On level ground, with wheels straight, how much clearance should there be under the front bump stops, assuming the springs aren't old and tired? Stock v6, OEM suspension.

youll see a big difference after you do new shocks, but with stock its like it lights to ride on the bump stops, atleast when i had x reas.

Does anyone know what the clearance spec is?

You're prob going to get a variety of answers, as most of us replaced suspension and gained lift above stock. I have the bilstein coilovers around 1" over stock and prob have a few inches of clearance between the LCA and my 4Wheeler's bumps. Before I put in the billies, I was riding on the bumps.

What problem are you trying to solve / question are you really trying to answer, eg, do you need to replace your suspension?

Good question, ZiaMan!

I have a tired suspension with 108k miles on it. This year, it has been doing more work than ever with the additional weight of RCI under-armor, sliders, a rear drawer system, as well as more time to drive rough mountain trails than in past years.

While there is nothing broken or leaking, I sensed that I hit the front bump stops easier than I remember doing so in the past. At this point, I can't get my entire index finger under the stops, and I don't have fat fingers - just regular average size.

Now that summer driving season is over, I'm about to refresh the suspension with new OEM upper control arms, OEM springs, and Bilstein shocks ( no lift desired ).

I was asking about bump stop clearance to see what's normal. I don't want to overdo it or "underdo" it. I'm planning on installing springs either from the v8 version of the 4th gen because I have all that additional weight on my v6, or perhaps brand new 5th gen TRD off-road OEM springs which I can get for free. The 5th gen is a heavier truck than my '08 v6, so I suspect they may be appropriate given all that weight that I added to my truck.

There are ways to get stiffer springs than stock that don't give you lift. Adjustable coilovers can be adjusted to give you ~0" of lift in the front and would have heavy enough coils to improve your ride. OEM springs with that much weight makes me cringe.

My '08 v6 has a curb weight that is 420 pounds less than that of the 2018 TRD Off-Road edition.

I've added about 280 lbs and will probably add another 100 as I finish armoring the underside all the way back.

Using the four springs from that '18 TRD seems to make sense on paper. Am I missing something that makes this a cringe-worthy idea?

Cringe-worthy if you stay OEM across the board. If you can afford OEM why not upgrade? You can get stiffer springs in the same height? or adjustable coilovers just to have the option. I have an 08' V6 and can say that they are close (without measuring - I have 150k on stock setup). skids, sliders and a loaded drawer system is easily adding a couple hundred lbs on top of your aged setup. Surprising you feel it more up front than in the rear but if you have the option, go with the TRD springs. I think you'll need to do a few modifications to make them work.

Consider Tacoma or maybe FJ Springs? On my 07 V8, taco Springs alone added an inch of lift and rode great. Probably similar to 5th gen Springs, but I can’t personally vouch for the 5th gens...