Rear leaf upgrades

Ok, so a quick rundown. 2013 Tacoma with almost 20k miles on it. Stock except for a leer truck cap. Recently noticed that the rear end is sagging. Along with the cap I occasionally use the truck to haul stuff around along with towing my 3000lb boat.

I did some research and found that the stock leaf springs are junk, so I was hoping for recommendations. Looking at the wheelers offroad 5 leaf HD kit right now. I'm not looking for any lift right now, just looking to beef up the suspension and take care of the sag I'm getting, especially with the boat hooked up.

Also, while I'm at it is it worth upgrading the shocks while I've got the rear end apart or will the stock's serve me ok for the time being? Not doing any serious offroading at the moment, so that's not a concern for me.

Thanks for the help!

 

Dakar leaf pack from toytec.com

I see you have one post. Welcome to Tacoma World

The search function is great on this site isnt it?

 

Hes not looking for a lift... the dakars are going to provide MUCH more of a lift than the Wheelers HD pack. the dakars on my buddies almost new (4k miles) on the truck dcsb 4x4 trd OR added a solid 3.5-3.75in of lift, also it made his truck ride like a 1 ton truck.

OP i am in the same boat as you wanting more load handeling but not much of a lift... wheelers HD pack seems to be the ticket.

 

http://www.generalspringkc.com/Leaf_Springs_Toyota_Tacoma_2005_2011_s/1933.htm
HDs on mine. But the regulars are supposed to settle stock height.

 

OP, since your leafs are still new and you are just needing to add more payload capacity to your current springs, a single aal is really all you need. That is cheap and will bring you back to stock height when hauling/towing and a minimal lift with cap only.

 

How about firestone airbags?

 

Thanks everyone for the quick replys! I must say the search function is pretty terrific and I've found it's even better when people provide thoughtful input to threads. I'm not looking for 3-4 inch of lift with my stock front end.

Sorry, I did do a good deal of research on this before even joining the forum and don't mean to beat a dead horse. I was just hoping to get some other opinions on my particular situation.

As the others mentioned, I'm not looking for any additional lift (although I understand any replacement is going to result in some over the tired toyota springs).

I appreciate the airbag and AAL ideas, but if I'm not keen on having to inflate and deflate bags and if I'm going to be taking the rear end apart to AAL, I figure I may as well do it right and install some proper springs.

I love my Tacoma, but it really is a shame that Toyota has just been mailing it in for what seems like the better part of a decade with this truck. I opted for the 6 foot bed specifically so I could haul stuff back there when I need to.

So I guess that pretty much leaves me deciding between the Wheelers HD pack or the general spring. Thoughts between the two? I seem to remember reading about the Wheelers being squeaky?

 

Had the same issue after installing my Leer

I went with a Toytec Add a leaf ... since the dealership wouldn't honor the TSB

Rear end lift was 1.5"

Ended up installing Bilstein 5100 adjustable 1.75" setting in the front

Truck rides great and still has normal rake

With my research I found that any addition/change to the rear suspension will add some lift to the rear

If that 5 leaf pack does give a little lift to the rear the 5100s can be set to .85" also

Don't forget the new u bolts

Good luck

 

What about a Timbren bumpstop. With the stovk leaf it will contact after 1 or 2 in. of sag. and it's reacting just like a progressive rubber damper.

 

A 3 Leaf Progressive aal set would probably cover your needs. You could even just use 2 of the 3 if you need to keep the height down.

 

So you would recommend those AAL over just replacing the entire spring with the 5 pack? What's the reasoning?

 

Just depends on what you want. Our 5 Leaf HD Pack is meant for load support, and can provide 2+ inches of lift in an unloaded situation. You can remove the 3rd leaf though for a bit softer ride, and closer to 1.5" of lift.

 

Thanks for the help everyone, think I'm going to go with the Wheeler's five pack and start off with a leaf removed. Then I figure if they sag a bit later or I need more support I can always add the 5th. I'll let everyone know how it works out with the boat hooked up.

 

good point.

 

Ride Rite.

 

What's up fellas, my right leaf pack has been making a lot of noise lately, it's usually when I I accelerate from 0-10, I thought it might just be dryed up or something but could it be the bushings?

 

So, ordered the Wheelers HD 5 leaf pack and waiting for them to come in. Next question, should I/do I need to install new shocks in the rear? Will the stock shocks be able to accomodate the lift from these springs? thanks

 

You can run the stockers, but it would be ideal to run a longer shock so that you are not topping out the stock ones everytime you go through a pot hole.

 

The standard Bilstein 5100's are good from stock height to a 2" lift all while still providing a nice ride. For the money I would say they are probably your best bet.

 

Alright, finally installed the rear leafs and 5100's this afternoon. Piece of cake. Still haven't gotten around to installing the new shocks up front. Planning on maybe .85 to take out a little of the rake, but not much. I like having the rear up higher. Also took a second to hook the boat up just for kicks to see how it handled the tongue weight!