2020 TRD Off Road question regarding Kings

[Skidmarcx]

Hello all, I've been inactive for some time as I sold my 3rd Gen a few years ago, I recently purchased a 2020 TRD Off Road, as I'm not alone I do have some goals in mind and I do have a question involving King suspension.

I ultimately would like to lift the front 1" or so, but I'd leave the rear alone, I'm not looking to go bigger than a 275 tire size as I don't want to regear, not looking to replace UCAs or diff drop or add much weight... I'd really like a suspension that can handle the rough and rocky trails in Arizona as I'm not a fan of how the factory suspension handles this type of terrain, not talking rock crawling btw just rough terrain... I'm leaning towards going full King 2.5 w/reservoirs, my question is can somebody shed light on if I'll have issues with such a mild front lift and stock rear springs going this route?

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[mo_mo]

I'm not going to say don't go with Kings, but you're looking at some $ that's going to get you increased maintenance to run 'rocky trails'? If you plan on doing whoops and small jumps, then look at remote reservoirs, otherwise keep it simple.

Remote reservoirs = leaks with improved heat dissipation
Non-rubber joints = squeaks and wear and tear (heim joints / spherical bearings) with slightly more travel (probably not measurable especially on IFS geometry)
Rebuildable = designed to be rebuilt / optimized and not designed to last ~5000+ miles (be prepared to rebuild vs. remove and replace). Could be useful if you really are racing in the Baja 1000 and need to tune a shock, otherwise who has the time and coin for that on a daily driver.

There are tons of suspension options that will probably better suit your needs.
5th Gen 4Runner Lift Buyers Guide

 

[Skidmarcx]

Thanks for the feedback, yes I realize going down this rabbit hole requires money and maintenance and that is a con, although I'm attracted to the progressive valving and reputation for performance

I did look through the suggested thread, I more or less was looking for some specifics on running Kings on a very mild to no lift, I didn't run across that information.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Thanks for the feedback, yes I realize going down this rabbit hole requires money and maintenance and that is a con, although I'm attracted to the progressive valving and reputation for performance

I did look through the suggested thread, I more or less was looking for some specifics on running Kings on a very mild to no lift, I didn't run across that information.

If youd like a low-no maintenance option that also has progressive valving + Rubber bushings, the dobinsons IMS shocks (non resi) are a good value.

Regarding your original question, I don't think youll have issues in the rear running the stock coils. I know a few folks who have run the stock rears with a different shock and they had no issues. They only eventually swapped the coils due to added weight,

 

[Skidmarcx]

If youd like a low-no maintenance option that also has progressive valving + Rubber bushings, the dobinsons IMS shocks (non resi) are a good value.

I will gladly look into that option thank you... I would prefer a rubber bushing and having reservoirs isn't a must for me

 

[usdmej]

Could be useful if you really are racing in the Baja 1000 and need to tune a shock, otherwise who has the time and coin for that on a daily driver.

this is applicable to every remote reservoir coilover for the 5g 4runner except the set that king sells.

everything about their kit indicates it's setup for a mild lift at most, and is tuned for a combination of on road performance as well as off road ability. it's part of their oem performance series which kinda says it all.

2015 Toyota 4Runner King Shock Upgrade - YouTube

 

[mo_mo]

this is applicable to every remote reservoir coilover for the 5g 4runner except the set that king sells.

everything about their kit indicates it's setup for a mild lift at most, and is tuned for a combination of on road performance as well as off road ability. it's part of their oem performance series which kinda says it all.

2015 Toyota 4Runner King Shock Upgrade - YouTube

"Our OEM upgrade shocks feature the same serviceable design that allows for valve adjustments with simple hand tools just like our race shocks."

 

[Kamalani Mahie]

Strictly in terms of the lift height, you wouldn't need to replace the oem UCA's (and obviously not the oem rear coils). Both will be fine with that lift height, and the alignment should be no problem. Once you're approaching 3" of lift height in the front is when the alignment might not be good and you'll need aftermarket UCA's.

 

[Skidmarcx]

this is applicable to every remote reservoir coilover for the 5g 4runner except the set that king sells.

everything about their kit indicates it's setup for a mild lift at most, and is tuned for a combination of on road performance as well as off road ability. it's part of their oem performance series which kinda says it all.

2015 Toyota 4Runner King Shock Upgrade - YouTube

I did watch that video last night and it is convincing, I do value all the input I've read so far, still tough deciding on whether or not I want to deal with rebuilding shocks, at least I would be able to swap the stock shocks back in place when the time comes.

And as mentioned above I wouldn't need the UCAs which is a plus for me

 

[MREvo]

I'm running the King 2.5s with adjusters and love the improved ride quality. However, as others have mentioned there are cheaper options out there that will achieve your goal. I don't think you'll run into any problems running stock UCAs with such a small lift. Out of the box with zero preload, the King OEM Performance coils will level your 4runner so running the stock rear spring won't be an issue.

 

[usdmej]

"Our OEM upgrade shocks feature the same serviceable design that allows for valve adjustments with simple hand tools just like our race shocks."

my point was that every downside you mention about coilovers outside of cost doesn't really apply to the coilovers that King makes for the 5g 4runner. they actually align with the OP's needs almost perfectly

 

[mo_mo]

my point was that every downside you mention about coilovers outside of cost doesn't really apply to the coilovers that King makes for the 5g 4runner. they actually align with the OP's needs almost perfectly

How do they not 'really apply to the coilers that King makes for the 5g 4runner'? I seriously don't know. Are they not adjustable, rebuildable, remote reservoirs, metal on metal jointed?

 

[usdmej]

How do they not 'really apply to the coilers that King makes for the 5g 4runner'? I seriously don't know. Are they not adjustable, rebuildable, remote reservoirs, metal on metal jointed?

your original post suggested that they would leak, squeak, and require a rebuild after 5k miles, which seems to be the experience of nobody that owns them

 

[mo_mo]

your original post suggested that they would leak, squeak, and require a rebuild after 5k miles, which seems to be the experience of nobody that owns them

Yes, because anything that has a bearing in a suspension component that is going to see direct road grime is not designed for endurance or reliability. Sure you might get more life out of them depending upon the environment, but you're not going to run them in a rust belt winter and expect the metal on metal mount to be good. There's a reason why OEMs use elastomers. Does KING use elastomer rod ends?

5k may be a bit of an over exaggeration, but 30k or 2 years would be tops in a pristine environment (no water crossings or salted roads) if I went with an ICON/FOX/KING setup before getting pulled and rebuilt. I don't think KING has solved anything magical here over the other guys per se.

If it can be rebuilt, it will need to be rebuilt.

 

[usdmej]

just trying to keep the discussion within the context of OP's requested scope that's all