SuperSprings...some questions.

MGH-PA · #1 (**permalink**) 02-11-2008, 10:05 AM

Alright, I've looked around at my options for the rear of my truck and I'm running out of ideas. I have an 05 AC TRD 4x4. I'm planning on lifting the front up ~1.75"-2" and then doing something to correct my weakened rear leaf springs. Here's my options:

Full OME kit with Dakars (problem is the Dakars imho are going to lift the rear too much (I would only go with 884 coils to keep the front down a bit). I'm only running 265/75s after all, I don't necessarily need a full 3" kit.

The other option is SAWs or (5100s) up front, and supersprings in the back. I can't run allpro, deaver, etc because I need to retain haul capacity (actually want to improve it which is why dakars and supersprings are my main options).

Now, supersprings seem to be used quite frequently around here, and I think people like them (although over on TTORA, they don't). Here are some of my main questions/concerns:

I know they will limit flex, but how much?
What is the ride like when unloaded? Very stiff? Firm? Unbearable?
How much did they lift your rear? I'm hearing ~1.25", correct?

Should I opt for the OME kit with Dakars, or the Supersprings out back and saws or bils in the front? I won't be doing extreme offroading in this truck at this time, but it does go offroad (cabin/fishing trips, logging roads, etc), just no serious rockcrawling. Opinions?

2005dblcab4x4 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-11-2008, 06:55 PM

I have ome 885 coils on the front of my truck for a full 3" lift and i have supersprings in the rear. The truck sits perfectly level, I do have a fiberglass century cap on there as well and the truck rides great. Not too stiff, not too soft.... Couldnt be happier!!

Marazzito · #3 (**permalink**) 02-12-2008, 11:38 AM

With the Superspirngs they lift your truck about 1.25" in the rear on the standard setting and really don't ride to stiff. You can easily adjust them to the firm setting which will raise the back about 2" to get a little more rear end lift but this will also increase the ride stiffness quite a bit. I personally don't like my truck sitting level because then when you start to load up the bed you start reaching for the sky right away. I like my rear to sit about an inch or so higher so the bed can be used with out taking all of the contact patch away from your front tires.

MGH-PA · #4 (**permalink**) 02-12-2008, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marazzito

With the Superspirngs they lift your truck about 1.25" in the rear on the standard setting and really don't ride to stiff. You can easily adjust them to the firm setting which will raise the back about 2" to get a little more rear end lift but this will also increase the ride stiffness quite a bit. I personally don't like my truck sitting level because then when you start to load up the bed you start reaching for the sky right away. I like my rear to sit about an inch or so higher so the bed can be used with out taking all of the contact patch away from your front tires.

Yeah I'm not really shooting for a perfectly level truck, but I want to get the front up a bit as well as correct for the weak springs. I saw you were looking to possibly get a set of alcan's on your truck. Are you not happy with the supersprings? I assume you're still stock (not lifted?). In the end it's going to come down to either OME full kit with dakars or coilovers in the front and supersprings in the rear.

Marazzito · #5 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGH-PA

Yeah I'm not really shooting for a perfectly level truck, but I want to get the front up a bit as well as correct for the weak springs. I saw you were looking to possibly get a set of alcan's on your truck. Are you not happy with the supersprings? I assume you're still stock (not lifted?). In the end it's going to come down to either OME full kit with dakars or coilovers in the front and supersprings in the rear.

I am very happy with the Supersprings for stock height or even a 2" front lift. I tow a lot so there was a possibility of going with stiffer Alcans when I put the 3" OME coil lift up front just to get a full 3" to the rear. I am now leaning towards and Alcan 2" AAL with the Superspring set at probably the normal position. If I went with the Alcans I would have to switch to Timbrens because the Supersprings wont work with new 3" springs.

