Newbie suspension question: Body lift vs. Suspension lift - OR BOTH?!?

Hey all,

I'm the new owner of an '08 4runner (my first 4runner!) that the dealer installed a ReadyLift body lift kit on, providing a 3" lift in the front and a 2" lift in the back, to accommodate new Falken WildPeak A/T3s (265/70 R17 size). Love the look and height; however, after doing some research on the differences between body and suspension lifts, I understand that body lifts are primarily ideal for increasing wheel well clearance to accommodate larger tires at a lower cost, but not so much for boosting performance and/or ground clearance for off-road use.

With that said, I'm wanting to get into some mild-to-moderate off-roading while living in NC until I move out to Colorado, where I'll definitely be off-roading as much as I can haha. I realize that I'll eventually need to update the stock suspension. This 4runner is my daily driver, so I'd also like to keep it road comfortable as much as possible.

My questions are:
- Is it possible/advisable to have both a body and suspension lift?
- Or should I uninstall the body lift when I purchase a suspension lift?
- Could I off-road with the body lift when considering the added ground clearance from the larger tires? Or is it and the stock suspension not enough? I do plan to get new skid plates before doing so.

I've gotten mixed messages across different forums and websites on whether or not it's advisable to have both a body and suspension lift. Would a combo produce "too much lift" (if there is such a thing ha!)? I've read in a few forums that an overall 2" suspension lift is the sweet spot for 4runners in terms of performance, but it wouldn't require you to get new upper control arms.

Any recommendations or advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Titus

 

The link you provided is for a spring spacer lift, not a body lift. You'd have to search long and hard to find anyone who has done a body lift on a 4Runner. I don't remember ever reading about a single person.

You can achieve what you want with either spacers or replacement springs/struts/shocks. I chose replacement struts and shocks, used with the stock springs, as have many on here. Depends on what you want to spend.

My advice would be to see what your 4R can do the way it's set up. You might be surprised with the performance. And with that ReadyLift, you should have room for up to 285/70-17 tires.

 

Hello Titus!! I've seen many people run both a suspension lift in tandem with body lifts. There are advisable limits to the vehicle and to the drivers. Don't be swooned by product overload, 4runner are incredibly capable and, use what you have to gauge what you need for your desired activities. Colorado will be different from NC, but you can gain vehicle confidence in the meantime.

If you're not concerned with a budget, then full throttle on Amazon!

Arguably the best mod on the 4runner is real AT/MT tires.

Welcome and keep a tight grip on that wallet,
Cheers!

 

Oh alright, I didn't realize that the ReadyLift kit is a spring spacer lift and not a body lift. The more you know haha. Thanks for teaching me that! I hadn't considered running an even larger tire size, thanks for pointing that out.

Gotcha, I might have to take it to some local trails this coming weekend. Literally just purchased it this past Tuesday. Should I get new skid plates beforehand? Or just be mindful of the capabilities/durability of the OEM plates?

Cheers,
Titus

 

Awesome, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Definitely a "buy once, cry once" kinda person, but my budget does have its limits haha! Fortunately, the dealer had already installed AT wheels on it.

 

No one does body lifts except the Hawaiians.

Even then I wouldn’t recommend it.

 

I could be off when it comes to 285 tires fitting on your 4R with the Ready Lift 3/2...in looking at your intro thread photos, there may not be enough room if those are 265s. I am no expert on 4th gen 4Runner suspension. I know that a 3/2 lift on a 5th gen will generally allow 285s with proper offset on wheels, but don't know if that translates over to 4th gen 4Runners.