5100s and lift

Need a little help on the suspension for the 4Runner. Will 5100s give me 3 inches of lift or only 1.75 inches?

Gracias

 

If you are going 3" I would look into a better lift. For a mild lift, 5100's are really nice. I have mine set at .85 which gave me 1" front lift which is perfect for me. If I went 1.75 I would have had to add a spacer to the rear so I did not have reverse rake.

 

Really depends on what you want to do with your rig...Is it a pavement princess, rock crawler, weekend warrior, overland/expedition, occasional forest service roads?

Here are some options I outlined for another member a while back:

1. Bilstein 5100 ride height adjustable shocks. You can set the front shocks to gain .85, 1.75, or 2.5 inches of lift using stock coils. At 1.75" lift in front you will be sitting just about level at the fenders, but will have slight reverse rake at the body. If you go to 2.5" you will need to either get lift springs for the rear or spacers. This set up will run you around $400-600. The higher you go the stiffer the ride will be due to preloading the factory coils.

2. Also utilizing 5100 shocks you can get some taller front coil springs to gain lift. Toytec, Wheelers, Old Man Emu make 1.6"-3" lift coils. This will add about $170-$200 to first option. This will make for a better ride due to your are not preloading your factory coil springs.

3. Ride height adjustable coilovers. Many different brands to choose from (Icon, Toytec, Fox, King..) but they are all going to run from about $1000-$3000 just for the front. These are a nice option because you can change the ride height while they are installed on the vehicle from 0-3" without removing the entire coilover assembly. This option will also give you the best ride and off road performance.

You will also need to take into account that when you do a lift you may need to add some after market upper control arms (UCA's) in order to keep you factory alignment in spec. In general most people can stay within factory specs with stock UCA's as long as you keep the lift under 2.5", but ever vehicle is different and even a 1" lift may require them. They run from $450-$1500 a pair.

@YotaDan with will be able to help you out, great company with very helpful staff.

 

Appreciate the reply. It is my wife's ride so I doubt there will be a lot of off-roading going on. I just don't want to do a spacer lift and I don't want to spring for icons or kings either. Right now sounds like the 5100s with aftermark springs is the way to go.

 

That is what I have... Works great for me!

 

That is exactly what I going for. It looks great.

 

I have a '16 SR5 Premium that I want to lift between 2" - 3" inches.

What is a fair price, parts and labor, for 5100's (front and rear) and a rear spacer for leveling? I live in south east Virginia and was quoted $1,400. Seems high to me but I don't know.

 

Way too high. It should take a professional shop no more than 2-3 hours to install 5100's and some spacers. I did it with hand tools in my garage in 3 hours.

5100's front and rear = $400
Rear spacers = $50
Labor = 2.5hrs @$80/hr =$200
Are they including an alignment in that price? If so = $100
Total = $750 w/aligment

 

5100's with stock front coils rear 5100's and 1" spacer for rear coils. How's that sound?

 

Thanks Brochaco. I think the quote was for install of the Toytec lift kit that includes 5100s for the front and their shocks on the rear. See this link. http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/3-Lift-W-Bilstein-5100-Front-Coilovers-FJ4RunnerGX_p_365.html

I have read bad things about Toytec shocks, but for that matter, I've seen bad things written about 5100s. I suppose if you get enough people involved, at least a few people have had a bad experience with any product. Overall, it seems like a lot of people install 5100s and are happy.

So...the lift kit on the link, installed for $1,400. Would you recommend delete Toy Tech rear shocks and go with 5100s for the rear as well?

 

Makes sense now. $1400 installed seems fair for that kit. Since you are going a full 3", you will most likely need new upper control arms as well. Otherwise it may not align correctly after the lift. And yes I would definitely go with the 5100's in the rear to match the fronts, that way the valving matches front and rear.

I did have a 5100 go bad on me on my 4Runner bit I think that is a pretty rare occurrence. They have a decent warranty on them so it's not a huge issue. I ran them on my Tacoma for years without any issues at all.

 

Thanks again. Just looking at the UCAs at Camburg http://camburg.com/shop/suspension/camburg-toyota-4runner-03-16-1-25-performance-uniball-upper-arms/

So I would be adding $700 to my cost. I saw your earlier posts - good info - I am wondering if I can dial it down to 2.5" and not have to install the new UCAs. I know its a $40K vehicle and what's another $700, but....that is $700 I could put towards my baja roof rack, nerf bars, TRD wheels, BFG KO's etc. Hmmmmm, not sure which way to go. My vehicle is a daily driven, pavement princess, probably will never go off-roading, just like the look of a lifted 4Runner.

 

Every truck is different. Some may not need them at 2.5" others will need them at 1.75". The general consensus is that 2.5" is the cutoff but by no means guarantees anything. There are cheaper options out there, you don't need $700 uniball's.... ball joint style UCA's will work fine for your application...

Couple options:

 

Got it, thanks brochacho.

