Just ordered Timbrens for my 98 reg cab 4x4.

It has stock springs which are played out as you might expect, and I am not interested in shoveling out the kind of money new springs will cost. I will be towing a 16' bass boat and when I hooked it onto my trailer hitch for the first time it dropped about 2 inches and the rear springs were frowning.

Folks on here seem to favor the airbags over Timbrens, but for the $100 difference in cost it seemed not to make too much difference, and the airbags seemed like they would be a little more work. In short, not worth it for two long tows per year and a few short ones.

I did take time to measure the space into which the Timbrens are going to have to fit, then called Timbren to find out how tall their product is. In case anyone is wondering, from the top of the product to the bottom they say is 5-3/8 inches. The woman from Timbren says if you have a 1/2" of clearance it will work, 1" is ideal. It appears I will have between 5/8th and 7/8ths clearance so I am good to go.

I guess now everyone can tell me how big a mistake I made...

 

You didn't make a mistake. The Timbrens work great for heavy loads. It is a good idea to have new shocks back there as well to help dampen the added weight and spring rate of the Timbrens.

 

Timbrens are great. I had them on my 1998 to haul an 1,100 lb camper (see below). They ride best with a load completely off or on them.

I have them on my 2010 and pulled a trailer last summer where they barely made contact. In that case, we got beat up with every bump as the frame travelled to hit the Timbrens before the Timbren compressed. Now that I lifted the truck, I need to get adapters to get the proper gap.

Good luck!

 

thanks, gents. Hey fishhunter, nice drop tine on that buck, man. I have killed some nice ones but I have never gotten one with a decent sticker or drop tine. Way to go.

 

Mine made the ride a little more harsh while unloaded, but worked well when loaded. I left mine on after the lift since the factory bump stops suck.

 

Welcome and thanks. I think what you see as a drop is the rear leg. That said, he's my best so far. I've seen bigger ones scouting and found a larger shed, but once gun season starts, they do a pretty good job of disappearing.

 

HAHAHA! Maybe my bad eyesight is why I never get a buck with a nice drop tine!

 

This is one of only two posts I've read where the ride from the Timbren was not good and they were both 2nd gen Tacomas. I believe the big difference is that the Timbrens on the 1st gen are mounted to the frame (point of impact at the axle) but with the 2nd gen the Timbrens mount to the axle meaning that the point of impact, where the majority of force takes place, will be on the frame transferring to the cab. Something for the 2nd gen folks to keep in mind.

 

thats a pretty cool setup. Hope you had frame reinforcing plates...that looks heavy!

 

Mine have been a great help. You can hear when they're working because it makes a faint suction cup sound you can hear at speeds. I had mine coupled with an AAL.