Stability Question

Hello all, I had a stability question for everyone. I'm not new to lifting a vehicle, as I've listed several Jeeps and wheeled them for years. This is my first 4Runner though. I just got it back yesterday from the shop that lifted it. It drives nicely, but damn is it tall. It's got a 3" OME BP-51 lift with Icon upper control arms, Method 701's (17x8.5 w/ 4.75"bs /0offset) and BFG ATKO2 285/70/17. I honestly didn't expect this thing to be so damn tall. To give ya an idea, I just sold my 19 TRD Offroad Tacoma with the same suspension. The Taco's seats sit so low to the ground, it hurt my back over long drives. I'm a disabled vet with a bad spine, thus the OME BP-51 setup. I didn't know that the Taco offered that setup in a 1-3"and the 4runner only in 3".

So, my question is, how stable is the 4runner with the setup I'm running? They didn't have to do any trimming, and I'm used to fatter wheels when you go taller, for stability. It drives beautifully, and absorbs the road shock, which is what I wanted. This thing will end up being 90% pavement princess. My days of mud bogging and snapping shafts are behind me now, but I may see an occasional trail.

Thanks for the patience, I figured y'all would be the subject matter experts to ask here. I don't want to regret this thing, as I love my new 4Runner (TRD Offroad Premium). Especially with how much coin I just dropped on all of this. Is there anything that I need to know? This beast sits higher than my old Cherokee with BDS 3" lift it seems... Thanks in advance, much appreciated.

 

If you're used to lifted wheelers then I'm sure the 4Runner will feel just fine on the road. I have a similar set-up albeit with KDSS and it handles very nicely, but I'm sure a normal swaybar set-up should feel okay. Obviously don't go rippin' corners or anything, but if you have a history of lifted vehicles then you're probably not a racecar driver.

 

It sounds like you are an old man...And you picked the old man EMU BP51, so it fits you.

I run the same setup...and yes, it is a little taller but I like it now. I think my back feels better if I go offroad for a little while. This is a big improvement for my lower back and the bouncing isn't as bad with this. Keep it. It looks nice.

 

Thanks fellas, I greatly appreciate the input. Yeah, my main concern was the stability, as I'm new to 4Runners. When I went up 3" in a Jeep, I had a minimum of 33x12.50x15, as wider stance, etc... But if I left my trackbar disconnected, the body roll was scary fun....

The more I read in here, the better I feel about tire size, etc... Hey, I'm just glad I don't have to regear, because that's a royal pita... I'm too busted up to do that crap anymore.

ChessGuy, glad to hear the OME setup is working out for ya. I think I'm just going to get steps for it and call it a day. Need to save up for the rest of the mods. I was actually looking for legit rock rails that had steps welded or bolted on them. I like rock rails as they not only serve a purpose off road, but in a broadside collision, it will help distribute the force along the length of the frame first. Plus, it serves as a FU to the turds who door ding others without conscience. You were right about getting old. I've led an above active life, as I always was a bit of an adrenaline junky. I'm paying for it now, although it was all for a higher calling, so I'm good with it.

 

Great choice in suspension set up. the internal bypasses included in the BP51 makes them ride so smoothly it blows my mind lots of weekend wheelers/overlanders brush off the OME option. Yea you get a little bit of a smaller piston but the IBP and the longevity of the shock life way outweighs those cons in my opinion. As long as you didn't remove the sway bars you 4runner should still feel plenty stable!

 

Thanks! Yeah, I almost decided to swap out the rear springs for Icon 2" and drop the front the 1/2" it will allow me. The struts are 2.5-3" but instead I ordered NFab RKR rail with steps. I know it's not a CBI rock rail, or that tough, but it will still protect the rocker rails and give me a decent step to get up. I can remove the steps if I choose, and I don't plan on doing any serious wheeling.

It's almost unbelievable how smooth it rides, even with C load range BFG AT KO2's.
I figured if I add a front and rear bumper down the road, it will come down a 1/2" or so anyways..
Anyone else with this setup or one similar notice a serious drop in MPG? I didn't buy this for its stellar fuel economy, but rather its bulletproof reliability record. Still nice to know though. Thanks again for the feedback fellas.

 

Paragrunt - as in paratrooper?

 

4runners aren't built like Jeeps, you'll be in much better hands.

 

YetiMtnBkr, Yuppers, All The Way! Even have the multiple surgical scars to prove it.... Hahahaha!!!

Altitude4x4, nice avitar. They are by far the best in my humble opinion. And thanks for the reassurance, I'm so used to whide stances with my Jeeps. My rig looks weird with all that open wheel well above the tires. Gonna take some time getting used to it. It drives REALLY nicely though.

 

All the way and some!

I was a paratrooper as well and HALO! Fortunately no scars!

