Despite our desire to run softer springs it turns out the 600 lb/in springs are the softest that can fit and function, which is probably why that is the standard spring rate on most aftermarket 2.5 coilovers. For the most 4Runner’s and Tacoma’s 600, 650, and 700 lb/in springs are the only 14” long springs that satisfy those requirements. Next we need to consider how much travel the spring has relative to the travel of the shock and how much preload* is required to achieve the desired ride height.
FASTFOX PROS AND CONS INSTALL
The first limitation is the overall length of the spring, 14” long springs are the longest reasonable spring to install on OEM fit mid travel Tacoma & 4Runner coilovers. The next logical question is if softer springs are better, how soft can I go? In the perfect world I would like to see spring rates in the 450 to 550 lb/in range however that would require more preload and longer springs than can fit in the space provided by Toyota. On large bumps the heavy springs can be too stiff and feel jolting. Tacoma’s and 4Runners with heavier than necessary springs won’t ride as smooth on the road and will get more feedback on little bumps. Heavier springs are harder to compress and transmit more vibration into the chassis. The result is that softer springs ride nicer. This is because softer springs compress from ride height more easily and force the tire to extend down from ride height more quickly to follow the terrain (see preload article for more). Vehicles with soft springs tend to ride like Cadillac’s while vehicles with heavy springs tend to ride more like dump trucks. Why do we recommend soft springs on Tacoma’s? Often times, you will just need to add more preload to get the desired ride height. Before you swap to a heavier rate spring, make sure its the correct spring rate for your trucks total weight. Ride height is achieved by adding preload, not swapping to a heavier rate spring. Its very common to think a heavier rate coilover spring will lift your truck more than the standard spring it comes with. The proper solution is to tune the coilovers for the weight of the vehicle. Some people add a stiffer spring to compensate for this feeling, and have some success, but cause other issues in the process. They can bottom out on small drop offs and bounce up and down on freeway rolling bumps. Fox, King and other OEM Tacoma/4Runner front coilovers come valved too soft from the factory.
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