1 Inch Front Lift Only

Has anyone here lifted only the front of their 4Runner by approximately 1" and left the rear at its factory height? I'm thinking of doing this with a 0.5" strut top spacer, which lifts the truck 1" due to the 2/1 motion ratio in the IFS. I'd be especially interested in hearing experience/seeing pictures of this setup while keeping the stock 265/70R17. I'm finding it hard to find many examples of this scenario online.

My reason? I want to keep my 4Runner as close to stock as possible, but I've always wished it were lifted just a tad more in the front and had a slightly less dramatic rake. The front tires take up the whole wheel well opening, while the rear have quite a bit more space above them. I know 1" is still not going to result in the same amount of space in the front wheel well, but I'm wondering if it will improve the look a little bit. And its not just about looks. I'd like to have a tad more ground clearance in the front, especially since it will compensate for when I air down, which I plan to do often once I have proper tires.

To be clear, I'm not talking about a preload spacer, although if that's what you have, I'd still be interested in seeing pictures as it would have the same aesthetic affect. I used to think that any kind of spacer lift would just cause problems and was more about looks than performance, but after watching the Tinkerer's Adventures videos, I can now see how a strut top spacer no thicker than 0.5" will not affect the upper and lower limits of the suspension travel. And not only does it give you an inch of lift, but it also provides an extra inch of down travel.

This all seems good on paper but I want to hear other's experience if they have done this and see pictures of how much of a difference it makes (and to make sure it doesn't just look bad for some reason). I know it's a cheap and reversible mod so I could just try it, but just making an effort to see if its worth it before I waste my time.

 

It’s a fairly common way to get the level look without going with full suspension setup. The thinner the spacer,, the safer it is.

If you want to get an idea of what it looks like on 265/70 tires, take a look at any 4runner Pro…that trim comes stock with a 1inch higher front suspension. One inch makes a noticeable difference in looks!

 

A photo of the 1" front lift. I achieved this with Eibach front shocks using the second snap ring setting, with the oem springs:

I gives you one more look at how this turns out. Rear has Eibach shocks also, but no lift.

 

That was exactly my thinking. I love it. An unexpected bonus is that that it eliminated a 50% of the nosedive when braking — less squishy feeling coming to a stop. The braking is so improved, I wish I would have done it sooner just for that reason alone!

Unfortunately, by 4R is in the body shop thanks to an elderly lady in a Traverse at Walmart. Due to get it back mid next week and will post a picture here.

Mine looks to be just under perfectly level, so retaining just a touch of rake. Fitted with Flaken Wildpeak AT3 and SpiderTrax spacers. Do it. Just remember to get an alignment afterwards.

 

I dont have any great pictures showing it, but I installed a cheap simple cornfed 1/2" spacer and I've been happy with it. Rides and drives just like factory. Alignment went smooth. I have no complaints and the stance looks great considereing my mild size "lift" tires and wheels.

 

This is my plan as well - I have the Eibach shocks sitting in my garage, I just have to find the time to do it. Their documentation says that you'll get 0.8" with stock springs on the second clip - did you find that to be pretty accurate? I was debating throwing a 1/4" spacer on top....

 

Pretty darn close. My before and after measurements:

Measurements before and after:
Before:
From hub ctr From ground
LF 19.25" 34"
RF 19.50" 34.25"
LR 21.75" 36.50"
RR 21.75" 36.625"

After (with minimum driving/settling):
From hub ctr From ground
LF 20.00" 34.875"
RF 20.50" 35.25"
LR 22" 36.75"
RR 21.75" 36.75"

I personally didn't want to mess with spacers.

Edit: I just went outside and measured, and all the front measurements above are still within 1/8".

 

That looks good to me. IMHO, 1” or less in the front would be the ideal setup. Slightly better look without negatively affecting suspension.

 

Here's a ton of photos of folks who did the same thing, albeit with Bilstein 5100 shocks:

Bilstein 5100s pics with settings

 

The dealer had installed a Rev Tech spacer on the front of my Limited before I purchased it. I like the level look. They did, however, forget to adjust the headlights. Simple "do it yourself" fix.

 

Can you post a picture of your setup if you’ve got your rig back yet? Thx

 

Thanks for the nudge! I measured and still just under an inch of rake, but much better than it was, and the nosedive remediation makes it worth it.

 

Clean! Love the Venture accents. Stock size Falkens? Hard to see the stance w/ the Spidertrax from a side shot.

 

Yep! Bilstein 5100s with the front set at the second setting, which is 0.85 in of lift, stock rear springs, 275/70R17 BFG KO2s. Had some rubbing on the front mudflap, but that was it. Drives, rides and looks so much better, without all the additional concerns of adding lift. I love the look of a leveled stock 4Runner...so underrated and subtle.

 

Stock 265’s. SpiderTrax did require removal of front splash guards, fender push and trimming to eliminate 97% of rubbing. Rear splash guard delete to match.

 

level is in my future. Need to order bilstein front springs.

 

Hey guys. Sorry to resurrect a thread but I figured that's better than starting a new one.

So, after I got my KO2's load C stock size 265 installed, I finally had the chance to push my 4Runner to its limits on some rocky Arizona terrain this weekend. It was nice finally being able to do that without worrying about puncturing one of the duelers (I found out at the tire shop that one of them had a gash down to the cords from doing this stuff with them). Side note, MAN is having that rear locker a game changer.

