Taco Lean on OEM and/or aftermarket suspension?

I've read multiple threads and seem to get conflicting answers. Does the taco lean also affect the OEM 2nd gen suspension? From what I've read, generally this affect aftermarket setups, but some people experience it with the stock suspension.

I quickly looked at my truck, it seems to be lower on the driver side front (I will properly measure this weekend). I know its not the recommended solution, but I'm about to temporarily level out the front with 1.5-2" spacers until I get my hands on Billies for the front. I have the recently replaced TSB leaf pack in the rear.

My question is, would two different sized spacers be needed for the front (i.e. 1" spacer (2" lift) driver side / 3/4" spacer (1.5" lift) passenger side) to give an even lift?

I have new OEM Bilstein shocks recently installed in the front and back so this is simply a temporary solution until I do it properly.

Can anyone share their experience?

 

the Toyota Tacoma is based upon the Toyota Hilux which is currently right-hand drive. When switching over to left hand drive, you have the battery, the driver, in the gas tank, all in the left inside of the vehicle. This is something that is going to be indicative of almost all OEM Tacoma's but will become more pronounced and noticeable when you do left the vehicle. Some people do insert a quarter inch or half inch spacer in the front left suspension to help offset the aspect of that lean. A lot of the aftermarket, higher end, suspensions do have adjustable settings which can help with this as well. I have the 6112 and 5160 shocks from Bilstein on my second gen Tacoma it is still has a slight lean in the rear and in the front. I have a quarter inch spacer in the front which will be moving up to a half an spacer soon and I'm also going to try a small half-inch block added to the left side of my Dakar springs in the rear. I will get back to you after I do it to see whether or not it was beneficial.

 

Thanks for the reply. Therefore, based on a lot of the accessories/heavier equipment built into the truck (throw in the weight of the driver), it seems as though the "Lean" will be present right from the factory. Even MORE pronounced as you lift it with aftermarket suspension (assuming most shock/spring combos are the same size from left to right).

I think its safe to say that if I level it with spacers, I may be better off using two different sized spacer (1.5" lift driver side / 2" passenger side). If i go aftermarket shock combo, I'll probably also need a spacer to adjust the lean.

Thanks for the input!

 

One 1/4" spacer is typically used on the driver's side to correct the 1/2" lean (don't ask me to explain the geometry, as I have never understood it myself, but it works). The lean is present from the factory, but you would never visually notice it, until you got the measuring tape out.

 

Agreed. I only really notice it because I know about it!

 

Here is how I corrected the infamous Taco Lean.... I have Dakar CS047Rs and after a year or so the leaf springs settled so I had added Toytec 1" spacers .... 3 years later the drivers side was 1/2" lower than passenger side. Added the extra 1/4" spacer on top of the driver's side front coilover, still did not correct the issue. So to get the result I was looking for, I purchased a set of 1-1/2" toytec rear spacers and swapped out the 1" spacer on the driver's side with the 1-1/2"..... Perfect.....

 

Wow, that seems to have taken a lot of adjustment to finally get it perfectly level.

 

From what I understand the lean is caused by body mount bushings compressing. Suspension adjustments will fix the aesthetics of the lean but it’s still actually present. Replacing the bushings is what really fixes it. I corrected it myself using the 1/4” spacer too.

 

Do you know if anyone actually fixed the lean with a new bushing?

 

Yes have read several threads about it. If memory serves it a pretty invasive process that requires raising the cab a fair bit to switch them out. The core support bushings are notorious for failing too.

 

I have tried 2 different polyurethane bushing in the front rad/body mount locations. Neither of them "fixed" the lean since it's a weight issue. A 1/4" spacer worked on factory suspension. When I went aftermarket I used adjustable coilovers to get it close. It was more prominent with aftermarket coils. I put heavier items on the passenger side to compensate and I'm close to level with about 3/8" inch more adjustment on the driver side.

 

It's incredible that it's this difficult to fix if not hide the lean itself.

When you switched out your bushing, were they thicker than the oem ones or the same but stronger?

 

Not really, measure your D&P side wheel wells front and rear...... my rear driver's side rear was 1/2" lower than passenger, so i put a 1/2" taller spacer in the rear...... did the same for the front.... pretty simple and straight forward.

 

I assume in the rear, a 1/2" spacer creates only 1/2" lift. Whereas in the front, a 1/2" spacer creates ~1" lift.

Correct?

 

1/2 inch spacer in front would only give a 1/2 inch of lift..... the spacer doesn't change preload of the coilover spring, it just spaces the truck up....

on a side note.....some guys with the coilovers with threaded body adjustment compensate by adding additional preload to the coil spring instead of adding spacers.....

 

The reason you're wrong is because the spring is attached to the mid point of the LCA. When you put in a 1/2" spacer, you move the midpoint down 1/2", which moves the ball joint down 1", which raises the truck 1".

 

I won't argue that your reasoning is logical, however, my attempt to add the 1/4" spacer to the front drivers side coilover compensate for the lean did not provide 1/2" of lift as many claim it would..... Was more like 1/4".......

 

I used both the universal energy suspension bushings (thicker) and the ones that came with the ES bushing kit (thinner). I settled on the ones from the kit that were closer to stock height.

I also measured my lean from the frame and not the fender. I noticed my fender is slightly lower on the DS than the PS. Probably slightly warped over time from the battery being on that side.