Finally lifted my rig- Full Dobinsons lift

So after trading my Tacoma for the 4Runner, I relied heavily on this forum to do my research for my 4Rbuild . I had some decent knowledge based on prior experiences with a Gen 1 Tacoma, a 2006 Tundra and my last Gen 2 TRD Tacoma.I really lost my butt on the TRD Tacoma, dealers were low balling the heck outta me. Did the trade and took my lumps to get into the Runner. I gotta be honest, I was underwhelmed with the 4Runner. After a few days of driving I was really wondering if I had made a mistake. The Runner was "floaty" with horrible handling and sluggish to say the least- I was missing the TRD with Icon suspension!
Enter this forum and I started planning some MOds based on many of y'alls posts. I reached out to some awesome forum members who were extremely helpful and forthcoming with the experiences and suggestions. Guys like Backslider and Mattmo (thanks again guys). BAckslider had suggested I look into Dobinsons and referred me to Mike, Another awesome guy. Mike was a wealth of knowledge, he knows his stuff and based on what I told him I was looking to do, Mike had me all set up in no time. I even got to order my coils in TRD red. While I patiently waited for the parts to arrive I kept myself busy with little Mods like the Black overlays on the emblems, Husky all weather mats, swapped out the shifter (Ellis) and ordered some Wet Okoles seat covers. I also pulled the trigger on the infamous Pedal Commander- gotta say, kinda a game changer for me (Sport +1 setting for me).
Cut to the chase- Dobinsons parts arrived safely from Florida and scheduled the lift for yesterday. I want to thank Mike@ Dobinsons for taking my call after hours yesterday when my mechanic called me to advise the front coils were the same size as stock. Mike explained what was going on and that all would be ok so I assured the tech that the parts were correct and asked him to please proceed with the lift. Full of anticipation, I picked her up today and when I arrived she was getting aligned, so we went to breakfast. Upon return OMG, the rig looked AMAZING- I could not believe the stance was so different! The JBA UCA's matched the red Dobinsons Coils perfectly and you could clearly see the suspension with the now tiny stock 265's. I jumped in to take her for a test drive- Holy Crap the rig is tall now (can't believe how high she looks and feels). All I can say is my wife and son were laughing at me because they hadn't seem me so happy in a while! I'm so darn pleased! The truck drives better than I could have imagined, better than my Tacoma! The tech did an amazing job on the alignment- the Dobinsons feel AMAZING! The Pedal Commander on Sport +1 feels responsive, especially with the new suspension! I am Stoked beyond belief!
I just wanted to share my experiences (and gratitude) for this Forum, to the members, to Mike @ Dobinsons and all the other vendors who made this experience so successful and enjoyable. I also wanted to pay this forward as I know there are a whole bunch of folks who maybe want to jump but aren't sure what direction to go in. Maybe something in my journey can help someone else, like y'all helped me. Anyway, I have SCS Stealth 6's waiting in my garage, next week I will get some 275's (I think Falkens, but maybe Hangkooks) mounted to complete the truck. Thanks all- Pics to follow.

 

Awesome. Can't wait to see some photos! I'd like to see some pics before you swap the wheels/tires if possible?

 

4runningman, pics just posted. I will try and get more for you tomorrow.
Cheers

 

Looks like about 2.5 to 3 inches of lift? Is that correct?

Nice suspension parts btw.

 

Looks great! Nice work now go explore

 

Looks great, nice choice.

 

TNToyo79 Thanks for your kind words- you are correct it is a 2 1/2" X 2" Dobinsons lift. Here are the parts specifics if someone is interested:

C59-302R- COIL SPRINGS
GS59-700- GAS STRUT
C59-505R- COIL SPRINGS
GS59-705- SHOCK ABSORBER

 

All, thank you for your likes and kind words, I was telling my wife yesterday- you buy all these parts and hope you're able to achieve your vision and when it comes together (and meets or exceeds your desires) it's a very cool feeling.
When I had my Tacoma, I actually lifted it twice- first time I went with a OME lift and it was nice but removed all and changed to Icon coilover.

 

So what did you tell Mike that made him come to this configuration? Are these heavy, medium springs, etc.?

 

Basically I said i was looking for moderate lift, I wanted to come in with a good "bang for my buck", i let him know that i did not care for the "floaty" feel and Body roll. Mike asked about my future mods, was i going to add bumpers/ armor or rack, etc. I think the difference for me was the rear struts, they are a comfort strut for those not looking at extra weight in the back. Its my daily driver and i let Mike know i had a 3rd row seat but no plans for a heavy rack.
Hes a good guy to consult, he knows his product and he knows our trucks. I highly recommend Dobinsons as the ride is unreal. I know thats said often but its true. If i was blind folded, no way i would say its the same vehicle.

 

Nice! Thanks!

 

Thanks for the review, truck looks good

 

Heres some wheel well shots with stock wheels.

 

Forgot to mention Mattmo was extremely helpful with his personal experience with his Icon wheels. After reviewing his posts and some PM's with him, i opted to go in a different direction. Im sure they (Icon) make a great wheel, just decided to go with a different setup.
Also, forgot to mention JBA, i know the UCA's are an added expense many choose to bypass. This is my second set of JBA UCA's, i love the quality and service they provide. I think they add a great deal to the ride and i can tell you they have really upgraded the quality since the Gen 1 version of his UCA. I highly recommend and appreciate he has kept his price point low- for what you get, they are very nice and heavy duty.

 

Sweet setup. Is the lift kit expensive?

 

I think it was the best overall value out there for our trucks. you can go cheaper but you get what you pay for. Full lift consisting of assembled struts in front, coil and struts in back and UCA's for a little more than the cost of coilovers.
I contemplated the Eibach pro lift and 6112's but opted for the twin gas shocks from Dobinsons. I think you cant go wrong with any of the above- just comes down to fine nuances and bank account.

 

Thanks again for the info. I’m sold on the Dobinsons. I have read in other forums that adding a lift and bigger tires will need higher gears. Is that required for your type of setup?

 

I'm still pending the bigger tires but when I do, I am only going to go up to 275's and don't plan on any gearing. Gearing is only necessary if you go HUGE, like a 35" tire or something like that.

 

Ok, I see. I do plan to go with 275s myself. Thanks.

 

My Dobinsons 2.5/1.5 KDSS lift shipped today. The SCS stealth 6 rims and Falken 275's have been sitting in the shop waiting on the lift to get ordered. I cant wait till my 4 runner is lifted cause, stock sucks.

 

Very cool. Thanks for posting your experience!

I'm planning on getting some Dobinsons coils myself up front to go with my Eibach adjustable shocks. It's good to hear how many positive reviews there are.

 

I have Dobinson's on my 18 4R and think they're FANTASTIC!!!!

 

Yes sir! Stock was a bit underwhelming. Ordered my Falken Wildpeaks today, should be on by the weekend!

 

This post just lead me down an expensive wormhole......

 

The wormhole is like warm apple pie

 

Did you put any trim packers on with the lift?

 

Thanks for posting this. I've been going 'round and 'round on the Dobinsons vs a 6112/5160 setup, pricing from Amazon for the 6112s puts it at $1157 (shipped) for what I'd want, vs $810 (+shipping) for the Dobinsons. I'd be keeping the stock arms, though. Maybe.

 

No trim packers were used. Sorry about the late reply, I have been super busy.

 

What’s up with the pics to follow? I need to see how this turned out

 

Sub