The XREAS system is passive, and its not computer controlled - so shocks that talk to you wouldn't really do much good.

If the lift manufacturers started making XREAS lift kits, they would just need to make XREAS-style shocks that are linked hydrolically. I would imagine this would be very, very expensive and would probably be less of a headache if you just removed the XREAS alltogether and went with ordinary shocks for a huge lift.

lives4swell:

the 3/4" NE spacers are just for the front, and basically, you use them instead of the top Revtek spacer. It gives you more room in the wheel well for bigger tires, and evens the truck out so that the rear sits only .5" higher (whereas with the revtek alone, the front was still noticeably nose-down). they cost $100 - which includes the two steel spacers, and shipping. just talk to fourunnabilly and he'll take care of you.



the rest of yousssss :

Please, if you are considering lifting your xreas'd truck, do NOT ditch the xreas ... even with the lift I have lost NONE of the xreas functionability. As for going for a "huge lift" as Vortec suggested, what's the point? Going any higher than 4" is going to tear up the CVs.

You do not need to worry about longer shocks with the Revtek lift because it lifts the rear only 2.5" as opposed to the front which gets lifted 3". If you are really really patient, then you can wait a little while until Billy's company gets his kit out. As previously stated, it will be comprised of spacers, coils, or both, and will be 3-3.5" ... along with that, he is making some different brackets for the bottom mount of the rear shocks so that you can add the lift, then relocate the shock mount easily with a bracket so you don't have to worry about destroying the shocks at full extension, nor will you need to worry about finding a way to replace the stock shocks with longer ones without destroying the xreas.

All in all, I would watch him carefully, and PM him to let him know what you're considering, he'll help you out and take good care of you. He has a 4th gen. also, and although his does not have xreas, mine does, and we've been working to find some solutions for both the xreas'd truck and non-xreas'd.

pm him -- fourunnabilly

I'm pretty sure that if you have a shop install the Revtek kit, they will not take responsibility for ruining your xreas system. Really, this is an install you can do yourselves ... I did it alone (and I mean ALONE!) with HAND TOOLS because I'm poor. If you had an air ratchet and/or other air tools, you'd be done in half the time, especially if you had use of an air tool for the spring compressors. Otherwise, prepare to have Hulk-size forearms.

Also, if you end up doing this yourself, there are plenty of us who would be more than happy to give you our phone numbers so that you could call if you had any problems.

Gentlemen:

I just sold a 1985 4Runner for $5,000 that I had purchased new. It was lifted and modified and still in cherry condition. I purchased an 04 4Runner Sport V8 that came with the XREAS this last January to replace my old 4Runner. My first thought was that it needs a lift. So, I sent an e-mail to Randy at Revtec who told me that the 431 4Runner kit WILL NOT WORK with the XREAS system. The reason was obvious, in that there is not enough travel in the stock XREAS shocks to accomodate the lift. I have read this thread and feel that the people that have lifted their vehicles with this lift kit, and disgarded the shocks that came with the kit will be in for a big surprise once they submit the vehicle to true off road conditions. I can't wait to lift my truck, but I will not comprimise safety to do it! If the purpose to add this kit is to accomodate larger tires, it would probably work. But any true off roader wants more travel, not less. I believe there is an important reason that Revtec says this kit does not work with XREAS...liability lawsuits. So basically, they will not cover any claims AND you will have voided your factory warranty. I will wait for a kit that was designed to work with the XREAS. I will appreciate your comments.

Well so far I haven't been that surprised. Since I added my lift to my XREAS runner I have gone offroading more than 50 times and nothing has happened to my rig, as a matter of fact my ride quality has improved and the lift seems to enhance the benefits of the XREAS suspension.

He does bring up an interesting point, will adding a lift kit (especially one not "designed" for the XREAS make Toyota give me the finger if I bring it in for warranty service? Does anybody know exactly what does and does not void the Toyota warranty?

