5th Generation 4Runner Suspension Options Thread

Welcome to the club, brother! This 4Runner wasn't supposed to be touched! I didn't even make it a few days before the tire change.

 

Would anyone mind explaining this to me in layman's terms? This is because the front is not a solid axle, but more like a lever, correct?

So is a good rule of thumb, for the 4Runner, something like "For each inch you extend the front strut assembly, either via spring spacer, a higher strut spring seat, OR a taller spring, the 4Runner's body lifts 2 inches." ?

So if Coil A is 375mm long, and Coil B is 385mm long, the actual lift would be roughly 20mm?

 

Figured I'd put this here as it might be helpful to someone else too.. please feel free to add your thoughts.

Just Leveling Lift vs. Mild Lift.. FIGHT!

+1/+0 "Just Leveling Lift" via Upgraded Struts/Shocks --

Reasons/Benefits:
- Looks better than OE (TRD Pro look).. even with stock-sized tires
- Maybe tiny bit of added room in front, over OE, for tire clearance while flexing?
- Tiny bit of added ground clearance in some areas

Pros:
- Less cost
- Retain OE "comfy" spring rate (desirable to some)
- Retain OE front spring height offset (w/o KDSS, OE LH front coil is a few mm taller than RH "to compensate for uneven vehicle weight"-interwebs)

Cons:
- Overly soft "comfy" OE spring rate remains in front (nose-dive and body-roll complaints by many drivers)
- Possible negative/reverse rake starting @ ~500 lbs. rear passenger/cargo weight?
- Not necessarily a con, but only monotube design adjustable struts are available

+2/+1 "Mild Lift" via Upgraded Struts/Shocks and Taller/Stiffer Springs --

Pros:
- Looks cool, especially with taller tires
- Potentially better performing, even at stock weight?
- Slight ground clearance increase for off-road driving, especially when loaded with a lot of weight
- Stiffer springs allow for more weight addition without as much sag
- Stiffer springs help fight body-roll and nose-dive
- Slight front fender clearance increase for wheel movement (turning while flexing suspension, at least until full-flex) I think.. please correct me if I'm wrong..
- More strut design options are available

Cons:
- Higher center of gravity.. braking, turning, tipping..
- If never adding significant temporary weight to the vehicle, is there any justification for lifting the rear? (200 lbs. in stock cargo area only lowers rear by ~.5")
- Costs more
- Stiffer springs can feel harsher on city roads, bumps, etc.
- Excessive rear wheel-gap can appear a little silly
- Taller vehicle is more difficult to get in-to and out-of, and requires more garage clearance, etc.

 

I’ll throw my 2 cents in here.... I bought my 4runner and first thing I did was add 285/70-17 tires on new wheels. Was new to the 4runner world and went to 4wheel parts. Put my faith in them and told them what I was looking for and they put me in a leveling kit. Hated it from day one. The lean when turning was horrendous, ride was terrible. Within 2 months, removed and went with an Icon Stage 2 (used SPC UCA instead of Icon). The ride is SO much better. I don’t off-road much, but the street driving was and is better than stock, the stance is amazing. Won’t lie, Icon isn’t the best for customer service, but I am still happy. I might be making a change in the near future, but I would say stay away from leveling kits. Just my opinion.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

The problem is that "leveling kit" doesn't mean squat. And that's pretty much why I started this thread. There are so. many. options. for the 4Runner, it's almost insane. With marketing, it's very hard to figure out what is what, really. To some, a leveling kit is just a spacer (which is not considered to be a great option by most seasoned off-road drivers). Then there are the thicker collars, which the manufacturers swear isn't a spacer, but what's really the difference? To me, a leveling kit could mean spacers, springs, heck whatever the heck you want.. you could call a full Kings setup a "leveling kit" if the truck ended up level. I've seen just about everything out there marketed as a "leveling kit" by now during my research.

For the record, if you guys read my post just above which talks about a "Just leveling lift" .. I'm talking about doing that with struts, not spacers. I don't think that setup would ride much differently than stock. @sherwood4runner , did they set you up with Eibach or Bilstein adjustable front shocks for that "leveling kit" or did they add spacers to the stock shocks/springs?

For anyone curious, I'm still deciding, lol. Of the three front springs I've referenced here, which I believe are the only three springs that provide around +2" front lift, I think the Dobinsons C59-300 is the closest. I'm currently going through all 100+ pages of the Dobinsons thread which is elsewhere on the internet, and if it doesn't convince me that the front spring will lift a full 2", I think I'm probably going to go with the Bilstein 6112 for the front. The 6112, which apparently was designed in conjunction with Toyota Engineers, looks to be very "OEM +" which is exactly what I'm going for. I love the OE bushings used (no clunking like many aftermarket suspension components), and the fact that it's designed to allow the drivers's side front to be a little bit longer than the left, just as it comes from the factory. The larger shock body shouldn't hurt, either. I just wish I could go with 5100's for the rear because I don't think I need the external reservoirs, but hey.. maybe they'll come in handy one day. Alas, Bilstein recommends the 5160, claiming that it's valving is best suited for the 6112.

