Highway 4runner Build

Hey there guys and gals. I'm new to the forum and new to 4runners. I've had a tacoma my whole life until recently(accident). I'm the proud owner of a 2020 sr5 4x4. I had it for a week now and there's some stuff I'd like to change. I spend 99% of my time on the highway/paved roads. I also have a old k5 that I use to go hunting with. So this 4runner is my ride for commuting to and from work.

Would there be any benefits going down to a 265 65 17 tire , or 255 70 17tire? I have to get tires.

Also the rear of this thing sits stupid high compared to the front(I get it for towing), I see how everyone just raises the front. But what about just lowering the rear? Is there a different model spring from say an older 4runner or fj? I'm short 5'1 so I'd rather not lift it.

Thanks guys and comments or concerns are welcome.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Sorry I probably have the dumbest suggestion but will share it.

Instead of spending that effort to lower the 4Runner 4WD SR5 why not trade in and buy a vehicle that is more suited for your needs? I doubt its easy to lower it as I don't think anyone does that other than going opposite of lifting since its 4wd world not sports car world. You might even make a profit with the stupid used car market these days.


I know its yours but as someone who loves 4Ruuners I feel sad to see someone lowering a 4Runner or even putting big wheels / rims like 22/24/etc..

Really sorry if my dumb comment make you angry. Its just my honest opinion.

 

I mostly agree with KMEEG. Not that I'm offended at all that you want to lower 4Runner, I don't care and I get what you're saying.

But maybe you don't have the right vehicle. I get it if you always thought 4 runners were cool, but for what you're describing it's really not the right tool for the job. After 4 years with mine, driving mostly on road, honestly I'm kind of getting sick of it. It's really not that great at that. It's slow, doesn't handle very well, is terrible on gas. You'd probably be much happier in something like a RAV4 or Highlander. If you're open to other makes, the Mazda SUVs are supposed to drive really nice, and the Subaru Forester will still leave you some off-road capability should you ever want it.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if rear coils from a 4th gen 4Runner might lower the back a little bit. I believe the fourth gen was a little lighter, so it may have lighter rate coils. That's just an idea off the top of my head, I don't have any info to back that up at this time.

I don't think changing tire size is a good idea either, unless you go to a 255/75/17. It's actually a little bit taller than the stock tire, but a little bit narrower, and often that size is pretty lightweight. You may get a little bit better mileage with the narrower tire. I would definitely go with an all season, and not any type of all-terrain. When I first got my 4Runner it had highway tires on it, and I was able to get 22 mpg pretty easily. It rode nice and quiet and smooth on the highway. I went to a more aggressive all terrain and I lost about 2mpg, as well as gained a little bit of noise and steering wheel shimmy. If you go to a smaller diameter tire, that will throw your speedometer off, and it will increase your RPM a little bit on the highway, which may increase fuel consumption a bit. On the other hand, smaller tires may make it feel a tad quicker, but there's probably the previously mentioned trade-offs involved with that.

If you do change the tire size, don't forget to buy a fifth for a spare. Not having to buy a new spare is another advantage of sticking with the stock size.

 

I had my share of tacomas, so I know the reliability of the 4.0. I bought a car that I plan to keep and drive and put miles on.

I'm not talking about "lowering" I'm talking about leveling it. The raked out look is silly.

 

The rake is built in for payload as well. Considering how soft the rear springs are already going softer without going higher is going to hurt payload. The 4Runner already squats with a few hundred pounds in the rear.

If looks are more important than capability than go for it. But you're going to have a hard time finding off the shelf lowering components for a 5th gen. Keep in mind also lowering the rear is going to make your rear suspension geometry out of spec, so that would also have to be adjusted to ensure good road manners. This is the same but opposite to the guys lifting and getting adjustable track bars.

Again I understand you're not trying to lower the vehicle as a whole, just trying to level without lifting the front.

As for tires, the least aggressive, lowest rolling resistance tires will be your best bet for highway. An easy way to tell is tread life warranty. Higher warranty, more likely it'll be a good highway tire. Also weight will play a factor in setting you up for high milage success. The Kuhmo Crugen HT51 would probably be a good candidate.

 

The rake is actually mostly an optical illusion due to the higher cut of the rear wheel opening. The back is actually only a bit over 1" higher if you measure on the frame. I decided to leave mine alone.

 

Can't find it now, but someone actual listed a company here that does customs spring for your requirement. With that you would be able to lower the back. My goal, I know I will get flamed for it is to actually lower my limited buy about 1 inch front, and read by 1.5 but stoner compression so if I load up no much sag.

 

This. It’s already nearly level, but the body lines and wheel well gap in the rear give the appearance of a forward rake.

In my case, basic recovery tools, 5gallons of water, a cooler, and a small amount of camping gear gear for a weekend will have it dead level at the frame.

 

Welcome to the forum..

To answers your questions.

255 70 17, would probably be ok, its only slightly smaller(.5" shorter and narrow). You may see better mpg and slightly quicker when you press on the gas pedal. When buying tires just watch the weight of the tire. I think the oem tire weighs around 40lbs.

Rear springs/rear rake. You want to have aleast a little rake. But I agree with you that the factory stock 4runner has way to much and even looks stupid. But the rear springs are soft. When I load my tools in the rear(150ish lbs) it lowers it a good bit. You could try and find some 4th gen rear springs, or cut down the spring slightly.

Don't let anyone talk you out of the 4runner! Its a great platform and extremely reliable

 

I set up our SR5 up for highway use with 20" wheels and fuel efficient Defender tires and after a decent alignment good to about 75 mph all day long. Concerning front rake fill tank with fuel, put 2 or 3 adults in the rear seats and 1 in the passenger side load up with 200 or 300 lbs of gear and see how that looks to you.

 

Not convinced that a shorter tire is going to improve mpg at all. engine rpm will be higher at a given speed.

Had a 97 Nissan pickup that actually got better mpg with a taller tire because it was geared so low that the bigger tires allowed it to run at a lower rpm on the highway.