MGH-PA · #6 (**permalink**) 02-13-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marazzito

I am very happy with the Supersprings for stock height or even a 2" front lift. I tow a lot so there was a possibility of going with stiffer Alcans when I put the 3" OME coil lift up front just to get a full 3" to the rear. I am now leaning towards and Alcan 2" AAL with the Superspring set at probably the normal position. If I went with the Alcans I would have to switch to Timbrens because the Supersprings wont work with new 3" springs.

Yep, I believe I'm going to run the full OME front and rear along wit the FT long AAL or the Dakars. I just really don't want a short AAL, I ran those on my 96, and ended up breaking them...plus the ride is even more stiff that the AAL.

MGH-PA · #7 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 09:45 PM

Bump...any more information/opinons welcomed. Still not sure what I want to do. Supersprings cost almost as much as dakars, but dakars give me too much lift...I suppose I can remove the 3rd leaf from the Dakars.

jpsmith · #8 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Now, supersprings seem to be used quite frequently around here, and I think people like them (although over on TTORA, they don't). Here are some of my main questions/concerns:

TTORA tends to be populated with folks that really like to wheel their trucks whereas this site has a lot more folks that use their truck as a utility vehicle. For those that wheel, a soft, flexy rear-end is good. For us that load the bed up with heavy crap, we don't care about flex nearly as much as we do about load handling. So for us, SuperSprings hit the spot.

My truck does spend a good deal of time on muddy, rutted double-track fire roads where I have to roll over small-ish rocks and logs. SuperSprings don't hurt my ability to do this sort of off-roading.

I have my SuperSprings installed on top of the Toyota 4-leaf pack from the TSB and am happy with it. It's pretty stiff, but I like it that way. On-road, empty bed handling is much, much more responsive than it was stock and even than it was with the TSB springs and no SuperSprings. I do have 5100s for the front to get rid of the dramatic rake I have, but they're currently on my workbench. It's finally getting warm and dry here, so I'll be installing them soon.

MGH-PA · #9 (**permalink**) 04-02-2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsmith

TTORA tends to be populated with folks that really like to wheel their trucks whereas this site has a lot more folks that use their truck as a utility vehicle. For those that wheel, a soft, flexy rear-end is good. For us that load the bed up with heavy crap, we don't care about flex nearly as much as we do about load handling. So for us, SuperSprings hit the spot.

My truck does spend a good deal of time on muddy, rutted double-track fire roads where I have to roll over small-ish rocks and logs. SuperSprings don't hurt my ability to do this sort of off-roading.

I have my SuperSprings installed on top of the Toyota 4-leaf pack from the TSB and am happy with it. It's pretty stiff, but I like it that way. On-road, empty bed handling is much, much more responsive than it was stock and even than it was with the TSB springs and no SuperSprings. I do have 5100s for the front to get rid of the dramatic rake I have, but they're currently on my workbench. It's finally getting warm and dry here, so I'll be installing them soon.

Yeah, I don't plan on building this into a rockcrawler, it will see offroad situations, just not hardcore trails. I want this truck to be fully capable of hauling big loads (within the payload limits of course), and pulling decent loads as well. Right now the stock 3-leaf pack isn't going to cut (and hasn't since I've loaded it down a few times already). I'm outisde the window for the TSB, so new leaf packs or supersprings are necessary. I think I may get a set of OME 884/N91 shocks up front and put supersprings in the rear and call it a day.

Marazzito · #10 (**permalink**) 04-08-2008, 05:40 PM

I use my truck for mild to moderate off-roading anything more then that I use my cruiser (which I tow with my Tacoma). I tow my cruiser around campsites and on fireroads and the Tacoma always has plenty of traction even when hitched to the cruiser. Supersprings do not limit travel as much as you may think, though they do limit it some. If you have the offroad package and you get one rear wheel off the ground because of limited travel, lcok it and it will move forward. I would go with the Supersprings, they work great for my needs.

MGH-PA · #11 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marazzito

I use my truck for mild to moderate off-roading anything more then that I use my cruiser (which I tow with my Tacoma). I tow my cruiser around campsites and on fireroads and the Tacoma always has plenty of traction even when hitched to the cruiser. Supersprings do not limit travel as much as you may think, though they do limit it some. If you have the offroad package and you get one rear wheel off the ground because of limited travel, lcok it and it will move forward. I would go with the Supersprings, they work great for my needs.

