Question for the people!

Still not exactly sure what it is that I will be doing to my 4Runner, but I did call a 2 shops to get a couple quotes.. The second shop asked me what I plan to do with it, and if Im just going camping and getting on dirt terrain every once in a while to just get a spacer leveling kit and maybe just one tire size up (265 to 275). What caught my attention was that he said, "Listen, the least you mess with the factory suspension and factory anything the better for your car. It's built a certain way for a reason, don't mess with it too much."

Sorry for making this too long...

Guess my question to the people is: Is this true? Do after market parts wear out much sooner? if so, what should I definitely be avoiding?

 

Aftermarket parts are sometimes not built to the same standards as OEM and other times they are better. This is why you go with good name brands on your parts and you choose certain options wisely. Stay away from junk country and don’t get uniball UCAs.

 

The approach I took was to use stock size AT tires, add sliders, and leave the suspension alone unless it seems to unduly impede my adventures. A little over a year later, I haven't been tempted to lift or increase tire size.

 

This place is dedicated to convincing people to spend as much money as possible on aftermarket parts. and it is good for domestic business. go places you want first without any mods, and add them as REALLY need it. it is foolish to spend money on mods, that are probably never gonna need YOU.

 

There's definitely some truth to that.

Bigger suspension lifts can cause the front CV shafts to run at more of an angle than stock, causing the boots to wear faster. The CV joints themselves can wear prematurely, as well.

Running larger, heavier tires also puts more strain on the suspension and drivetrain. However, the 4Runner can certainly handle it, to an extent. Going up a size or two doesn't seem to have caused any notable issues with members here.

Adding heavy armor can affect fuel economy and overall performance. Roof racks (especially taller ones) can kill fuel economy.

But, if you keep things modest, and drive conservatively, you shouldn't significantly affect the overall lifespan of your 4Runner.

 

Go at your own pace, it’s not a race to “get it done”

Basic generalization: Amazon, eBay, Cartrimhome, etc are not the destination

Go to a major show or top shop and talk with people. Granted, they would like you to buy things, but most of them enjoy this. It’s ok to want to do stuff and have fun, it’s also ok to not want to.

 

Sorry, what the heck are uniball UCAs?

 

Yup, really be honest on what you want to do with it….

Even if it’s looking cool going to Costco

 

I’m bone stock other than the tires and I haven’t got stuck yet.

 

Would I be at risk to damage my rig if I were to install 2" spacers??

 

Sweet ride! Where is this and what size are your tires?

 

Idaho desert with stock size 265-70-17.

 

Learn from my mistakes,

https://www.4runners.com/threads/shock’ing-discovery.26659/

 

Good stuff!! Thank you!

 

The oem struts and shocks on the trd off road and all other models are complete crap (well pro has decent shocks) even the budget bilstein or eibachs are way better than the factory tokiko or hitachis

 

Spacers put you at the most risk of a catastrophic failure of suspension components more than using uses taller coils. It won’t fail on surfaced roads, and likely won’t cause problems with off-road use that doesnt flex out the suspension. But you run the risk over extending the suspension with spacers which can cause ball joint separation, or bend/collapse shocks on a hard hit/compression.

There are ways to mod various things safely, but nothing will have the reliability and verified function of a bone stock 4runner. Also good to keep in mind that every mod tends to complicate or create additional maintanance.

Best advice I got from folks here is to start with good stock-size AT tires. Then sliders to protect the rocker panels if you like to get in the gnarly stuff. Then lift it if you find yourself needing greater clearance or better approach/departure angles. Spend time researching your lift. Things will get complicated quickly the higher you go…and more expensive to do right.

Lift and bigger tires will change the character/road dynamics of the vehicle, so choose carefully and be prepared for the vehicle handling differently.

I got armor last, because I found the stock armor ok for someone not looking to bash into things. But once you start dragging stuff on the regular; it may be worth the hassle of heavy armor. But even with that, some armor has even less coverage than stock skid plates, so also good to research this carefully.

It’s also ok to want a lift because it looks good, but you might as well get a good suspension lift (new shocks and taller coils), instead of spacers. The difference in installed price is not that huge. And better peace of mind.

 

Yes.

 

In a nutshell, racecar parts that perform well on the trail but require nearly constant maintenance on a daily driver application.

Also, the shop isn't wrong. There's a compromise to everything, a mod that makes one thing better will typically make something else worse. Like the 275 tires. They're only available in Load Range E (which you would run on a 2500 pickup) and much heavier than the stock tires, so while they'll LOOK cool, they'll kill your gas mileage and hurt acceleration.

There's a YouTube channel called "Tinkerer's Adventures" that does great videos on the function of Toyota suspension and how mods effect it.

 

Lifting is the opposite of lowering. If this was lowering, you are looking to 'slam' the car and your idea is to cut springs. Will this get the job done? Yes. Are there significant downsides to reliability and handling? Yes. Would you significantly decrease resale value of your ride? Yes.

