Author Topic: taco rear spring sag. need advice updated 6/16 (Read 4545 times)

79yota350 · « **on:** Apr 12, 2009, 02:40:25 PM »

i need help figuring out what to do with the springs on the back of my taco. they are past flat. anyone know a place in norther california that can re arch springs or how can i fix it. i use my truck to tow mostly so i dont need a ton of flex. it does have blocks in the back tho. maybe there is a way to get more arch and lose the blocks?

boggerunner · « **Reply #1 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 02:43:57 PM »

what yr is the taco, my buddys 08 had a recall on his
and are those the 63" taco leafs cause some 1/2 ton 88-98 chevy rear leafs will give u some lift and might have the center pin in the right spot to be a direct swap.

79yota350 · « **Reply #2 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 02:46:47 PM »

its a 99 taco. ill post some pics later tonight. i dont have many tools here so id have to take it to a shop anyway to swap them.

OOPS · « **Reply #3 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 04:29:46 PM »

Re-arching does not work, they will be flat in a month.

Get rid of those blocks, they make the spring wrap more making them go flat.

Invest in some tools so you can do the work yourself and learn something.

How much of a lift do you have?

Try and find some aftermarket springs with the same lift. Before I went with longer springs I ran SkyJacker Softrides and they worked pretty good.

79yota350 · « **Reply #4 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 04:54:54 PM »

no clue on the lift. i think its a 3" suspension lift. i guess i could measure the spacer in the front and back. got the truck like that. i have a full shop with all the tools i need i just dont have time to drive 3 hours to it. ill need some pretty firm springs because i tow with it not wheel it. ahh i see you can still use the overload spring with them.

79yota350 · « **Reply #5 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 05:08:32 PM »

holy.

those are 435 bucks!!!!! my word thats pricy..... im looking for a cheaper alternative.

boggerunner · « **Reply #6 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 05:37:52 PM »

check the local junckyards for some 63" chevies

lilbuddy · « **Reply #7 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 05:41:21 PM »

how bout spending 350 for some nice allpro 3" springs?

http://www.allprooffroad.com/9504tacomarearsuspension/9504leafsprings

I had some 5" in my old tacoma and they were great

EDIT: I didnt tow with them but they were nice and arched even with a huge load (till i modified them and pulled two leafs out for more flex) but at least youd get rid of the block

79yota350 · « **Reply #8 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 05:52:20 PM »

yea i was just looking at that. they say not recomended for towing but they would probly be fine. ill probly go for the all pros.

its a 3" tuff country lift....

ill just add the 3" allpros to the rear and call it good.

lilbuddy · « **Reply #9 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 10:26:40 PM »

Yeah dude im pretty sure theyd be fine. Itd be even more legit if you had some rancho 9000s or something and you could turn the shock up to nice and stiff when youre towing. like i said, theyre fine up untill you mess with taking a leaf out cause they obviously get softer, sag a little, and cant take a load as well...

how big of a load are you towing, the weight on the ball?

jimbo74 · « **Reply #10 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 10:32:12 PM »

if you are towing, you should look into add a leafs or spring helpers like an air ride, or air lift helper spring system

79yota350 · « **Reply #11 on:** Apr 12, 2009, 11:20:18 PM »

trailer is about 200 on the ball loaded. with about 250 in the bed. so not a lot of weight. i just dont need all the flex and what not because my trailer is only a foot off the ground. eventually ill raise the trailer. i think the allpros will work just fine. wish they were on sale like the other springs tho

im not towing enough weight to need air shocks. thanks for all the help btw. on a side note if i do a rear u bolt flip and have to weld the new shock mounts do i mount them one front of axle and one on back like they are stock or do i mount them both on the back?

lilbuddy · « **Reply #12 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 09:03:17 AM »

so 450 pounds in the bed/on the ball isnt much. those springs should handle it just fine.

you could mount them however you want. if you want to use the stock top mounts though you will probably want to do it like they do stock, one in front and one in back.

Rockcrawlintoy · « **Reply #13 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 09:43:04 AM »

i would get some air bags

88Rokyoat · « **Reply #14 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 09:55:39 AM »

I had all-pros also. I never really towed with mine. I did haul a couple loads of almond wood in the back, and they held an arch after some heavy loads. I took the bottom leaf out to level the ride hieght out alittle. I would leave that in if your towing though.

Aig bags or spring helpers would help, but De-arched spring are a common problem on tacomas. too much axle wrap ecspecially with lift blocks on the stock springs.

79yota350 · « **Reply #15 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 11:19:17 AM »

one last noob question. do i need to pull the axle shafts before i weld on the shock tabs or can i just do it with the axle complete. and should i use long or short tabs? and ill just go for the new springs. bags are around 200 bucks and wont really "fix" the problem.

blackdiamond · « **Reply #16 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 11:54:08 AM »

My personal opinion is that you're wasting your money if you purchase a replacement spring that is designed primarily for off road use (i.e. soft ride and travel) when you're planned use is towing. Even if they can "handle" the load without going flat, the decreased spring rate will force you to run extrememly firm shocks to avoid bouncing down the road. This can become a handling issue related to safety.

