Which bump stops? (so many options)

Now why didn't I think of that? LOL.

Of course, I do not own this truck yet. I should in a month or so.

 

If you want, I'll shoot you some photos of what I find today if I can get the time and that should give you an idea of what you can look for.

 

Please do. I'm making my pre-purchase decisions so I will have everything ready. I'm going to try to measure a 2023 today (the only one I can find on a lot) to see how much rake it actually has.

 

This video shows spacers that appear to be a 2-1/2 or 3" lift where the bump stops were not hitting. I'm only planning to do about 1" with much smaller spacers. The results with these bigger spacers and non-functioning bump stops were not good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-uodQ2GMQg

 

This is a good simple video thx for sharing

Anyone know what is the safest method for me to test my max uptravel / bump stop distance in my garage? What do I jack up, and from where?
Thx

 

Well, when I was doing tests on my FJ Cruiser back in 2011, I drove it to a place where I could run the passenger side front up a slope until the passenger side rear was about ready to come off the ground. Like this:

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/03/toyota-4runner-suspension-flex-test/

 

Are you testing the energy 9.9178 in the front? I'm curious how that's going. I'm using them in the rear(with a custom bracket)

 

Looking for a simple test method,
"in my garage"

 

Ok, I just got back from the dealership, and I don't think my shim plan is going to do the job. The 4Runner is even worse than my FJ Cruiser was!

Measurements to the top of the fender opening on a 2024 4Runner TRD Offroad with an almost full tank of gas:

No driver
-----------
LF 34.75"
RF 34.875"
LR 37"
RR 37"

With driver weighing 80 pounds less than me:
---------------------------------------------------
LF 34.25"
RF 35.25"
LR 37"
RR 37"

That's a full inch of front left sag!

So to get 0.75" rake, I need (roughly) 2" lift on the driver front (a 1" spacer), and 1" lift on the passenger front (a 1/2" spacer). Two of the 0.25" Ekstrom Design spacers handles the right side. They can't be stacked more than two high though according to their website. So that either leaves the 1" left front sag or I need to find a different solution. Maybe Ekstrom has a bolt kit with longer bolts to allow 3 spacers. Three on the driver side and two on the passenger side would be about right.

Why Toyota hasn't corrected the sag over the years I have no idea. I have always suspected that the 4Runner and FJ Cruiser were engineered for right hand drive so the driver's weight wouldn't be on the same side as the fuel tank and battery. In the USA we get the left hand drive and they don't move the fuel tank for us. Just a theory.

 

I wouldn’t stack spacers on top of the shocks, sounds sketchier than it needs to be. Just find a single spacer the height you want.

But if you do end up going high then getting extended bump stops are probably necessary to protect from getting smashed into an L shape lol. Dont go too high, or else your cv joints might bind at full droop.

Also, keep in mind that the 4runner has less rake than it actually has. If you level based on cues from the body, your frame could be negative rake.

 

I suppose the approach would be to jack one front wheel until the shock bottoms out and make sure the bump stop makes contact and stops compressing before that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong because until yesterday I didn't even know what a bump stop was. If I understand correctly, at the point when the shock bottoms out, the bump stop should be absorbing 100% of the load to prevent damage to the shock. Otherwise, load is being placed on a bottom out shock.

 

Who makes a metal 1" spacer for 2" driver side lift? I'll look online.

 

Try cornfed spacers.

 

Just add small single spacers. Such as 3/8" or 1/2". And call it good enough.

4runners are just heavy on the driver side. So id add 1/2" on the driver side and 3/8"(or 1/4") on pass. Side

 

They are plastic.

Bilstein 5100 might be the answer, but installation costs more.

.85 passenger and 1.75 driver



Anyway, now off topic. Back to the bump stops.

 

Amazon has metal top hat spacers

 

@djwantke . Check out tinkerers articulation video. Chances are you wont be able to articulate enough for the bumpstops to touch ..,. Unless maybe if you run without a swaybar.

As far as I understand, exteded bumpstops are only necessary if you run spacers, to protect the stock shock. Or if you like to run through rough trails at high speeds and just want to help the springs.

 

Bilsteins and setting ride height with the springs is the safer bet.

 

I'll have to find out what the cost is to install them. Labor has gotten so expensive that I am afraid to ask, but I'll call the shop that did my FJ Cruiser tomorrow to ask.

