I think I'm going to go ahead with the Rough Country kit and purchase the diff drop etc separately. Thanks tho
Early pickup/hilux and 4-runner tech and classifieds
- Thread starter wngrog
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You are welcome sir. Look forward to seeing how it comes along.
Thanks. I appreciate all the information. It has helped gain an understanding of coil spring lifts. I had an fj60 previously and it was all leaf springs.
The 3rd gen is a solid rig. When you get ready to do the rear shocks, make sure you start a day or two ahead spraying the top nuts with PB Blaster/ WD40, etc. as they are a bit tight and there isn't alot of wiggle room to get a breaker or anything much up in there. I have only read about this myself, but of all the things that seem to give issues, this seems to be the main one.
Also, I know this isn't exactly the route you are going, but it is very well written and the video is well done. Should be helpful if for nothing else just to help educate you on the suspension system. He has several other links for some other things, like the "Tundra Brake Upgrade" and some others.
Project SportRunner
Also, I know this isn't exactly the route you are going, but it is very well written and the video is well done. Should be helpful if for nothing else just to help educate you on the suspension system. He has several other links for some other things, like the "Tundra Brake Upgrade" and some others.
Project SportRunner
Long day, but here are the highlights.
Spraying down the upper rear shock nuts is the best advice I can give. Also if you don't have one of those ratchets that bends, get one. The access to that but is VERY limited. The rear took me a few hours, the front went pretty quick. Best advice I can give on the front is to have a long pry bar. I wrapped the end and used it to press down on the upper arm to get the lower bolt in. Over all, not a bad day. I still need to get it aligned but it drove ok on the way home from the farm.
Here are a few pictures.
New and old side by side. Kind of deceiving as the stock coils actually have a longer free length, but the rear went from 20.5" up to 22.5". The stockers were slapped out.
Access to that upper nut Will make you want to pull your hair out, but with some patience they will go.
The front took about half the time or less. Out is very quick and painless. Old vs. New.
Back in isn't bad. Just have to be able to press the suspension down in order to get the lower bolt in. Some unbolt the knuckle at the top or bottom, some put the stock jack upside down and press against the fender, I used a pry bar. Don't judge, it worked. If I could have found my big pry bar it would have been cake.
All in all, not a bad day. I am almost dead level. Picked up about 2" Out back and about 1.5" up front. I am pleased with the end result. After the alignment and a few miles I will report back on the ride.
Next will be sliders so I can ditch the running boards. But both the women in my life are under 5' so they are used regularly, plus momma said so.
Spraying down the upper rear shock nuts is the best advice I can give. Also if you don't have one of those ratchets that bends, get one. The access to that but is VERY limited. The rear took me a few hours, the front went pretty quick. Best advice I can give on the front is to have a long pry bar. I wrapped the end and used it to press down on the upper arm to get the lower bolt in. Over all, not a bad day. I still need to get it aligned but it drove ok on the way home from the farm.
Here are a few pictures.
New and old side by side. Kind of deceiving as the stock coils actually have a longer free length, but the rear went from 20.5" up to 22.5". The stockers were slapped out.
Access to that upper nut Will make you want to pull your hair out, but with some patience they will go.
The front took about half the time or less. Out is very quick and painless. Old vs. New.
Back in isn't bad. Just have to be able to press the suspension down in order to get the lower bolt in. Some unbolt the knuckle at the top or bottom, some put the stock jack upside down and press against the fender, I used a pry bar. Don't judge, it worked. If I could have found my big pry bar it would have been cake.
All in all, not a bad day. I am almost dead level. Picked up about 2" Out back and about 1.5" up front. I am pleased with the end result. After the alignment and a few miles I will report back on the ride.
Next will be sliders so I can ditch the running boards. But both the women in my life are under 5' so they are used regularly, plus momma said so.
