Leaf spring options for towing.

I tow quite regularly with my Tacoma and was wondering if there is a good leaf spring kit that would improve the towing experience. I feel that the stock springs are too soft. Would I be better off with bags? Thanks.

PS. My truck is stock height and I plan on keeping it that way. 18 TRD OR

 

What are you towing? Sure you aren't overloading the truck. Tacoma's have a pretty shitty payload capacity. Maybe you just need a WDH.

 

Absolutely put more leaf springs in. Keep in mind it will lift the rear. I put two more leafs in mine and had to lift the front to level it. After it was all done... now I can tow and haul a payload without sagging. No worries... you're not going to break the truck. Now with the extra suspension and 10 ply rated tires... it rides like a truck. lol

 

I don't tow often enough to be a credible source, but my HD Dakars do me well when I do tow.

 

air bags are great.

 

I personally prefer the roadmaster active suspension.

It does stiffen up the rear unloaded (both good and bad, it keeps those tires planted to the pavement ) and it keeps it from sagging when towing.

I like them being not as labor intensive as bags - Install is easier, you don't adjust them nearly as frequently. Admittedly for that occasional adjustment it takes a floor jack and 20 minutes of your time.

I have no complaints.

 

I wouldn't waste my money on any aftermarket-easy to install crap. If that was any good at all, trucks would come from the factory with them. I don't mean to insult anyone who has bought them but this is my view. None of these aftermarket gadgets offer any lateral stability and with more tongue load, more load support as well as lateral stiffness will be needed. The only way to achieve this is with more leaf springs.

 

I tried summo springs but the normal ride quality was horrible. I'm towing a side by side with trailer around 2800lbs and a 22ft bay boat thag weighs roughly 3500lbs. It pulls fine like I said it's just the rear end is very soft and when you go over a bump the whole truck bounces up and down. No tongue weight issues. I know the offroads have a softer ride compared to normal sport shocks from what I've read. I do not have E rated tires just standard SL tires.

 

bags

 

@Creepbam , check out Roadmaster active suspension or Hellwig helper springs. Either will do what you want. I use the Hellwigs on my 2018 OR, no problems.

(Neither application is “crap” in my view but will do the job).

 

I noticed a huge difference when I switched the rear shocks out to 5160s while towing. I also have airbags and daystar cradles. Rides like stock when it’s unloaded and handles the weight the truck can tow just fine. Leafs are probably the better option if you are towing multiple times a week but then you have to deal with lift and a stiffer ride when unloaded. I’ve hauled camp trailers, dump trailers, cargo trailers, and I’ve got a hitch mount motorcycle carrier that adds about 300 pounds of tongue weight.

 

Airbags if you don't want any lift otherwise. If you don't get a auto leveling inflator, don’t make the mistake of attaching the air hose from both sides on a T-valve, else the air will slosh back and forth between them on curves. They have to be separate or you need a valve to independently close the lines off from eachother after filling them. The bags are easy to inflate with just a small bike pump. I made a pressure equalizer by attaching two quick press inflator tips onto each end of a short hose, it lets the air pressure between both bags equalize while you hold it onto both valves at the same time.

I lifted my truck 1.5” with 5100’s front (4th notch, stock coils) and rear, and put in a single Deaver AAL in back while keeping the original overload leaf. Have Firestone airbags and a Daystar cradle too. Towing and off roading works very well with this setup.

 

If your truck is bouncing up and down and/or porpoising, then stiffer shocks is a better solution than stiffer springs. If your ride height is too low, then stiffer springs will help.

 

Awesome replies. Thank you for all your input

 

I have tried many options over the past 3 years and I refused and resisted the recommendations to go air bags because I thought it would be complicated and expensive. The rear squatted horribly and was super soft towing my off-road trailer that weighs ~3000# fully loaded with my 2018 TRD Pro. I added 500# Sumo Springs, which did reduce the sag but not by much. Unloaded and without a trailer I only felt the Sumo Springs on the biggest of bumps. In hind sight, 1000# Sumo Springs would have probably been a better solution for me on those fully loaded family camping trips, but I don't think it would have eliminated the sag. I then added an extra leaf, which I made from a spare TRD Pro leaf pack I found cheap on OfferUp. This did give me ~1" lift and stiffened up the rear, but even with the Sumo Spring (which wasn't really doing much since the rear was now lifted), I still sagged a good amount. Finally, I found a used set of Firestone Ride Rites with an Air Ride wireless compressor and Daystar cradles. Night and day towing and hauling with the Tacoma! Finally the truck has no squat, less body roll, and drives like a truck should while towing. The best part, I can adjust pressure on the fly if I need a bit more or less support in the rear. Honestly, skip the cheap fixes if you can afford it. There's a reason why dump trucks, 18 wheelers, and other big trucks that haul/tow use air suspensions.

 

I’m curious why people seem to be so worried about a bit of “sag” when there is a load on the rear. It’s normal for springs to do that. I don’t see it as a big problem until you are hitting the bump stops when over bumps.

 

My personal experience is that upgrading my suspension made my truck porpoise less when towing the trailer and I associate that mostly to the king shocks. I have 600lb springs on the front (stock is 700) and the standard Dakar’s on the rear. My goal was not to make towing better, but it was a nice side effect.

My boat and trailer are about 2300 lb

 

Bump stops are the major reason, but there are other benefits. My trailer is 3000 pounds wet, but its tongue heavy thanks to how it carries propane and batteries. Keeping the trailer level and keeping your headlights properly aimed are some of the other reasons. Bump stops are still the biggest concern with added weight because it affects dampening in addition to travel. Few things will put me in a bad mood like hitting a dip on the highway and feeling that ass-slam.

 

because it tends to take weight off the front of the vehicle that is used to steer.

 

Suspension helpers wont put weight back on the front axle. Only a WDH will do that.