 

If you have a few basic tools (or need an excuse to buy them), and if you have bones that don’t punish you for crawling around, the job is definitely doable yourself with a bit of research here or on youtube university. It can be fun to wrench on your new rig where you can, just ask @djwantke ! It also makes it easier to track down problems once they come up. Just be aware, any suspension mods will void warrantee on any problem even remotely related or theoretically caused by that mod, even if a professional installs it.

Since needle bearing noises from the front diff are not a rare problem, you might want to drive yours for a bit to make sure you don’t need to do a warranty claim on it, before you start modding.

 

I learned today that I'm getting too old to be underneath a truck. I crawled under the new 4Runner on the lot a number of times today to look around. Changing oil is about my limit these days. No undercoating under the 4Runner just like the FJ Cruiser! Yet another expense to add to purchase price.

The Toyota dealer said they could install them as part of the sale. I'd have to ask them about the warranty issue. I'm not too concerned about it. 13 years on my FJ Cruiser and nothing ever broke until last week when the alternator died. Never needed a warranty. I totally voided it anyway by doing a full suspension swap from another FJ to mine in the 1st year.

 

Thanks everyone!
So hold on guys
I've watched the tinkerers vids
I really wanna test my bumpstops, at home, because I can see they have not made contact with the LCA theres no markings whatsoever
1. Where do I jack from to lift up one wheel? LCA?
2 . I have KDSS and sway is "disconnected" while parked or under 12mph. But I'm def not interested in un-bolting the sucker
3 . If I jack up one wheel, won't it go untill the shock bottoms out, whereby then that corner of the truck will start lifting as I go last that point as it's bottomed out?

Or
Are you saying max articulation won't bottom out the Bilstein 5100 shock, AND, won't touch bumpstop?
THANKS

 

This was my question when I came to the thread. How do we know and what do we do about it. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

If you are running shocks that have stock travel range, and you have a swaybar on, you probably wont be able to flex it to maximum compression in a “static” test based on what I remember seeing.


Wait!!! You have kdss right? Hmm, watch that video, maybe he could get the bumps to touch on a kdss rig.

 

Thank you yes sir I will tonight
@Yotaholic perhaps you have some wisdom you could share regarding Max articulation and bottom out/bump stops

 

The way you can guarantee your setup is safe is by ensuring that the compressed and extended length of your shock is the same as the stock shock. Once you go beyond that, you’re kinda on your own with regard to finding out if full droop of the new setup will pop out the upper ball joint, or if it will make the cv joint bind…or if full compression will mash your shock.

A tophat spacer is Ok, up to a point, but you have to keep in mind that it effectively makes the shock’s compressed length longer than stock, as well as it’s extended length. Which is why most people say that it’s safer to run a suspension lift, since the correct aftermarket shocks will have the correct extended and compressed lengths (the ride height is then basically set by running longer or heavier springs, or by adjustments to pre-load).

 

Make sure to have your pen, notepad and pocket protector ready. Tinkerer is a mile a minute with the info he throws out. Almost wore out the pause button on youtube because I constantly had to stop to think about what he just said and showed.

 

I have 5100s and old man emu lift springs (same spring rate as factory 600 lb)
*5100's perch on lowest groove, set to 0", stock ride height.
Are 5100 longer travel than factory?
I think the OMEs are longer spring length..

My shop made no mention of bump stops so I hope that's because they're not needed in my equation.
But
They didn't mention I might benefit from some KDSS correction after a 3/2 lift.
Nor did they mention that the diff drop kit they sold me will lower my ground clearance and perhaps wasn't needed in the first place. But I mean whatever, it happened, at least it was cheap
Chances are there's more I'm still going to find out that they likely knew but didn't mention

 

1) I'm trying to figure out suspension geometry and travel and how all of this works with, say, front Bilstein 5100's set to the .85" notch, which appears to be the most popular option. I'm not getting how that change affects the issue of the bump stops. I'm not overly concerned, but I am overly curious!
2) Now I feel absolutely compelled to crawl underneath my 2011 FJ Cruiser tomorrow and see what's going on under there. I bought the base 2WD and then took the four Toyota-Bilstein upgrade shocks and the four springs from a 4WD offroad and put them on mine. I didn't know what a bump stop was then, and nobody on the FJ Cruiser forum mentioned it. It sure did the trick. Lifted the front to a perfect level and a thin shim on the driver side removed the sag. I have no idea what might have been going on under there over the years. I'd like to see it with the wheels off to see if there is any damage.

 

I wanna say I remember in one of his vids he mentioned one of the bilstein models was slightly “extended” length, but I think compressed length was the same. I think he showed on his FJ that the little bit of the extended length wasn’t enough to bind the CV joint or over extend the UCA ball joint.