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Rolled with the GA FJ Cruisers group, and look who I ran into Dan Kunz. Good group, great weather, awesome trail in Prentice Cooper National Forrest. One trail I would rate a 3+ on a dry day. Kinda kicking my ass now for missing a rental up here when I was in the search, oh well it is only 15mins from my house now.
Excuse my ignorance here but I'm wondering what the difference is between the 1500$ kit and some of the lower ones (like the RoughCountry) I am looking at. What are the advantages?
Can't argue with that, just seems like a lot for only shocks and springs for o ly one end. The toytec kit comes with diff drop, Springs, schocks, spacers for front and rear for $1250. Any experience with their quality?
Toytec is pretty popular with the 4runner crowd. I haven't heard much if any bad about them, and like you note, it does come with everything. I also got my setup during the ICON annual cyber Monday sale, so it wasn't full price, so that helped. I'm not gonna try to justify it to anyone. I did do a lot of reading and saw a number of folks stepping up to a SAW, ICON or KING setup from the Toytec setup. I think the biggest difference is rebuildability and tunability. The Toytecs aren't rebuildable as far as I know, but I know pretty much all the ones above are. I jokingly blame @BMThiker for my purchase, but he has been running a similar setup (2.5 fronts/ 2.0 rears) on DigDug for years and it was his posts about their great customer service when he had his rears rebuilt a year or 2 ago that pushed me that way.
I think if you are looking for a bang for the buck setup (for improved ride), the bilstein tundra fronts, with the TRD coils set on the 2nd or third notch should get you about 2 to 3 inches up front, then match it with a set of LC or OME coils and a set of bilsteins for the rear and call it good. The tundra setup seems to be a better match than the similar Tacoma setup for the front due to the additional weight of the 4runner I think. If you get more than a couple inches you will want the diff drop to help your CVs. I think that may be similar to what Sonora Steel sells for their kit, and I think the price is similar to the Toytec setup.
If you just need the height, a spacer up front, some matching coils and shocks out back and you will be good, which is what the RC kit offers. If you could get their spacers by themselves, a set of OME coils and some bilstein or Ironman shocks, I think that would give you height and a decent ride. I also like the RC spacer because you don't have to replace the top hat studs to get it on. Much easier as a bolt-on mod.
End of the day it is a balance between budget and quality. Find your happy place and run at it.
I think if you are looking for a bang for the buck setup (for improved ride), the bilstein tundra fronts, with the TRD coils set on the 2nd or third notch should get you about 2 to 3 inches up front, then match it with a set of LC or OME coils and a set of bilsteins for the rear and call it good. The tundra setup seems to be a better match than the similar Tacoma setup for the front due to the additional weight of the 4runner I think. If you get more than a couple inches you will want the diff drop to help your CVs. I think that may be similar to what Sonora Steel sells for their kit, and I think the price is similar to the Toytec setup.
If you just need the height, a spacer up front, some matching coils and shocks out back and you will be good, which is what the RC kit offers. If you could get their spacers by themselves, a set of OME coils and some bilstein or Ironman shocks, I think that would give you height and a decent ride. I also like the RC spacer because you don't have to replace the top hat studs to get it on. Much easier as a bolt-on mod.
End of the day it is a balance between budget and quality. Find your happy place and run at it.
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I'm just trying to get perspective. I don't want to do this on the cheap but don't spend more than I need to. Toytec is looking good to me now. Bomars words on rough country make sense. It seems like I keep changing my mind but each time new information comes along it gives me pause. We'll see what tomorrow brings
See additional info in my original post as I thought about it more.
The toytec setup is probably the top of the middle, if that makes sense. It offers ajustability, is complete and is good components. The tundra setup I mention is not as "one stop shop" as the kit, but is a good setup and has gotten good reviews as well. The RC setup is probably not bad, I have a set of their coils on an old ford and it is just fine, of course I don't drive it every day either. I am not saying you have to go all in. That just happen to be where I landed. There are alot of good components out there and they all hit a certain mark. The spacers and shocks get you up but don't improve the ride that much. The bilstein/ toytec setups give you height and also improve the ride. When you get into the ICON/SAW/KING setups you get the height, improved ride and rebuildability/ tuneability. And above that you get into the remote resi stuff which in my opinion is desert racing, long distance, high speed stuff where you start worrying about shock fade and heat build up, stuff that the average daily driver or even rock crawler is going to have very little use for.