There are not any problems with the xreas system/shocks off road. I have wheeled them HARD, and with no problems whatsoever. Also, I have been in contact with Randy at Revtek through the whole process and the ONLY reason they say it's not for xreas is because they have not had the chance to test it out on an xreas'd truck. Believe me, if this was not safe for the struts, I would not have done it. I put a lot of research into the xreas system, and into lifting our runners.

The Daystar kit, which DOES say that it is for the xreas system, for a long time said it was NOT. And, the Daystar kit lifts 2" in the rear, whereas the Revtek kit lifts 2.5" in the rear which settle to 2.25 or 2 ... therefore, the difference between height (between the two kits) is unnoticeable, and if Daystar endorses the 2.5" lift on our xreas'd trucks, then there is no real reason that the Revtek one would be any more damaging.

Again, I have wheeled this truck hard, and have had NO problems with the xreas or the struts/shocks. Plenty of people with this lift have also wheeled theirs hard and experienced no problems.

If you are that worried about .25" more than the Daystar kit being dangerous, then wait for Billy's mount relocation.

Vortec -

Yes, any mod is going to void the warranty on that part unless it is a Toyota part, and/or installed by them. There are some dealerships in Austin which are installing the Revtek kit on our 4Runners ... yes, even with xreas.

If you lift your truck, then the warranty will be voided only on those parts that are effected by the lift.

Go over to yotatech and check out all the people with 4th gens who have lifted their trucks with xreas and who wheel hard. No one has had any problems. There has been a lot of time devoted to researching these things before installation. Randy has read my write-up, and even asked me for pictures for the site, knowing full well that I have xreas.

Really though, if you are concerned, wait for Billy's stuff to come out, then you won't have to be afraid. In the meantime, don't insult our intelligence, as we spent long hours researching and studying these systems before application ... and we do wheel hard in "true off road conditions" enough to know that the suspension is working great. I happened to love the suspension and xreas off road even more after the lift.

Well I'm not really concerned that the lift will hurt anything, I'm confident that it will not do any damage and the off-roading capabilities will be heightened instead of lowered. I was just worried if my XREAS system breaks for some other reason, that I would just be left out to dry. But I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too...


Man I love cake...

I like cake too.

I can't say this enough though - there are some great products rolling off the lines from Billy's Nitrous Enterprises for our 4th gens to allow us to lift 3-3.5" while still retaining stock shock position (with his relocated mount), so even though I have not heard of anyone experiencing any issues with the Revtek and xreas combo, there are products coming out (after some testing) that will take care of any concern you can think of. Just wait, you'll see.

People have been lifting the 03/04 Runners for months upon months, and no one has run into any problems even in the harshest off roading conditions.

I don't mean to push anyone into anything that they are not comfortable with, but I did just want you to know that so far, so good on all of this. I have not lost any of the xreas functionability.

Not to beat the dead horse, or insult anyone's intelligence in their research of the Revtec lift or other kits, I believe I will wait until a lift is developed or adapted specifically to address the XREAS suspension system. It is clear that any lift or other modification not sanctioned or installed by Toyota or thier agent will void the warranty. It also appears that the lift kits discussed do not seem to have a detrimental effect to the XREAS system. In fact with the additional lift, may inhance it. However, and this is a big however, unsprung travel of the stock shocks are reduced by the amount of lift. If the Revtec system was designed for the XREAS system, you would not have to toss the shocks that come with the kit. Unless longer travel XREAS shocks are available with the kit or as someone mentioned, the mounting brackets are relocated in order to work with the stock shocks, then you will not realize the FULL potential of the trucks capability with a lift. Also, it seems like a pretty flimsey explination that Revtec has not yet had the time to test the lift kit on the XREAS system since the system has been out since 2003. While I understand that owners who have purchased this kit will defend it, I would like to hear from Revtec for thier viewpoint.

I hear where you're coming from, dude, and I'm kinda thinking along the same lines, too -- but I want a lift now.

