[Indoyota]

Sounds like a fun trip! Do you have a weight distribution hitch? It will effect how much of an increase in weight capacity you want/need from the springs.

If you call CSS, they have quite a few questions they run through to help you sort out your needs. You’ll need the VIN specific springs part number from Toyota to provide to them.

Feel free to reference my order #35378 with them. And here are the specs I requested:
+1.5” unloaded (stock height loaded)
+425lbs capacity

I actually ended up with +2.25” unloaded which necessitated the shock replacement referenced in this post. Ride has still been great, no issues unloaded and tows like a dream when I pump up the AirLift.

Good luck!

Hey, thanks for the reply! I plan on getting a WDH. The toungue weight of the trailer will be close to 500 lbs. But the dry weight of it is about 2200 lbs. I would like to get the heavy duty coil springs, airbags, and WDH. Also, i will have a brake controller. I feel that this will greatly increase my safety and driveability of the van.

 

[22Ranger]

That will be a sweet setup with all those working together. That’s what I like about using the bags with springs, you can spec the springs soft enough it’s still a nice ride when empty. The ride height is so much better with the springs!

Hey, thanks for the reply! I plan on getting a WDH. The toungue weight of the trailer will be close to 500 lbs. But the dry weight of it is about 2200 lbs. I would like to get the heavy duty coil springs, airbags, and WDH. Also, i will have a brake controller. I feel that this will greatly increase my safety and driveability of the van.

 

[Interceptor]

I'm also interested in stiffer rear springs, with additional height. Glad I found this post. I have a '13 so I'll have to cross check part #'s....

 

[22Ranger]

Yup, custom rear springs, accessibility shocks and custom air bags.

Journey’s will not break up their kit, I called and asked haha.

Traxda will do custom length front spacers. I was planning to go that route, but I’ve got it riding level while towing. If you keep the front lift modest, you can probably avoid having to swap out everything the Journey kit addresses.

The Van looks great! So the picture is with rear springs only? Nothing up front yet? I'm considering the journeys kit but I'd rather improve my rear springs and just get spacers for the front. My wife is actually into the idea because of Minnesnowta winters. I'm not sure if you can just by front spacers only - maybe springs all around is the way to go.

 

[22Ranger]

I think it should be the same parts. It would just change for 7 or 8 passenger or AWD specifications.

-IF- anybody goes this route, take my advice and paint them before installing! The CSS paint is totally disappointing and has began rusting pretty significantly. I’m going to have to deflate the bags and try to paint them in place! It was a serious effort to compress them to install them, I don’t want to repeat it already...

I'm also interested in stiffer rear springs, with additional height. Glad I found this post. I have a '13 so I'll have to cross check part #'s....

 

[saidiadude2]

How much would it cost to powder coat the springs? Does CSS offer this option?

 

[22Ranger]

How much would it cost to powder coat the springs? Does CSS offer this option?

I’m not sure what is would cost to powder coat the springs. CSS doesn’t offer that option and cautioned against that for a few reasons, see response below.

If I knew that the paint was essentially just to prevent corrosion during shipping, I probably would have sanded, primed and rustoleum rattle-canned them. Both for the aesthetics and to ensure longevity of the AirLift system.

So far, I’ve opted to let it ride and just see it stays as surface rust or if it gets any deeper.

Does anyone have long term experience with CSS springs and surface rust?

Here was CSS’s 2-part response when I asked about the corrosion:
“The natural surface patina weathering does not affect the integrity of the spring .
You can, for example, remove the springs, have them shot peened and powder coated.
The powder coating will chip away and you will have the same results as you have now - only worse.
I have been advised by some of my customers that as powder coating deteriorates, moisture, road acids,
salts and salt brine get trapped between the powder coat and the bring, thereby enhancing degradation of the spring.

What I meant by springs coming from the factory, was addressing the fact that decades ago there were OEM coil
springs which were manufactured for new vehicles, that were not painted. They were installed unpainted.
In fact there are some of the highly valued, antique cars; that if when the vehicle is restored, the springs are
painted / coated they will lose points in the judging process, as they were not coated in the factory.”

