A few people here have installed FJ Cruiser coils in the rear of their 4Runner to gain about an inch of lift:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...page=15&pagenu mber=2

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...threadid=22357

The problem is that good info has been tough to come by. These members used the FJ springs in combination with other spacer lifts, so the amount of lift that could be attributed to the springs alone was unclear. Also, both 4Runners in question were 2WD, so I was curious if I would see similar results on my 4x4.

The fact that one member reported a stiffer ride also intrigued me- was it possible that a 4Runner could gain 1" of lift AND some load carrying capacity by making the switch? Stock 4WD FJ springs are readily available for cheap over on the FJ cruiser forums (I paid less than $100 for all 4), so this had the makings of a cheap experiment.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the rear springs (FJ coils on the left, 4Runner coils on the right):



Observations: The FJ coil is 1/4" taller. Also notice the extra coil over the height of the spring. What may not be obvious is the difference in coil thickness- the FJ coil is 1/32" thicker (19/32" vs. 9/16") according to my antique dial calipers.

Results:
Height with 265/70/17 Firestone Destinations
Before/After
L: 36.0"/37.125"
R: 36.5"/37.5"

Measurements were taken on level ground, at the centerline of the wheel, from the ground to the bottom of the fender flare. No changes were made to the load inside the truck during the install (load was very light and evenly distributed). Tire pressure was a constant 38 psi in both rear tires before and after.

Overall I gained about 1" of lift. The ride (unloaded) seems a *little* firmer, but not very noticeable. I expect the springs to handle weight in the rear better, especially when towing.

***It should be noted that I installed an Air Lift 1000 kit in the rear at the same time I put the new springs in. All "after" measurements were taken with 5 psi in the bags, which is the minimum recommended pressure. They should not have had any effect on the change in height.


My next mod will be a 2" front spacer to level the truck. I will compare the 4Runner vs. FJ front springs at that time. Depending on how they differ, the 4WD FJ front coils may be a good option for someone looking for a mild lift on a 4Runner- possibly dependant on whether the 4Runner is 2WD vs. 4WD, or V6 vs V8.

Good info and excellent write-up. I am sure that many people will thank you for this!

Never heard of that swap but putting LC coils in for 2-3" of lift is a common swap.

I could be wrong, but I dont believe that swap is available for the 4th gen 4Runner.

A few questions...

Did you install just the springs, or did you swap out the shocks as well. And what was the reasoning (for the shocks) either way ?


Also, hows the ride since the FJ install ?

I have XREAS, so I just swapped the springs.

The ride may be a *little* firmer/bouncier, but the difference is very minimal. I doubt most people would notice.

Great info. I've wondered about this for a long time. Thanks.

Yeah, thanks for sharing the info.

Sounds like a great way to do a 1inch rear lift instead of spacers at about the same price if not cheaper.

Q for anyone:
If one was to do this on a non-XREAS system, should the FJ rear shock be used, or is the stock 4runner sufficient.

Take a look at FJCruiserforums- the FJ coils can be had for cheap! Id be curious to see how the front FJ coils did on a 4Runner... I cant do it because of the XREAS.

I would think the 4Runner shocks would be up to the task, since the lift is pretty minimal. It probabably wouldnt hurt to try the FJ shocks, though- and those can be had for cheap as well.

Why does XREAS prevent you from doing the front?

Its physically possible, but not something I want to do. By extending the XREAS shock with a longer spring, it will potentially increase ride harshness, while decreasing the life of the shock.

Im going to try a top out spacer instead, in hopes of gaining lift while retaining the stock ride quality. I have no plans to add weight to the front, so Im content with the slightly increased load carrying in the rear only.

Adding a stiffer spring or compressing a weaker spring to get to a desired lift is the same thing as far as the shock is concerned.

Spring force = change in x * (spring rate)

The shock is not concerned with HOW it gets to an additional 1" average height.

An added benefit of going with a stiffer spring is a reduced solid height (height of the spring fully compressed) over a spacer & spring setup.

Also excessive preloading can accalerateloss of spring rate (sag).

All of the above assumes a linear rate coil spring...

Agreed. Youre comparing a longer spring with a preload spacer, though. The top out spacer moves the entire shock assembly down from what I understand, so the shock will not be negatively impacted.

Thanks for this. This is my first post so I hope I don't seem too uninformed.

If you got 1 inch of lift why would this guy get .4 inches? They are both 4th generations.

FJ Cruiser Rear Springs & Spacer lift installed

From his post:

"The rear springs are great! They are exactly the same length as stock ones when unloaded (sitting on the garage floor). They have a thicker barstock material and a full extra coil. The rear of my T4R rides about 1/4-1/2” higher (if that). It definitely feels better… The slightly firmer coils make it handle even better and I think it’ll carry a load better. There's no real degradation of ride quality above 20mph, in fact I think it rides better. I said the same of the fronts when I installed them. I think FJCruiser springs should be the stock springs for the T4R."

I think I have narrowed my lift down to OME 884 front springs and FJ rear springs (if they are 1 inch lift) and 265/70/17s.

Feel free to tell me if I am way off. Like I said earlier I am new to all of this.

Check the link in my sig for info on the fj swap and lift amounts, that should answer your question. If you're running ome fronts, I think the Toytec super flex coils would be better matched for the rear.