to do the 2 for 1), getting a coil spacer (which doesn't give as much, i've heard .75 inch with an extended cab), getting the fabtech 3 inch spindle lift, and doestch still offers uppers, heavier coil spring, and spindles if you call in. i see the spindle for sale on doestch's site, but for the upppers and coil i think you have to call in. Sorry for the long response, but this is pretty much sadly it we have for the 5 lugs. Definitely feel like this is a platform that got left out.

If I have mine long enough I may just jump the long travel train. There still is a shit load you can do to these trucks, but the money has to be there. The trucks are definitely worth it though. Hope this helped, cheers!

 

So if I got the v6 5 lug strut, it would give me 1"of lift give or take?

 

Moog 81070 Coil Spring Set

https://www.amazon.com/Moog-81070-Coil-Spring-Set/dp/B002VK0AZW


it's a coil spring, not a strut. However yes it will give 1 inch in the front.

 

So, disassemble my struts, and replace the coil spring with those?

 

what year truck do you have? if you have a second gen then I may be confusing you I apologize. You will have a strut if you have a second gen, and you can use a spacer lift in that case

 

If you have a year 2005+ truck refer here. I apologize for the confusion

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-lifting-your-5-lug-guide.518620/

 

There is no 'strut' on any Tacoma. Regardless of what a catalog may say.

Tacomas are coil over shock.

 

This works well to level some or all of a sag. It is in fact .25 in thick though it has someadditional spacersyou may or may not use.
It got my truck to within 1/8 inch level side so side.
Click on the link and other similar products will show up also. They all seem good.
I had a 1" lean to the left on my 2wd base model, it was a frame swap truck just before I bought it so everything underneath was new, except the front coils. I have 2 sets of much bigger wheels and tires, 225/60/17 for summer and 225/65/15 for winter, both on toyata alloys from other models, Sienna and RAV4.
I put on good Bilstein shock all around and put in new Moog front coils, these were listed for an older model year though same generation of truck, 2008 are not listed with Moog. Now it's all new. Still leaned 1'. Shortly after that I cut 1/4 off the higher side new coil, no difference. I then installed the below, and it is within 1/8 inch level side so side.
FYI: All 2nd Tacomas have the same upper spring/shock mount with 3 bolts, the rest of the 2wd/4wd suspension is quite different, a half inch spacer is pretty much the most you can fit on a stock length spring/shock combo.

$22 Supreme Suspensions - Driver Side Leveling Kit for 2005-2023 Toyota Tacoma 0.5" Front High Strength Steel Lean Spacer 2WD 4WD

Supreme Suspensions - Driver Side Leveling Kit for 2005-2019 Toyota Tacoma 0.5" Front High Strength Steel Lean Spacer 2WD 4WD (Black)

 

I'd say most off the shelf shocks can take an increase in spring rate by up to 20% while higher end stuff can go up to 30% sometimes if they are adjustable. They may wear out faster though. I have no idea what rates are on the Taco's but 400x1.2 = 480. Increase in spring size of 1" will not likely yield a ride height difference of 1" but you could calculate it given the rate and what that corner weight of the vehicle is and known the suspension geometry.
https://www.hypercoils.com/spring-rate-calculator/

Finding the right spring is likely an issue for the 5 lug. top and bottom design, amount of dead coils vs active, how much they sag under corner weight etc. you could probably even find a spring almost identical to stock and it would sag 1/2" less.