Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Need Cheap And Easy

1995 2WD Taco. I need to replace rear shocks this summer, but would like to get a little help for the soft leaf springs. It rides like a boat when loaded (it don’t take much).

Especially in the winter when I have 250 - 300 pounds of sand bags over rear axle, and get a couple hundred pounds of feed by the tailgate.

What cheap and easy options do I have?

The donut overloads.Sorry I forget what the name brand is. Check Etrailer .com

Timbrins?

I’m thinking coil over shocks since I need to replace them anyway.

ain't never seen a 2wd Taco-------------

Timbrens work great and are easy to install. Can't help ya on the shocks.

Come on up, bob. I’ll show ya.

Put timbrens on my f250. Not too impressed. Gonna go with bags there.

It’s 26 years old. Cheap is the operative word here. Timbrens would double the value. 😏

Time for new leafs if you really want any help otherwise whatever cheap "fix" you put on is taking 95% of the load.

Junkyard leafs and double up the long ones? Cheap, but a little work.

Buddy in college had air shocks that would kind of help. Adding coils (and air shocks) is discouraged, as shock mounts are not really intended to be weight bearing.

Had a broken leaf on one side a few years back. ‘Fire guy got me a pair of leafs. They are the same as factory. These gen 1 are noted for soft springs. Again, it’s a 26 year old truck with 210K miles.

Guess I’ll look at some overload shocks. The loaded weight isn’t on all the time, but when it is, at night, I get flashed. That much sag is annoying.

I don't think there is a softer steel than a Tacoma leaf spring.

Not sure just how cheap and easy you want it. Seems like nothing is easy on a vehicle that old. Time and rust aren't very friendly.
If you want to do as little as possible, a single leaf add-a-leaf might be the best option, but if you plan to drive the truck several more years, a new leaf pack not made by Toyota might be better.

I bought my last set of Tacoma springs from Wheelers as they seem to specialize in Toyotas. Something like this will probably not add a lot of lift since your springs are shot, but would certainly help when you have a little weight back there.
https://wheelersoffroad.com/shopbyv...eaf-set-for-1998-2004-toyota-tacoma.html


I added a set like this to help my factory springs out: https://wheelersoffroad.com/shopbyv...ve-for-1995-tacoma-1999-2006-tundra.html

Just weld some angle-iron in where the shocks go, it'll never sag again. Until it does.

Some of the older pickups have weak shock mounts, just a bolt that the eye of the shock slides over. The bolt isn't supported on the outside. Those aren't strong enough to help support the pickup and adding spring shocks will sometimes break them. They're designed to absorb shock, not carry weight.



This type has the bolt supported on both sides and can carry a lot more weight.

Do t really want lift, per se, just prevent sag.

Maybe I’ll just continue to use it as is and accept it for what it is.
Did I mention that it’s 26 years old?

Have you looked at booster leaf springs? They're extra leaves that bolt on in various ways depending on the model. They're better if the spring is above the axle but they make some for underneath, too.

You best watch what you say. That's Hattori Hanzo steel.

There is a re call on Taco springs.

Son got his done and it made a big difference.
Worth a phone call.


Lefty

The recall doesn't go back that far, only to '05.

Something to look into. Thanks.