Alaska/Canada Roads and Teardrop Trailer Towing - What Tacoma Suspension Setup for Rough Distance Driving?

[tragisj]

We are driving down to Utah from Alaska this June to pickup a teardrop trailer we are purchasing. All said and done a reasonably accurate tongue weight estimate is going to be 400 lbs. with 150 lbs of gear in the bed - 550 total bed weight.

Taco is currently dialed with Fox Performance Elite coil overs set to 2" in the front and ICON triple rate springs in the rear - totally level right now.

Here's the rub - the triple rate springs are no match for that much weight. I need stiffer rear springs but how much lift will they really add when I am unloaded? I keep reading up to 2" inches which makes for some serious rake. If necessary so be it but I want to keep it tame in the rear and not go 2" of lift in the back if possible.

Airbags seem to be a favorite to but they compromise droop and ride quality? Run overland coils and add ballast when I do not have the trailer hooked up?

Thanks for the help. The key is speed(ish) and distances(long) on all road surfaces that vary from highway to gnarly fire roads to gravel washboard. Photo added for effect.

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[Will721]

Put a football in them.

 

[MT-Taco]

Assuming you have fox adjustable rear reservoirs? Just stiffen them up. I’ve had well over 1000lbs in the bed with icon triple rate springs and adjustable JRI shocks on 4 corners, I just put the shocks on the stiffest setting and it was level. The rear unloaded is an inch higher than the front.

 

[tragisj]

Assuming you have fox adjustable rear reservoirs? Just stiffen them up. I’ve had well over 1000lbs in the bed with icon triple rate springs and adjustable JRI shocks on 4 corners, I just put the shocks on the stiffest setting and it was level. The rear unloaded is an inch higher than the front.

Seriously!? Its that easy? Dude that sounds perfect. DSC on all corners. I never took stock rear height measurements but it did seem to jump up more than Icon's .5" increase. With 500 pounds I might keep level. Thank you for the 3rd way option. It was always my understanding the compression damping had no real effect on static load and only mattered when dynamic forces were at play.

 

[MT-Taco]

Seriously!? Its that easy? Dude that sounds perfect. DSC on all corners. I never took stock rear height measurements but it did seem to jump up more than Icon's .5" increase. With 500 pounds I might keep level. Thank you for the 3rd way option. It was always my understanding the compression damping had no real effect on static load and only mattered when dynamic forces were at play.

Not sure, but I think compression and dampening have a slight effect? Pretty sure the Icon springs are doing most of the work? Either way adjusting them for the heavy load made the Tacoma drive and feel the same as unloaded. Definitely noticed the load when braking though.

 

[Mtnbikes]

I run air bags with a newly installed Eibach Pro Truck 2r set to tow my Bean with a 400lbs tongue weight. Works perfectly. I went that route so I could maintain ride quality. Too many people resort to stiffer springs and regret the ride quality, especially when not towing.

 

[tragisj]

I run air bags with a newly installed Eibach Pro Truck 2r set to tow my Bean with a 400lbs tongue weight. Works perfectly. I went that route so I could maintain ride quality. Too many people resort to stiffer springs and regret the ride quality, especially when not towing.

Yes, thanks for the reply and the more I try to overthink it, I keep circling back to airbags as the best option for the most control. Beans are super nice. Escapod here. How does she tow and mpg?

 

[Mtnbikes]

It tows great! Before I had the airbags installed the ride was terrible. I had a lot of sag and going over bumps made the teeth rattle. Night and day difference with air bags and upgraded suspension. I installed the model with the remote control and air compressor tucked up under the truck. I love it!

I considered the Escapod. Great design and construction. However, I preferred the headroom the Bean offered. I have a Meaner Bean with the upgraded battery and solar, so it’s a little on the heavier side.

 

[Will721]

Shocks don't support weight, springs do. People misused the old air shocks back in the day, which I personally blame for starting and perpetuating that myth. You can stiffen them to adjust for added weight as far as ride quality but it won't actually hold the weight "up".

Reguardless, there is a reason the OEMs have "raked" trucks for pretty much their entire history. Air bags limit articulation. Air cushions and bump stops make the ride terrible.

Essentially, you have to compromise somewhere. The oem compromised with rake and you removed it. Now you can either live with the squat and adjust the headlights down (which is a awesome feature in these trucks btw), or you can modify elsewhere and move that compromise to articulation, ride quality, or mpg if you choose to weigh it down. I suppose you could also run spacers or different springs and have to swap them in and out every time you want to tow/haul.

 

[tragisj]

Shocks don't support weight, springs do. People misused the old air shocks back in the day, which I personally blame for starting and perpetuating that myth. You can stiffen them to adjust for added weight as far as ride quality but it won't actually hold the weight "up".

Reguardless, there is a reason the OEMs have "raked" trucks for pretty much their entire history. Air bags limit articulation. Air cushions and bump stops make the ride terrible.

Essentially, you have to compromise somewhere. The oem compromised with rake and you removed it. Now you can either live with the squat and adjust the headlights down (which is a awesome feature in these trucks btw), or you can modify elsewhere and move that compromise to articulation, ride quality, or mpg if you choose to weigh it down. I suppose you could also run spacers or different springs and have to swap them in and out every time you want to tow/haul.

Thanks for the response. My question now is if the Tacomas have the rake from the factory to account for medium trailering and/or consistent static payloads doesn't that reduce the ability of the spring and overall rear suspension to perform optimally? Once sagged the travel is limited and risks bottoming out or is that where the DSC adjustment can come in if you have them?

I fully admit I tinkered with the system and must accept a compromise somewhere. Are airbags that much of a compromise solution if you install reputable units, with cradles and understand their use? My searching indicates they get bouncy but again can the DSC help manage that.

A spring approach I thought of taking was going with Dobinsons C59-817V and then effectively overloading it by 50% to effectively relevel the truck while trailering and then add weight in town. I do not drive a lot to commute.

Again thanks for the feedback

 

[Will721]

I don't know about spring rate specifics of these trucks to really help with spring selection. Just offer advice based on principle.

Basically yes, every manufacturer puts in the rake with the intention of towing and hauling, and technically you are also correct that it prevents the springs from performing optimally. Trucks are designed with utility in mind. That's why leaf springs were the preferred choice for rear suspension because they have the most flexibility in spring rates over coil springs given the amount of heads pace over the axle to the frame. While progressive coils exist, you are limited by that space. If you've ever driven a 3/4 or 1 ton truck you'd have a much better understanding of it. They ride like trash when unloaded and considerably better once loaded.

Air bags are limited by their design and quality of the kit. They limit down travel because they can't stretch as far as coils or leaf springs for down travel. As far as ride quality that is determined by which bags the company designed their system around, air pressure and overall air capacity. Most cheap kits use stiff bags with minimal complexity. Systems with air tanks, will ride better than those without since it gives a "reservoir" for the air to compress and expand in. Kits that run the bags in parallel also ride better than those that don't. I'm not sure what the options are available on this platform but if you find a kit that has a tank and parallel plumbing would probably ride the best.

As far as springs are concerned, if you go that route, I'd probably give one of the manufacturers tech lines a call like eibach and see what they recommend.



Btw the sarcastic remarks about the football is actually a thing. Used to be a very cheap, very temporary way to lift a coil spring in a pinch to shove a deflated football in a spring and air it up making an "airbag" in the spring to support weight. You can actually watch some drag racers still doing it in low budget rigs in a pinch. Cleetus Mcfarland did a video doing it in his El camino last year to correct a sideways launch during one of the drag and drive events.

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