'04 DC Suspension Advice

[cruiseroutfit]

Who makes these Dakkars Its Emu Dakar by Old Man Emu

They are off the shelf and from OME only come in one variety for use in Tacoma. Several of us have found some tweaks to beef them up using commonly available OME AAL's but out of the box they are just a single spring.

I posted a couple pics here that you can see the axle alignment:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=537815&postcount=57

Some have found it necissary to relocate the axle using the common plates, I'm inclined to beleive there is a slight difference in the openings, particularly on the 96/97 in which they actually used a different spring lenght and must be modified to fit the OME or other common Tacoma springs.

 

[007]

So here's the question - as the OME Dakkar's are off-the-shelf and not a custom fabricated spring like the Alcans or Deavers, do they position the rear axle well for the 33 - 34" diameter 255/85 MT's?
Howard

They did on mine, but some I know have had to relocate. I think there are variables in trucks and possibly body styles.

And to add to Howard's question, how much lift do most people see out of the rear OME Dakars? I'm looking for probably 3-3.5", unloaded. But I seem them listed as 2.25". Am I pretty much going to have to beef them up or go with some 1" lift shackles?

Yes

 

[austintaco]

I just heard back from All Pro about adding an AAL to their spring pack. They are working on one now to go with their springs, but mentioned Trailmaster as one that seemed to work in the past.
Their relocation plates for 1st gen 4runners will work with the Tacoma.

 

[TangoBlue]

And to add to Howard's question, how much lift do most people see out of the rear OME Dakars? I'm looking for probably 3-3.5", unloaded. But I seem them listed as 2.25". Am I pretty much going to have to beef them up or go with some 1" lift shackles?

Straight Dakar's with the Dakar AAL will give you the 3-3.5" but you will have to drill the hole to accept the centering pin on my 2001 extended cab. Also count on adding an axle relocation plate to center a 33" tire in the wheel well; I used Roger Brown's (4crawler). Also will need extended shocks - I replaced my OME N85 with N76.

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

My truck is set up with All-Pro front shocks. However, instead of the Tacoma springs that all-pro sells with the shocks, mine have the tundra springs (to support the extra weight of all the junk up front)- so essentially I'm running off-the-shelf Bilstein coil-overs for a Tundra (order them from any Bilstein dealer) with the all-pro upper mounting plate for a Tacoma. They support a TJM bumper with a Warn 9000, and seem to do fine. The rubber mounting bushings have worn out after many, many off road miles, but they are a $2.50 item direct from Bilstein, and can be swapped out fairly easily.

For the rear I have Deavers springs and Donahoe remote reservoir shocks. I have found them to have a really nice ride both on and off road, as well as great flex off road.

Has anyone brought up 63" Chevy springs for the rear as an economical alternative?

 

[aheiser]

Straight Dakar's with the Dakar AAL will give you the 3-3.5" but you will have to drill the hole to accept the centering pin on my 2001 extended cab. Also count on adding an axle relocation plate to center a 33" tire in the wheel well; I used Roger Brown's (4crawler). Also will need extended shocks - I replaced my OME N85 with N76.

No kidding? Did you mostly relocate the axle for aesthetic purposes? Or to prevent rubbing? And moved it rearward I'd guess?

What do people think about the AAL vs longer shackle in this case? Worth looking at shackles or will the AALs perform better?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...What do people think about the AAL vs longer shackle in this case? Worth looking at shackles or will the AALs perform better?

Load capacity. As many of us continue to add things to our builds or haul more and more out into the wilds, the springs are getting taxed, the AAL bumps up the active spring rate of the leafs whereas a shackle would increase height without a spring rate change. Both could be beneficial, just depends on the users needs.

 

[aheiser]

That makes total sense! Thanks.

Sounds like if I want the tail to sit a bit higher, and I have the front at 2.5-3, I'll pretty much count on doing the AAL/Shackle from the very beginning.

 

[TangoBlue]

No kidding? Did you mostly relocate the axle for aesthetic purposes? Or to prevent rubbing? And moved it rearward I'd guess?

What do people think about the AAL vs longer shackle in this case? Worth looking at shackles or will the AALs perform better?

Me kid? No way. Had to move the axle rearward because of the rubbing when the tire got stuffed - about the lower 2-3 inches on the flares. I recall the ExpeditionWest Tacoma build mentions the same thing as do several other threads when installing Dakars and larger tires (mine are 285s).

 

[aheiser]

Me kid? No way. Had to move the axle rearward because of the rubbing when the tire got stuffed - about the lower 2-3 inches on the flares. I recall the ExpeditionWest Tacoma build mentions the same thing as do several other threads when installing Dakars and larger tires (mine are 285s).

Great, good to know as I'm pretty set on Dakars for the rear and I really like the 285s. Also appreciate the info on the shocks as I would have guessed the N85s would have been sufficient.

 

[austintaco]

What about the Zuk mod?

http://yotatech.com/f116/zuk-s-coil-spring-mod-saggy-rear-leaf-springs-199860/

Zuk has a bunch of applications on his page, but I am thinking of trying this on one of my trucks.

 

[Howard70]

Backward or Forward

...Had to move the axle rearward because of the rubbing when the tire got stuffed...ExpeditionWest Tacoma build mentions the same thing as do several other threads when installing Dakars and larger tires...

Are you guys sure that you moved the axle back (rearward)? I'm pretty sure that I had Alcan move the locating pin forward by 1/2 to 5/8ths of an inch to center the axle in the rear fender well of my 2004 double cab.

I just looked up Scott's old write up on the 255/85/16s and here's what he suggested regarding centering the axle:

"Rear: Deaver custom 10 leaf pack with .5" center pin adjustment to midline of truck. Expedition load height: 1.75-2.00". The rear suspension is critical to fitting these tires, as the center pin MUST be moved forward .5" to allow full compression or the tire will destroy the rear of the wheelwell. Shocks are Bilstein 5100, extended length"

Again, the pin was moved forward. I'll admit that I'm geometrically challenged so I could be wrong, but I think that moving the pin forward moves the axle forward, doesn't it?

Howard

 

[TangoBlue]

You're absolutely right moving the pin forward does move the axle forward.

I moved mine to the rear since the tire was rubbing on the front of the fender and it was a half inch forward of off center. The relocation plate with the half inch offset to the rear centered the axle in the wheel well and no longer do I have rubbing on the front of the fender anymore. Plenty of opportunity to validate that modification about a week later in Moab.

I'm thinking that since I'm running Dakar's and the other folks you cited were running Deavers or Alcan's, therein may be the difference. I think anyone who replaces leaf springs with anything other than OEM may expect a little difference in the centering of their axle. Just my observation, YMMV.

 

[Howard70]

Hello Tango:

Interesting! I noticed from your signature line that you're in an extended cab while I'm in a double cab. That could account for the difference also. The take home message is that everyone ought to take measurements of their own set up to make sure they get the best results!

Attached is a photo of the measurements I used for our truck (atcually our 1st truck that was totalled by a drunk driver).

Howard

 

[TangoBlue]

Excellent point Howard. Different truck-body styles in addition to different manufacturer's springs might also contribute to how the axle sits in relationship to the frame, too. I agree with you conclusion, "take measurements of their own set up to make sure they get the best results."

After this dialog, I dug up this pic from before installing the axle relocation plate... from the front bottom of the flare mounting bolt and on down is where the contact did occur but is now remediated by relocating the axle rearward.