Hi everyone, I have a 2007 4Runner SR5 V6 4WD that I bought brand new in 2006. Almost immediately I put a 2"/1" Cornfed spacer lift on it and have been driving that way for the past 17 years. The spacer lift was a nice upgrade for me because I liked the improved rake and it made the drive a little stiffer, which I liked. I haven't had any issues with the install, although my truck tends to squeak when I go over bumps/gutters in the road, especially when turning. This 4Runner is my DD and I am on concrete 95% of the time. When I do go off road, it's typically forest service roads, not real offroading. I'd be fine with going to a 1"/0" lift if it provided for better handing, feel, etc. No plans for bigger tires anymore.

After 17 years, my shocks are leaking and it's time for new ones. I am hoping you might give me some advice given the above driving scenarios and preferences. I'm seeing a lot of conflicting advice about which Bilstein shocks are best for my purposes and how they compare to OEM shocks direct from Toyota. The Toyota ones have treated me really well over the past 17 years so my default will be to go with them unless you feel confident the Bilsteins are better at a lower cost FOR MY PURPOSES.

Options:
a) New OEM Shocks (keep cornfed) - $600
b) Bilstein 4600 (keep cornfed) - $400
c) Bilstein 5100 (remove cornfed, set it at 1.75"/0.85") - $515
d) Bilstein 5100 (remove cornfed, set it at 0.85"/0") - $515
e) Bilstein 5100 (keep cornfed) - $515
f) Something else?


Questions:

1. Do you agree that the front springs should be replaced because they've been preloaded 2" but the rears are likely good to go (even though they have also been preloaded?
2. Do you recommend OEM Springs ($200 for fronts) or some other brand?
3. Do I need longer springs with the 5100's if I use their ride height adjustments?
4. Would I get better driving performance at 1/0 vs 2/1?
5. If I do change the geometry and go back down to 1/0, would that affect the longevity of my other suspension parts such as ball joints/control arms?
6. Which option would give me the best handling/performance given my driving needs?
7. Which option do you recommend given the pricing?

Other Questions Since I Have Your Eyeballs
6) My front sway bar link boots are torn and I plan on replacing these with OEM. Could this be due to the 2/1 lift? Could these be causing the squeaking?
7) I am planning to replace the sway bar bushings. Anything else I should replace when I'm in there?

Personally, my vote is refresh as much as you can.

5100s are excellent shocks, and while the collar system does let you lift things you sacrifice a little performance/ride quality when you do.

The best option would be 5100s at the lowest setting + fresh springs in your chosen ride height. My 2" lift ended up looking like 4 or 5" due to how badly the factory springs had sagged after 250k. Dobinsons has an awesome guide for what spring to use to achieve a specific lift height with your vehicle and any additional static weight.

To answer some of your other questions:

1/2: I say replace due to age/mileage. I'm happy with Dobinsons but the springs matter less than the shock for overall ride quality unless you buy something totally inappropriate.

3: It's either the higher collar, or a taller spring, not both. And keep in mind the rear has no collar system.

4: Honestly it'll handle better the lower you are. Raising your center of gravity will never improve handling.

5: Closer to stock will be easier on your cv axles

6: Refresh as much as you possibly can in order to improve the ride quality/handling the most. I bet a lot of your suspension bushings are showing their age and could use a little love.

For the last couple questions you'll have to crawl under and inspect it yourself. The squeak could be nearly anything that's able to move and is almost impossible to identify remotely. Offhand, just in front it could be the uca/lca bushing, sway bar bushing, sway bar end link, or maybe even a ball joint if they're particularly bad. Hell, it could even be a wheel bearing if it's common when loading one side of the vehicle.

Ooh, and I forgot it could also be steering rack bushings or tie rod related too.

I'm researching the exact same question for the exact same model/year 4runner. I found this video helpful as it compares the stock suspension on and off road with the Bilstein 5100s and several other budget shocks:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9s271L...V0IG92ZXJsYW5k

I guess I don’t understand suspensions that much. OopsIBrokeIt, are you suggesting 5100 with no spacers and also at stock height, but then using longer springs to fix the rake? I didn’t realize that was an option.

Edit: I watched several Youtube videos and now I understand what you were suggesting, thanks for the reply. A couple followup questions:

Front Options:
a) 5100 with 1.75" adjustment and OEM Springs
b) 5100 with no adjustment and 2" taller springs
Looks like both are about the same price since I need to buy new springs. I have no interest in adding weight to the vehicle, so I'm curious what the tradeoffs are here.

Back Options:
a) 5100 with existing spacer and existing OEM springs
b) 5100 with 1" taller springs
In this case, option b is about $250 more expensive. Will there be a difference here?

Other questions:
1) were you suggesting I should replace the rear springs too?
2) is there a guide or can you call out which suspension bushings I should replace? no clue how many there are. I have the two sway bar bushings on my list, but I think a lot of the other front suspension bushings are much more difficult to replace (could be rusted in?)

Thanks for the help!

Thanks for posting the video, is the spacer lift they tested Bilstein 4600 with a spacer lift? They didn’t say but I’m looking at the colors. They said it performed quite poorly.

Pretty much across the board a spacer lift is less effective than the replacement spring would be. Springs compress where spacers/pucks don't, and the spring/shock compressing together is what gives you a less harsh and more controlled ride. I think those also tend to cost you a little on the range of your suspension travel too.

Past that, your OEM springs are worn. I don't know exactly how much but I can guarantee after 15-20 years and however many thousand miles they are not the exact same length and strength as when they left the factory. That's not to say they're dangerous or going to fail tomorrow, more that replacing them will get you more height and a better ride.

And now that I think about it, replacing only the front spring may leave the rear low if it's sagging at all vs the expected height.


Offhand, I just replaced the following to fix all the torn/cracked bushings on mine:
UCA
LCA
Tie rods (and steering rack due to a leak)
front sway bar bushings

Rear upper/lower arm
track bar
rear sway bar bushings

new shocks will replace the shock bushings, and I think the only remaining original rubber then is the body mounts and drivetrain mounts.

Whatever spacer lift you add to the front takes away from the shock down-travel. so, if the front shock travel stock is 4" down and 4" up for a total of 8" total shock travel, which is very close to what the 4Runner has. If you add a 2" spacer you end up with 2" down travel and 6" up travel, still totaling 8".
Watch "Tinkerer's Adventure" on youtube, his discussion of Toyota IFS suspension.