Leaf spring upgrade recommendations?

Been hearing good things about wheelers leaf packs

 

Yeah, Alcan makes the wheelers "brand" packs.

 

Or build your own if you have a little mech. ability, that way you can tailor the springs to what you need...

 

Of course. I should have clarified about whats the list of pre fab'd bolt-in replacements. Seems General spring has the most affordable upgrade, until you get into shipping. At least the Dorman stock springs you can get on Amazon Prime (OME's as well).

 

I had Alcan HDs in my 03 ext cab, they are pricey but were hands down better then OEM, a AAL, and the Supersprings I had. In my 2012 I have airbags and love them because you can fine tune them but you have to drill into the frame with the 2001 to 2004s. I don't like the idea of drilling into the frame and this is why I went with a new leaf pack in the 03.

 

How high did the Alcan HD's lift the rear of your truck? I have the rear of my truck lifted 1.5" and don't want to go over that if I put new leaf springs in.

 

At first I was about 1.25 inches higher then OEM then they settled to about .75 and stayed. And this is exactly the height they told me I would gain over stock when I ordered them. Very knowledge crew there.

 

I don't know that I'd characterize Dakars as "near stock height" since they're advertised as a 2.25" lift. Deaver J59 is quoted as 1.5" higher than stock but with a reduced max gross payload capacity in return for more flex.

The Wheeler 5-leaf is also 1.5" but in a normal config using an overload. Their 4-leaf is their "approximately" stock height set. I suppose if those are made by Alcan then something similar/same could be bought straight from Alcan. But I don't suppose Alcan regularly stocks anything, seems you have to email them a shitload of specifics for a custom build first.

Edit: 2.25" not 2.5" for Dakars.

 

Thanks again for all the recs. After a lot of reading and some reconsideration of my plans with the truck, I went with the full OME kit. It hasn't settled yet, but after the initial test drive I am very pleased.

 

Hey, post a pic when you get a chance?

 

Would also like to see the finished product pic please.

 

Here are a couple quick pics from the phone. Sorry about the lack of effort in making it look good. I went with the 881s and I installed the full Dakar leaf pack. Dan at Wheelers suggested I might remove a leaf to level it out more, but I like a bit of rake. I expect the whole thing to settle 1/2 inch or so over the next couple weeks.

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. Installation was super easy. Extraction of the stock stuff was a different story. I racked up a huge Advil bill. Wheelers was great to deal with. They answered my many questions and were open to possibilities rather than to just pushing something on me. I have just a little bit more noise from the drive train, but nothing too bad; and I suspect some of that may go away once the suspension settles. I'm not sure yet about the need for bigger wheels. Maybe...

 

Hate to beat a dead horse, but leafs are new ground for me. My leafs on my 04 look like the originals from 15 years ago and feel like it riding down the road. Why would I not want to just throw an AAL in there and call it a day?

 

Start a new thread.

AAL is just a band aid to bring back some height, but those springs no longer can support the trucks weight, much less payload you would carry around.

I've seen those things break on other people's truck as well.

 

Hello darkness my old thread... Wow back from the dead from a few years.

Also the ride cleans up a bit and is smoother. As @Kwikvette says, they aren't as strong as they used to be. I had to replace a leaf because one broke in half on my first taco.

 

I replaced mine with Deaver J59's. I've had up to 750 lbs in the bed and really don't notice it. They surface rust in no time but it hasn't seemed to bother them. They've been on there for almost 4 years and I have no complaints. They ride nice and can handle moderate weight. They are pricey at around $600 a pair but well worth it IMO. No complaints here. I just wish they would paint them properly so they don't flash rust in the first month. I doubt 'll never need new rear leafs again although I can see myself taking them out one day, dis-assembling them and painting them properly.

They are a very popular, high quality spring in Tacoma circles. Deaver will also make you custom springs.

 

Well, I'm back. Just a curiosity question. Should my bottom leaf look like it's arched the wrong way, and I'm not sure if this is the right angle for my shackles.

 

The bottom leaf (overload) looking like a frowny face is normal; when you apply weight to the truck, the leaf pack flattens out. At the same time, the overload leaf counteracts that flex to support heavier payloads.