Evening,

First time 4Runner owner here looking for 3/2 lift. Don't do a ton of off-roading, probably 80/20 highway/off-road, but hope to get out there more often. I have a stock SR5 with 3rd row seating. Future plans are 285s, sliders, full roof rack and slim bumper (about a year or 2). Regularly have 2 adults and 3 kids riding around with occasional extra weight in the back. I think I've come up with the right set up aftering browsing through almost all of these pages haha.

GS59-302
GS59 -574
GS59-327 (or GS59-325)
GS59-701
DD59 -527K
Dobinson UCAs


Biggest question I have here, is the 325 vs 327. With the 3rd row seat, eventual roof rack and occasional extra weight, are those the right ones to go with or should it be the 325s. Thanks in advance!

Hello. I wanted a 3/2 also. I’m pleased with the install I just did. I went with the 325’s because it leveled the rear with the front with a modest cargo load. I can also tow and it won’t “bullfrog” (sag in the rear).

I like the lift and now I can put 285’s on with ease.

The UCA’s are a must.

I did my install in the driveway. Easy.

That is a good setup, very common. Depends on the roof rack weight and what you put up there, but most would still use the 325's unless there's some specific extra weight you plan to add and run around with all the time.

Awesome!!

Something else to consider would be their IMS shocks. The benefit for you would be getting the 3” lift in the front you want now with no additional weight and if/when you add sliders, skids, roof rack, etc. and the front sags, you can adjust it back up to 3”.

I went with the IMS in the front and twin tube in the rear just to save a little money. I like the IMS being a bigger shock body for better cooling when I’m off the road.

Just something else to consider, it’s only maybe another $2-300 if my memory serves me. Also, 20% of the time off-road is a pretty large amount so maybe you do want the IMS.

I went ahead and added the 1/2 spacer above the rear driver side coil and I am
1/2" different in the rear now.

24 1/2" Driver side rear IMS59-50701 C59-325
25" Passenger side rear IMS59-50701 C59-325
23 1/2" Driver side front IMS59-50700 C59-314
23 3/4" passenger side front IMS59-50700 C59-314

Dirt King fabrication UCA's I was able to get to 4 degrees of castor.

The ride has been great right from the get go. No more brake diving or crazy body roll. Thanks for the help guys.

Nice! So we can come to terms that the 325 springs actually provide 2.25-3.00 inches of lift? Since I have 3rd row, it definitely adds some weight to the rear and my hub measurements went from 21.5 to 24.25. Could be a good reference point for people thinking about this setup in the future.

Mike, has anyone recently reported 2 inches of lift with these springs stock weight? You may want to adjust the details on these springs if not! Its been 4 months now with them and I have exactly 2.75 inches of lift.

My current pre and post numbers.

SR5 Premium

59-302/59-574 front
59-325/59-701 rear

Pre Lift:

Driver front: 19 3/4
Passenger front: 20
Driver rear: 22
Passenger rear: 22 1/4

Post Lift:
Driver front: 24 inch
Passenger front: 24 1/8
Passenger rear: 24 3/4
Driver Rear: 24 3/4

It does level the 4R out. I have a slimline steel bumper and RCI skid up front and a Prinsu 3/4 rack with no third row seating. I’m level pretty much all around. Love the ride and look.

Go to the dealer, like I have many times before, and measure brand new stock 4Runners. You'll find the rear to be 21.5", 22", 22.25", 21.25". These things aren't all made the same, especially with variations like 3rd row seat and KDSS.

24" is the standard for 2" of lift. If you're still at 24.25", then I call that 2.25".

They don't lift 3", not unless someone had old sagged suspenson and gained that much from where THEY were sitting prior to the lift.

These coils have been made the same way for 10+ years since the Prado 150 platform first came out, and they're computer controlled to be made exactly the same way every time, so the specs haven't changed. 1/4" of variance in lift height is not uncommon.

So how many miles after lift install should an alignment be done? On my Jeep I had to reshoot the headlight alignment also. Is that required?

Doesn't have to be much, you just wanna cycle the suspension a few times before doing it, aka hit some railroad tracks or something to get the springs to compress and expand several times.

Yeah, any lifted vehicle needs the headlights readjusted afterwards.

Thanks!

C-59 314 F
IMS 574 F
C59-725 R
IMS 701 R
UCA's
Thanks Mike!

Attached Images

     

Nice!!!! That looks really good!!

So I have been trying to install my Dobinsons IMS lift kit, and it has been a bit of a comedy of errors on my part and I need a bit of guidance. My account isn't old enough to post a new thread, so thats why I'm posting here.

I am lifting my 2016 trail with KDSS, 3" in the front a 2" in the rear. I did a lot of research, and decided I would try to install the lift myself as I have the equipment and space, but underestimated how much I was lacking in knowhow. I got the front suspension off OK, but ran into my first problems putting the struts in, as I couldn't get the LCA's to give me enough room. Looking online, I decided I needed to loosen my KDSS system to allow for more space. I stupidly removed all four mounting locations (hydraulic arm, fixed arm and both LCA attachments). I got everything back together and ran into my second problem. It was much more difficult to put the stabilizer bar back together than I had anticipated. I struggled with it well into the night, and thought I had it pieced back together. Well in the cold light of day, it appears I have stripped the LCA bolts on both sides. Rather than throwing in the towel I went back online to see if I could figure out what to do, and decided I would leave the stabilizer bar disconnected, finish my suspension install, and take it to my mechanic to drill and tap for new bolts, and have him reattach.

I should have stopped here. I should have just thrown in the towel while my stock rear suspension was still on, and hobbled it over to the shop. But I am an idiot, and I soldiered on.

I removed my rear struts, and since I was going to have to remove my rear stabilizer bar anyways, I removed the fixed arm connection point. Tried to adjust the rear axle to put the springs in and couldn't get enough space to put them in. Went back to my instructions, and realized I needed to remove the connections points on the axle. Damn. Tried to pin it back up, and promptly stripped the holes in the fixed arm.

I have decided to stop for now, and come here for some advice on what to do next.

Please be gentle.

For starters - when re-assembling the KDSS links - use a jack to push the bar up into place before you try to install the brackets. Then it should go a lot easier.

If you don't have an extra floor jack - use your OEM bottle jack from your tool kit in the rear of your 4Runner. It's perfectly fine for pushing the bar back into place while you re-attach the hardware. If it's too short, put it on top of a STABLE base - like a stacked set of 2x6's.

Start each bolt or nut by hand to make sure it's not cross threaded. Don't try to push into place and use a power tool initially.

You can probably drill and tap them yourself it you want. In most cases you can probably re-tap with the existing size if there is enough clean threads left at the back of the bracket or welded nut. And you should plan on replacing the cross threaded bolts with new ones. A metric tap and die set is not super expensive. Watch on youtube for how to properly use them without breaking the tap. It takes a little bit of effort to do it right. And use cutting oil, engine oil, or whatever - some type of light weight oil really helps even if you don't have proper cutting oil.

I never do anything with my rear KDSS to swap springs or shocks around. You shouldn't have to. But since you've got it apart you'll need to put it back together.

Worst case scenario - rear KDSS fixed link is something like $40 for a new one. Front you could probably just use a longer bolt for each LCA mount attachment and put a new nut behind the welded nut on the LCA.