Need suspension advice

[RV4021]

ExPo,

I have a 2013 Tacoma DCSB. The leaf springs in the back suck when under a load. I recently put on a shell and plan to carry my ARB fridge full time and a single ARB drawer. I need to obviously uprade my suspension to keep from bottoming out. What are you guys running in your daily drivers? I do go off road but nothing extreme. fire roads, planning Josuhua Tree in the spring, etc. I have a budget of about 2K but I am a bit overwhelmed by the choices. Also can anyone recommend a trustworthy shop for the install in the SO California area?

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Robert

 

[rruff]

Is your load pretty set, or does it vary a lot? If all you need is a little extra capacity in the rear, the low budget solution is to add a leaf, or a progressive stack of leaves. Cheap and any mechanic can install them.

If the load varies a lot, airbags work well. If you are offroading much you will probably want Daystar cradles in addition to allow full articulation.

Either way <$500 should cover it.

 

[RV4021]

rruff,

Thanks for the reply. The load will vary depending on what I am doing. Usually running empty, a few times a month some steel targets which adds wieght fast and when camping with the family the typical overloaded truck (fridge, cots, tent, kitchen, etc). I will look into the Daystar cradles. I like that price point! allows for some other stuff to be had.

 

[rruff]

There are other options but I think airbags are your best bet if your load varies quite a bit.

A possible alternative to cradles would be the Slam Specialties SS7 or SS8 bags. They have longer travel than the typical bags.

 

[millerfish]

Air bags are great for on road loads but they don't work so well off road. I have a 14 DCSB OR and the stock springs were extreamly weak. I went with an upgraded spring option, Deaver expo pack. I could use a bit more spring when loaded off road. But am somewhat happy. Eventually I will go back to Deaver and add a leaf or two. The nice part about Deaver is the can custom build/rebuild what you want at thier location and they can install also.

 

[RV4021]

millerfish,

What spring upgrade did you get? I will look into the Deaver Expo pack upgrade. If I remember crrectly they are located in Santa Ana right?

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've been very happy with the OME CS047R on my truck for normal levels of use. I run a FOX 2.0 non-reservoir shock with them and the ride is good and the price isn't hard to take. Firmed up compared to stock (I had the TSB 4-leaf springs) with about 2" of lift with camping loads. I have bolt-on sliders, still running stock skid plates, factory rear bumper.

With regular daily load I get about 1/4 to 1/2 inch more ride height, but I tend to carry a lot of stuff all the time (tools, Hi-Lift, recovery gear, etc.). The main difference camping is the fridge doesn't ride 24/7 with me. Otherwise it's more bulky than particularly heavy (tent, bags, clothes) when I load up.

I'm on the cusp of feeling I need an extra leaf to hold full lift, but the standard 5+2 overload hasn't been overwhelmed too much yet. I will maybe add it whenever I get around to addressing the rear bumper. I don't intend on adding a big rear bumper and swing out, but something with a little more clearance, a bit more protection and proper recovery points will add a few pounds.

The only thing I wish I'd have spent money on was getting remote reservoirs with DSC adjusters so that I could add and remove damping to fine tune the ride between fully loaded and lightly loaded. It rides best right now fully loaded with the valving I have in the rear shocks but can get a little underdamped with high speed stutter with a very light load.

 

[rruff]

Air bags are great for on road loads but they don't work so well off road.

Could you describe some more? I understand why typical short travel bags are no good, but if you get long travel (like Slam Specialties) or daystar cradles I thought they'd be fine.

 

[Dipodomys]

I went with the OME suspension on my 2008 nearly ten years ago and have been very pleased. Handles a load very well and is perfectly fine for a daily driver. I did a lengthy write-up of it here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...mu-Suspension-Impressions?p=323588#post323588

Based on my experience, the OME kits offer a tremendous value and a very quality product. The kit I bought is essentially this one here, which retails for about $1,300 from TRDParts4U.com: http://trdparts4u.toyotaofdallas.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-7220

This is the heavy duty setup, which provides stiffer front coils and an extra leaf in the back. As such, the ride is stiffer and the bed rises a little high when there is no load. They also offer a standard setup (for slightly less money), that might be fine for you.

 

[surlydiesel]

I'm kinda cheap. I would throw some upgraded shocks on the truck and an add a leaf. The add a leaf is less than 100 dollars and may do exactly what you are looking for. If you really feel the need to customize, you have some really great ideas posted above.

Cheers,
Jorge