Rear "bottoms out" under load...

I had the same problems with my 2006 DCSB. Installed a pair of Firestone Ride-Rites and no more bottoming out, rides great and I can adjust the ride for the load. Easy fix.

 

Temporary solution to a bigger problem. IMO a waste of money. Get new leafs.

Good luck. Now you just need to prove they are bad. That should be very easy based on the fact your truck rides on bump stops all the time. If dealer gives you shit tell him to get 3 of his salesmen to stand in the bed while in the parking lot.

From the pics you posted your leafs are totally shot. Not sure if re-arch or rebuild would work - thats out of my knowledge.

That fixes nothing during normal driving unless your always riding on the bags. IMO that's a temporary solution to a permanent problem. I would get new leafs then air bags so they didn't go to poop....not put on bags to offset bad leafs.

 

I don't see anything to indicate your springs are bad. The rear springs on our trucks are designed to give best possible ride (what customers want today) for the comparatively lightweight rear of the vehicle while still bearing sufficient load. Toyota does a pretty good job at it, but it's a complex design process, with tradeoffs. A smooth ride is obviously accomplished by using softer springs which flex more. The tradeoff is occasionally too much flex with the possibility of bottoming out. More importantly here, as springs age or wear from use, they tend to flex even more, which only increases the chance of bottoming out.

You can reduce that spring travel (chance of bottoming out) by adding a leaf the the existing springs, replacing the springs with stiffer ones, or adding air shocks or similar. The pitfall is a slightly rougher ride, which is less of a problem with the exising springs since they're already not as stiff. If there's no bounce in the rear of your truck, there's little reason to change the shocks. However, you may want to consider having that done while work is already being performed in that area.

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I thought that if there was a strait or negative bend in the springs, they were bad. Is this not the case?

 

That is what I thought. This picture I took earlier in the thread is with no one or nothing in the truck or the bed. That is a pic of what the springs look like...with no load.

 

id call Toyota and see if the can work with your warranty and get you the tsb packs. our call the warranty company themselves. you may be surprised at what they'll say yes to. it is a good excuse to upgrade though

 

Oh, I see. I replied to your original message. Didn't see the tiny thumbnail of the image in message #17. Can't determine from that image whether your particular springs are truly bad or not. Regardless, if your truck is bottoming out too much, the solutions mentioned in my previous message are still valid. You ultimately have to decide which is best for you.

 

Click on the thumbnail ^^ if you want a permanent fix you should get new leaf springs.

 

I decided I am going to do a pretty good overhaul and do the Maxtrac spindles, billies all around and all pro leafs... Can't wait!