Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Booster springs Taco 03

There are a few times that I'd like to boost the rear springs on my 203 Tacoma.......air bags?.....some simple spring? Where should I go with this.......?

Air bags are probably the most versatile, but also the most expensive. You could use an AAL (add a leaf) but ride quality will probably suffer when the truck is unloaded.

Steel springs will make the ride stiffer all the time. Air bags can be mostly deflated so you don't know they're there if you aren't using them. The ability to adjust them is a big plus.

Kinda figured that.....I'll start a search for best brand of bags.

Take a look at Timbrens too.

It's a bump stop +P

I went with the add a leaf on mine. I was pretty happy with it. It didn't effect the ride as much as I thought it would.

Great thing about Timbrens is that they don't do anything until you put a load on your truck.There is also nothing to maintain. They are the easiest solution for somebody that only tows or carries heavy loads occasionally.

I have the non-TSB springs on mine which suck. They are just about worthless and go to the bumpstop on any decent bump in the road.
I added a Wheelers 3 leaf AAL which has greatly helped the ride. They are progressive and control the bumps much better than the factory springs did. They stiffened the ride, but made the bumps softer with less body roll.

Somtimes a stiffer ride is better. The Tacomas are known for weak springs that wear out the bump stops. Adding a stiffer spring helps to not bottom out on every little bump and so softens the ride. Of course, adding springs with a lot of arch and little give will make the ride worse, but soft springs with a slight arch actually improve many Tacomas.

Timbrens are interesting....I'll consult with a mechanic friend tomorrow.

Thanks all!

Easy to install too. I put them on my '11 F250, but I'm thinking about bags for the towing loads. Sometimes as much as 23K GVCW.

I drug a 10k lb trailer to alaska in 01' with a 1977 ford 1/2 ton sporting timbrens. without them it was deadly to tow with.....with them it was a dream.

I think Timbrens are pretty good, but the weight of my loaded steel 6-horse gooseneck trailer makes bags a better choice for 'that' application.