Red & Yellow dots on front springs - Anyone know what they mean?

[MikeD]

Have been responding to lots of posts and decided to create my first....
No issue, just a curiosity as I contemplate moving to larger tires and whether I'll need some sort of lift kit. Does anyone know what these marks on my front springs are/were for? (this is driver's side)

Sponsored

 

[JayTech]

I don't know about Toyotas, but I know other manufacturers used colored dots to identify spring rates. Different trims or model years could have different spring rates, so they color code them to identify them in assembly.

 

[Nodak]

are the color dots the same for front and rear axle and side to side?

 

[Nodak]

the only think i can find is an old ref to a tundra color chart for springs

Stock 4X2 coils
- drivers: yellow-white
- passengers: blue-white

Stock 4X4 coils
- drivers: yellow-green
- passengers: blue-green

TRD 4X4 coils
- drivers: yellow-yellow
- passengers: blue-yellow

TRD 4X2 coils
- drivers: red-yellow
- passengers: purple-yellow

 

[MikeD]

are the color dots the same for front and rear axle and side to side?

Nodak - your collection of Toyota arcana is astounding. Are/were you a Toyota tech?
Anyway - the (partial) answer is, for my TRD ORP the passenger side front spring has same red/yellow markings as the driver’s side. (I forgot to check the rear.)

 

[Nodak]

Nodak - your collection of Toyota arcana is astounding. Are/were you a Toyota tech?

nah, just been die hard toyota fan boi since 1984 (my first toyota was a celica gt fastback, see attached look a likes) plus i have pretty good google-fu to find stuff and try to weed out the junk info

i have collected and remember a lot of things related to a few models, mostly the tundra and 4runner for now since that is what i am mainly interested in.

here are all the toyota's i have had since the celica gt fastback ... out of the 22 toyota's we have had, 16 is between me and the wife

84 Celica GT (Me)
84 & 87 Cressida (Me)(Wife)
89 Toy Truck 2wd (Wife)
91 Cressida x 2 (Me)(Wife)
93 Paseo (Wife)
98 4Rv6 (Me)
04 4R Sport v8 (Me)
06 Taco AC v6 (Wife)
09 Corolla XLE (Daughter)
09 Rav4 v6 (Wife)
12 Taco DC v6 (Wife)
14 4Runner LE (Me)
14 Rav4 XLE (Daughter)
15 Camry XSE (Son)
16 Taco DC Sport (Wife)
16 Highlander XLE (Daughter)
18 Tundra CM Platinum 5.5ft 4x4 (Wife)
21 Rav4 XLE (Daughter)
23 Tundra CM Platinum 5.5ft 4x4 Non Hybrid (Wife)
24 Rav4 XLE Prem (Son)
25 4Runner Platinum (Me) (Built 22-aug-25, waiting delivery)

 

[Nodak]

Nodak - your collection of Toyota arcana is astounding. Are/were you a Toyota tech?
Anyway - the (partial) answer is, for my TRD ORP the passenger side front spring has same red/yellow markings as the driver’s side. (I forgot to check the rear.)

if the rears have different markings, then i would guess they are axle specific.

only way to truly tell is to look at other trims to see if those have different colors per axle than yours.

then that would answer your question of coils being trim specific

 

[Dr_Al]

nah, just been die hard toyota fan boi since 1984 (my first toyota was a celica gt fastback, see attached look a likes) plus i have pretty good google-fu to find stuff and try to weed out the junk info

i have collected and remember a lot of things related to a few models, mostly the tundra and 4runner for now since that is what i am mainly interested in.

here are all the toyota's i have had since the celica gt fastback ... out of the 22 toyota's we have had, 16 is between me and the wife

84 Celica GT (Me)
84 & 87 Cressida (Me)(Wife)
89 Toy Truck 2wd (Wife)
91 Cressida x 2 (Me)(Wife)
93 Paseo (Wife)
98 4Rv6 (Me)
04 4R Sport v8 (Me)
06 Taco AC v6 (Wife)
09 Corolla XLE (Daughter)
09 Rav4 v6 (Wife)
12 Taco DC v6 (Wife)
14 4Runner LE (Me)
14 Rav4 XLE (Daughter)
15 Camry XSE (Son)
16 Taco DC Sport (Wife)
16 Highlander XLE (Daughter)
18 Tundra CM Platinum 5.5ft 4x4 (Wife)
21 Rav4 XLE (Daughter)
23 Tundra CM Platinum 5.5ft 4x4 Non Hybrid (Wife)
24 Rav4 XLE Prem (Son)
25 4Runner Platinum (Me) (Built 22-aug-25, waiting delivery)

I had the same car in white. 1985 Celica GT-S.

 

[Dr_Al]

Over the years I have had well over 100 Toyotas. When you do work on them you find out things. For example Toyota doesn't use the same leaf springs on each side. The rate is slightly different based on the amount of time they think the driver will be driving alone and the location and average weight of the gas in the tank. I'm thinking it's a simple way to visually check to see if the correct spring is installed.

Sponsored