Shock/Suspension upgrade info needed from fellow 1st gens who've upgraded

That's correct J59s don't hold weight well, they're not good for towing either. I've been running J59s for 13 yrs now, they ride great & do well offroad. But as with any leaf pack that eliminates the overload spring, they're not meant for handling loads. Something to consider if you haul weight or tow. I've towed 2 quads on a little trailer, it sags bad but didn't have an issue.

Wheelers has what you need need. I'm runny daystar greaseable eye bolts & OME greaseable shackles from Wheelers. In fact pretty much every upgraded suspension part on my truck is from Wheelers.

 

Adam
I have the Deavers on the rear and love them.
Night and day difference in handling bumps.
I dont haul loads but rarely.
Also one thing to remember is that the Deavers were developed for off road racing so both leaf springs are designed to carry an equal load (presuming a centrally located gas tank).
The result was that my drivers side of the truck with a full gas tank sagged.
To fix that Deaver sent me a different spring with an added leaf to accommodate the left side gas tank.

BTW, I have 5100 adjustables with OME 2881 spring coils on the front and 5100s on the rear.
I did eventually go to aftermarket upper control arms because of the problems the OEMs were causing with alignment and tire wear.
So I have over 2" of lift but so far have had no problematic wear on my CV axles.

 

If u look at my truck I am currently running Bilstein 5100 for my front and rears (set at stock height) . My original shocks that came with the truck were shot dead so to me the new bilstein gave a huge improvement. But I’ll also add that it still rides a TRUCK and not some high end car; imo I think they shine most when I’m off road than daily driving.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stock-height-front-suspension-upgrade.540654/

 

I don’t regret the OME Dakar leaf spring/Bilstein 5100 combo I installed on the rear. When the skyjacker front set up dies it will be replaced with either Bilstein /OME combo or King coilivers.