Leaf spring TSB for 2013 Tacoma?

Well I took it on myself to do my own 2013 Rear Spring TSB, the solution was to use OME Dakar Leaf packs..... Problem solved.

 

^Blasphemy! How dare you change the stock suspension!!!!

You know, this guy reminds me of a salesman at a Toyota dealer ship that told me I was stupid for changing the stock suspension on my truck, because the TRD suspension on my truck can run the Baja1000 No problem.

 

I complained on deaf ears at the dealership where I purchased my new and first taco about the crappy rear springs hitting the bump stops towing a trailer with about 1200lbs gross and maybe an additional 300lbs in the bed, plus a camper shell. I was told hitting the bump stops is what it's designed to do and is perfectly normal.

When you look at the gross vehicle weight of the Taco it should be capable of handing quite a bit more weight unless riding on the bump stops is figured into the gross weight calculation. Toyota lists the curb weight of my pre-runner roughly 3,800lbs, the gross weight sticker on the door jam is rated at 5400lbs. So in theory it should be capable of hauling about 1,500lbs give or take a slight amount. Seems to me there is a bit of false advertising by Toyota or am I missing something?

 

My ex wife loaded 1200 lbs of rock in my 2004 Sporttrac and it barely squatted. I cannot put 1/2 that in my Tacoma without running nose up. Next Tacoma will get aftermarket springs installed by dealer when purchased or I will look elsewhere.

 

if i put 2 dirtbikes on the back of my 3 leaf sprung tacoma i would have about 3/4" space to my bump stops and would bottom out just from the bouncing when i come to a stop...thats not acceptable, being that my friking subaru outback ( you know, the STATION WAGON?) can handle that same weight load better, same weight , not bikes of course .

 

I'm not going to tow anything but I have a Snugtop and I plan to load my truck down with fairly light-weight camping gear and some mountain bikes quite a bit. Do you folks think I should get the TSB done? Go with an after market set up? (I don't want to spend much money right now)

I don't really want or need a lift. Won't be upping my tire size ever either if it matters.

Thanks for your time. Cheers.

 

Go with aftermarket. Having a camper shell on will just make your leafs deteriorate faster than normal.

 

Hooray...

 

Well, lets be honest here...Camper shells are a rather large investment into your truck. If you bought new...you most likely spent at least $1500...and put that onto a $30,000 truck...after, I don't know, 10 minutes of research on this site, you can find out how bad these Leafs are...I would immediately replace them just to ease a little strain on the truck.

Let see here, if you are slamming off your bumpstop, that's straining all the suspension components, that's straining your frame, that's straining your axle, that's straining the FIBERGLASS shell on the bed of the truck.

I know some people dont want any lift and don't want bigger tires or any of that, that's perfectly fine, but just do yourself a favor and replace toyota's shitty leaf pack with an OEM replacement HEAVY DUTY pack from a reputable vendor, you'll thank yourself for it in years to come.

 

.. you wouldn't have these for sale, would you..

 

I sold mine when I got my Dakars

 

My 13 model springs look better than my 06's did. 4 leaf pack vs 3 and the rubber isolators are 1/4" thick. Shouldn't have any squeaking from these either hopefully. My 06 would handle about 1000lbs before bottoming out. Haven't loaded anything in the new truck yet but hoping it'll do better. My 06's tail gate was garbage too. Have heard it's been fixed too.

 

My 2 cents. 2013 Tacoma TRD 4x4 two leafs with overide. ARB Deluxe bumper with Warn M8000 added about 200 pounds to the front suspension. Installed OME 886 coils with OME Nitrocharger N240 shocks. Front center hub to bottom of fender 23 inch. Rear 21.5. Installed ICON 3 leaf Add-A-Leaf. Removed the override spring as instructed. Front 23 inch Rear 23.25. Can tow my single axle camper with 110 hitch weight and not notice a sag. Ride is fine. Unloaded, there's about 4.5 inch of clearance on the bumper stops. ICON claims a 1.5 inch lift and they were correct in my case. At 23 inch clearance I believe it's 1.5 inch over stock. I was able to use the OEM U bolts, even though ICON includes longer U bolts with the springs. If the rear sags out of level, I'd consider adding the override springs for another .5 inch or so of lift. Than I would have to buy a longer leaf center bolt, and could use the longer ICON U bolts. I don't think the overrides would change the ride.

 

Damn, I just checked the leaf springs on my 2013 DCLB SR5 (4 leafs) and they are beyond flat, almost inverted.

13k miles and a leer/century shell.

What the heck!

 

If it fits in the bed, and its not made of lead. why should i not be able to hual it?

seriously, i have loaded minivans with more stuff than i could load a stock sprung tacoma with the sissy leafs.

And why the hell would i want a bigger truck to hual 1000 lbs? EVERYWHERE else in the world people hual and work in smaller trucks all day.

The fact of the matter is your talking about 500 lbs. If im in a access cab with a friend and the GF, that is 600 plus pounds so my dog would mean im hauling 715 plus lbs.

To even consider a "half ton" truck soley for 1000 lbs is absolutely stupid as hell. I get that literaly a half of a ton is 1000 lbs, but the names hardly mean anything literal at all.

And even if my expectation of 1000 lbs is too high, they rate them for that much. So the fact that 500 lbs is pushing the limit in a truck rated for between 900 something and 1200 something depending on trim is horrid.

If you bought a prius would you say 20 mpg was acceptable?

 

I agree, something should be done.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-2011-T...fits=Model:Tacoma&hash=item3a6e43d757&vxp=mtr

i like these for the money, have had better luck that other brands i have used.

there is a company i cant remember what they are called that makes a helper spring deal that goes on top of your stock springs rather than under, and is not supposed to increase hieght.. maybe something like hellwig?

 

An AAL is merely a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

 

true, a replacement leaf pack is much better.
But it cost more than $70

Down the line when i have other bills and projects paid for i will be replacing the whole pack. I havent decided which ones yet.

 

I wouldn't waste money, honestly. If you put any sort of weight in the bed, or have passengers in the back much, an AAL isn't going to last very long, AND as stated before, its just a bandaid, so if your leafs are already flat/bad, the AAL is just going to fatigue even faster. Then you're 70$ out, and in need of a new pack again.

 

i cant argue, i have tried a few brands to date and untill the link i posted fabtech softrides were the best. they dont last very long, and at $80-90 they cost too much.

The link i posted is "topgun" so probably chinese brand x, but they are longer than the fabtech longs by about 2 inches, they also have no taper and are basically just another leaf vs an add-a-leaf like many others.. I know its hard to explain, and they aren't a solve all or the best solution but after i broke the last set of fabtech i was looking for something cheaper. They have held up great, and have sagged a bit but seem to fit my spring pack very well. My springs were new when i put the fabtechs on. I will take a picture for refference and post it here so people can see.

I would say that 90 percent of add-a-leafs are total junk, and the other 10 percent are ok. I havent tried the wheelers ones, they look like a good product but cost twice as much, almost half of a replacement leaf pack. Most add-a-leafs either ride like crap, or they dont work well. and the short ones are just as likely to damage your stock springs as they are to fail themselves.