 

The manufacturer spent a lot of time and money engineering parts that come together to make a complete vehicle. Most of us taught how well engineered and long-lasting these vehicles are, 200,000 miles, 300,000 miles, more?

Now, you're considering changing that design in some way. Will it work as well as originally engineered, for as long as originally engineered? Probably not, BUT, it will work differently. There will be more ground clearance, better approach, departure, angles, more room for taller tires. Those things provide better performance in certain limited circumstances. Will the vehicle handle the same in other circumstances? No, your on-road handling will likely suffer, the new suspension and steering angles will mean wheel bearings, CVs, etc will wear faster, BUT, you'll have better performance in those certain circumstances.

So, what's your use of the vehicle going to be? What's important, and what downsides are you willing to live with?

Yes, that shop was spot-on.

 

I haven’t done any mods, but I’ve read about a lot of them. From everything I’ve read, every change, from lifts to tires to suspension and add-ons, impacts fuel economy negatively. I’ve never heard of a mod that improves mpg. So in my mind, if mpgs decrease, it’s an indicator that the truck is having to work harder.

 

Bilstein 5100 or Eibach Sport Truck shocks in the front set on 2nd snap ring will give you the best leveling setup for the money. And won't change anything enough to create any issues.

Edit to add: The 2nd snap ring does not completely level the vehicle, just reduce the rake somewhat. Mine still has rake. I would not completely level it personally.

 

what is "leveling" and do I need it ?

 

Typically, trucks have rake, sit higher in the rear (think of a rake laying in the yard). This is so they sit level when carrying a load.

The 4Runner sits higher in the rear. A lot of people don't understand the purpose or don't like that look, so they raise, level, the front to match the rear with a, you guessed it, leveling kit (or adjustable height struts).

Do you need it? No. It's for looks, not performance. When you see a leveled truck or 4Runner, you know the person doesn't use it as intended, it's to pick up shoes at the mall, or laundry from the dry cleaner.

 

Personally I'd say wheel it first and see how it meets your needs. The 4R is extremely capable off road right out of the box, way more capable than my Jeep was and even more so if you have one with a rear locker. One of the single best upgrades is just changing out the stock tires. Even though I stayed with the stock size, the all terrain tire I went with bumped up the OD from 31.6" to 31.9" and increased the tread width as well. Definitely better traction off road and it looks like I went up a tire size even though I didn't (looks better too!). I did upgrade the skid plates, partly to help assure my CAT's didn't get stolen. The added protection underneath is of course a plus. I did lift the front an inch with some Bilstein 5100's to remove some of the rake. Minimal mods overall and I plan to keep it that way because it will more than handle anything I plan to throw at it. I took it up a black diamond trail in Lake Arrowhead a month ago and was amazed at how it did. What's funny is a I took my well set up Jeep down this trail (the easy direction) a couple weeks later and the whole time I was thinking "WTF, I brought my new 4R up this!?!?" Somehow it looked worse going the easy direction (down the rock piles, steep rutted hills, etc.).

 

I concur with folks here, keep it as-is for now, get tires that fit your expected use case and then only think upgrades if stock form is hindering you enough to want to change it.

 

Just my 2¢ worth.... from a guy that's been driving for decades...

Is your vehicle your daily driver, a hobby or a project? I jacked up the back end of one of my first cars, a 1965 Mustang 2+2 (fastback). I thought it looked cool with wider tires and wheels on the back. Under the hood I changed the carburetor, put on headers, fancy plug wires. Sure, she looked cool with the rattle can racing stripes too. I even frenched in the door handles in shop class.

I took a vehicle that was factory perfect and poured a lot of money into it. It was worth something to me, but when the new wife got pregnant she did not want a race car for a grocery getter and with a car seat in the back it was just impractical. I got about 30¢ on the dollar on the trade in and it sat on the dealers used car lot for months. I'd see it every day on my way to college. It stood out like a zit on a teenage kids face, and it hurt, too, just seeing it there. I would have bet that someone else would have seen the value in all of my work with after-market parts.

What I am saying is if this is your 'toy' mod it out all that you like, it's YOUR vehicle just be sure that you've got something else to drive when you realize that you used too thin of a wire for wiring up that refrigerator, or breaking the seal on those new lights and they leak with the bulb that has a half life of an OEM.... or any of the mirage of must-have accessories produced in China.

Have fun with your project, just choose wisely! Enjoy!

 

If you got the dough to spend money $$$ then do it. Anytime you change anything with non factory your going to risk it.

 

Wisdom and experience here on this quote. I say the same thing.

 

It's your ride, do what you like and what will make you happy to ride in it. Don't listen to the internet on what is cool or not. But will agree with others, do your research before modding and have a backup plan /vehicle for when things go south on a mod ( not if, it will happen at some point).