Strut left vs. right

I'm working on installing these struts from a 2020 on my 2011. I thought red/green is supposed to be driver's side, but the coil spring alignment is backwards that way. My understanding is that the bottom end of the coil spring should be toward the back when installed (my current ones are that way). This can be accomplished by putting the red/green on passenger side. Can anyone say for sure? These came to me assembled.

 

Anyone have any advice? I'm at the point of deciding. Here's the old ones and new ones side by side. If I want to coils to line up the same way, the red/green needs to go on passenger side. I have them laid out so the top studs line up and the coils line up. Driver's just removed is far left.

 

I installed mine red green on drivers side, they came pre assembled from factory if the bottom end of the coil should be towards the back then i installed mine wrong maybe someone else can chime in but i believe that was the only way too line them up.

 

Red/Green seems to be common on the Driver side of the 3rd Gens.
Does this mean anything? I don’t know.
The coil spring bottom end does look like it points to the rear on 3rd Gens with this color.
Links below for reference.



https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/color-coded-front-coil-springs-on-2019-tacoma.616820/#post-20982161

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/question-2017-coilover-color-code.493187/#post-15241412

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ocks-left-or-right-side.507942/#post-15928487

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ocks-left-or-right-side.507942/#post-15928709

 

The end of lower coil face to the rear of the vehicle.

I almost did the red/green on the DS until I read this thread and paid attention to the illustrations.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...n-trd-off-road-shock-strut-assemblies.618845/

 

And watch this video and play close attention to from the 3:00 mark to the 4:10 mark. He pulled the red/green from the PS

https://youtu.be/XmxhVNabrD0

 

Good info.

 

Good deal. I put red/green on passenger side and it worked out. This pic of my install is like the one above, but different colors. Moral: go with coils, not color.

 

Go with the colors.
Supposedly the spring rates are different. The Red and Green is meant for the DS to correct for Taco lean.

 

It’ll either have a lean or it’ll have more lean. .....eventually.....

Throw them on and drive it.
A year from now you’ll probably know what side whet where.
3 years from now, you’ll never know.

 

LOL, true.

 

@4ast4orward

Any issues with being red/green drivers?
I just did this with mine also.

 

I had no issues, I even took them off too see if I could orient them to face the end of the spring towards the rear of the vehicle and no cigar. Truck drove fine with them how I had them wich is green/ red on driver with coil end facing the motor.

 

Just following what the service manual states...

 

Would really like to see installed height measurements both ways. this is definitely to correct taco lean (battery/fuel tank/driver weight distribution).

 

I thought the spring was supposed to be facing towards the back. Did you have any problems with that?

 

It is facing towards the back (the lower end of the coil spring that is).

 

What about passenger side faced towards the back too?

 

The lower spring cut off needs to face the cab from this post about 3rd gen shocks on 2nd gen trucks.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/review-3rd-gen-suspension-on-2nd-gen.542843/

 

I can speak from 1st hand experience. This is from purchasing 2 sets of Off Road strut assemblies and rear shocks that were both removed as assemblies. If the coil/strut assemblies are direct take-offs and have not been disassembled then the colors do not mean anything. I bought a 2021 set, with 27k miles, and the color dots were blue/red and green/red. I bought another set, with under 200 miles, and the colors did not match the 2021 set at all. They only mount 1 way. You know from all TW threads that the dots and coil start point on the bottom face the rear of the truck. The installation is based on the top hat stud locations relative to the dots facing the rear. The 2022 set had a brown/white and red/green dot. When I started the install, on the driver side, the studs on top were oriented so the dots would have faced forward thus it was moved to the passenger side. The 2nd strut studs were oriented correctly with dots facing the rear for the driver side. No issues whatsoever. On each side the 2 studs face the wheel and the single stud is facing the engine with the dots facing the rear. I added a driver side 1/4" lean correction spacer. No spacer on the passenger side. After roughly 1 week of driving, and settling, I have gained 1-3/8" lift and there is no lean.