First Post - Shock and Leaf Spring Replacement

Hi all!
This is my introduction, gratitude, and pay it forward post. I drive a 2011 double cab, long bed, 4x4 TRD. I love the truck, but at 97,000 miles it was time for a refresh/upgrade for the suspension.

The old non-TSB rear springs have become pretty pathetic when under any load. Adding to that, my wife and I just bought a travel trailer so I'll be towing more often. I have a good weight distribution setup, but I still didn't want to rely on the old springs.

My objective for this project was to keep relatively close to stock ride height (didn't work) and keep the cost relatively reasonable (did work). After many hours of research on here and arguing with myself, I decided to go with lower cost HD packs 90-297HD with Bilstein 5100 all around. I kept the stock coil spring in the front. Thanks to the amazing contributors on TW, I was confident in tackling the job myself.

For those looking to do something similar, here are the threads I used the most:
Replacing the rear: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/what-do-i-need-to-replace-leaf-springs.613358/
Replacing front without a coil compressor (worked great!): https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-shock-spring-install-without-spring-compressor.311424/
Torque settings: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

The new leaf pack was supposed to keep stock height, but I read on here that folks got 2-3" lift with them, so I did the rear first to see what setting I should use on the front 5100s. It ended up being close to a 3" lift, so when it came time to do the front, I set them to the 3rd position up (supposed to be 1.75"). When all was done, it ended up being closer to 2.5" in the front. Now I just need to take it for alignment.

Before:


After swapping the rear:


Complete:

 

i'd like to see it with your trailer hooked up and hear of your before and after towing experience(s). I'm also interested in any comments you may have regarding dialing your WD hitch.

Oh. And good job getting after it.

 

Looks good.

 

Great write up with links and truck looks awesome!

 

I have the Fastway e2 WD hitch rated at 10,000 lb, which is a bit overkill. Dialing it in starts with backing up to the trailer on level ground and measuring the height from ground to your front fender. Then hitch up and measure again without the WD bars. The front will be higher. Finally, add the bars and measure again. They will shift some of the load to your front axle. The goal is to get the front at least half way back to where it started, but not lower than it started. I use blue tape so I measure the same spot each time.

The painful part of it is the adjustments you have to make. For this hitch, the height of the ball, the number of spacer washers used, and the height of the L-brackets on the tongue all affect how much weight is distributed. My main advice is to go slow, measure a lot, and don't torque things until you're actually done. The whole process can be done with things just snug and it'll save you a lot of sweat.

I've only towed with this WD hitch a few times. Originally with a heavier trailer and now with the one below at around 4500 lb. I've felt the wind a bit, but never experienced any real sway so it's definitely doing the job. I also like that I can keep them on when backing up, which I hear is not true about some WD hitches.

I'll have to take a picture and post it here when I get it hooked up again in a couple weeks. The only pictures I have now are before the suspension upgrade. This first picture is after the rough install and without the bars. You can see the trailer is clearly too nose-down and there's a lot of sag in the rear of the truck.


Here it is after adjusting the hitch to raise it a couple holes and installing the bars. Still a touch nose-down on the trailer, but close enough.

 

thanks for your help. Once you get a chance to tow with your improved set-up, come back to the thread and describe your experience. As far as power and braking, I'd like to hear your comments regarding towing the 4,500 pounds with your 2nd gen. I'm in the market for 19" Airstream and my calculations are that it would weigh about that fully loaded. I'm trying decide between the 19 and the 16. Last question, can you lower your tailgate while hooked up?

 

Will do.

By my calculations, I’m running close to max cargo for the truck but well below max towing capacity. The power has been good for merging and hills. Breaking has been good, just make sure you set up your trailer brakes and brake controller. The trailer brakes might need some dialing in even if it’s new.

The only other thing I’m planning to do is add a larger transmission cooler. It seems our factory tow package ones might not be quite up to the job. I have the scan gauge II set up to monitor so I’ll be keeping an eye on it until I have a chance to install cooler.

Yes, I can lower my tailgate while hooked up.

 

great write-up! keep the dream alive.

 

That ass end was saggy ass hell before the new springs! Those OEM leaf springs suck. Mine were inverted by like 70k miles.

nice work on the refresh!

 

Finally getting around to sharing this update after taking the trailer out a couple times with the new suspension. I had to shift the hitch down a couple holes on the shank because of the lift, but with that change the weight distribution was just about perfect. See below for photos with and without weight distribution.

Control of the trailer was good, even with gusty winds, hills, bridges, etc. As for power, the truck doesn't have much left when taking a big hill, but it is manageable. I'm only getting 9-10 MPG with this setup. I am curious how things will change when I head up to higher elevation later this summer.