Opinions, thoughts, concerns, etc in regard to the installation I'm starting.

Good day, all. I'm looking for opinions, thoughts, concerns, etc in regard to the installation I'm starting this weekend on my 2021 4Runner Offroad. Below are the parts I'll be installing...

-King Shocks Front 2.5 Remote Reservoir Coilover w/Adjuster (preload set at 5 turns)
-King Shocks Rear 2.5 Remote Reservoir Shocks w/Adjuster
-Wheeler's T13 Rear Coil Spring
-Dobinson's Front Upper Control Arms (tubular)

Along with the mods listed above, I'll be running 265/70/17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires on stock Offroad trim wheels and Spidertrax 1.25 spacers.

My main goals for this suspension project is to allow for a more comfortable daily commute and to allow for more capability and fun offroad between 25-50mph. Dirt roads with sparse washouts and ruts. Getting to deer camp and my favorite camping spots as fast as I can!

Thanks, all

 

Seems like money wasted. What is the point of:

Shocks - reservoirs are overkill for getting to deer camp, unless youre seeing significant shock fade which you don't state is an issue. You're not likely to have a more comfortable commute. Nothing you're doing addresses ride comfort.

Springs - control ride height for any given weight, and you don't state you're adding weight, so you're effectively killing suspension travel for no benefit, especially considering stock tire height.

Control arms - for what purpose?

Wheel spacers - pushes the tire out so you'll get significantly more damage to the paint.

Sounds like stock suspension is probably best for your intended purpose, or maybe bumpstops.

 

Oh well, the steak I ate last night is wasted money compared to the chicken breast I couldve eaten. Or ORP pleather seats compared to the cloth lol Not too worried about it
Anyways, shouldve known better. Let me add another couple points, points i thought would be apparent to enthusiasts, but alas...
- aesthetics that are pleasing to the eye
- contrary to your assumption... I'd also like to compensate for the extra weight that comes with being prepared for hunting/camping.

I've read several testimonals from this forum and others indicating the ride quality is drastically improved on and off road by the King shocks alone. You believe stock shocks give a better ride? Have you personally compared the two?

In regard to the control arms... I was advised by someone who I believe knows better than I that they may be needed for proper alignment. They didnt indicate they'd be a detriment so i bought them.

Thanks in advance for your reply to the above.

 

I don't know about the steak and chicken thing. I like both.

Oh, you're carrying extra weight. All is good then.

 

DELETED / HIGHLY EDITED

ohhhh you already bought all this stuff. Is there a lift? how much?

you're getting front coilsovers? yeah? if so you you will need a spring compressor to adjust ride height.

 

No experience with Kings, but I know how good the 4runner can feel once it has some nice shocks on it. I didn’t not like my OE shocks, but my Dobs IMS at 2.5i /1.5in of lift gave me much better angles off road while making it feel like a well sorted sport-luxury cruiser. Totally worth it for the ride alone. There may be cheaper ways to get the same ride, but I can vouch for the ride quality of Dobs IMS.

King probably lives up to it’s reputation too. The only things to think about are the corrosion resistance (which is reportedly not that great in salty areas) and rebuild interval on those. Potentially, you could be making more work for yourself with Kings. Regarding resi shocks with adjustments, that can be fun if you’re into playing around with the damping qualities. And can be useful on the rears if you don’t mind adjusting it for heavy lod conditions. However, if you’d rather not mess with adjustability settings, seems like an unnecessary complication, which can bite you later if they start leaking at the hose.

If you want reliability and ease of maintainance, it’s better to keep it as stock as possible. If you don’t go above 2.5 in of lift, and can tolerate the lively steering of minimum spec caster angles, just keep the OE upper control arms.

The spacers will make it rub. They’ll rub even more if you use aftermarket control arms. You’ll probably need to chop the body mount if you want the look.

The 4runner is a solid platform. I think it takes very well to suspension modding. But it’s best to keep the mods as simple and targeted as possible for maximum reliability.

 

I asked about maintenance in regard to the shocks and ucas and i was told 30,000 to 50,000 for the shocks and the ucas should be the same as stock based on dobinsons using the same joints and bushings as stock. When the first shock rebuild happens im going to evaluate if keeping them is worth it to me or find them a new home and installing something different. But i was kinda surprised at how short, relatively, the rebuild cycle is. But hey! At least they CAN be rebuilt lol.

I was hoping to avoid anymore rubbing by keeping stock size tires. How will the ucas induce more rubbing?

I appreciate your post. It read like a conversation, not like someone on a pedestal lol

 

Yeah, it’s a short interval ñ, especially if you drive a lot. I’d be the type to try to stretch that, but I suspect they need to be rebuilt so you don’t wreck the shock components.

Aftermarket UCAs get the extra caster angles by positioning the top pivot of the suspension system (the ball joint) further back. This has the effect of moving the tire back, closer to the body mount. It probably wouldn’t rub by leaving the stock tire size on stock offset.