I also considered both of the TRD Pro setups. I decided against the FOX setup because I believe that those shocks are absolutely designed to work at that height, and I want taller. It looks to be an awesome setup.. sounds like maybe one of the best riding and performing setups available.. but the kid in me wants to "send it" and a 1" front lift / level just won't cut it for these 275's. (As an aside, IMO, there may be no better suspension for stock sized tires than the FOX TRD Pro setup.) Then there's the Bilstein TRD Pro setup, which I heavily considered because I could pair it with the Dobinsons 1" TRD Pro lift spring and retain the OE spring rates. Frankly, I am quite enjoying the plush feel after breaking sports-car wheels over and over on pot holes, so at first this was something that really appealed to me. That said, maybe a slightly stiffer spring really is the way to go when lifting the vehicle by an appreciable amount. Makes sense. I suppose Bilstein went with a 600 lb. spring on their 6112 for a reason.. so maybe a 2" lift on a 520 lb. spring isn't the best idea.

 

This is pretty much exactly what I'm going for, except with my 275's. Thanks again, @thirdyota ! Coming in with the Bilstein spring recommendation was super clutch.

 

beautiful picture of the rig. What type rims do you have on the 285/70/17? 17x8.5? Offset?thank you

 

Welp, I pulled the trigger lol (gasp). Bet some of y'all thought it would never happen! ;-)

I ended up going with the 6112's for aforementioned reasons. It came down to the Bilsteins or Dobinsons IMS setup, and though I really wanted to give Dobinsons a shot, the Billy's just edged out Dobby in the end. I hope I don't regret the digressive pistons, but I think it'll be fine. In the end, I decided that the digressive vs. linear vs. progressive argument was really only based upon theory, and without actual shock dyno numbers for the parts I'm considering, thinking about which would be better was just that.. simply conjecture. Testing the parts is the only way to know, so I had to dive in. Only time will tell! Depending on how the 6112's do, it'll be either those or Fox/Kings 2.5 next time around.. but I wanted to give the FAR less expensive option a try as hopefully it'll be all I need/want.

Bilstein B8 6112 w/ 600 lb. Spring, set at 6/4 for 2" lift up front
Bilstein 5160 rear shocks with the fancy anodized reservoir clamps
Bilstein B12 Special 1" lift springs in rear
OE/Stock Toyota UCAs

Hoping for a nice stance with my 275's, a little more off-road ability, and good alignment / road manners / reliability with the stock UCAs!

Cheers and thanks again for all the help. Now, once it's installed, time to work on writing that suspension guide lol. Really, one needs to be made!

 

Everything is an upgrade. Have fun with it!

 

Very good choice. I am planning on doing exactly the same, except 1.5” Bilstein B12 spring in the rear. I would like to have a little rake; when I load the rear, stuff, gear, bikes, it will be leveled. Bilstein is the way to go. Very good reviews, reliability. I am not planning on climbing mountains, so 2” in the front and 1.5” in the rear will do it and will easily fit 285/70/17 with rims at 0 offset. Anything negative equals more rubbing. With the 0 offset, slight rubbing on the frame when full lock, according to my thorough research, but of course, no alll runners are made equal. Happy off-reading!,,

 

This is exactly the route I want to go but planning to run 255/80 tires so wondering where you ended up doing the order through?

 

Hey guys,

Well, sadly I got a not-so-fun email yesterday afternoon. Apparently the vendor I purchased from is out of stock on the 6112's. I went with Wheeler's Off Road as they had very competitive pricing, especially for their assembly of the front coil-over incl. new top hats. They seemed to have everything I wanted at a great price and I know that they also sponsor another 4Runner forum, which I like to support. All that said, I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do now. I'll start with a call to Wheeler's and probably Bilstein and go from there!

Ugh, so tired of the world these days. When did vendors stop bothering to keep track of inventory? At least that's one thing that Dobinsons seemed to have under control, and they're coming from the other side of the world! Big guy vs. little guy... the grass is always greener...

 

Thanks!

To be honest, I don't know which spring I'll end up using (1" or 1.5"), but I had to start somewhere, so I took a gamble with the 1". I want a 2/1 lift, but with variances, I decided there was no way to order anything and expect a particular perfect result the first time. From what I read, the 6112's set to 2" could yield more like 2.25". I've also seen that the 1" springs can yield a little less than an inch. Long story short, there is some chance I'll put the 1" springs in and then swap them out for the 1.5" if I don't like the look. At least that's an easy job, though. I want a frame with forward rake (empty; a level frame is OK with me when loaded up since that's rarer than my daily trips), and I want the truck to look good to my eyes, lol. Cheers.

 

Does that mean Dobinsons gets the nod now? I know those were running a close second...

 

That happened when people starting shopping mostly by price ... sorry to say, but that's the correlation you're looking for.

 

I understand. Still annoying for those of us that care about more than price.

It depends on the wait I think. Now that I've pulled the trigger, I'm excited to have the lift! But, realistically I don't "need" it anytime soon since it's too cold for camping right now.. so we shall see..

 

So I guess you're waiting on Wheelers for a 'back in stock' ETA?

 

May I quote?

