I recently purchased a 1997 sr-5 4runner with 75k miles. currently the back bounces around a bit and when i step on the brake the nose dives down a fair amount. It just doesnt feel "tight". I am hoping someone could help me out a bit.

1. should the suspension bounce much after 75k miles? or was it probably driven hard before i got it?

2. How much should i pay to have new shocks/struts installed? I would like something slightly stiffer than stock.

3. if anyone is in the portland, oregon area, can you suggest a good place to have it done? if nothing else, i am going to go to les schwab

thanks

I have the same thing except mine is an Limited, I am in the process of getting some Bils put on along with some sway bars, mine has 132000 on it, it handles like a boat, I heard the Bils will stiffen up the ride a whole bit, I got the Bils used but a set of four is around 260-275 bucks.

Bouncing/diving means your shocks are shot. The Bisteins will definitely stiffen up your ride, however some feel it stiffens them up too much. New factory/OEM shocks will stiffen the ride as well, so I would recommend the OEMs unless you know for sure you like a stiffer ride than stock.

Siagon, is that price for them installed? I got a quote from firestone for about $800.00. I dont think i want to pay that much to have them installed. I understand that the rear shocks should be easy to replace but the front ones arent.

I have a friend with a newer 4runner i can determine what stock is supposed to feel like.

Also, dont I have struts on the front? (I'm not very mechanical :-)

The fronts are a piece of cake if you're a person who likes to work on your car and has a good basic set of tools. You need to get a set of spring compressors. If you have never worked with them, definitely have a friend over who has. Some automotive places will loan them to you and most will rent them for pretty cheap.
Remove the tire and the upper strut assy mounting hardware. Do not remove the large center nut. Remove the large nut on the bottom strut mount. Here's the trick. Get the bottle jack out from under the back seat and put it upside down between the top of the wheel well and the top of the strut assy. Slowly extend the jack (pushing the strut assy down) until the lower mounting bolt slides out easily. Remove the bottle jack and remove the strut assy. It is very important to note the orientation of the ends of the spring with respect to to the bottom mount. The spring must be reinstalled so it is clocked exactly as you found it. Compress the springs until they spin freely and remove the large top nut. Remove the cap, spring and the spacer. Make sure you note the orientation of the spacer because it can be flipped upside down, which is a bad thing.
Put the spacer, compressed spring and cap onto the new strut (oriented correctly). Make sure the ends of the spring nest correctly on the cap and spacer. Install the top nut and remove the spring compressors. Reinstall the strut assy. Use the bottle jack as before to get the bottom bolt back in. If the bottom hole is crooked a bit, put a socket wrench extension (or something similar) into the hole for leverage, and turn the strut until the holes lign up.
Good luck!

Oh yeah,
I forgot to add that you should replace your upper rubber bushings. I bought Bilsteins and the rears came with the bushings, but the fronts didn't.

hmmm. well thats a lot of good info. I will ask a buddy of mine if he is up to the challenge but since I havent done anything like this before, i am afraid i would have to call a tow truck to get it to the shop.

in any case, I appreciate the help. Thanks!