New owner: Suspension advice/recommendations

[lossgenius]

Hello everyone,

I am the new owner of a very well dealer maintained 07 GX470. I am looking to lift it 2.5 to 3 inches, looking at Dobinson (had this on previous vehicles), Bilstein and Eibach. It still has rear airbags so I will need to do the conversion, thinking Metaltech.

For UCA's I am looking at JBA or SPC, also have 4Runner 7 spoke TRD off-road wheels and plan on getting 285/70/17 Wildpeak. My question here is, would I need spacers to elminate any UCA rubbing? This is my biggest concern right now.

I plan to add sliders (already have), full skids, roof rack, rooftop tent and possibly getting the Bison rear door tire mount (including this for weight expectations).. I dont plan on getting bumpers anytime soon but not ruling it out. I live in Colorado so it will definitely be used offroad and camping in remote locations. It wont be a mall crawler/pavement princess.

I have had 3rd/5th gen 4runners and a 3rd gen Tacoma!

Any advice/recommendations/tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lossgenius]

My question here is, would I need spacers to elminate any UCA rubbing?

After further research, looks like I would need a -10 / -12 or higher wheels, or add some 1.25 spidertrax.

 

[Rednexus]

Negative offset wheels are generally problematic on a GX as they'll increase the scrub radius and cause conflicts with the wheel hitting the inner fender well. You'd also need a body mount chop. The stock wheels are a +25 mm offset, while the mentioned TRD wheels are a +15 mm offset. I have 0 offset wheels on my rig and no clearance issues with the UCA with the same tires (and Ironman aftermarket UCAs). But, I still needed a body mount chop.

Regarding the lift - since you are wanting to do everything, I'd personally look for a bundled kit and get it at a Memorial Day sale or something like that. Kits are usually cheaper than buying things piecemeal. You can usually snag Ironman kits pretty cheap on sale and the Foam Cell Pro kits is a very good one for heavy rigs (it's what I run and it excels for towing and loaded off-road trips). I'd definitely consider Dobinsons as well.

Regarding the JBA UCAs, they are high quality and USA-made. They also use OEM-style inner bushings and a Chevy 2500 truck upper ball joint, so they are serviceable in the future. However, I they don't include a cotter pin on the upper ball joint retention nut and instead rely on a nylock nut. This is, IMO less secure than a cotter pin and could - in theory - lead to the nut coming loose, which could result in the steering knuckle and wheel coming loose (which can be catastrophic). Perhaps this could be addressed by adding 2 nylock nuts on the UBJ stud and checking tightness often.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

I have 17x7.5 zero offset Foxtrot rims and 285/70R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers

Zero rub but I have no front sway bar, I have TC UCAs, 3.7* caster, and a tube front bumper. No BMC.

I saw a YouTube video by Tinkerers Adventure where he installed 285/70R17 tires on an FJC with the same wheels you mention with +15 offset and tires didn’t rub on street driving. Stock everything with some caster close to 4*

And I also run a thin locking nut on my TC UCAs because they don’t have cotter pin.

 

[Poop Bubbles]

1. Stick with something that's within 10-15 mm offset from stock so your wheels don't stick out past the fenders. The skateboard stance both looks and functions stupid as ****. TRD wheels are perfect IMO.

2. Lifting over 2" is very detrimental to down-travel and is terrible and tipsy offroad. Also no need for a diff drop which kills clearance.

3. Just get airbag man lift bags for the rear. Bags are better than coils in every category. Self leveling, better ride, better articulation, height adjustable when you need it.

4. Get UCAs that match your lift. Ride and alignment will be much better. They are not all the same OMEs are shorter than Dobs, as one example.

 

[lossgenius]

@Rednexus, @HomersCanyonero and @Poop Bubbles,

I appreciate your input/responses, it gives more to think about and consider. Especially as I go through and read some build posts. Lots of information

Thanks again I appreciate it, I am pretty sure I will have more questions.