Suspension Upgrade

Looking for a true 3" lift for my stock weight 01 Sport.

Currently on Bilstein 5100's with OME 881's up front (on 2nd perch) and 890's in the rear. Looking for a level lift with no or minimal rake.

I know this is an exhausted topic but wanted to know if there's customizable setup to accommodate future bumper upgrades (steel armor) down the road. It's not a daily driver and is being built for weekend offroading.

Thanks in advance.

 

I would suggest you buy once.

I'll explain, Bilsteins are pretty cheap so I wouldn't consider them a real loss by replacing them already (that is, if they have less than 50k miles...normal shock life).

I would recommend getting some 2.5 coilovers up front, as they are not only adjustable for height, but can be tailored to your riding style.

Did you recently install your 890's? If so, you want to get a good 3,000 or so until they really begin to settle. Any and all coils will sit higher than normal when they're new and this is completely normal. I expect you got about 2" to 2.5" of lift? I would keep it at that height max as going any higher will give you a complete shit ride, not to mention you'll be at the end of your down travel as well as tearing up CV axle boots.

I ran 906 for a 1.5" lift over stock, and went 890 when I added some good weight to the rear (in order to keep it under 2" of lift).

Put some larger tires to get a little more from it if you want but really keep it there and no higher.

Once you add that front bumper, you'll be able to adjust those 2.5's accordingly.

 

@NFDL-T4R
I run Bilsteins as well, on all four corners. OME 3" lift springs in front and ICON 2" coils in rear.
They settled a decent amount, not sure how much.

I recommend a Dobinson's lift. Consistent positive feedback. And I've seen many rigs on here and my FB groups achieve up and over 3" level lift.

 

You can achieve 3" with Dobinsons IMS setup, you just have to change the preload a little to get there. Running stock weight now, then adding a bumper later will also change the height, so you'd just reset the preload at that time.

This page has all the options:
https://exitoffroad.com/product/dobinsons-2-0-ims-lift-kit-for-toyota-4runner-1996-to-2002-3rd-gen/

 

Nice to see there are multiple options for the old 4R

Bought my Dobinsons coils from you for my Land Cruiser



Stock length yet still flexed pretty well and rode amazingly well (progressive)

 

The Bilstein's don't have too many miles (Approximately 15-20k) on them however they have been on for almost two years. I bought the 4runner last July with the Bilstein's and upgraded the stock springs to 881's and 890's. I didn't measure the height before and after, but I feel like its more than 2.5" in the rear. The front was very minimal. I'll post a picture for reference. The tires are 32.5"

I love the look of your set up and would like to get that same look but I can't shill out enough for them Kings. I have heard great things about Dobinson IMS' and ICON's.

After lifting the front 2.5" - 3" I did plan on swapping the CV axles to those NAPA extended travel CV axles.... Thoughts??

 

Thanks for the link. I've been leaning towards this set up, just wasn't sure if it was the right set up for what I'm looking for... Eventually adding front armor with a winch and down the road would love to do a 1UZ swap for little extra fun.

 

My advice?

Stick to 2" max of lift. That picture is just under 2" of lift over stock and anything more is not only ridiculous, but also gives lower ride quality.

 

Appreciate the advice.

2" does seem to be the sweet spot from what I've gathered here on the forums. Is there anyway to get that for the time being with 5100's until I upgrade?

Using the link that @Crikeymike sent for the Dobinson's, it looks like the Dobinson IMS' and the Kings are about the same price... which is over 3k including UCA's. I'm looking for a lift under the $2000 mark. Maybe the Icon Stage 2 or Toytec coilover set up would be okay?

Thank you for your help.

 

Old picture, but this was before I lowered the front about 1/4" as it was right at 2"

 

Great flex too with quality suspension; front corner there was a good +4' in the air

 

That set up looks great! I don't think my front end is too much lower than that... Maybe a half inch.

I think it's my rear springs that are throwing me off because of how high it sits. Might go down to 906's for an even rake.

 

@Kwikvette This is loaded down on a trip up Coyote Flats to Funnel Lake near Bishop.

 

Your 890's are meant for more weight than you've got on your second pic, but that much weight would bring the rear down too much with 906.

Here's my rig when I used to run 906 (before I installed my rear swingout)



The rear got a nice little 1" lift which I really liked, but I switched to 890's because they quickly began to sag.

Here it was fully packed on my way to Moab with 906's and no swingout







So even though they flex well and rode great, any weight in the rear would make them sag.

Dobinsons may have something that fits right in between as far as rear coils go.

Or, you could just go with a rear swingout bumper for the added weight to bring those 890's down a little bit.

As for the fronts...definitely get some nice 2.5 coilovers.

They're not that much anyway

(Former sheriff deputy here)

 

I’ll eventually get a rear swingout. I know my rear end is weight rated for it. I’ve just been focused on the front right now… fixing the front suspension set up and getting a nice coastal off-road DIY kit.

You know how it is with these rigs. One thing leads to another lol.

 

did you ever get your bumper? if not we have this deal going on soon

https://www.4runners.com/threads/bu...y-open-to-all-makes-models.37792/#post-574326