I've gone down the same rabbit hole once or twice in the past and at this point, I don't care about price anymore. Today I only care about value, of service as well as of parts. I'm fine waiting if that is an expected wait when I order. I'm even fine if something takes longer than expected. But I hate bait & switch, and that's what so many companies do these days.

 

I just spoke with Wheeler's and I think I'm going to be patient. I could call Bilstein, but it probably won't be worth it.. I'd just be annoying people at that point lol. I know that a lot of things have been back-logged with COVID, supply shortages, etc. lately. The gentleman I spoke with (Ryan) was very helpful, informative, and transparent. I definitely appreciate his attitude and service so I plan to stick with Wheeler's and wait it out for a bit.

He said that they typically get a large shipment from Bilstein in the middle of the month, so we are hoping that my 6112's are on the shipment next month. Wannhhhhh lol. Oh well, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder! I had to wait 11 weeks for my sliders so I suppose this is the way with the off-road world. It's all about getting out there and chillin' out anyway, eh!?

 

Yes yes but you omitted the part about sponsoring the communities in which I participate! Your point has definitely been seen, and I do not disagree with you. But I didn't say they had the *best* price, and I doubt they do. They had a competitive price, good service, and community support.. so I stopped there. The only vendor that I support despite terrible service is Best Buy. They seem to have a monopoly on that ish these days and yes, considering how little they concentrate on service, they are able to offer some decent deals compared to the competition (once you consider their "points" system and free financing). That said, MAP applies these days to most of the products I buy, which also decreases the point of shopping around for price.

And yes, as I get older and (hopefully) more affluent, I'll be able to afford to care even less about price. I'm still young and on a tight budget though! Ballin' on a budget as they say.. but not too tight of one for a little service lol.

 

To be fair, Dobinsons also doesn't have a part I want in stock - the C59-300 springs. However, I was able to find them on eBay. So even if I went with Dobinsons, I was going to have to go with multiple vendors to piece together the kit. Not a big deal of course though. I could probably find the 6112's somewhere else and go the same route. A month isn't too long... 2020 accounting is killin me right now anyway lol so I can wait till February I think.

 

Following this thread. Have a 2021 Venture
I'm looking at the 2010+ Toyota 4Runner: Falcon 2” Sport Tow/Haul Shock & Spacer Lift System and plan on keeping my stock size KO2's. 90% on the time we are just running the beach. Hate the nose dive when braking.

 

Man this thread is a goldmine of info. Thanks!

New guy here.. about ready to pull the trigger on either a 2021 Venture or TRD Pro. Trying to decide if I want to spend the money the Pro or just buy the venture and put a lift on it. It needs tires too as the ones currently on it are weak ass street tires. I definitely do plan on being off road (local mountains and desert stuff and baja trips to camp/surf). Been doing all of this in my Grand Cherokee. Will miss the V8 and nicer street ride but committed to buying a 4runner at this point.

A bit fuzzy on the height of the stock TRD Pro vs Venture. Sales guys at the dealer says the Pro has a lift already but not sure if that's correct. I understand it has better suspension overall. His suggestion was to buy the Venture and buy the lift/suspension/tires you want. Still cheaper than the Pro. But he's just a sales guys wanting me to buy the one he has in stock.

 

Welcome,

Glad it helped some!

So basically the TRD Pro does have a really nice suspension. I bet it feels about as nice as anything out there, and is plenty functional for what most of us here do. It's also tall enough to take 285 tires, which is the "big" size that most of us around here use. That said, it's designed to be the height it's at IMO, so unless you like the stock height of a TRD Pro, and thus plan on keeping it's fancy expensive, included "lift," it isn't worth buying. So if you like the TRD Pro height / stance, I say go for it! What you get for that is a 1" lift in the front, which is achieved by different (better) struts, as well as matching upgraded shocks in the rear. Otherwise, the rear is the same height, with even the exact same spring. If you want something more extreme or noticeable, I'd suggest a non-Pro, unless the color or stereo in the Pro is worth that much to you.

One other consideration would be KDSS, which I believe is not offered on the Pro.

If you look a few posts above, I gave my thoughts on the "TRD Pro Lift" which is the +1/+0 Leveling situation... vs. lifting it more overall.

Cheers

 

Thanks again. Are you still waiting on your order?

 

I am. Bilstein is claiming mid-march for 4Runner 6112's. Wheeler's still hopes for mid-February. I'm trying to not annoy them too much. The worst part is that I keep going back and considering other options because I'm impatient! Waiting is not good for me lol. Have some big things coming up in the next few months too, so I'm ready to get this installation behind me.

 

Well your not alone, I just joined the wait list from Wheeler's on Bilstein 6112/5160 shocks and springs for our new 4Runner, boy I hope it is not mid March until I see them.

 

FWIW I called Wheeler's yesterday and they said "Still no idea.. No ETA from Bilstein"

So what settings did you / will you go with on the 6112? I went with 6/4 and I'm a tiny bit afraid it'll be too tall lol

 

Went with 5/3 so 1.6" lift and Eibach 1" rear springs...should cut the factory rake about in half.
Plan is to run 275 tires eventually, after taking wifee cruising up in the mountains today I got home and hit the buy now button.