 

Nice!! HALO looks like so much fun. I always wanted to HAHO at least once in my life. I had planned on Danger school, but I ended up bilaterally blowing out a disc on a jump right before I made E-4. And the mentality back then was, if ya didn't have a bone sticking out, you were just fine. So, did 18 months and a re-up of humping and jumping on that blown disc to find I had also broken my back. Doctors said it was a miracle I didn't end up in a chair. Now, 3 spinal surgeries later, I can tell you when the rain and low pressure waves are coming before the weatherman does....

That was the big concern, my wife is nervous that the lift is too tall and I'm gonna jack my back getting in and out. But I'll tell ya, I had this same setup on my Tacoma TRD ORP that the 4runner replaced. It was adjustable though, unlike the 4runner. I was only 2" on that, but it road like a luxury vehicle. I wish OME would have made some adjustment room for these. I'm hoping the new steps will be the key. They come in later this week, so we shall see.

 

Sorry to hear about that! I wish you well in your recoveries and thanks for your service!

HALO was fun, but freefalling at night was always a hair raising experience!

A son of mine is about to start the Ranger Assessment & Selection Program in August. He wants a Army Green 4R. He would prefer a Pro, but I am trying to convince him that a TRD ORP is the way to go and then modify it accordingly.

Did it take you a long time to find the AG 4R?

 

Thanks, and thanks for not only your service, but for raising a patriot. My son came home one day and said he was going to follow in my footsteps. I looked at him like he was off his damn rocker. After what the Army put me through, I told him to join the USAF. So, he went SERE, and loved it. Better equipment, better food, better living conditions, and better looking women... Hahaha! I was thankfully there at Benning for his Jump graduation. I lined him and a few of his SERE buddies on a wall, and gave em all their blood wings.... Hahaha!

I hemmed and hawed about getting a 4R, and then the GM at a local dealer I know told me about this Army Green 4R TRD ORP that was coming in and I reserved it. Funny thing, it was still in Japan, and he had to put his name on it to keep one of his sales guys from stealing it out from under me.

I would have bought a 4R back in 19 had they came in Army Green, but it was only offered in the PRO then. So, I passed and got a 19 Tacoma TRD ORP in Cement Grey. By spring of this year, my friend called me and told me about the Army Green 4R and I bought it and then sold my Tacoma. I've got a brief road trip next month, so we shall see how the fuel economy does, and how she handles. I'm hoping I don't lose too much given the gas prices.

 

I totally agree that the USAF is a better and safer alternative! We called them the Country Clubbers! I was at my son's infantry turning blue / graduation at Ft Benning in June. It was nostalgic seeing the jump towers again. I was last there exactly 39 years ago - damn hot in Ft Benning in July!

Congrats to your son! Pararescue or Combat Controller?

 

Right on right on, for the longest time a ran the Icon 2" on my own 4Runner but recently switched to the Dobinson 677v for my 3 link set up. No bad things to say from me about those Icons, I loved them. The cool thing about the BP51s its that ARB states if you are adding more weight to the front, like you are with a bumper, you don't have to swap the coils out for a heavier duty one, ARB just states to adjust the preload to get the desired lift height back

 

YetiMtnBkr, neither, he was SERE. But not like the regular SERE guys, and I'll leave that one at that. Ohh yeah, we made fun of USAF relentlessly back in the day as well. They screamed out to be made fun of.... Yeah, Benning looks way different today, and VD drive is gone and has been cleaned up.

 

Went wheeling today. Well, I didn't mean to. I was following the GPS in the Yota and it took me all over the place down every country dirt road, and I was late to where I needed to be. GPS took me to the end of a county road where a sawhorse was blocking the road and said it was washed out. So, I parked and walked a few hundred yards and figured, meh, given the lift and tires, it can handle it. Apparently, that was the end of the country maintained road, I missed that sign. When I got about to the 3rd switchback going down into the canyon that is a few hundred feet down and ends in a lake, it got BAD. Ground opened up and swallowed a tire, light gas pressure, and popped back out. I honestly thought I was gonna roll. The pucker factor was so bad that I could have shit diamonds if I had a piece of coal between my cheeks. I was tipped to the side good when the roughly 18-20" crack caught the drivers side tires, and the cliff was on my left side. The Yota handled it like a champ.

The GPS on the other hand pissed me off because I got to the bottom and it wanted me to drive into the lake. Apparently it thought there was a bridge or road or something. Nope, just a house with a dude who had a puzzled look on his face when he saw me. It was a dead end. I asked him how to get to a main road, and he pointed up the way I came.... At that point I was about to see if the Yota coukd double as a submarine. Then I saw a white Lincoln suv come down the switchback. He smiled and said it was his wife. I asked him how she made it, and he laughed and told me to stay to the left and I'd be fine. I came down the wrong side. The way out was simple and relatively smooth.

A Yota in 4-hi is a force to be reckoned with. If that had been my old Cherokee, I think my odds would have been more in favor of me rolling off the cliff. My LJ would have handled that like nothing, but it had a low center of gravity lift. It was 2" lift with 33x12.50x15, a 6 speed manual, and no weight from a roof. But overall, I was very impressed with my new 4Runner.