Leaf Spring Replacement - OME or OEM?

Hey everyone,

My leaf springs are in desperate need of replacement, they are sagging horribly. I recently put a camper shell on the truck and even just that extra 100-200 lbs makes the truck do the horrid "Carolina Squat."

I can't decide whether to just buy more OEM ones or get some Dakar OME leaf springs.

I have a few questions-
Do you HAVE to replace the struts when you upgrade to Dakars? Or are the stock struts long enough?
How much weight can the stock leafs hold before they begin to sag?

I am trying not to spend more than $500, and if I can get away with not replacing the struts, the OME leafs are an option.

Thanks,
Zach

 

OEM ones are going to sag as well, maybe not as badly at first but since you are carrying more weight than they were designed to carry, they will sag. And won't last long

Dakar OME leaf springs aren't really rated to carry much more weight than stock, either. They are designed to lift the vehicle though, so while they might sag some it won't look as bad because they lift the rear end higher to begin with. I would prefer to get some new springs that are designed to carry the load you have in the back. '

One option would be to get the Dakars and add an extra leaf to them, they sell add a leafs for this purpose.

But it also depends on whether or not you want the rear end lifted. If you want stock height and the ability to carry more weight, you should look into a company like General Spring that sells springs meant to hold weight but not necessarily meant to lift the rear. You can get springs that are heavy duty but don't add lift, has to do with the way they are designed and the thickness of the steel and the number of leafs. At least that's how Alcan explained it to me.

Or you could always go the custom route and contact Deaver or Alcan and have them build you a set of leaf springs tailored to your needs, but that is a pricey route.

 

The General Spring route sounds the best for me. I plan on keeping my truck stock height for a while since I drive it to college which is 5 hours away. Do you have any recommendations as to what GS leafs I should buy? Thank you for the help.

 

I don't have any experience with General personally but I know others on here have used them when they wanted to keep stock ride height but carry more weight than stock. Hopefully someone else can chime in on it. I have been on their website and if I remember right, you can plug in your make/model and it'll give you options on different leaf packs for different purposes

 

Just found some - They are "heavy duty" and only $320 for the set, bushings included! I think I will be ordering these very soon. I just need to figure out if I need to replace my U-Bolts.
https://www.generalspringkc.com/product_p/90-203hd.htm

 

I would, u-bolts aren't meant to be reused especially if they're original to the truck. They are all thats holding your rear axle to the truck so I would want new ones on for peace of mind. They aren't very expensive though, I think I got my long u-bolts from OME for $50 or so shipped. Shorter ones for stock height packs are probably even cheaper

 

@zjdietz

I helped a member install General HD springs for his Tacoma, and he too had a camper shell with some stuff in the back.

I talked to him again months later and he's very happy with the setup.

Here's the thread with plenty of pics -

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/advice-for-leaf-spring-installation.643856/#post-22295691

 

Thank you so much! Ordering everything now.

 

Final question - should I replace my shackles or is that unnecessary? I may have to considering I am from Maryland and the truck has a decent amount of corrosion under it.

 

I would if they've got rust.

Be easier to get the rubber bushings on in the shackles.

 

Yeah I guess I will. Also, does anyone know if General U-Bolts come with nuts?

 

They should, I've bought u-bolts from a couple different companies and they always came with nuts.

 

Yes they will.

 

Yeah I just called General Spring and all U-bolts come with nuts and washers.

Thanks everyone! Will keep you all updated with my progress

 

Lol

*asks in thread, receives answer*

*calls General anyway, gets same answer*



You'll want to order these U Bolts;

Bend Type - Square

Diameter (A) - 9/16

Inside Length (B) - 2-1/2

Length (C) - 7

 

Called General before I received an answer from TW. Wasn't sure if that was common knowledge. Anyways, thanks.

 

Hey, it wouldn't be TW if we didn't at least deviate a tiny bit

 

Thank you for posting this OP..was on my mind this morning**

Would you guys go with the HD general leafs over the standard replacement pack for hauling a motorcycle 10X a year 200-300 mile trips? I feel like standard replacements would be fine with my helper springs on there, HD with nothing in the bed has got to take bumps awful.

Hardly haul anything else, maybe occasionally some light dump runs, my stock are toast, hauls bike fine but get a ton of axle bucking when loaded up with about 600 pounds, its almost miserable to drive.

 

Everyone's different;

If it were me, I'd go regular springs since you have some kind of helper.

An add a leaf can always be done later.

 

I saw this company recommended by Eric the Car Guy on Youtube on one of his leaf spring replacement videos. They seem to have the same product numbering as General Springs, I wonder if they are both just reselling the springs made by someone else.

https://www.autoandtrucksprings.com...acoma-4wd-rear-leaf-spring-right-side-90-201/

GS Version: https://www.generalspringkc.com/product_p/90-201.htm

They are located right outside of Philly, so might be a opportunity to save on shipping OP.