“Coil Springs are constantly cycling with compression and torsional forces in play.
This constant flexing and the fact that spring operate in a hazardous condition, will result in
coating deterioration.
The structural integrity of the spring is not affected by the surface oxidation.”

 

[Indoyota]

So, I ordered the CSS springs a few months ago and just recently installed them 2 weekends ago. The springs are pretty much identical to yours. That install was probably the hardest thing i've done on a vehicle and i'm no rookie to vehicle maintenance and fabrication. Jeez, anyways, took a test drive with it this past weekend with the travel trailer to Ohio. Had the WDH installed too. I was going to put the airbags in, but i really didn't need to. The van and trailer were perfectly leveled. Wife, 2 kids and a dog with some luggage, the van towed and drove really well. I wish i had a picture of the setup but i got too busy in setting it all up. I'll get some pics later.

 

[22Ranger]

So, I ordered the CSS springs a few months ago and just recently installed them 2 weekends ago. The springs are pretty much identical to yours. That install was probably the hardest thing i've done on a vehicle and i'm no rookie to vehicle maintenance and fabrication. Jeez, anyways, took a test drive with it this past weekend with the travel trailer to Ohio. Had the WDH installed too. I was going to put the airbags in, but i really didn't need to. The van and trailer were perfectly leveled. Wife, 2 kids and a dog with some luggage, the van towed and drove really well. I wish i had a picture of the setup but i got too busy in setting it all up. I'll get some pics later.

No kidding? That’s great to hear they worked out well with your trailer. Do you think your tongue weight was close to 500 in the end?

Yea, the install was extremely physically demanding and required a lot of spring compression! You have a FWD, correct? Sounds like the AWD folks typically end up enlisting a shop for help with the rear end.

 

[Indoyota]

No kidding? That’s great to hear they worked out well with your trailer. Do you think your tongue weight was close to 500 in the end?

Yea, the install was extremely physically demanding and required a lot of spring compression! You have a FWD, correct? Sounds like the AWD folks typically end up enlisting a shop for help with the rear end.

Yea, Fwd. I don't think it was close to 500 lbs. But this trip i'm going on at the end of the month will be making the load heavier. Going to be gone for 30 days and doing about 6k miles of driving.

 

[PepperZ]

Cool mod! I've considered doing the same. Just curious, how's your rear tire wear been at the post mod alignment specs?

 

[PepperZ]

Cool mod! I've considered doing the same. Just curious, how's your rear tire wear been at the post mod alignment specs?

 

[22Ranger]

Cool mod! I've considered doing the same. Just curious, how's your rear tire wear been at the post mod alignment specs?

Thanks!

It’s been great, I’m at almost 43k on the tires and just had Discount Tire check them out. I’m at 5/32s with some edge cupping. They attributed it to typical FWD minivan “pushing”.

We just about 5,000 miles loaded down on a big trip and it was riding level and comfortable the whole time. Here is a recent tire choice discussion:https://www.siennachat.com/threads/...road-traction-tire-for-2006-toyota-sipenna-ce.76247/?post_id=469955#post-469955

 

[PepperZ]

That sounds promising thanks for the info.

I checked my alignment in the garage last night with some string and a laser level (for camber) and 2" lift will put my rear alignment in center of the range if I get the same change as you did. I'm considering a set of like new Goodyear Fortitudes. They look like a good enough deal to try them out.

Doing a traxda spacer lift and leaving the rubbershox spring helpers I have in the rear would give me +3" total in the rear (unloaded), and 2" in the front, plus a 1/2" increase in tire radius. I'm doing wheels/tires, lift, monroe shocks (on your advice), and am trying to weigh the benefits of the CS spring option. I saw, someone paid $450 for a set not long ago. The traxda rear spacers are about $140. Did you ever think about tracking down an interchangeable stock spring? I was thinking maybe highlander springs or maybe one of the truck platform spring sets, but the specs are hard to come by. Someone in the tire thread you linked mentioned putting Odyssey springs on their Sienna but that was a 1st gen. I'm mainly lifting for better clearance and appearance, but I could start hauling more so I wouldn't mind having the stiffer spring rate.

 

[22Ranger]

That sounds promising thanks for the info.

