Saggy Rear, is this normal? Leaf pack vs AAL vs RAS?

Hi all,
So I recently realized that my stock rear leafs are flat under my setup (>350lbs of constant load on the rear axle). I have talked with some nice folks here and it seems that the flatter leafs are common and maybe normal for tundras? I am planning on doing something to it next year as I spent all my budget already for 2022 on my truck.
I have couple of questions,
1. the truck has 24k miles, relatively young, so would this flatter looking leafs be a safety hazard say before I reach 50k miles?

2. If I want to have a heavier load bearing capability in the rear, would leaf pack works better than aal or RAS? I do off-road quite frequently so I assume RAS is not ideal since it limits suspension travel and have a tendency to come off under full articulation? I don't mind some rake.

My current set up is
Bilstein 6112 front with 1.9inch lift.
Bilstein 5160 rear with stock leaf on coachbuilder +2 shackles.

Picture of my truck (Fairly level, but even when its leveled, the leaf pack is still flat instead of arched, so I am not sure if the rear leaf on the tundra just flat stock?)

the rear leaf looks like this on flat ground.


then when I move my driver rear wheels on a curb, to create some articulation like offroad condition, the rear leaf is inverted



Thanks in advance for the help and knowledge!

 

its normal tundra leaf sag- i dont even have a shell and mine are flat. ill be doing aal and see how that goes

 

Can confirm mine are very flat but I usually have about 500lbs in the bed.

 

AAL will sag over time, many dont last too long and they ride harsher. RAS is excellent option, get the HD version. I run it and it is great, supports load, stops/helps sag, no harsh ride at all and the price is great. Tundra leafs are soft anyway, so RAS is a great addition to help support them.

 

1 - Not a safety hazard.

2 - There are a number of options including AAL, Airbags and RAS. I went the AAL and airbag route and it works well for me. People who have RAS love them. But almost everyone who went either route agrees that a full custom leaf pack is the best option (like Deaver or Dob) - but only if your load is constant like with a camper. If your load varies like mine across commuting, towing, overlanding, etc, having adjustability is very beneficial.

Also, I will say that while airbags and cradles offer the greatest articulation, there are very, very, very few reports of RAS coming off under full articulation. So while there is a risk, the last few years of reports have proven it to be low.

 

Thanks for the info and please let me know how it goes!

Thanks, and that sounds about what I have in the bed, if I don't offroad I wouldn't be worrying about it, but since I put my truck into full articulation very frequently, I just worry about the leafs being broken or something down the road.

 

Thanks for the input!
Do you know how RAS affects articulation? I wonder how much less the articulation will be if any?

 

I'll have a similar rear setup as yours and I will be doing the HD Leaf Spring from Dobinsons. All of the research I've done shows this option as the best all around setup. And Dobinsons makes quality stuff.

 

Thank you for the answers.
I do have a constant load on the back,
Leer cap: 250lbs
Spare tire: 100lbs
Tools/recovery gear: 150lbs
RCI slider/fuel tank skids: 400lbs ( maybe only 200lbs acting on the rear axle)
So now that I am thinking about it, my constant weight is almost 700lbs in the bed lol.

I do put my truck through full flex all the time when I offroad, I assume my leafs go thru the full compression cycle much more frequently than others, will that shorten the expected life span of my stock leafs? I don't want to have something breaks away from home and off the paved roads


I am leaning towards leaf pack, but then not sure if they will fit/work with my coachbuilder+2 shackles.

Thank you again!

 

I do not, would be less than a rear sway bar, but I have no firm info. Many hear run RAS, so hopefully someone will chime in.

 

Those shackles are the only reason you're riding level cause if your pack was ok you'd have a rake.

If you're worried about offroad capability staying intact then you should go full pack replacement. I'm biased towards Alcan springs but feel free to use whatever your research leads you to use.

 

It is a known issue with the Tundras. From what I read the shackles can exacerbate their weakness (I am not recommending you remove them).

I am going with RAS HD while I work up to a full suspension upgrade. Will probably replace the leafpacks at some point.

 

Alcan has shackles with their springs if you want them...you could eliminate the shackle lift when you have the springs built. That being said, I have CB +2s with my Alcan pack and they work well but only because he factored that in when he built the pack.