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hahaha @jynx
I ran Icon stage 1 on front for several years before I upgraded the rear, so my conversion to the "high end" stuff was very gradual. I kept the rear OME medium springs w/1" spacer and OME Nitro shocks until they were just slap-worn-out.
I also slowly replaced all the linkage in the rear as Metal-Tech was developing an option for long travel in the FJC. [They originally started by cutting out the 4 link and replacing with a 3 link, but then decided on a modified 4 link.] Sort of unexpectedly I got the 2" Icon rear shocks (as a gift). Once the M-T 4 link was fully developed I spoke with Mark at M-T several times about my plan to go extended travel in the rear and the great thing about their kit is you can do it one-piece-at-a-time and still be safe. First I got the LCAs, then won the UCAs in a raffle. Next I upgraded to Icon "overland" progressive rate springs. Finally upgraded to the 2" Icon extended travel shocks (along with extended bump stops) and sold my old 2" standard ones. The rear down travel increased by 3-4 inches. I'm probably due for a rebuild of the fronts, but ride quality is still pretty good. I recommend running the dust boots on the rear shocks to keep the shafts from pitting (they are not shielded like OME or Bilsteins) as the shafts are oriented down on the FJC and I think as well on the 4R's. And unless you are planning on desert racing, there is absolutely no reason to go with a remote reservoir shock setup - it's stupid expensive and unnecessary for a DD/weekend warrior rig.
I ran Icon stage 1 on front for several years before I upgraded the rear, so my conversion to the "high end" stuff was very gradual. I kept the rear OME medium springs w/1" spacer and OME Nitro shocks until they were just slap-worn-out.
I also slowly replaced all the linkage in the rear as Metal-Tech was developing an option for long travel in the FJC. [They originally started by cutting out the 4 link and replacing with a 3 link, but then decided on a modified 4 link.] Sort of unexpectedly I got the 2" Icon rear shocks (as a gift). Once the M-T 4 link was fully developed I spoke with Mark at M-T several times about my plan to go extended travel in the rear and the great thing about their kit is you can do it one-piece-at-a-time and still be safe. First I got the LCAs, then won the UCAs in a raffle. Next I upgraded to Icon "overland" progressive rate springs. Finally upgraded to the 2" Icon extended travel shocks (along with extended bump stops) and sold my old 2" standard ones. The rear down travel increased by 3-4 inches. I'm probably due for a rebuild of the fronts, but ride quality is still pretty good. I recommend running the dust boots on the rear shocks to keep the shafts from pitting (they are not shielded like OME or Bilsteins) as the shafts are oriented down on the FJC and I think as well on the 4R's. And unless you are planning on desert racing, there is absolutely no reason to go with a remote reservoir shock setup - it's stupid expensive and unnecessary for a DD/weekend warrior rig.
Thanks ya'll. Lots of good info. Decision shall be forthcoming.
Bodean
Hot Damn
Gotta love this place Barry!
I do indeed. I have gone from clueless and groping in the dark to enlightened. As of today I have a better sense of the purpose and qualityof different life types.
Paging @wngrog
Barry, I have a set of strut spacers if you end up going that route. I have the '99 taller springs in the rear and Tundra struts in front. The rear is squatted a little even with a slight spacer. I have some LC coils I've thought about trying but haven't made the time to do it.
Barry, I have a set of strut spacers if you end up going that route. I have the '99 taller springs in the rear and Tundra struts in front. The rear is squatted a little even with a slight spacer. I have some LC coils I've thought about trying but haven't made the time to do it.