I checked my alignment in the garage last night with some string and a laser level (for camber) and 2" lift will put my rear alignment in center of the range if I get the same change as you did. I'm considering a set of like new Goodyear Fortitudes. They look like a good enough deal to try them out.

Doing a traxda spacer lift and leaving the rubbershox spring helpers I have in the rear would give me +3" total in the rear (unloaded), and 2" in the front, plus a 1/2" increase in tire radius. I'm doing wheels/tires, lift, monroe shocks (on your advice), and am trying to weigh the benefits of the CS spring option. I saw, someone paid $450 for a set not long ago. The traxda rear spacers are about $140. Did you ever think about tracking down an interchangeable stock spring? I was thinking maybe highlander springs or maybe one of the truck platform spring sets, but the specs are hard to come by. Someone in the tire thread you linked mentioned putting Odyssey springs on their Sienna but that was a 1st gen. I'm mainly lifting for better clearance and appearance, but I could start hauling more so I wouldn't mind having the stiffer spring rate.

Nice, that should be a sweet setup!

I did check out the Ody Spring thread too. I just didn’t find an easy option for a swap. The increased spring rate was a big improvement on overall ride quality. I made the spring rate soft enough that it isn’t harsh around town and I just inflate the air bags when I tow.

 

[Brett Goff]

All, Thought I would post this info as I too am looking for info on stiffer and slightly higher springs. Below is the Specs on Gen2 & Gen3 springs. Identical save Gen3 is 5/8in taller. Sources from Sienna Chat feeds, RockAuto, and MOOG web sites.

Sienna Gen2 & GEN3 Stock Coil Specifications (rear) MOOG 81409
End 1 Type	Squared
End 2 Type	Tangential
Relaxed Length (IN)	14.19​
Relaxed Length (MM)	360.36​
Gen3 Relaxed Length (ID) 5/8in taller	14.815​
Compressed Length (IN)	10​
Outside Diameter (IN)	5.89​
Inside Diameter (IN)	4.57​
Spring Rate (PP)	350​
Spring Type	Constant Rate
Spring Color	Black
Wire Diameter (IN)	0.66​
Wire Diameter (MM)	16.66​

Here are the specs of the 99-03 Odyssey Springs for those interested. Also sourced from RockAuto and MOOG Sienna Chat shows a 3in lift increase on Gen2, so I am guessing about a 2in lift on Gen3

2003 Odyssey MOOG 80661 Specifications
End 1 Type	Squared
End 2 Type	Tangential
Relaxed Length (IN)	14.06​
Relaxed Length (MM)	357.2​
Compressed Length (IN)	11​
Outside Diameter (IN)	6.11​
Inside Diameter (IN)	4.66​
Spring Rate (PP)	442​
Spring Type	Constant Rate
Spring Color	Black
Wire Diameter (IN)	0.71​
Wire Diameter (MM)	18.2​

I am planning to try the cheaper dollar spring set found on RockAuto for 1999 Odyssey (to date $52) and seeing if this helps my sag/scrape issues and could allow for 4 bike tray hitch rack. if the empty ride is awful I can look at CCS building a variable rate spring

 

[22Ranger]

All, Thought I would post this info as I too am looking for info on stiffer and slightly higher springs. Below is the Specs on Gen2 & Gen3 springs. Identical save Gen3 is 5/8in taller. Sources from Sienna Chat feeds, RockAuto, and MOOG web sites.

Sienna Gen2 & GEN3 Stock Coil Specifications (rear) MOOG 81409
End 1 Type	Squared
End 2 Type	Tangential
Relaxed Length (IN)	14.19​
Relaxed Length (MM)	360.36​
Gen3 Relaxed Length (ID) 5/8in taller	14.815​
Compressed Length (IN)	10​
Outside Diameter (IN)	5.89​
Inside Diameter (IN)	4.57​
Spring Rate (PP)	350​
Spring Type	Constant Rate
Spring Color	Black
Wire Diameter (IN)	0.66​
Wire Diameter (MM)	16.66​

Here are the specs of the 99-03 Odyssey Springs for those interested. Also sourced from RockAuto and MOOG Sienna Chat shows a 3in lift increase on Gen2, so I am guessing about a 2in lift on Gen3