If you get a Superlift/Pro Comp type of lift the springs maintain a spring rate that is closer to stock. The majority of people that have problems with this type of spring use them for more aggressive off roading than they were designed for.

blackdiamond · « **Reply #17 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 11:55:05 AM »

Quote from: 79yota350 on Apr 13, 2009, 11:19:17 AM

one last noob question. do i need to pull the axle shafts before i weld on the shock tabs or can i just do it with the axle complete. and should i use long or short tabs? and ill just go for the new springs. bags are around 200 bucks and wont really "fix" the problem.

You would need bags in combination with the soft springs.

79yota350 · « **Reply #18 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 12:07:53 PM »

ok the trailer in question here has a dry weight of 900 lbs. so wet and loaded its about 1250 tops.. the tongue weight is next to nothing i can move it around the yard by hand. i put about 250 tops in the bed when camping, plus the campershell and kayak. so overall its not a heavy load at all. Even with this weight you think the allpros will be to soft? thanks again for the info im just trying to pick the right setup. im also having trouble finding the pro comp and superlift leafs for the 99 taco...

blackdiamond · « **Reply #19 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 12:23:04 PM »

Quote from: 79yota350 on Apr 13, 2009, 12:07:53 PM

ok the trailer in question here has a dry weight of 900 lbs. so wet and loaded its about 1250 tops.. the tongue weight is next to nothing i can move it around the yard by hand. i put about 250 tops in the bed when camping, plus the campershell and kayak. so overall its not a heavy load at all. Even with this weight you think the allpros will be to soft? thanks again for the info im just trying to pick the right setup. im also having trouble finding the pro comp and superlift leafs for the 99 taco...

I run Alcan springs that have a higher spring rate than a Marlin or All Pro spring and my 4Runner gets soft when I'm loaded up for camping, or four adults plus the Rottweiler in the back. It's not bad with the Rancho 9000 shocks, but it wasn't pretty with the Bilsteins.

You just have to know what your expecting. Why purchase springs that were not designed for your intended use?

79yota350 · « **Reply #20 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 01:08:49 PM »

im still having trouble finding a 3" leaf for the 99 tacoma in the pro comp or superlift. any links would be greatly appreciated. or a place you can direct me to where i may find them. i search for them but cant find 3" rears.

blackdiamond · « **Reply #21 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 06:20:19 PM »

Quote from: 79yota350 on Apr 13, 2009, 01:08:49 PM

im still having trouble finding a 3" leaf for the 99 tacoma in the pro comp or superlift. any links would be greatly appreciated. or a place you can direct me to where i may find them. i search for them but cant find 3" rears.

http://www.downeyoff-road.com/SuspensionComponents/1995-04_Tacoma.html

http://skyjacker.com/products/products_search/detail/?id=152042

79yota350 · « **Reply #22 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 06:37:24 PM »

ty kind sir. you think those downeys are close to the stock spring spec? its hard for me to tell with the springs i have now because there all flat so the ride is a hard in the back. hopefully they will be softer. the front rides like a caddi and the back like a lowrider.

blackdiamond · « **Reply #23 on:** Apr 13, 2009, 06:54:33 PM »

I'd call Downey and ask. I've never run them, but I'm positive that a Downey springs will be much closer to stock than a Marlin or All Pro spring.

FYI - A lift spring often times will feel more firm than a stock springs. The reason is that arch is a factor in the overall spring rate. You can have the same spring rate in a different arch and the one with more arch will feel more firm.

79yota350 · « **Reply #24 on:** Apr 15, 2009, 02:57:17 PM »

do i need to pull the axle shafts when welding the new shock tabs on the axle?

boggerunner · « **Reply #25 on:** Apr 15, 2009, 09:34:27 PM »

79yota350 · « **Reply #26 on:** Jun 16, 2009, 03:21:20 PM »

update. im thinking of just tossing in a tuff country 3" add a leaf. the blocks in the back measure 2 1/2 in the front. will an add a leaf be enough to shape the springs back or are the springs too far gone. opinions please. thanks

zippo · « **Reply #27 on:** Jun 17, 2009, 10:22:04 PM »

Quote from: 79yota350 on Apr 12, 2009, 02:40:25 PM

That much reverse-arch, every few months just flip the springs over. HAHA that would be funny.

potter85 · « **Reply #28 on:** Jun 17, 2009, 10:43:55 PM »

what exactly are you towing with that thing....

i have trouble pulling my crawler and trailer with a 4.7l tundra so if your pulling anything like that well, you shouldnt

79yota350 · « **Reply #29 on:** Jun 18, 2009, 12:37:31 AM »

lol. its a 900 lbd camp trailer dry. about 1100 tops loaded. i can move it around by hand. eventually im going to swap axles and run larger tires on the trailer so i can get farther out in the boonies. ordered 3" add a leafs today going to see if i can get 2 1/2 out of it. if not ill just replace the whole leafs.

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