[wookiecrisp]

As of 3/9/16



Modifications
===================
Husky Liners
Plasti Dip Front Valences
Interior LED Swap
RCI Skids
!! T4R Decal !!

Suspension / Wheels
====================
275/70/17 BFG KO2s E-Rating @ 42 psi
Front: 5100s @ 0" w/ 112-620 Toytec Coils and 1/4" Top Plate Spacer on each side
Rear: 5100s w/ 1.5 Daystar Spacer

Upcoming
====================
RCI Sliders
Rear Diff/E-Locker Breather Mod

Distant Future
====================
HIDs
Slimline Front Bumper
GOBI Rack

[wookiecrisp]

Traded in the '06 Subaru Forester for something a bit more trail worthy. I will miss the turbo in the Forester, even though it was only a 4 cyl. I did actually have a 2001 Tundra even before the Forester, but sadly I was in San Diego at the time and only had the 2wd!



Here she is the day I picked her up. My eyes welled with joy.



I promptly took it up into the mountains to get on an easy part of the Switzerland Trail outside of Boulder, CO.

[wookiecrisp]

Added some Husky Liners all around. Chose this over the Weather Tech because of the bottom grip which I thought might be better. Honestly, both are probably good; I went with Weather Techs in our Sienna family hauler.

Switched out the interior lighting for LEDs. Much better... I like "laboratory" lighting.

And Plasti-dipped the front lower valence while I was at it. Still want to do the upper part to black out the entire front, and the OEM Trail wheels as well. The black plasti-dust overspray though, OMG. Gotta wash the car immediately after.

[wookiecrisp]

Finally got around to upgrading the shoes. The factory ones just did not cut it, especially here in the Colorado snows. Since I didn't have a lift yet, and the fact that I don't want to deal with rubbing even post-lift, especially if stuffed and turning the wheel on trail, I went with the 275 KO2s, E-Rated so I don't have to worry on the rocky trails here.

They really make the 4Runner look better. Seriously, this must be done with any 4Runner to make it better.

Pro Tip: Get them road-force balanced rather than the typical spin balancing. Discount Tire did it for free, it just takes a little bit longer. No vibrations at high speed.

Spare fits too!

[wookiecrisp]

I knew choosing a lift would be difficult for me... I obsess about things way too much, borderline OCD. I probably went through 15 different lift configurations before I told myself to just pick the best one for my short-term future needs, leaving open the path to make upgrading easier.

For one, while I would love to go the full 3/2, I don't want to go with, ahem, buy, UCAs yet, and more importantly, I don't want a diff drop or to worry about too much of a CV angle and the boots malfunctioning. Yeah I know, easy fix, but still, that's me.

Went 5100s all around to stiffen the ride some, eliminate nose-dive, etc... On the front went with Toytec 112-620 coils, which after settling are supposed to yield about 1.6" lift. I wanted to boost that slightly, so adding a 1/4" top plate spacer on each side should boost it to around 2" in the front. On the rear, I really couldn't find a coil I'd be happy with that would end up giving me max 1.5"; SAWs would probably have given me closer to, or even over, 2" since I don't have a 3rd row, dont have a sliding tray, and no real weight in back. Took the easy way out and went with 1.5" Daystar spacers.

After initial alignment I was able to get the everything in spec and the caster to 2.4 on both sides. Nice.

Before Shots:







After Shots:







Before and After Measurements:

HF: Hub-to-Fender
GF: Ground-to-Fender
GR: Ground-to-Rocker
SS: Side-to-Side
FB: Front-to-Back

Also took some arbitrary hitch and front license plate measurements for changes only.

Pretty standard before measurements. You can see the standard 2" rake and the 1/4" lean on a full tank from HF. The GF measurements are off more, probably due to measuring and tire variables.

Pre:


Post:


Immediate post-lift was interesting. Looking at the HF vales... I am initially getting a 2.25-2.5" front lift out of the 1.6" stated coils and 1/4" spacer. I'm anticipating this settling about 0.4"-0.5". The rear is pretty accurate with the 1.5" spacers, maybe some tiny settling there?

However, looking at the GF values is concerning, or maybe not. The front SS difference is now 0.4375", whereas before it was 0.1875", which I think could be the stock coil that was compensated for lean no longer there. The rear SS difference actually went up too, slightly, even though the coils are the same; this might go away after settling.

In general, I have more of a driver's side lean now, which may go away some after settling. Will take measurements again after 500 miles to check for settling and to see if any side-to-side adjustments are need for lean. Also want to measure when my tank is half-full and closer to empty to see how much of the lovely lean goes away. Will update with measurements then.



My upgrade path is clear now if I go with aftermarket bumpers... replace front and rear coils. Done.

[mybabydaddy]

Subscribed. I too will prob change my current setup at some point later this year... Want to take out some of the preload since I'm running 1.75 front setting and 1 inch rear spacers... Want to achieve same/very similar lift with (just) the coils.

[hayde89]

What shade of plasti dip did you use for the lower valance?

[wookiecrisp]

Originally Posted by hayde89

What shade of plasti dip did you use for the lower valance?

Matte black. Always. Forever.

Gonna do the same to the upper part of the valence, and the rims the same, and probably the rear lower bumper like the TRDP. The finish isn't as smooth as I expected, which was either my technique or the way it's supposed to be, but I like it. Did about 6 coats, an entire can.

[Mistaken]

Very nice! Simple yet very effective mods so far.

[Frat_4runner]

i may have missed it but i noticed the fins on your cv boots are touching just a bit, do you plan on doing the diff drop? my boots look a lot like how yours are and i just ordered a diff drop and I'm not sure i want to install if i don't have to

[wookiecrisp]

Originally Posted by Frat_4runner

i may have missed it but i noticed the fins on your cv boots are touching just a bit, do you plan on doing the diff drop? my boots look a lot like how yours are and i just ordered a diff drop and I'm not sure i want to install if i don't have to

I'm not planning on a diff drop since I don't really want to change the angle the front diff is sitting at. The inner 2 fins are touching just a bit, but I "hope" that's because of the pre-settling height increase. I'm gonna wait until it settles after about 500 miles and do another update and see how they look.

[RockyMtnHigh]

Lookin good!

[wookiecrisp]

Post-lift update... Post-lift update...

1. Lovin' it
2. Rides much better, handles bumps much smoother
3. Minor settling after going through a tank
4. Grandma needs a stool to get in now (she thought she was shrinking)

There has been just minor settling after about 300 or so miles, and I wanted to take some measurements on an empty tank to see if any side-to-side differences changed.

Front's have settled a bit to 2.25". Anticipating 0.25" more, and I haven't really had a chance to flex out the front's any. The rear 1.5" spacers are as stated. The side-to-side differences have gone down, but the rear still has a 0.25" difference on an empty tank.



Diff/locker breather mod parts on order. Can't wait to get to work on that. Probably going to zip-tie up the fuel-filler hose/pipe route.

Also about to pull the trigger on some RCI sliders... just wishing there'd be a group buy in the near future.

[AdamDS]

Subscribed, looking good! I'll want to do something with the suspension sooner than later and this seems like a good route.

[CoMtn4Runner]

Great looking rig. Love the silver! Very tastefully done on the mods. I am leaning towards the 5100's myself.