2003 Odyssey MOOG 80661 Specifications
End 1 Type	Squared
End 2 Type	Tangential
Relaxed Length (IN)	14.06​
Relaxed Length (MM)	357.2​
Compressed Length (IN)	11​
Outside Diameter (IN)	6.11​
Inside Diameter (IN)	4.66​
Spring Rate (PP)	442​
Spring Type	Constant Rate
Spring Color	Black
Wire Diameter (IN)	0.71​
Wire Diameter (MM)	18.2​

I am planning to try the cheaper dollar spring set found on RockAuto for 1999 Odyssey (to date $52) and seeing if this helps my sag/scrape issues and could allow for 4 bike tray hitch rack. if the empty ride is awful I can look at CCS building a variable rate spring

That would be a huge cost savings, good find!

FWIW, the CSS option is perfect for riding around empty with a family of 5.

 

[PepperZ]

Lifting a Gen2 FWD XLE for camping and exploration

I've been reading all I can find on lifting our FWD Gen2 Sienna XLE a bit in an effort to improve the ground clearance and load carrying capability of the van to facilitate boondock camping and general outdoor exploration. We're not looking for rock-crawling, just the ability to better handle...

www.siennachat.com

All, Thought I would post this info as I too am looking for info on stiffer and slightly higher springs. Below is the Specs on Gen2 & Gen3 springs. Identical save Gen3 is 5/8in taller. Sources from Sienna Chat feeds, RockAuto, and MOOG web sites.

Sienna Gen2 & GEN3 Stock Coil Specifications (rear) MOOG 81409
End 1 Type	Squared
End 2 Type	Tangential
Relaxed Length (IN)	14.19​
Relaxed Length (MM)	360.36​
Gen3 Relaxed Length (ID) 5/8in taller	14.815​
Compressed Length (IN)	10​
Outside Diameter (IN)	5.89​
Inside Diameter (IN)	4.57​
Spring Rate (PP)	350​
Spring Type	Constant Rate
Spring Color	Black

Thanks for posting this. I haven't had time to install my spacers yet and am interested in trying this option instead for the rear. This thread doesn't mention any unloaded ride quality issues on a 2nd gen so I'm assuming there's not a problem there. I notice the OD is slightly larger on the Odyssey springs. The springs fit pretty tight and I was wondering if there might be a fitment issue so I checked here and the 2nd and 3rd gen sienna rear insulators are the same so they should fit our 3rd gens no problem. When do you think you'll do the install? It'd be great to hear how it goes. If you're in no rush I might just order some and try it myself.


For anyone interested, front traxda spacers can be ordered by themselves for what seems to be a ridiculously low price. I ordered Traxda spacers 114.1 (rear for $65/each) and 104.6 (front $30/each ) and it came to $166 w/shipping. These are sold indivually so you have to buy 2 per 'axle'. I found and used JONDZ20 (something like that, it's easily found online) discount code and it's still active for 20% off. Also I'll be trying the KYB 'mobility' shocks. I was going to get the monroe's but I think the kyb's will pair better with the stiffer springs. I was kind of wondering if the geometry is the same and the Odyssey shocks could be used on the Sienna too.

 

[pomanferrari4me]

How the process worked:
CSS has you run your VIN with Toyota and pull your exact OEM spring specifications. They build your custom springs off of these specifications.

Price with tax & shipping was $326.58.
Production time was right at 4 weeks as advertised.
They didn’t charge my card until the springs shipped.
Shipping was about 4 days.

Specifications:
Based off of: Rear OEM - coil spring #48231-08-051

CSS Custom Spring:
I.D. Wire Dia. Checking Load @ Checking Load Height Rate F.L. T.C.
4.50" .705" 1250# @ 11.875" 380/450#/in 15.125" 8.375

The goal was to increase ride height by 1.5” and add 425lbscarrying capacity. As a result, the spring rate increased by 30%.

My rear stock unloaded ride height was at 29.75” in the center of the wheel well.

My new unloaded ride height 32”. So, I actually gained 2.25”.

Hi - did you install the springs yourself or you took it to a shop?

 

[22Ranger]

Hi - did you install the springs yourself or you took it to a shop?

I was able to do it myself with a borrowed spring compressor without too much trouble. I took it to a shop to check alignment.