But, if you're really going to wait until Toyota says, "Put this lift on your 4Runner and we'll sanction it and not give you any warranty hassles" then you better just get used to the low ride you have now.

Actually, I don't care if Toyota sanctions the lift or not. Or any other modification for that matter. This is a fact that we all live with. The point is do you want to install something on your truck that was not specifically designed or engineered for it? The idea I believe is to maximize the performance capibility of the vehicle. Not bootleg some performance accessories that the manufactuer will tell you later was not intended for use with your vehicle. This is just my own personal preference. Besides, I will need to wear down the existing rubber before I add the large BFG's anyway. Of course then I will still have to salvage the air pressure sensors to install in the new wheels. Oh what fun! The live axel leaf springs were a lot easier to deal with. All you needed was a kidney belt!

Run4Fun, I was only telling you what I have heard during the process as far as why Revtek's lift is not XREAS-specific.

Regardless, Toyota will never cover the parts effected by a lift even if the lift kit is designated as being for xreas'd vehicles. The only case where I have heard of this happening is in Austin where some dealerships are installing the 3" Revtek kit on the Runners as a stock option. (even xreas'd ones)

Again, don't do the lift if you are concerned about it, but Toyota is never going to cover parts under warranty that have been modded with aftermarket applications unless those aftermarket parts are Toyota-specified.

When Billy's coils come out, I will be replacing the rear stock coil + Revtek spacer with his taller coils, and relocating the bottom shock mount to offset any decreased travel that would've been encountered otherwise. Similarly, I will be dropping the panhard bar with a bracket from Billy as soon as I receive it.

I would not go any higher than 2.5" in the rear with the xreas system present - as I believe this pushes the limits and if you go any higher without replacing the struts with longer ones, or relocating the bottom mount, you will be at risk of blowing the shock at full extension. However, I am not worried about the 2.5" which settles to closer to 2.25" as the Daystar kit (which is marketed specifically for xreas'd vehicles) lifts 2" in the rear.

Also, if you are concerned only about off road ability, then you would want to ditch the xreas all together and go for a lift better suited for those purposes like OME or Downey or whoever.

Thank you for your comments. I agree with you 100%. It's too bad the 4Runner doesn't sit a little taller to begin with. I am curuious though about your lift. Did it stiffen up the suspension? And how is the highway ride now? Thanks again!

I really had expected it to stiffen up the suspension, as a lot of people experience a harsher ride after modding the suspension components. But, as you'll hear from most of the 4th gen owners who have lifted their Runners, the ride is exactly the same as it was before the lift. The highway ride is uneffected, and off road it does just wonderfully. It isn't harsh at all ... but around the same time I tested it off road, I discovered that the dealership had my 32psi max. tires inflated to 56psi ... so I'm not sure. Overall though, even before fixing the tire pressure, the ride was great, and I couldn't tell a difference at all. I know it seems like it would make a difference, but whatever difference it made was unnoticeable, or improved it. That's just my experience though ... but I have read a lot of people whose experience is similar.

I don't think I'll run 285s under there because I've read too many bad stories about bigger tires ... and because even at 4.5" (settling to 4") in the front, you'd have to cut a lot off of the fender/bumper/etc.

Also ... I understand all that you've said and warned of here, and it is smart to be overly cautious when changing major things on your truck. Even though I haven't had any problems with it, I'll be relocating the bottom strut mount when I put in NE's 3-3.5" coils.

Better safe than sorry, so I encourage you to continue to wait until you feel confident about a certain product and its application to your 4Runner. I was concerned before I lifted mine as well, but the more I read, the less concerned I became, and I felt totally comfortable with the Revtek setup. Keep an eye out for Billy's products soon though ... he may have just the setup you're looking for.

He's already shipping some out to some stores that have wanted to carry his products.... and just keep watch over at:

www.nitrousenterprises.com

for when all his products come out in full production.