Rear Suspension Sagging

IMO option 2 will be good with topper and when you load rig up

 

Ewwwfff, that is saggin' hardcore! Even worse than mine with a Ranch fiberglass topper and a Decked in the bed.
Yeah, I would get a whole leaf pack and start on #1 or #2.

 

Roadmaster active suspension. Great no maintenance option.

 

Firestone air bags. Best upgrade I have done in 40 years with 4 different 4x4s.

I often carry 1,000 pounds in the rear for my frequent camping and fishing trips.

With 1,000 pounds in the back, I can get a 1.5 inch lift over stock ride if I choose to.

Right now I have 500 pounds in the back, and at only 20 psi (max 150 psi) it sits 1 inch higher than an empty stock truck with no weight in the rear.

With the air bags, it drives like there is absolutely no weight in the back.

It also greatly improves traction on cornering on wet roads. Without the air bags, if the roads were wet and I stepped on it to make a turn into the traffic flow, always a rear wheel spin. Hardly ever happens now. I assume this is due to the flex in the air bags. That was a huge bonus and unexpected.

 

You are asking the right questions, but I don't see any response to the shocks and that is critical to the equation, especially seeing how you want a decent ride. You do realize that the primary roads where you live are what more than 90% on here would consider off roading? And I'm not even talking about the Hell Finger road and tote roads off it and other places we have hunted.

Now I realize why you called me this morning on your way to hunt. You and the dogs have been killing birds for 4 straight months counting your trips out West, you have to be ready for a rest. I know your dogs aren't but you're even older than I am Well only by a year right now until your birthday next week then 2 years.

I don't know much of anything about third gens so not a lot of help. I know add a leafs suck I've tried them on and off over the years. They fade out rather quickly always better to replace the leaf packs. The first thing I've been doing on all my rigs last couple of decades is replacing the bump stomps, OEM all are hard as a rock. I've always used Timbren but for my GX460 I just ordered Perry Parts stops. They are half the price of Timbren and fairly new but so far people seem to love them. Get both Front and Rears. Order now and thank me later.

Air bags are a band aide for failed springs, although do help with towing. Until they fail. Considering you tow your buggy (assume you still will use the Beast for the camper) not a bad idea. But AFTER you install new leaf packs you may not need them. If you do make sure you also use with the daystar cradles, just your primary roads will stretch bags to hell and back. Mine only lasted 6 years and that was with cradles.



Took that in 2019 at the DDG shoot, the rear leaf packs on my 2013 Baja were playing out and had 20 psi in the Firestone RideRite bags. Last year the rear packs gave out totally and the bags blew. There happens to be a 4x4 shop near me and Jim the owner has worked with a lot of second gens. I told him what I wanted for the star of end result. The Baja T|X (Tacoma Extreme) had Bilstein 6112 in front with Eibach springs (still does) and 5160 in the rear. But the Bilstein shocks were custom tuned for the springs front and rear. Front is 1" higher than TRD Off Road and rear 1.5" taller. Which is about the max IME you can go without worrying about shims, driveline vibration, wobble, blah blah. At least over time if you plan on keeping your rig and my first 4x4 was a 77 FJ55 Iron Pig bought in 79. Jim went with OME Med spring packs and 5100 shocks in the rear and he nailed it.

You have to consider the complete package, shocks, coils and leaf packs it is usually not a good idea to mix front and rear shocks between vendors, I have no idea what the 3rd gens run. I called Jim today after @fourtrax57 called me and Jim really wasn't sure about the third gen Tacos, he is a big fan of OME.

I'm using him for my Lexus GX460 that I bought a month ago and on Black Friday bought TRD Pro wheels and Falkin WildPeaks, used him for the install



Waiting on the AC Condenser skid plate to come in so can cut that second chin off with a Sawzall, and zero offset sliders from Expedition One to get rid of those huge arse side steps. Suspension is complicated on a GX but think we have a plan. Still don't want to go over 2" lift that is when all hell seems to break loose on Toyotas, actually 1 and 3/4" would be more accurate. He built this GX off road for a lady that lives in town.



But third gen Taco not sure. If it was me I would go with the Icon RTX from what I read today. However the shocks AND springs are the question. Can you keep the factory ones? How is the ride? And not talking high speed on those washboard washed out roads although fourtrax does drive fast on those roads it is not like out West where you can see a long ways so not THAT fast. And that makes a difference.

Can anyone help this guy out? He is asking the right questions IMO. And is a great guy but don't tell him I said that.

He does own a Win 12 but also a number of 37's, most in 16 ga. Surprised he didn't see your post or he would have responded. About 15 years ago I mentioned to him that I grew up with a Ithaca 37 16 ga. 26" IC starting 52 years ago and killed more game with that gun than all my other guns since then combined. A few months later he called me and said I have something that you need to look at and if you give me what I paid for it then it is yours. It came home with me and since then have added a few more 16 ga.



Including King Ferry UL Deluxe 16 ga.



Then fourtrax started working on me for guns with the barrels all twisted up side by side along each other



Not even sure how many SxS guns I own now Got to watch out for that fourtrax fellow he is an enabler LOL.

 

Is anyone running both the add-a-leaf 1.5” AND the air bags in the rear? Would this work rather than replacing the entire leaf pack? I already added the icon add-a-leaf but would like to incorporate the air bags as well without adding additional lift to what I already have. Would running the add a leaf and air bags together lift the rear more or would it just support the lift I have?

 

all depends on how much air pressure you put in the bags. The good thing about bags are; you can leave them with little to no air pressure when you are not carrying a load, and as you add weight,, add air pressure to compensate. For this purpose I like air bags,,,, for temporary loads.

 

Like you OP I ran stock suspension for approx. 70k miles with bed mat, ARE topper (~190lbs) and some gear most of the time. Add a little weight and I was hitting the bump stops. Normally a bit nose up/tail down which I didn't like. No real wheeling, just forest service roads.
I rockhound and hunks of rock plus camping gear adds up fast equalling more squat with a squishy rear end (Taco has a full diaper, is that a butt dyno feeling?).
Had Ironman 4x4 medium lead pack and foam cell pro shocks installed. Got about 2 inches lift (eyeballing it), but only about 1k miles on the new suspension so I'm guessing it's still settling. So far I'm liking it and ride is firmer which I prefer.

-Jon

 

I have a 2006 Tacoma with a sagging rear. It looks like after reading this forums posts that getting the ICON 2005-2023 TOYOTA TACOMA, MULTI RATE RXT LEAF SPRING PACK W/ADD IN LEAF is the solution. My question is about the comparison to replacing the coil springs with the ICON VARIOUS TOYOTA COIL SPRING, 14” LONG, 3” INNER DIAMETER, 700 LBS/IN SPRING RATE. Replacing the coil springs is a lot cheaper. Have you heard of anyone who has gotten similar results with this coil spring or another out there from another manufacturer. Any advice?