 

Not to hi-jack your thread OP, but....here is what I've decided to go with. The ToyTec Ultimate 3" lift package (adjustable front 5100 red coilovers, rear 5100's, ToyTec Superflex Rear Coils (not sure if I should get the HD versions for only $20 more...stiffer ride?) Camburg ball joint UCAs. (Brochaco, the guy at the shop here locally agreed that the ball joint UCAs were a better choice for my intended purpose. He favored the pre-installed Moog Ball Joint version.

Need some input regarding the real difference in various load ranges for the BFG KO2 275/70-R17. I can only find "E" range and I understand they are heavier and are a drag on MPG versus the SL or C" versions. Does anyone know who sells this size tire not in E range? I can't seem to find them on the web.[/QUOTE]

 

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They ToyTec Ultimate lift will work just fine. Unless you are planning on getting a heavy rear bumper, towing, or carrying heavy loads you do not need the HD coils.

If you are set on 275's for tires you will be very limited with options. I don't believe anybody makes them in anything less than a load range "E". Load range E in general is overkill for our vehicles, unless you need the extra sidewall thickness for puncture protection off road. They will ride much stiffer and heavier than stock. Lot's of folks run E's with no issues, others hate them. I for one didn't want E's due to previous experience with my Tacoma. As soon as I saw the Nitto Ridge Grapplers coming out in a 285 load range C I jumped on them and I couldn't be happier. They are super quiet, not stiff whatsoever, and have great traction on and off road. My only concern is the longevity of the Nitto's. I feel that load range C is perfect for our rigs and the type of driving that you will be doing. Hard part is finding any tires in sizes 275, 285 that are less than "E".

 

I have kdss and am looking at swapping 5100s up front. Is this a big job or can most shops handle it? Just wanting to put it level it (.85).

 

I'm no KDSS expert but I've seen others run 5100's w/KDSS without issue. It should only take a shop 1-2 hours max to do.

 

I am about the furthest from an expert that one can be but I will share that my local shop did want to first look at my 4Runner to see if I had KDSS before they quoted a price on installation of lift because they did say it complicates things when KDSS is involved. They did not go into any detail once they saw that I do not have KDSS.

 

Easy work I did my wife's 14 trail with KDSS in the driveway 2 hours on a Saturday. My wife wanted the "prerunner" look so I went all the way in the Bilstein. The spring is stock and I did nothing to the rear. I thank I once read the rear on the trails are slightly taller. I did not need UCAS proper alignment. I do plan on getting a diff drop kit.

 

Just a warning to those mulling over the lift options on their new 4Runner. I finally hooked up my 1800lb Aliner camper(250lb tongue weight) the other day to my stock 16' Trail for the first time, and the stock rake went to reverse rake and rear squat. Just keep this example in mind for those of you convinced you need the 0.85" 5100 level look- the minute you throw some gear in the back and load a few people in there, you will be reverse rake...

I was going to go the 6112/5160 route with 2" lift springs in the rear, but now I am seriously paying attention to a lift kit that maintains factory rake, and a heavier rear spring in conjunction with a load leveling hitch for my needs.

 

Ok, so I'm wondering if any of you guys could show me some photos of your 5100s at various settings. I've ordered the 5100s and am trying to decide between the .85 setting or the 1.75. The rear will remain stock.
Tires going on will be 265/70/17 (stock size) Duratracs on black TRD pro wheels. My main goal for it is to just look more aggressive than a stock 4R, without going overboard as it is my wife's daily driver.
TIA!

 

With stock rear you want .85. If you go 1.75 you want a 1" rear spacer. Check out 4runner.org and do a search, lots of pics. You can also google 4runner with Bilstein .85 and see many pics, that is what I did.

I did .85 and have stock rear, my 4runner is level. I have a buddy who went 1.75 and hates the reverse rake look, he is going to get his adjusted to .85.

I have stock tire size also, I will try to get a pic for you.

 

Here you go. .85, stock rear.

 

Here's a before and after photo of my "TRDSR5P" with stock suspension wheels and tires now with bilstien 5100 installed in the front and back with the front set at .85. Also new wheels and BFG KO2's.

Rides WAAAY better than stock with no more dipping when breaking. Handles corners much better and the level stance is way meaner. Couldn't be happier.

Oh and this is my wife's daily driver too. Lol

 

She looks perfect. .85 is the way to go

 

So this is 5100's front and back only with no spacer or anything else? It looks like it is perfectly level with no reverse rake is that correct.

 

.85 will give you a perfectly level frame, you will have slight fender rake but that is what you want. 1.75 will give you reverse rake with unloaded rear, stuff in the back will make it look even worse. If you go 1.75 most people add a 1" rear spacer for the appropriate look.

 

Yes, I only installed 5100's on the front with them set at .85 with stock shocks and springs in the back. It sits with the frame level and a much better ride quality.

 

So for .85