What is the "Taco Lean" ?
The "Taco Lean" is just that, the truck will be lower on one side (with the Tacoma, the drivers side) thus causing the truck to lean. This lean is the result of uneven weight from one side to the other. Its common for the drivers side to be lower over the passenger side as the gas tank and battery are on the drivers side.
Now Toyota tries to prevent this from happening by manufacturing two different coils, the drivers side having a coil that will better support the additional weight; however, over time this lean can still occur as the coils age and sage in.
As for aftermarket coils, they are not left / right specific and are manufactured to the same specifications. For this reason we have our 1/4" lean spacer (Top Plate Spacer) which helps to correct the lean following a lift with aftermarket coils.
Now Toyota tries to prevent this from happening by manufacturing two different coils, the drivers side having a coil that will better support the additional weight; however, over time this lean can still occur as the coils age and sage in.
As for aftermarket coils, they are not left / right specific and are manufactured to the same specifications. For this reason we have our 1/4" lean spacer (Top Plate Spacer) which helps to correct the lean following a lift with aftermarket coils.
How do I make my truck sit level?
“Level” is a hard thing to account for because every truck can sit slightly different from the factory. We see some trucks sit almost level while others can have a 2” rear rake. This makes it really difficult to guarantee a particular stance since so many variables can come into play. In order to try to get the best results possible, we recommend taking measurements. Measure from the center of the hub to the bottom of your fender on all 4 corners to see exactly how much higher you sit in the back as opposed to the front. This way you will know about how high you will need to go in the front and/or rear to get you near the stance you are shooting for. Measurements should always be taken on level ground in order to be as close to accurate as possible. To help with this further you can also measure with a ½ tank of gas since the weight of the gas tank can affect the drivers side measurements.
EXAMPLE
Your measurements come out to 21" (both sides) in the rear and 20" (both sides) in the front. You want to go up around 2.5” in the front and you want the back to be level with it.
EXAMPLE
Your measurements come out to 21" (both sides) in the rear and 20" (both sides) in the front. You want to go up around 2.5” in the front and you want the back to be level with it.
- - 20” (current front height) + 2.5” (or whatever lift you are shooting for) = 22.5”
- - Subtract the rear measurements (in this case is 21”) which = 1.5"
- - Approximate lift height needed to level the truck would be 1.5" of rear lift
I measured before I lifted the truck and its not sitting level, Why is this?
The lift achieved from any kind of spring, whether it is a leaf spring or a coil spring, is variable and not exact. Depending on the condition of your factory components (where applicable), how they respond to the added suspension, the overall weight of the vehicle and any add-ons (bumpers, batteries, tool boxes, covers, light bars, skids, sliders, etc.) and manufacturing tolerances of the spring themselves, can all influence how much lift you get. For this reason we provide the average after settled lift height that we have seen from clients running specific suspensions and do not guarantee exact lift numbers.
I just lifted my truck and I got a lot more lift then I expected, whats the deal?
There are several different reasons for this...
- In a lot of cases customers will make the mistake of measuring directly following the installation of a lift. This will often skew the results as the suspension has not had any time to settle out. Please note that when the truck is brought down from the lift the front end can sit much higher since when lifted the suspension is drooped and pulled in. When dropped to the ground the suspension will not land in its resting place until the vehicle is actually moved. Also be mindful of break-in, when the suspension is first installed its not uncommon for the lift to be higher than expected.
- The initial and after-lifted measurements must be done on as level of ground as possible and preferably with a ½ tank of gas. If this was not done the measurements taken might not be accurate.
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- We provide the average after-settled lift heights based on our customer feedback and product testing. The numbers are based on new suspension so with an older suspension the factory components could be pretty worn in. This may cause you to see after-lifted numbers higher than what was expected because the factory suspensions could be providing less, or negative lift, then it did when it was new. Now the new suspension is taking you back to stock and lifting you the amount it was intended to beyond that point.
I want my truck to sit one way when unloaded and the same when loaded down. What can I do?
There really isn’t much you can do in the way of leaf springs to accomplish this. The best bet is an airbag system. This way you can adjust the PSI up as need be to support the various loads that you may add to the bed of the truck. Leaf packs are directly affected by the weight being added so without airbags there is a very good chance the rear will drop down some.