Alcans vs Generals HD

I was originally considering General Heavy Duty leaf springs (~$450) but someone turned me on to Alcans (~$1200). Wow what a price difference. I have an 02 4x4 auto with a 1" front lift that I use on the highway and in city. Believe it or not in Queens the roads are like off-road but instead of dirt it's pavement. I have a camper shell with a build out for weekend get aways so it's maybe an extra 300lbs. I tried air bags but it's not soft enough for the city and I'm not going to add an extra weight just to make them flex more. So the question is, Alcans really worth it? My back is killing me and I would enjoy some experience between the two

*Prices Include shipping & hardware

 

Alcans are custom made for your truck. You provide them with the specs, any custom work you've done, what you normal haul around fully loaded vs. unloaded weight, how much lift you want or don't want, do you drive off-road, mostly on-road, etc. They then build the springs for you literally from scratch.

With General Springs you're buying a product off the shelf that they mass produce for the Tacoma. Nothing wrong with that and I've heard good things about General Springs, but if you're really looking for the best springs for your truck then you can't beat having a set custom built. But that's where the price difference comes in.

 

My alcans are over 10 years old and haven't sagged

 

Alcans for my xterra, and 3rd gen.

 

Forgot to mention I've got Alcans too, going on 3 years and no problems at all. Been through a few leaf spring configurations and these have been the best by far

 

Sounds like if I want it to last and be done right, spend the extra $$ and walk away happy. Reading real experiences helped, would hate to spend the $$ if it was mixed reviews. Thanks

 

Buy once, cry once. Had my custom Alcans installed the day after my pop-up camper was mounted. Planned it all out in advance so I could pass thru Grand Junction on the way back home.

Expensive, but like has been mentioned- nobody has any complaints about them(other than price). Lew (owner) was very helpful and I would give them my business again on any future builds.

 

Keep in mind too that with Alcans you're gonna have to wait awhile to get them, General Springs will probably ship that day or the next. Its worth the wait for the Alcans though if you can.

I got mine pre-Covid (literally right before in early 2020) and I think it took about a month and a half, maybe two?

not sure if the wait time is any different now

 

Alcans for the win

 

Do NOT BUY GS springs. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/brand-new-generalspring-leaf-springs-sagging-bad.780440/page-2

you will save a lot of money by going with Alcans the first time

 

In the spirit of alternative solutions, try to find a local spring shop and see if they can add an additional leaf or two to the pack and re-arch them to get you back on the road. Probably a TON cheaper than custom springs.

 

Looking for straight replacement. Wonder if ARB or Deaver would be a smart choice if I can't afford Alcans? All about smoothing out the NYC giant pot holes and miserable uneven highways, not rock crawling or extreme off roading atm

 

I have over 100k/mi on my Alcan springs are they are still bomber.

 

Have heard nothing but good things about Deaver. I had the ARB Dakars and they rode great but squeaked to high heaven. And didn't hold much weight very well. Also the Dakars will give you 2 - 3" of lift. Are you looking to gain some lift or maintain stock height? I'm not to familiar with any aftermarket brands that are straight stock replacements other than General but I'm sure they're out there.

 

FYI, Alcan has a new owner as of a couple years ago. Reviews from peoplethat purchased from the original owner might not reflect current customer service or quality. AFAIK it was a wheeler that bought it, so thats a positive.

 

I have 4600 on the rear so I'd be curious how a 2" lift would effect them. The air bags have the 1" cradle so it hikes it up so they don't articulate as much as they should. A 2" lift might still have the right flex that it allows full articulation of the rear?

 

I went from a OEM pack + 1.5" 3-leaf AAL to a Deaver J59 (+1.5" of lift) pack a few months ago. Deavers have long (like 20+ years) been an excellent option for these trucks. You can't go wrong with Deaver. You can also call them and get custom arching to suit your needs as well.

By far the cheapest option is modify/fix what you have. There has got to be a shop near you who can fix your packs.

 

I have to give Lew and his folks at Alcan Springs another thank you.
Supports my estimated 900# rides beautifully loaded or unloaded. No squeaks.
Made to give me 2" in the rear so I would have to chase my front end.

 

i to have a reg cab, smaller the wheelbase the rougher it gets, get longer struts in the rear

 

I contemplated getting the 5100 for extra length but they don't ride as smooth as 4600 Curious with Alcans/Deaver flex response improvement if it would counter the 5100 stiffness typically found with AAL or off the shelf leaf springs (General, ARB, etc)