What is it you like about the supersprings over Dakars? The Dakars would probably give me too much lift, but I could remove the 3rd spring. Cost is close ($320 or so for the supersprings and $375 for the Dakars) but with Dakars you have to add in the cost of new u-bolts, bushings, and the OME shocks, but I would replace my shocks with supersprings as well just because mine are shot. I believe you, I'm just playing devil's advocate here to get an idea of what's best.

jpsmith · #12 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 11:37 AM

I've never used an aftermarket leaf pack, but I don't believe that Dakars would offer the load-leveling abilities you'd get with SuperSprings, nor would they provide the anti-sway when unloaded that SS's give you. Dakars would give you more lift & flex to make your truck more ready for wheeling, while SuperSprings give you some lift, take away a bit of flex, and get your truck ready to do some work towing or hauling.

I'd like to stress the anti-sway functionality of SuperSprings. They really, really make the truck more stable, both empty and with a load. Without them, the truck tended to get a lot of body roll on turns. Not like a 1999 S-10 Blazer, but still a lot. I'd slow down quite a bit when cornering. With the SuperSprings now I need to slow down much less. I'm more concerned that my tires will break traction than I am with rolling over now. I mean, it still doesn't corner like a Mini Cooper but it's much improved from the stock body roll.

Marazzito · #13 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsmith

I've never used an aftermarket leaf pack, but I don't believe that Dakars would offer the load-leveling abilities you'd get with SuperSprings, nor would they provide the anti-sway when unloaded that SS's give you. Dakars would give you more lift & flex to make your truck more ready for wheeling, while SuperSprings give you some lift, take away a bit of flex, and get your truck ready to do some work towing or hauling.

I'd like to stress the anti-sway functionality of SuperSprings. They really, really make the truck more stable, both empty and with a load. Without them, the truck tended to get a lot of body roll on turns. Not like a 1999 S-10 Blazer, but still a lot. I'd slow down quite a bit when cornering. With the SuperSprings now I need to slow down much less. I'm more concerned that my tires will break traction than I am with rolling over now. I mean, it still doesn't corner like a Mini Cooper but it's much improved from the stock body roll.

100% agree... that's basically what I was saying with a few added points. Your Tacoma will still be able to play in the dirt and have plenty fun off road.

Marazzito · #14 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGH-PA

What is it you like about the supersprings over Dakars? The Dakars would probably give me too much lift, but I could remove the 3rd spring. Cost is close ($320 or so for the supersprings and $375 for the Dakars) but with Dakars you have to add in the cost of new u-bolts, bushings, and the OME shocks, but I would replace my shocks with supersprings as well just because mine are shot. I believe you, I'm just playing devil's advocate here to get an idea of what's best.

What I like better... well it is a better fit for my personal needs. I don't need my Tacoma (daily driver) to be used for extreme offroad purposes. However I do use it to tow my Land Cruiser which puts a little over 600 lbs on the hitch. Before the Supersprings I was pointing to the stars when towing. Now I can tow my Cruiser and have 400+ pounds of camping gear in my bed and sit nice and level. For my needs the Supersprings are awesome and the Dakars would be much to soft.

MGH-PA · #15 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marazzito

What I like better... well it is a better fit for my personal needs. I don't need my Tacoma (daily driver) to be used for extreme offroad purposes. However I do use it to tow my Land Cruiser which puts a little over 600 lbs on the hitch. Before the Supersprings I was pointing to the stars when towing. Now I can tow my Cruiser and have 400+ pounds of camping gear in my bed and sit nice and level. For my needs the Supersprings are awesome and the Dakars would be much to soft.

Sounds good...I think I may just give them a try. I WANT my truck to take heavy loads and be able to actually utilize my tow package, and overall be a true truck, so they sound like they would fit the bill.