Wheelers progressive 3-leaf AAL, overload or no?

I've got an 02 TRD V6 4x4 ExtCab with a fairly heavy SnugTop camper shell and a 55 lb hitch rack. I bought General Spring standard duty leaf springs earlier this year, so they're plenty fresh but they don't provide enough lift/support when I'm fully loaded for adventures (should've gotten the HDs).

So I just bought the Wheelers 3-leaf progressive AAL, OME 881 coils, and all four 5100 shocks. And when I install this weekend, the plan is to leave the front 5100s at 0" with the 881 coils.

The question is whether or not to leave the overload leaf in, or take it out. I'm worried the 881 coils aren't going to lift the front enough to match the lift of the rear. Wheelers says 881 coils should give a V6 ExtCab 1.75-2.0" lift, but I've read mixed reports. I'm also worried about the cargo carrying abilities of the truck if I remove the overload. I'm not hauling loads of bricks or anything, but if you count the camper shell, hitch rack, bikes, tools, water, extra fuel, etc--it's probably 500-600 pounds or so.

I'm thinking I should leave the overload leaf in, then reassess once all parts are installed? I guess it's not that big of a deal to have to go back in there and remove it later if need be. Slightly more of a pain to pull the fronts apart and move the ring up to 1.25" setting on the 5100s if I need more front lift, but that's another option.

Any advice from folks that have dealt with this before?

 

The overload pretty much acts like very stable spacer. Whatever the thickness - that's the height change.

 

I have the HD's and just added the 3pack AAL from wheelers. Im sitting WAY to tall now and will be removing the overload and the really tiny leaf that comes with the 3pack AAL.

I just checked the wheelers website. It says to remove the overload...so there you go!

 

I read a forum member say that they removed it and found their leaf springs bottomed out under a heavy load (or something to that effect). Is it basically just a last resort safety feature that catches the springs and prevents them from flexing too hard? I guess that would make sense since it's called an "overload" lol

It seems that if I plan to go bouncing around the trails with a bed full of gear, that overload would be useful. So maybe there's my answer. Leave it in, and just set the fronts to 1.25" if I don't get the 1.75" that I should from the new 881 coils.

My concerns about the rear being too high are mostly coming from the fact that I'm using fresh/new leaf springs with my AAL, whereas a lot of folks are probably using the AAL because their leaf springs are worn, so they may not achieve excessive lift.

 

I emailed Wheelers and they said I'd be fine to leave it in if I want, but they were just speaking generally and not responding to height concerns.

I wish I had gotten the HD springs from General. If I had, I probably wouldn't be adding the AAL. The springs perform really well while daily driving, they just sag considerably when I load up for a weekend of adventure. Not a good look, and not a good feeling on the trails.

 

Well, I got'er all done. Figured I should report back in case anyone is considering a similar combination of parts and wants to know how it might turn out. Here's the before/after pic. The bottom pic was from a recent trip, we were loaded but didn't bring the mountain bikes and hitch rack as we often do. As you can see the rear was sagging considerably.



The rear actually gained about 4" from the Wheelers 3-leaf progressive 1.5" add-a-leaf. I did leave the overload leaf in place, but I think the extra lift came from the fact that my leaf springs were not worn. I just bought them from General Spring 6 months ago, but I foolishly bought the standard duty version. I'm sure it'll settle in a bit, plus when I'm loaded with gear/bikes/supplies it'll probably be nice and level.

The front turned out better than I expected. The TRD coils were basically the same height as the OME 881 coils when I stood them up next to each other on the workbench. I had read a bunch of reports on these forums where folks didn't get the 1.75-2.0" of lift that is mentioned in the Wheelers description. Since the TRD is already somewhat higher than other models, I figured I'd get minimal lift from the 881 coils, but they seem to have worked as advertised. I forgot to take front measurements beforehand, so I can't say exactly how much lift I got, but I would estimate 1.5-2.0" and we'll see if that settles in at all. Hopefully not.

THE RIDE: I'm very happy with the ride (so far). As others have said, it's more firm but in a good way. With the stock TRD coils and fresh Bilstein 4600 shocks I installed 6 months ago, the ride was more squishy. The front suspension was quite active, always diving over bumps and swaying through the corners. But with these 881 coils and 5100 shocks the truck is noticeably more stable. I can hit speed bumps at higher speeds and the truck just soaks them up without diving. With the previous setup I would get body roll when cornering, but that is now greatly improved.

Here's a pic of my lifted 1st gen next to my buddy's stock 2nd gen.

 

AFAIK, the lift numbers you get from manufacturers assume new springs. They can't reliably estimate how worn out everyone's springs are so they have to assume "new" condition.

I would think your general springs would have settled by now (I think you said you got them ~6 months ago?). The new 3 leaf add-a-leafs should settle, too. Stuff some heavy crap back there and go wheeling some more. They should setting down a bit. The overload springs doesn't do anything until it sags enough for the leafs to almost go inverted (when the truck is "overloaded"). It does add a little bit of extra height just because of the thickness of the leaf, maybe 1/2".

 

Makes sense, good to know.

I definitely plan to load heavy the next couple weekends, so those leafs oughtta settle down for sure.
And yeah I hear ya about the overload not adding to the lift other than its thickness. The overload on those General Springs is pretty substantial though. At least 1/2", looks more like 3/4" in the center.

 

The other thing that I've heard is that the general springs tend to sag relatively quickly (more so than OEM leafs), so that may help bring them down a bit, too.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, I just did this exact thing to my truck and have a couple questions! For some background I just bought the truck and installed 881s, 5100 set at 0”, which I am keeping it at, and purchased the wheelers 3-leaf AAL. The previous owner put new leafs in, don’t know what kind but after the 881s and arb my front was about 1/2 higher. I have a topper on the truck and will be installing an all pro wrap around bumper and I will be putting in a platform to sleep in the back. I installed the AAL today, left the overload spring in, and the truck is way higher in the rear now. I do want some rake but not that much. I am sure with the bumper and bed frame it will come down a little. My question is has your AAL settled down a bit with the overload in? Are you happy with leaving the overload in or wish you woulda left it out?