I tow a two-horse trailer pretty often, about 3,000 lbs total. The truck handles fine—no issues with sway or braking—but the rear sags a bit. I’d like to get a little lift and take some of the stress off the suspension without making the ride too stiff when I’m not towing.
I’ve been looking at options, but it’s confusing since most are either for heavy-duty use or meant to be adjusted all the time. Since this is my daily, I don’t want to mess with manually inflating and deflating airbags. Do I have to replace the whole suspension, or is there a simpler fix? Truck is a 2016 Sport 4x4 with a tow package.
Sunny said:
SumoSprings are probably the easiest and cheapest fix.
Those look like exactly what I need. Thanks!
I just put some on. The ride is noticeably stiff when the truck is empty, especially on rough roads, freeway joints, and speed bumps. Hoping they soften up a little after my upcoming cross-country tow.
I actually considered airbags, but I saw a lot of complaints about rough rides at the 5psi minimum, or bottoming out too soon. I think there just isn’t enough room in the Tacoma’s stock setup for airbags to work well unless you’re lifting the truck, which I don’t want to do.
@Deen
They won’t break in. They stay firm. I have a stock-height Off-Road, and the SumoSprings were touching the frame when the truck was empty. Made the ride too rough for me. I ended up trimming 1.5 inches off the top with a box cutter so my suspension could move more freely—huge improvement. Took maybe five minutes.
I’ve used Timbren suspension kits on both my Tacomas. Pretty similar to SumoSprings, but with Timbrens, you don’t really feel any difference when the truck is empty, which I liked. No sagging when towing, but the ride stays the same otherwise.
I tow a 5,000 lb boat/trailer and sometimes a smaller landscape trailer. The Timbrens definitely help keep everything stable. They’re also great when I load up the bed with firewood or anything heavy. I even run a light-duty snowplow, so I have them in the front, too.
After 10 years in the rust belt, the mounting hardware was shot when I went to move them to my new Tacoma. I contacted Timbren to buy replacement parts, and they just sent me a brand-new set for free. Not bad, considering they aren’t cheap!
If you’re looking for something that won’t change the ride when empty, Timbrens might be worth considering.