Anyway, the point of this is to say that I no longer think I want to go with the cornfed spacers. I got them in the mail and realized they are plastic (I had assumed they were aluminum). Now, I know that just because they're plastic doesn't mean they aren't strong. In fact, I read somewhere that this UHMW poly stuff is bulletproof and used for military grade armor. But it still doesn't have the yield strength of aluminum and, I don't know, I just feel weird about putting plastic parts on my suspension. I also got a quote for installation from a couple of places here in AZ and it's like $500 for install and alignment. I would normally do this myself but I don't currently have the tools.

Most importantly, I think I have decided to go the 2/1 route instead of just leveling the front. And also, I think I want an actual suspension upgrade, not just spacers. My reasoning is mainly because I found myself scraping my front bumper and hitch this weekend on a few obstacles. I just need more clearance, end of story. Also, it just looks better, and more lifted. That amount of lift is not too drastic so it still looks good with the 265's, but will also look good with 285's down the road when I'm ready to re-gear, lock the front, and start chopping away at stuff in my wheel wells. So it just makes more sense to go ahead and do the suspension the right way. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but with only 2" of front lift, I won't need aftermarket UCA's.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or any advice on which direction to go within the 2/1 lift realm? Or 2/1 ish.

 

Sounds like a good plan!

 

When I originally bought my 22 ORP, I wanted to bring the front up just a tad so it would level out with the rears. I thought about buying spacers off Amazon which would run me roughly $50ish give and take. I started doing research on other social media platform and a lot of people have been doing the tacoma front strut replacement. The more I read into it, the better it sounded, it was something I preferred over spacer. I found a set of, almost new front take offs with less than 1k miles for roughly $50. I'd much prefer spending $50 on OEM complete front struts vs spacers. I took measurements all around on the day of delivery in my driveway and the day I did the swap and they both measured pretty much the same all around. Here are the before and after measurements. Only the front was changed, rear was left completely stock.

My 4R had 1638 miles when I did the swap on Jan of 2022. Have not measured it since.

Front Driver
Before: 20"
After: 21.5"

Front pass
Before: 20.25
After: 21.625

Rears
Driver: 22.25
Pass: 22.25

I think it sits pretty leveled and very similar to the TRD Pros. I'm happy with it.

Regarding your 2/1 lift, depending on how hard you offroad, a set of Bilstein's 5100, OME, Dobinson's or possibly even Fox 2.0 would suit your needs. All depends on how deep your pockets are. I've had the Fox 2.0 and they rode great for what I wanted.

 

So you're saying you replaced your oem front 4R coils & shocks (they're not struts) with the oem front coils & shocks from a 3rd gen Tacoma and got 1.5" of lift in the front? What year and model 4R do you have, and what year and model Tacoma were those from?

 

Yes, I replaced my 22 4R ORP front coil & shock assembly for the tacoma front coil & shock assembly. The coil & shock assemblies was off of a 21 tacoma trd 4x4 off road edition. The tacoma take off's has been verified (by many on FB pages) to fit the 4th gen 4R and 5th gen 4R. I've not tried them on the 4th gens but they've been on my 5th gen for a little over 1.5 years.

 

Interesting. I've not heard of this before. You wouldn't have taken, or know of any, side-by-side comparison photos of the 4R coil assembly vs. the Tacoma coil assembly by any chance?

Edit: I found several in this thread, albeit 4th gen front coil assemblies:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/lift-with-3rd-generation-tacoma-coils-and-shocks.10832/

Would be nice to see the 5th gen 4R comparison.

I wouldn't have seen this before, as it's in the 4th gen section. Apparently this swap works on the 5th gens, as you've attested to. Nice to know for someone wanting to level without big bucks. I probably would've gone this route back in 2020 if I'd known about it.

 

Sorry I did not take any photos. I did, however, compare them side by side and if memory serves me right, they're similar in height. I don't know how the taco assembly gives you a lift, could be the coil and shock being stiffer due to them being an off-road package? I've read that doing this swap on the 4th gens gives 2 - 2.5" of lift. Have not confirmed it so can't say for sure.

I believe there has been ppl who posted on t4r.org as well. Just don't use the rear shocks on the 4runner, it's valved way too soft and you'll be bouncing all over.

 

Dobinsons from ExitOffRoad, lots of options so you can tweak how much lift you want front and rear. I'm probably gonna go more 2" front, 1-1/2" rear. I don't mind the rake. Next set of tires probably 275/70's on some 0 offset wheels.

 

I did the Bilstein 5100 shocks on mine and they have a .85 setting on the front shocks that looks really good and honestly 1 inch is what it probably should be to be perfect. Do it

 

Anyone running this? It says 3" lift but Dobinsons has lots of different spring options for different ride heights. I'd be looking at the ones that give 1.75" lift in the front and 1"-1.25" in the back. I don't have any added weight from bumpers or anything else and don't plan to add any of that. I'm also curious how this setup would look with 285/70/17 (would they look stuffed into the wheel well with such minimal lift?) for if I ever decide to upsize tires. Right now staying stock size but planning ahead so I don't have to re-do my suspension again. The UCA's are shown in the picture but I don't think I'd need 'em with that amount of lift.

 

Ok actually I think I've finally made up my mind. Might as well go 2.5/1.5 and go with the extended travel front shocks and UCA's. And that will definitely be fine for possible future 285's, possibly even 295's... AND it still looks awesome with the 265 KO2's and factory wheels. The rear wheel well might be on the brink of looking too empty but not really that bad. Found this on the other forum...

 

Mine has a 1” Cornfed in the front with 265/70/17 Cooper Rugged Treks. The stance on it is subtle but I love it so far

 

@MWink TRD, is this a 1" spacer that gives approx 2" of lift in the front?

 

It's a 1/2" spacer that gives a 1" lift