I'm pretty sure my cruiser is sitting much lower than it was in it's glory days especially at the rear axle, Is anyone else experiencing this?
Is spring sag a real thing in the 100 series?
- Thread starter Bardiya
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I was battling a sagging rear driver side, sat lower by about an inch. I messed with tbars extensively and never really got to where I wanted it. Last ditch effort was brand new OEM springs. That helped out quite a bit and brought me very close to level BUT they also gave me a .5 to .75 inch lift. So in my experience, yes my 2004 OEM springs were worn out and adding new OEM springs made a noticeable difference.
One other thing to mention, I followed up with a set of air bags for the rear springs. That gave me almost another 3/4 inch lift and made the ride so much better, got rid of some of the floaty feelings my truck had. I'm super happy with this setup. I had 400 lbs of sand in the back recently and with only 5 psi in the air bags I barely dropped a half inch. Could have easily brought it up higher too if need be.
One other thing to mention, I followed up with a set of air bags for the rear springs. That gave me almost another 3/4 inch lift and made the ride so much better, got rid of some of the floaty feelings my truck had. I'm super happy with this setup. I had 400 lbs of sand in the back recently and with only 5 psi in the air bags I barely dropped a half inch. Could have easily brought it up higher too if need be.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks guys, I don't really want to mess with T-bars or go aftermarket so I'll just replace OEM springs, I also heard that there are quite a few different spring setups for the 100 series with 3rd-row seats, sub tanks..etc
Most things sag with age. 
- Thread starter
- #7
Quite unfortunate.Most things sag with age.
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2004
- Threads
- 183
- Messages
- 13,046
- Location
- Boise - Idaho
- Website
- www.snlandcruisers.com
Yup, my factory suspension was sagging badly after 16yrs and 130,000 miles. Packed it up for camping, x2 guys gear for 4-days, and on the way there it bounced off the bump stops numerous times. I put in a lift 2 weeks later and can't be happier.
Cheers
Did you get an answer on this? I also have an LX and would rather have springs than a spring/spacer combo. Did you go with the 520mm?
At around 100k, my '06 was definitely "soft" in the rear. I don't know if it had sagged - wish I took measurements when I bought it with 39k. But, over speed humps, it would bottom out in the rear, going at or under the 25 mph limit. And, that was unloaded with no 3rd row.
I've always thought of spacers as either a cheap way to gain lift or a cheap/temporary way to fix a sagging spring - sort like an add-a-leaf for leaf-sprung trucks.
So, the sag was the motivation to just swap the suspension - all of it - springs, TBs, shocks, etc. Lovin' the new (17k ago) ride.
I've always thought of spacers as either a cheap way to gain lift or a cheap/temporary way to fix a sagging spring - sort like an add-a-leaf for leaf-sprung trucks.
So, the sag was the motivation to just swap the suspension - all of it - springs, TBs, shocks, etc. Lovin' the new (17k ago) ride.
I'm in the same situation...Rear sags and bottoms out on dips, speed bumps or if I have my camping gear. I'm tempted to install a lift but my wife loves how much more smooth and comfortable the ride is on the 100 compared to my 80 that is lifted. I was thinking of installing an Icon lifting but still grasping spend almost $5k on a lift. I'm leaning towards Icon since I've read and told that the ride will be like or if not better than stock.
Is there a cheaper route in getting a lift and the ride will be as smooth and comfortable as stock? Or am I just dreaming of such a thing?
Is there a cheaper route in getting a lift and the ride will be as smooth and comfortable as stock? Or am I just dreaming of such a thing?
You need to ask specifically for AHC rear springs. There's only one size. I had them put in w 30mm spacers, then had the front and rear pressures dialed in and the ride is dramatically better now. It seriously feels like a different vehicle.
You don't need the spacers, but Paddo recommended doing it for longevity purposes.
Do you know if the AHC-specific springs are 490mm? If I got the 520mm that would alleviate the need for the 30mm spacers, right?
It's not about the height, it's about the spring rate. Only OEM AHC coils or aftermarket king springs will work on an unloaded Lx
It's not really a "lift", but as others have said, the Airlift airbags solve the saggy rear problem and do lift the rear a bit even at only 5 psi. If you want comfort, cheap, and something that will tame the rear suspension when loaded with your camping gear, go Airlift.
F=Kx
Hooks spring equation. In theory K is a constant, in the real world K changes over time as the metal fatigues. This is true for all springs in any application.
Hooks spring equation. In theory K is a constant, in the real world K changes over time as the metal fatigues. This is true for all springs in any application.
This ^^^