Need help with rear coil spring replacement (1 Viewer)

[virafp]

At 245K its time to replace the rear springs as they have softened and have started to bottom out. I want to keep the stock ride height, and really dont want it too hard riding, with Bilstein HD shocks - any suggestion on OME or another brand? The truck is used mainly on road, and does not have sliders, drawers etc.

Or if the recommendation is to stay with stock, any sources for getting prices better than my local stealership?

Thank you!

 

[ToyotaIsLife]

In my perspective, nothing is better than stock if your not pushing your vehicle. I sometimes use stock springs during hardcore off roading, with a 2cm spacer they seem to handle most of what I do and are extremely capable, granted they are in good condition, (245k miles wow man that's an achievement). The goal is to have the softest spring possible and allow the shock to do the work anyway. If its bottoming to often make sure its not the rear compression damping being to soft.

I have always found the OME springs to be very stiff(since they expect loaded cargos), but that is just my opinion.

Suggestion: Replace stock springs, with stock springs. I am not from the states so I cannot recommend you where to buy them unfortunately. Good Luck.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Looks like brand new OEM springs are ~$400 for a pair. I'm sure OME makes a stock-ish spring as well, but I'm not sure which one it'd be. If you want stock height and comfort I do NOT think you want any of the common ones I've seen mentioned here.

Just curious, when you say they have started to "bottom out" do you mean they're riding low all the time? I haven't seen that with a 100. If it seems to be bottoming out while driving, could your shocks be to blame? The shock will play a big role in the ride quality and are commonly felt "bottoming out" when they're old.

 

[gatormark91]

Looks like brand new OEM springs are ~$400 for a pair. I'm sure OME makes a stock-ish spring as well, but I'm not sure which one it'd be. If you want stock height and comfort I do NOT think you want any of the common ones I've seen mentioned here.

Just curious, when you say they have started to "bottom out" do you mean they're riding low all the time? I haven't seen that with a 100. If it seems to be bottoming out while driving, could your shocks be to blame? The shock will play a big role in the ride quality and are commonly felt "bottoming out" when they're old.

OME mediums do not ride harshly at all and are <$170 a pair online. The harshness, from what I have read, comes from the OME shocks? I run Tough Dog shocks and the ride is very nice, it rides better than our 5th Gen T4R Limited did, and just as nice as our current '17 Taco Off Road. Factory LC springs were squishy as hell. But my daily driver at the time was a '16 Mustang GT, so my comparison might not work for some people.

 

[atnolan94]

The other issue you will run into with aftermarket springs is you will likely lift the vehicle as well since it sounds like you don't haul around much weight with you. I think unless you carry weight or have armor on the vehicle aftermarket springs will be very overkill.

You could try the OME 2865 (what a lot of people call "medium") but I' not sure you will be happy with the ride.

 

[westwardCruiser]

The other issue you will run into with aftermarket springs is you will likely lift the vehicle as well since it sounds like you don't haul around much weight with you. I think unless you carry weight or have armor on the vehicle aftermarket springs will be very overkill.

You could try the OME 2865 (what a lot of people call "medium") but I' not sure you will be happy with the ride.

I just replaced my aging stock springs with the OME 2865s. I have no idea what the stock height should have been, but this gave me a 2 - 2.5 inch lift. Inflated air bags add another .5". I have sliders and often load up with cargo/passengers. I just used this combo while towing a 4-5k travel trailer.

What I would tell you is that even with my bags deflated if I'm just driving around by myself I can definitely tell a difference with the rear being more stiff. Loaded up it drives perfectly. I'm running brand new OEM shocks.

I personally thought saving $200 and getting a slightly stiffer spring was the way to go. Ironically, the OME mediums actually are shorter than the stock springs.

 

[virafp]

Thanks all, for your input.

I will definitely check the shocks first, but they are Bilstein’s with about 70K of street driving, so I suspect they may not be the cause.

The rear end has not sagged - it shows the correct ride height when stationary. What I find is that if I go over a speed breaker etc, the rear tends to bottom out. So, will definitely check the shocks as well.

I think if the springs are the cause, I will replace with stock......thanks again.

 

[atnolan94]

If you aren’t sagging but you are bottoming out then you will want a higher spring rate that the OME provides. FWIW Bilstein shocks don’t have the best reviews for the 100 series despite how great they are on many other pickups and SUVs

 

[suprarx7nut]

I don't think there's any way you're bottoming out. I'm putting my money on worn bushings in the suspension or another cause. Bottoming out on a speed bump under normal circumstances would require a completely blown shock and a nearly non-existent OEM spring. Worn bushings, on the other hand, will make a horrible clank and clunk when worn out and at 250k+ that seems likely. Have you checked all the bushings?

 

[virafp]

I don't think there's any way you're bottoming out. I'm putting my money on worn bushings in the suspension or another cause. Bottoming out on a speed bump under normal circumstances would require a completely blown shock and a nearly non-existent OEM spring. Worn bushings, on the other hand, will make a horrible clank and clunk when worn out and at 250k+ that seems likely. Have you checked all the bushings?

Thanks for the advice. Specifically which bushings should i be looking at? Also, the issue happens when there are 4 or 5 people and my two dogs in the back. So there is some load.

I think I will replace the shocks first and see if that helps....

 

[MTNRig]

I just replaced my 202k stock shocks and springs with OEM shocks and OME 865 springs. The ride is sooo much better now (primarily used for on road, forest roads, and light trail driving). I don't find that the 865's cause a harsh ride at all and I run basically stock with the third row removed. I do have a bit more rake than I did prior to replacing the shocks and springs but I imagine that will settle a bit over time and when I eventually add drawers and sliders. Definitely an affordable way to keep a near stock ride but allowing for a little additional load when needed IMHO. Also replaced front and rear sway bar links and bushings FWIW.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks for the advice. Specifically which bushings should i be looking at? Also, the issue happens when there are 4 or 5 people and my two dogs in the back. So there is some load.

I think I will replace the shocks first and see if that helps....

Replacing shocks is a great first step, IMO. For bushings, check everyone you can find. Grab a pry bar and see if you can move any of them easily. There are 4 trailing arms (8 bushings there), 1 sway bar (6 bushings on that bar), 1 lateral bar (2 bushings) and... I think that's it. Some small hairline cracks are normal but if you can see some obvious separation in the rubber they're toast.

 

[bucfl]

Mine bottom out with just two small kids in second row. New 2865 fixed that problem. I run 2865 with Air Lift 1000 when loaded or towing and have a great ride.

 

[virafp]

So I just installed 4 OEM shocks, replacing the Bilsteins with about 125K miles on them. Ride quality is superb on road (where it spends 95% of its life), and the rear is definitely more dampened than before, leading me to believe the Billy's were toast. Thanks for the advice!