Suspension upgrades order of importance

would like to here thoughts on order of suspension system upgrades. feel free to add reasons, rearrange or add in a component i am missing. this isnt MY list, or what I plan to do, just a general discussion on how different people value certain components, what order of importance you place on an area of weakness, or general thoughts on why you would tackle your build a certain way....ill start

1) front/real coilovers: this is the obvious one, nothing will improve the ride and impact the rest of the build like a shock upgrade
2) Bumpstops: just do em, once lifted, the stock ones will bottom out and can cause damage to your new coilovers
2) Upper Control Arms: once lifted and step 1 is done, this is the next part that usually needs replaced at the same time to fit larger tires, correct alignment, and add strength
3) Cam tabs: Prob the weakest point in the 4runner suspension and can easily bend and throw off alignment. Welding in some CAM tabs to replace the thin stamped tabs is a minor fix that adds alot of strength
4) Panhard Correction Kit/Adjustable Panhard bar: After lifting over 2" nothing will help the feel of the truck more than getting this in line with somehting like the Eim-Keith or Dr. KDSS BOTCK.
5) Front Sway Bar End Links : this could be #6 if you don't wheel hard. If you are on the rocks, the front links usually need an upgrade sooner than rear.
6) Rear Sway Bar End Links: If you dont crawl much, the rear links will provide a better upgrade to the daily ride quality.
7) Lower Control Arms : The next big pricey item on the list...stock ones seem to hold up well but the bushings often will go. I only have these this low because of the price. Some people like to rebuild OEM bushings. but if upgrading the whole LCA, can strengthen whole system. Especially some of the adjustable camber/caster LCA's available.
8) Inner/Outter Tie Rods: dont often fail but if wheeling hard some people report needing to replace these.
9) Rear Lower Trailing Arms: meh
10) Rear Upper Trailing Arms : meh

 

I'm not sure if you're asking what others would do, or asking for suggestions on what you should do. Arrange a list for myself, or arrange a list for you. For you, I'd ask what terrain/trails you are trying to run.

I think stock height is the right height, but a shock upgrade could be beneficial, depending on what trails you're running.

"...nothing will improve the ride and impact the rest of the build like a shock upgrade" is true, but it's also true that it will probably have a negative impact on something else. Everything you list is a compromise, meaning it adds something and takes something else away. You make a few "absolute" statements like this, but I think it fails to address the "con" to those changes.

 

more just in general....maybe call it a what would YOU do. obviously if someone is doing serious rock crawling its gonna look much different, or if someone dosnt drive offroad at all then none of those are needed. eliminate the extremes and just curious what order or importance different people place on the components

 

That’s quite a laundry list.
Of course you’ll have want to do the armor upgrades first.

My tendency is to make one upgrade at a time and live with it for a while, because if a lot of changes are made at once and there’s something off then it’s harder to diagnose the problem. But you want to swap out so much that that process would take forever.

I’d find someone with a rig that does what you want yours to do, test drive it, and copy their setup exactly. I’d do all the work at the same time instead of piecemeal.

 

Bilstein 24-328258
Bilstein 33-313146

 

I bet you don't NEED half those on the list.

But if you want it I'd do it all at once. Why keep taking the suspension apart.

 

None. Drive it until it breaks.

 

Step 1: Obtain No Fat Chicks sticker.

 

At one time, I would have agreed with the armor statement. And I’d say sliders should be a very early piece to add, however I was convinced to lift before under armor. As it was explained to me, with added armor, what’s the lowest point, and with the added weight, those low points will actually be lower due to added weight. With a lift, what’s the lowest point? The point being, your still trying to protect the same low points, but with a lift your not lowering those low points. Also with a lift, your more likely to change components that will allow you to increase your tire size, which is what will lift those low points. I’ve only really “rock” or “rocky hill” climbed once, and I did that on stock suspension, I hope to get back to the same place soon now that I’m lifted to see how it goes. That being said, if you are banging around on rocks, I’d want protection ASAP.

 

Funny part of this is majority of the guys I see rolling with this sticker are.......fat.

 

Truth! Not to mention, the stock armor will do a good job in most situations when the contact is inadvertent. You just have to be careful with the exhaust crossover behind the transfer case, since that’s the one spot that can be actually damaged if you’re careless.

I went with armor only after lifting and switching to taller tires. Armor sure helps with inspiring confidence taking it anywhere, but it does bring some drawbacks. I think it’s legit to buy armor only when you’re absolutely sure you’re going to take advantage of it.

 

Interesting.

A couple of thoughts. I think it’s erroneous to think that you’re only trying to protect the lowest points. Often we are straddling obstacles that would hit parts other than the lowest ones. I get that bigger tires will raise the lowest points (I assume you are referring to the outboard portions of the lower control arms and spindles), but you will never get as much lift from a tire replacement as you would a suspension lift. For example, going from a 265 to a 285 changes the tire diameter from 32” to 33”, and the clearance gained is only half of that. 1/2 of an inch. This may or may not be a meaningful increase. But if you go with a 2” spring lift, you get 2 full inches of increased ground clearance.

Then there’s the matter of rake. The weight of the armor is unlikely to be distributed equally front-to-rear. That is even more exacerbated with the addition of a winch. That means that the addition of armor may increase the rake. While there are many of us who want to eliminate the rake with a leveling kit, nobody is interested in increasing it.

So if you do suspension before armor, you may have to take a second whack at the front suspension after adding the armor to deal with the rake.

Unless I’m missing something, which I frequently do.

 

The only advantage I benefited from when I had a lift was that it made oil changes easier. Not a glamorous reason, but a benefit nonetheless.

 

All Fluids... and pressure washes

 

Maybe protect isn’t the right wording, but keeping the lowest points from hitting shit. And a lift will lift up everything thing except the axles, which the only way to help them is with bigger tires. I’m no expert, just really agreed with the advise I was given, so much, I lifted my runner before getting armor.

what no one wants this


Or this

 

Front struts 1st and spend the extra $$ for 6112s. Set and forget. Change settings as your need do. The rear coils and shocks..