 

Only if extended bump stops aren't installed with shackles that provide lift

 

Gotchya. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

I think whatever route you take, the RAS would be a great addition to, or on its own. You should get the HD set, throw them on and see how it looks/feels. If you still have the sag, you could go with a new leaf pack, but still use the RAS as support or a crutch against hard bottom outs. IMO you cant lose with the RAS. Even if you decide you hate them, which I have never heard, you can probably sell them on here pretty quick for a minor loss.

I love my RAS and even though I dont have as much constant load as you, you would just run the RAS tighter than me.

 

My 0.02’s…I hope it helps… I’m glad i bite the bullet and went for the custom Alcan spring set up.. (Usually I’m the one to go for the cheap fix and windup spending more in the end)… I had a constant weight of about 700lbs and was unhappy with ride @ 25psi of air in the bags to keep it level…All kinds of bounce when towing and inverted springs with 1.5 shackles in the back… Had Lew build in 2”s of lift and 800lbs over stock and used his shackles since they were very close to OEM… Love the ride now and no more sag… tows the camper like a dream…. Gas prices have keep me from heading west so haven’t done any crawling (other than some wash board roads locally)….Sorry no help there… my vote is a new leaf pack.. Satisfied customer here… Like totally different truck now

 

nice evo corsa wheels! I am going to take a guess and say you got them thru mainline overland? Just pure guessing. Would you say Alcan springs and Deaver are about similar in terms of quality and performance?

 

Yeah…$ChaChing…gotta keep food on the plates for those boys over at mainline…LOL…. From what I’ve read.. for the most part they’re the same… probably a few more here in the Deaver camp…(They’re pretty busy and harder to get hold of)… but, Lew is a nice guy and super easy to work with… he made me go get a truck weight before i ordered… (which I highly recommend cause my guesstimate was way off) answered my hundreds of questions and the springs were done way sooner than Deaver’s would be.. Deaver tended to want to push people to their U748’s in stock… IDK.. give’m a call see if your experience is different… Anyway, super happy with my springs even with an empty bed it rides better than stock… whole lot more responsive when accelerating. Got my rake back and got rid of the sagging without having to keep messing with my airbags… now they’re just bump stops…(5psi)..hope that helps

 

Our stock springs suck. Mine were inverted just sitting static. I have a cap and offroad alot, but I also tow fairly heavy and hauled alot of broken concrete in it. Also those coachbuilders aren't helping the issue either. They're making it worse. I just upgraded to dobinsons and it's night and day difference

 

How much lift did you get from the Dobinsons?… And did you go back to 1” shackles?…..Come on man… where’s the pictures?… and don’t short change us on pics of that beautiful front bumper

 

yea normally I'm a pic whore , I don't know what I was thinking haha they were 2.25 springs I got around 3 or more out of them because my sag was so bad. I would have to find my measurements ts before , but after is 25.5 hub to fender I believe. Stock shackles.

 

I have the Toytec progressive 3 leaf AAL and I’m very happy with it. The truck had it installed already when I purchased it with 42k on it, I have 53k on it now. They ride great and support the stock springs well. I also have airbags with cradles but I honestly don’t even need to put air in them and my truck does not squat with my 700+ tongue weight camper, my bed cap, and a bed full of camping stuff. If you’re looking to spend 700 bucks or so a whole new leaf pack is probably the best option, but I have no complaints at all with my progressive AAL and have no plans to change it. It costs less than half the price of a new leaf packs so something to consider.

 

I replaced my flat springs with Alcans at 200 lbs over, and 1/2 inch of lift. I run them with Toytec shackles set at 1.5. I may do some measurements at some point to see if the lift from a RAS would be too high...if it would even work with the Alcans.

 

These may help?



And now back to our regular programming....................

 

$700 bucks or so....
yeah… but can your springs do this…
Haha…

Hey Tundra234…. Did you get the popping noise figured out?…. There are a couple of guys on here that have Alcan and RAS together.

 

Yeah they can. My springs are the number Juan spring on the market.

 

Well played sir…..

 

Not yet...I haven't messed with it lately. Hopefully this weekend.