How to correct squat on a gen 3 with an OEM lift

Hello All,
Looking for advice/anecdote for correcting squat on a 3rd gen, while preserving the original ride as much as possible. Truck is a 2024 limited crewmax lifted with the OEM 3" front/2" rear Toyota kit. I have about 900 lbs bolted onto the bed in the form of a camper, drawer system, fridge, heater, awning, and other overlanding style gear which is basically permanent. The squat really shows up however when I add an additional 250-300 lbs of water/gear when camping; then it starts to feel like you're driving uphill all the time and there is obvious lost ground clearance. Since the majority of the weight is constant I would intuitively think a stiffer rear coil spring would be best (most durable, simplest, not sure about ride); for example Dobinsons offers multiple rear coil springs specific to load for a 2" rear lift.

• C59-841V (50mm-2") 0-110Lb Load

• C59-843V (50mm-2") 220-440lb Load

• C59-845V (50mm-2") 550-770lb Load

• C97-147VT (50mm-2") 800-1000lb Load

• C97-145VT (50mm-2") 1100-1300lb Load

A local offroad shop recommended airbags which may be more appropriate given the difference in squat generated by putting 150 lbs of water near the rear of the bed (easiest to load and access), but they admit they haven't dealt with this specific scenario. thoughts? experiences? thanks!

 

When I reached out to Dobinsons, they explained that you would achieve the 2” lift with the respective weight range in your bed. So, if you were to put on the C97-147VT with no load in the rear, it would result in a lift greater than 2” (around 3-4 inches).

I’m in a similar situation - running a 1,100 lb slide-in camper year-round. The stock springs are seriously lacking and it’s currently being leveled with airbags. I will most likely go with the C97-147VT or even the C59-845V as I’m trying to achieve more of a 2.5” front/1.5” rear lift rather than the 3/2.

I’d reach out to Dobinsons for your current application. They’ve been pretty helpful. Good luck!

 

thanks Ricky! why did the airbags fall short? (Im assuming your plan is to remove them when the new coils are in-is that correct?) when do you plan to install the heavier coils?-Im very curious the result. I like the coil idea but wonder if that will cause a more 'dumptruck' quality ride. Best, Bryan

 

The bags do a great job at leveling the truck, but the ride quality took a hit. Bumps feel more jarring and the rear can get bouncy on less smooth roads. I’m still on the stock TRD off-road suspension and the blistein 4600s and factory springs probably just can’t dampen the added weight as well. Not sure how the 5100s would do, but probably better than mine.

I’m still waiting for all the ancillary factory TRD 3” lift kit parts to arrive, which could be another few weeks. I couldn’t wait for the factory lift kit stop sale to end, so I ended up just buying all the individual components to correct the geometry, and will pair that with different shock/springs.

I’m pretty set on the Dobinsons 800-1000lb springs since the dry weight of the camper alone is 1100 lbs, and loaded with gear probably 1400 lbs. My goal is a ~2.5” lift in the front and 1.5” lift in the rear. I figure if I have a slightly lower weight rating springs, then I could get lower than the advertised 2” lift. I’lll keep the bags on just to help level the camper when stationary, but I expect the coil springs to handle nearly all the weight.

If you are carrying ~900 lbs constantly, the heavier coils shouldn’t result in too much of a dump truck ride, but I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you until I try it myself. Air bags at high psi already have a dumpy ride. The ride starts to become jarring for me when higher than 30 psi. FWIW, I see a lot of other permanent camper setups using a combination of heavier springs and bags and it seems to work well for them.

The Airlift 5000 bags are pretty easy to install and relatively cheap (I got it for ~$400 from Summit Racing after the manufacturer’s rebate). I added the cradles too rather than having the bags bolt onto the axle to allow for longer travel. You could give the bags a try first and then upgrade the coils if you feel the bags aren’t cutting it.