gofastdan
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #1
For reference I have a '24 Taco OR LB with a Lone Peak wedge camper, fully built out w/drawers. I've not been able to weigh the truck since completing the build but I estimate I'm right at ~1,000 lbs, all in. One of the first things I did when buying the truck was to install the Westcott Designs lift kit and I've been running that as I've added weight to the truck. I fully expected to need to reinforce the rear suspension and even before getting the truck I'd been trying to find someone making revised coils for the rear. Several manufacturers told me they were working on revised coils but they kept missing dates or, in the case of ARB, said they don't even expect to have a product until mid-2025.
At least in my case the Westcott kit didn't really "level" the truck. After installation with no weight the rear was ~1 1/2" higher than the front. As I added weight the rear dropped and with the completed build I dropped almost 3" in the rear, putting me maybe 1 1/2" off the stock bump stops, which I hit with every little bump.
Solution:
First, I installed the Timbren TORSEQ3. They come with two spacers you can add but even without any spacers the truck was sitting (barely) on the Timbren's 100% of the time and obviously they did nothing to restore the ride height.
Somehow through the magic of Google search I found Dobinsons and contacted them. Dobinsons makes many springs but doesn't have anything listed yet for the Tacoma but after going back and forth with them a bit they told me to order part C59-819V. This fits the LC300 and if you look at Dobinsons' site you can see there are multiple springs available, both for height and weight.
I ordered C59-819V and installed them yesterday. They're far taller and heavier than the stock coil. The stock springs have 6 coils (the way I count anyway) and the Dobinsons have 9. My biggest question going in was whether or not to reinstall the rear Westcott spacers. I decided to try w/o to start and that turned out to be the right call. Basically with the Dobinsons coils I'm sitting almost exactly where I was when I had just the Westcott spacers and no weight in the truck. I'm back to having the rear ~1 1/2" higher than the front. I also installed both spacers that came with the Timbren TORSEQ3 stops and still have almost 2" of air between the axle and the bump stops now. That's right at the limit of what Timbren recommends but I think it will be fine.
Installation of the springs wasn't that difficult but just know the springs are much longer than stock, and over and inch longer than the stock/Westcott spacer combo is. What that means is that you REALLY have to drop the axle to get the springs in there. The brake lines were my primary concern since the flexible hose between the frame and the axle isn't that long. I ended up removing all the bolts holding the steel lines to the axle (including the U clip on the caliper side) and that gave me plenty of drop.
Obviously I've only had the springs installed for a day and literally have driven less than 10 miles, and that on pavement, but at least on an initial drive I'm very happy. I did take a couple of speed bumps at a decent rate of speed and the truck felt great going over them.
The coils were $270, which I thought was a decent price, but shipping was expensive. If you buy directly from Dobinsons shipping is ~$60. I shopped around and ended up ordering from 4x4colorado.com because they advertise free shipping but after ordering I got a call from the owner and he let me know that Dobinsons had recently changed their pricing w/o letting him know and they were charging him the $60. We ended up splitting the cost and 4x4colorado didn't charge me Washington state sales tax so I was satisfied with the transaction. You might as well just build the shipping into the total cost though because it sounds like you're going to pay the cost regardless who you purchase from.
Here are some pictures. The before and after shots are a little misleading due to the angle of my driveway but you can get the idea.
Stock vs Dobinsons
Before Dobinsons install
After Dobinsons install
At least in my case the Westcott kit didn't really "level" the truck. After installation with no weight the rear was ~1 1/2" higher than the front. As I added weight the rear dropped and with the completed build I dropped almost 3" in the rear, putting me maybe 1 1/2" off the stock bump stops, which I hit with every little bump.
Solution:
First, I installed the Timbren TORSEQ3. They come with two spacers you can add but even without any spacers the truck was sitting (barely) on the Timbren's 100% of the time and obviously they did nothing to restore the ride height.
Somehow through the magic of Google search I found Dobinsons and contacted them. Dobinsons makes many springs but doesn't have anything listed yet for the Tacoma but after going back and forth with them a bit they told me to order part C59-819V. This fits the LC300 and if you look at Dobinsons' site you can see there are multiple springs available, both for height and weight.
I ordered C59-819V and installed them yesterday. They're far taller and heavier than the stock coil. The stock springs have 6 coils (the way I count anyway) and the Dobinsons have 9. My biggest question going in was whether or not to reinstall the rear Westcott spacers. I decided to try w/o to start and that turned out to be the right call. Basically with the Dobinsons coils I'm sitting almost exactly where I was when I had just the Westcott spacers and no weight in the truck. I'm back to having the rear ~1 1/2" higher than the front. I also installed both spacers that came with the Timbren TORSEQ3 stops and still have almost 2" of air between the axle and the bump stops now. That's right at the limit of what Timbren recommends but I think it will be fine.
Installation of the springs wasn't that difficult but just know the springs are much longer than stock, and over and inch longer than the stock/Westcott spacer combo is. What that means is that you REALLY have to drop the axle to get the springs in there. The brake lines were my primary concern since the flexible hose between the frame and the axle isn't that long. I ended up removing all the bolts holding the steel lines to the axle (including the U clip on the caliper side) and that gave me plenty of drop.
Obviously I've only had the springs installed for a day and literally have driven less than 10 miles, and that on pavement, but at least on an initial drive I'm very happy. I did take a couple of speed bumps at a decent rate of speed and the truck felt great going over them.
The coils were $270, which I thought was a decent price, but shipping was expensive. If you buy directly from Dobinsons shipping is ~$60. I shopped around and ended up ordering from 4x4colorado.com because they advertise free shipping but after ordering I got a call from the owner and he let me know that Dobinsons had recently changed their pricing w/o letting him know and they were charging him the $60. We ended up splitting the cost and 4x4colorado didn't charge me Washington state sales tax so I was satisfied with the transaction. You might as well just build the shipping into the total cost though because it sounds like you're going to pay the cost regardless who you purchase from.
Here are some pictures. The before and after shots are a little misleading due to the angle of my driveway but you can get the idea.
Stock vs Dobinsons
Before Dobinsons install
After Dobinsons install
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