Bed shell on 2016 Tacoma. Should I upgrade the suspension?

Thanks for the info. I try to pack light but with three to four people and gear, hitting trails might be an issue.

 

Check out soft topper. Local CO business, great product, weighs 35 lbs, and costs 1/3 of the caps.

I figure if I want a hard cap in a few years the used market will have caught up, but so far I love this thing.

 

Looks nice, but dead level with out additional load isn't what I'd recommend for a truck that's meant to work.

Throw a loaded ice chest or two in the back, and some camping gear and human cargo and you'll look like a dog dragging its ass on the carpet.

 

250-300 lbs in my bed, and I still have a truck. With 2 passengers.

 

I have a '16 TRD OR LB with Leer 100XQ, after adding cap, the rear sagged a little (3/8-1/2"). I added Sumo's which firmed up the back and raised the back about 5/8". Sumo's were cheap, quick fix.

 

I am in the same boat OP.
I have a DCLB and have a shell on . I put the Sumos on and it sits level and they help in keeping it from sagging with some added weight but not what I wanted, I figure the rear would be about 1/2" lower without the Sumos so I am thinking of getting Dakars . It should raise the rear about 2 1/2 " with just the shell . I would not want to do anything with the front end. This way when weight is added to the rear it would become closer to level . This may be the thing for us with sagging in the rear caused by the extra weight of a shell , tools , gear and tongue weight etc..
Does any one have a pic of a 3rd gen with Dakars and stock front end ?

Edit , found a thread ans pic . post 7
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dakars-in-the-rear-with-no-lift-up-front.463984/

 

Are you lifted?

 

I'm gonna trek to the showroom and check these out. This would be a great combination with the Front Runner rack.

 

2.5-2.75 in front and 2.75 in rear.

 

Good to hear!

They had one on their company Tacoma. One of the folks there showed me how it worked and we took it down and put it back up in their lot. No pressure to buy - super relaxed shop.

There is also a 70 page thread on soft toppers in the tonneau, caps, and toppers sub forum if you want more info. Seems like getting 10+ years out of the product is normal.

 

Well, for the moment, I am going to stay open and use the Front Runner Slimeline II load bars. I have an old roof basket that will serve as the second floor. I do appreciate all the input and advice. I hope to receive more in the future.

 

OK, so an update. After much deliberation and research, I took an off the wall route. I installed an Undercover Ridgelander one piece tonneau cover this morning. Because it only weighs 55 pounds, taking it off in the rare instance I'm carrying something tall should be a snap. It is very rugged and the track systems, both on the cover and on the frame when the tonneau is removed, means that I have options. Thank you all for your input and guidance.

 

I really want this tonneau cover! Trying to find info on whether it can hold a RTT.

 

What you're not accounting for is that all these people have brand new trucks (you included). The leaf pack will sag, and you will need new ones eventually. My 2013 (which sits lower up front) is level right now without a cap and no weight in the bed. My springs are effectively shot from infrequent use. I have never really overloaded it or gone crazy. Everything was within the payload capacity of the truck... it just happens to have springs that were way under-rated for the actual stated payload.

 

So much truth here.

 

Have the exact same truck with a 120lb rolling tonneau that's regularly filled / racked with a few hundred pounds of gear. No sag, but it does "level it out" a bit where it is slightly lower in the front when not loaded due to the weight distribution. No need to mess w/ suspension proactively as I think the stock OR suspension is quite nice if you aren't lifted. ....so long as your U-bolts aren't loose leaving you to feel like your suspension is busted like mine were

 

No need to change the rear suspension when simply putting on a camper shell.
You will feel the increased weight back there, but it all it does is level out the truck a little bit.
I put Sumo Springs in, and I love them!! Feels way more secure back there, and gets rid of the side to side swaying you feel when entering parking lots.

 

2017 Limited with around 160 lbs tong weight and another 100 lbs of camping gear in the bed, Century Ultra Sport short bed cap. Truck is my tow vehicle and this is my small trailer. the larger trailer is an aluminum dress enclosed ramp trailer it puts about 300 lbs of tong weight on the back and also has another 150 lbs of train stuff when doing shows in the northeast during the winter. Still looks pretty level, no suspension upgrades.

 

I'm currently waiting delivery on a ARE CX topper for my 17 Pro and unlike most Im actually hoping the rear of my truck to sag a bit with the topper installed, I am partial to the bro lean and don't care for a leveled truck or the hidius factory front end dip. The camper weight is 130lbs so that's not to much and I really don't think it will sag the rear much, we will see once installed.

 

The same is true of Raider brand caps. Same factory and warranty as Leer/Century, just a different badge. I was able to save quite a bit by going with this instead of the Leer version: