ELKA

I thought I'd do a brief write up on my new ELKA suspension, especially since its not a common choice among after market suspension options. Basically, it is a premium suspension, competing with King in the after market. Elka is fairly well known in Canada, as it is made here (in Quebec) but mainly for its racing prowess for ATVs, snowmachines, and spyder motorcycles. Elka has a stellar reputation as a custom builder. They make a select number of truck suspensions, including for the Toyota 4 Runner.
This is their 2.5 IFP w/KDSS kit, set at the factory height of 1 1/2". This model can go up to 2", and is available up to 3". It is installed on my 2018 ORP.
My main reason for choosing Elka is that it is a very high quality shock, and very well made for the tough winter conditions we experience here in Canada. Basically I wanted a very moderate lift, and mostly level, with a very slight positive rake. I had some adjustable Eibach rear springs ordered, which I cancelled after reviews on here about how high they are. I definitely didn't want the rear extremely high, nor did I want bro lean.
I liked the overall stance of the TRD Pro, which is +1" in front. Since I was adding an extra 1/2" to that, I decided to use a 1/2" spacer and keep using the stock rear suspension. I'm a bit agnostic about the use of spacers. I'd never lift a vehicle with them, but in an application like this, I see nothing wrong with a 1/2" spacer. I used a Cornfed. You can see them at the back of my bench in the first photo. Very minimal. Almost imperceptible, but they give that very slight positive rake I wanted. I almost forgot to mention the UCA, which is a JBA.
The results are perfect! This suspension performs spectacularly, and is extremely beefy, strong and comfortable. No nose dive on braking. Just the amount of lift I wanted. Smooth, much, much better than stock. Its hard to believe that you could have a better ride than this. Expensive, perhaps, but worth it. A huge improvement to my 4 Runner.

 

Great post, thanks for sharing. I've ridden in almost every suspension combo you can imagine but the one that I've been most interested in and never ridden in is Elka. From what I read + owner reviews + professional reviews, I'd pick these over King. Not to say Kings are bad, i just think these are less known but high quality.

One question, the adjustment looks like a split collar, or is it just a single pinch point on the adjustment?

 

Well done!

Looks awesome!

 

Thanks, fajitas21, the preload ring is one piece.

 

That underrated, but it's a big deal vs the split collars. Seen some of those fail on the trail and it sucks. Adjusting them can be dicey too. King, OME BP51 both use that.

 

Looks Good!

 

Nice! I heard they ride good, have you driven any other 4runners with levels to compare to?

 

No, this is my first 4 Runner. My previous vehicle was a 2015 Tacoma. I’ve lifted several Toyota 4x4 trucks over the years, using different methods, some pretty high. I’m mainly comparing it to how it was stock. Pretty bad, lol. You only know that when you improve it by such a massive amount.

 

Glad to see a fellow Canadian here with Elka which is also Canadian.Lol.

 

Any Idea what type of setup to get with a Daystar leveling kit? I don't need further lift I need to support the level I have?

 

throw that kit in the garbage, then get coil overs and rear springs. That’s probably your best bet.

 

Thank you. That is truly the path I am thinking Of doing now.

 

I agree with Antman, V4Runner. A 4 Runner is pretty nice vehicle, it’s worth it to improve it when you mod it. That’s my North Star anyway. There are a lot of options. I chose Elka, but there are others too. Don’t take my word for it, I watched a lot of videos, and read a lot of discussion threads . Life is journey, eh! As I got closer I called Elka a few times with questions and spoke to a couple of different guys even one of their engineers.

 

This Canadian is extremely misguided. You want to probably look into Kings. America

 

Haha, I agree Antman, they’re good too! King is Elka’s only true competition.

 

Oldtoyotaguy, just wodering what size are your KO2s?

Thanks

 

Never mind, found your build thread and see that they are stock. C or E Load?

 

they are C loan. Canadian Load. You gotta do the conversion.

 

E load. I bought E because I have some far northern Canada trips planned on endless gravel roads and E is a must. They’re also a bit better for airing down off road because of the sidewall strength. I thought they’d be stiff, rough and noisy but they aren’t. They’re smooth, quiet, and comfortable. They are heavy, though. I put winter tires on around November, and I used to store them myself in an elevated location in the garage. Haha, now I let the local tire shop store them for me.

 

Thanks. I live in Alberta and am looking to do something very similar to yours. I have E load KO2s on my 3rd gen and they are a bit stiff for my taste. Truck sees the dirt a handful of times a year. The rest is in town. Looking at some 5th Gens to replace my current ride. Did you order the Cornfeds directly from their website? Any issues with shipping to Canada?

