Leaf Spring Setup Suggestions

Hello all,

I recently upgraded my truck from the OME Nitrocharger Shocks (About 2.5" lift) to Fox all around. I went with a universal shock for the rear that is 3" longer than stock. I decided to lift the rear to allow more up travel as I was bottoming out fairly easily.

I have the OME 2.25" lift leaf pack. To lift the rear further, I added the Wheeler's single AAL and removed the 2nd overload spring from the pack to improve the ride. I carry about ~120lbs of equipment in the bed at all times, but the ride in back is quite stiff.

What I want to ask is if anyone has suggestions for improving the ride outside of throwing a bunch of weight in the back? I'm considering trying the Icon or Deaver progressive AAL sets but I'm not sure if they will work with or improve the ride of my setup. I'm also considering a custom Deaver pack with 3.5"-4" of lift built in, but I'd rather not spend that much if it's not necessary.

Any input or opinions on your own setups are much appreciated!

 

I've got custom Alcans (probably about equivalent to custom Deavers), and they're 100% worth every penny, despite the tall price.



I've since replaced the 5100s in the rear with Toytec 2.0s and the 5100s up front with Icon 2.5s

 

Nice setup!

What kind of improvement and lift are you seeing with the Alcans? Also, do you remember how much they cost?

 

So I had some weird aftermarket leaf pack that I couldn't identify prior (came on the truck when I bought it used), and i can't remember exactly how much lift it gave me over that.

My hub to fender measurements are:
Driver Rear: 24"
Passenger Rear: 24-1/8"

When I contacted Alcan I said I wanted the leafs to provide 3" over stock ride height and to have a weight capacity 700lbs over stock. They built the leafs to offer 2" lift and paired it with a 1" bigger shackle for a total of 3". Total cost was right around $1400 with shipping.

Here you can see i have the Icons dialed down to only about 1.5-2.0" of lift up front, so the truck has some rake and won't be squatting when loaded up heavy with lots of camping gear.

 

Ok awesome. It looks like Alcans or Deavers would leave me the most satisfied. I imagine you get good flex from those with how many leafs you have.

 

Indeed, they're really great all around. Good flex, good weight capacity, & a good unladen ride.

 

ciaman96, as an experiment, i played with all combinations of Dakar and stock leaves to find the unweighted subtlety i wanted, only to discover the OME 60065 rears were overdamping any compliance achieved, so i swapped them for the slightly softer 60063s and got the ride i was looking for. You might already have hit the perfect spring rate, and maybe the fine-tuning is in the shock...?

 

I’ve had the shocks retuned, and the ride is still extremely stiff. Just going by feel when pushing on the shocks while removed, the ride should be a lot smoother.

It’d probably be good to remove the shocks and drive the truck, but it’s 110 degrees now and I’m not especially eager to sweat that much in my garage.

 

I recently had the General Spring HD pair installed on my 02 taco PreRunner and I am content with them. Rear sits higher than before as pictured and it’s riding better as well (because the OEM ones had never been replaced). I have bilstein 4600s shocks/struts