Is it normal to feel every crack in the road? Even the tar that they fill cracks with?!

Yes 170lb on the front end

 

My E's are pretty stiff too... But the E's have yet to leave my ass stranded in the desert!

 

I ordered 2 80lb bags I can fill with water to put in the bed to see If it helps, anyone have experience removing the 3rd leaf on the dakars? Is it worth doing all the work?

 

ici magnum front bumpers, I get it now.

 

Do you have the HD pack? I removed the 3rd leaf from my HD prior to installing it and it's still too stiff! I've been debating on trying to pull the 2nd overload but have read mixed about this actually helping, supposedly it will affect the spring rate. It takes over 240 lbs in the bed to even start to soften up the ride. I can easily tell the difference between a full an empty tank of gas as well

 

Get what lol

 

I think there the normal packs

 

You're in my boat, not much else you can do besides experimenting with removing the 2nd overload, adding more weight or switching to a new pack. I've been eyeing deavers or the new icon pack but they are both $$$

 

It's quite likely related to the rating on your rear Dakars. What rating did you get? I went with the heavy option on my 2015 a year ago, anticipating a canopy or tonneau and sometimes a RTT. The ride quality is abysmal until and unless I get some weight in the back, then it smooths out quite nicely.

 

I'm going to add another 160lbs to the bed and see how it does, I might have to add a winch to the bumper for some more weight up front to I guess till I can change over to C or P rated tires

 

Lol

 

Home Depot has 50lbs bags of sand for $3. Probably cheaper than water bags, as well as dynamics wise, sand doesn't move around any compared to water.


What kind of weight are you running in the rear? Dakar HD's are rated for 660lbs constant load and still provide 2" of lift, so if you aren't anywhere near that, it would explain it.

 

Ran E-rated BFG's for ~125000 miles and did not feel every bump/crack in the road. They were stiffer than stock but I liked the ride, less roll.

 

It's probably the damn Dakars. Mine are the regular version. I have a plate rear bumper, hitch & a camper. Still too stiff.

 

I had the TRD pro suspension on my 2015 with everything else stick except the BFG KO that came with the fake bead lock wheels. It was soft like driving a boat. Just my experience. But those were D not E. Here it is

 

I want to say there the non HD version, the previous owner installed them so I need to look at the part number on them to verify

 

Then those should be rated for 330lbs constant load with "x" amount of lift. Not sure on those. I only have the HD's. Wheelers has a good description on their site

 

just like a street car vs. race car, a daily driven truck vs. an offroader is all about trade offs & compromise. E-rated tires might be well suited for the trails, but are next to worthless on the street and actually come with some significant negatives in terms of acceleration, braking, gas mileage and overall suspension performance from increased rotational weight. Likewise heavy-duty rear springs are meant to perform while carrying constant weight and will very stiff without that load in the back. When modding a truck its important to keep this in mind so one doesnt "overmod" the vehicle.

It can be difficult to do at times because you have to sift through a lot of subjective opinions people have about ride quality, performance, etc and dig down into the data, if its even available. As opposed to "i put e-rated tires on and didnt notice a difference in MPG!" lol ok

to answer your question, i would start with tires then look at suspension. E-rated on a tacoma on the street really is just terrible.

 

I'm no expert, but pre-loading the springs to accommodate the 'cost friendly' lift in the front, i believe, i have heard referred to by posters in teh past as providing a 'donkey cart' like ride, which many shortly thereafter decided to 'upgrade'.

 

These tacomas ride smoother than any truck I've ever owned. 5100s and OMEs make it feel like a cadillac compared to my old Chevy. Man up. Lol