Thanks for the information

 

Hey V4runner, the ELKA coilovers are adjustable, so your spacer would be redundant. Depending on how you adjust the front coilovers, you could use a spacer in the back with the stock spring. I’m using a 1/2” spacer in the rear with a 1 1/2” lift on the front. That’s because I couldn’t find a spring that would give me 1/2”. Everything that’s out there would make the rear end high with only 1 1/2” in the front. That’s why spacers are ok in certain situations.
It sits level, and looks just slightly beefier than a TRD Pro. Adding any brand of 2.5 coilover and rear shock is going to be a massive improvement over what you’re running now if it’s all spacers. Massive. ELKAs are a high end system, and among the best engineered you can get.

 

Yes, I ordered Cornfed directly from the web site, and there were no issues, just the extra cost! Haha, we’re used to the government taking a piece of the action here in Canada, eh? Duty, shipping, exchange rate. But still inexpensive in the grand scheme of things. My E range K02s on my 5th gen are truly comfortable. I bet if anyone got in it and drove it, and were asked what range of tire it was running they wouldn’t know. Even as a luggy tire, it’s quiet. But it sure gives the 4 Runner a nice heavy duty road feel, especially with the ELKA suspension.
When you get up in the Yukon on the Dempster highway, you’d be foolish to run anything but E range. Anyone up there will tell you that.

 

Maybe C loan is the correct reference at the rate we’re going these days in Canada. But I guess you guys in the US are no strangers to printing more money either.

 

Recently cancelled the order I had for a different lift kit and decided to go Elka.

Going with their 2.0 setup. I considered the 2.5, but my 4Runner will have no extra weight and it's pretty much a pavement princess.

Only part killing me now is the wait

 

You could check to see if the Toytec Aluma Series 2.0 is in stock. It's the same shock manufactured by Elka, just with a different name on it. It's slightly cheaper than the Elkas. I thought I saw Toytec running some sort of promotion recently too......not sure if it applies to these specific shocks though.

 

Nah...I'm sticking with the Elka's. Headstrong Offroad hooked me up with a great deal on a package...and I've been very happy with their communication/service so far. Vastly superior to the other company that I ended up cancelling a different lift kit order from.

I don't mind the lead time on the Elka's... I'm just anxious to get them.

 

I’ve found them to be excellent so far. They are so superior to OEM it’s really unbelievable. They’re also exceedingly well made and designed. From the beautiful one piece shock stem, to the one piece coilover retention ring, to the boots covering the rear shock stems, to the high end aluminum and alloy materials used in their production, they reflect the engineering and testing that went into them. Hey, I don’t work for Elka, haha, I just believe in giving credit where credit is due.

 

Hi there, Oldtoyotaguy! I'm an owner from Ontario, Canada, like yourself. I've been reading this forum for 3 years, since I got my 2018 OR with KDSS. I go offroad in my never-ending (and sometimes futile) quest to take wildlife photos: basically, hunting with a camera. I'd like to thank you and all of the other posters for invaluable info and insight into the ins and outs of our cherished 4Runners. I know you took quite a while to decide on a lift, and I think you and I had many of the same reasons for initially wanting to leave our trucks in stock condition. That said, this fall I did some driving on what are better described as ATV trails than roads. The old wisdom of not worrying about ground clearance and picking your line kind of falls apart when you're surrounded by trees on both sides and you have no choice but to go over that high rock or through that extra deep rut! I hit bottom couple of times more than I wanted to...and decided that even a mild lift would be better than the mere 8 inches Toyota gave us between the bottom of the skid plate and those rocks. LOL So I'm just dying to find out which 4x4 shop you took your truck to in the Toronto area to install the lift...because I think as soon as I surpass 100,000 km and my factory warranty evaporates, I want to follow in your footsteps (tracks) with my Elka lift. Many thanks for your time!

 

Also, I forgot to ask you one more question: have you tried your new Elka suspension on washboard yet? I find that even with my KO2 tires at 30 PSI, driving over washboard is a horrendous experience in my ORP and I need to keep the speed down to 20-30 km/h max to keep the truck from shaking like crazy. Guess it's true that KDSS doesn't handle washboard very well...so I'm hoping the Elka suspension will help in that area, too. Thanks again.

 

Hi 4Runner Shutterbug, thanks for question. Usually, I kind of like doing my own work, but in this case I was concerned about the KDSS so I decided to get a pro do it. The person who knows more about Toyota’s than anyone I have met so far, is Ski at CT Motorsports in Mississauga, near Pearson Airport. He has a small shop, and does custom work and lifts on all manner of 4X4’s especially Toyota’s. He’s honest and fair and highly recommended. You can’t go wrong with Ski.