3" inch lift with leveling? And, difference between lifting with struts vs with coils

[sicnarfone]

3" inch lift with leveling? And, difference between lifting with struts vs with coils

I am looking to do a 3" inch lift on my 5th gen and install 285s KO2s. I am wondering if anyone on here does a 3" inch lift and has the 4runner leveled. If so, are you doing a higher lift on the front (such as 3.5"+) and 3" in the rear to keep it leveled? My understanding with 5th gen 4runners is that maximum lift is 3" only.

The reason why I ask is that I want to make sure I don't rub when I have the 285s installed. Don't want to get spacers and don't want to do any body chopping.

What are some suggestions on obtaining a 3" inch lift that is leveled? And lastly, is there any on/off-road ride difference between lifting using adjustable struts and using coil springs?

Also, if any of you guys have 3" inch lifts with 285s, please share photos.

 

[Dillusion]

Lift isn't the problem with 285s.

Rubbing in the front and/or back of the wells is.

Leveling I guess people call it adding spacers. Which I've never been a fan of. Ride sucks. Anything more than 3" and you gonna have issues. See my sig for pics.

 

[mteolus]

Usually if you buy a lift it will come with the correct springs to level it. If you have more weight on the back or front you may want to get stronger springs.

 

[NAHHT4R]

A friend of mine just did a 5100 all around with a 3in front springs and setting the shocks at stock rings and on the rear he went with 3in springs, but if you want to level you can do 2in in the rear. Don't forget you will also need to upgrade your UCA.
You can fit 285 with or without a lift, but you will just need to do some box modification so that it won't rub. Also it depend on the rims you are running too.

 

[sicnarfone]

Usually if you buy a lift it will come with the correct springs to level it. If you have more weight on the back or front you may want to get stronger springs.

I plan on getting 5100s all around or 6112/5160. I don't have any aftermarket weight other than perhaps a RTT in the future but for now I think medium coils will do fine for me.

 

[sicnarfone]

A friend of mine just did a 5100 all around with a 3in front springs and setting the shocks at stock rings and on the rear he went with 3in springs, but if you want to level you can do 2in in the rear. Don't forget you will also need to upgrade your UCA.
You can fit 285 with or without a lift, but you will just need to do some box modification so that it won't rub. Also it depend on the rims you are running too.

I have considered UCA as well. What kind of box modifications do you mean and for rims, I am running the stock TRD Off Road rims.

 

[NAHHT4R]

I have considered UCA as well. What kind of box modifications do you mean and for rims, I am running the stock TRD Off Road rims.

If you're going anything more than 2in it's highly recommended to get an UCA.

If you're running the Stock TRD Off Road rims which are 17in/7.5in with a +34(?) off set, then you should be fine, but you might have to do some very minor trimming/push on the fender line.
But like for me I am planning to run 285s in a few months, but my rims are are 17in/8.5in with a -10 offset which will poke out a little more. It's going to require a BMC (Body Mount Chop) and I would have to trim/push back my fender line, because it will rub when I'm at full lock.

I hope that explains it a little better

Sorry, when I said box modification, that was a typo. I meant to just say modifications.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

As others have already pointed out, lifting won't prevent rubbing. You may need to trim some things like the fender and remove the mudflaps. I'm on 33 Falken M/Ts on Stock OR wheels and they only rub the mudflaps barely when fully compressed and full lock. May remove the mudflaps or try using a heatgun.

 

[mteolus]

I tried a heat gun on the mudflaps, wasn't worth it. I just removed the mud flaps. Also, I had to do fender liner modifications but no BMC.

 

[dezertbomber]

3in front and 1.25in rear w/spacers and 285 AT3W's. Only trimming was front of front liners, but not sure how bad it would've been without it since they did it at the shop when tires were installed.

Honestly surprised at how well the 4R does off road with the XREAS shocks and the spacers. I'll be getting Dirt King's UCA at some point, and then Bilstein 6112/5160 combo w/Bilstein's 1.5in rear coils later on.

 

[SilentWalker]

I am looking to do a 3" inch lift on my 5th gen and install 285s KO2s. I am wondering if anyone on here does a 3" inch lift and has the 4runner leveled. If so, are you doing a higher lift on the front (such as 3.5"+) and 3" in the rear to keep it leveled? My understanding with 5th gen 4runners is that maximum lift is 3" only.

The reason why I ask is that I want to make sure I don't rub when I have the 285s installed. Don't want to get spacers and don't want to do any body chopping.

What are some suggestions on obtaining a 3" inch lift that is leveled? And lastly, is there any on/off-road ride difference between lifting using adjustable struts and using coil springs?

Also, if any of you guys have 3" inch lifts with 285s, please share photos.

I did 6112’s and 5100’s with medium duty springs up front and 2” heavy duty springs in the rear. The 6112’s advertise up to 3.2” lift but it’s dependent on if you have KDSS. My ‘19 ORP does not have KDSS and it is only rated for 2.5” but actually raised it 2.75” which give it a very slight rake. The set up rides smooth but with 285’s I had to remove the front mud flaps and elongate the bolt holes on the front of the fender wells to push them forward. If you want them to not sit completely under the fender well with stock wheels you’ll need the 1.25” wheel spacers and you’ll probably have to do a small trim on the front bumper.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[llDemonll]

3" lift requires UCA

285's need body modifications to clear

if you dont want to cut metal or buy uca, get 275s and do 2.5" lift front 2" rear

 

[sicnarfone]

3" lift requires UCA

285's need body modifications to clear

if you dont want to cut metal or buy uca, get 275s and do 2.5" lift front 2" rear

I plan on getting UCA if I go with 3" but might consider getting 2.5" in the front and 2 or 1.5" in the rear to level.

I've read in this forum and over at 4runners.com that some 285's fit with no trimming, cutting, or etc.

My biggest thing is figuring out how I can achieve 285s without any modifications or spacers. If that means purchasing a particular lift kit, I am willing to look into it.

 

[sicnarfone]

3in front and 1.25in rear w/spacers and 285 AT3W's. Only trimming was front of front liners, but not sure how bad it would've been without it since they did it at the shop when tires were installed.

Honestly surprised at how well the 4R does off road with the XREAS shocks and the spacers. I'll be getting Dirt King's UCA at some point, and then Bilstein 6112/5160 combo w/Bilstein's 1.5in rear coils later on.

Are you getting the 1.5 rear coil to replace your 1.25 with spacers?

 

[SpeedyKevin]

I plan on getting UCA if I go with 3" but might consider getting 2.5" in the front and 2 or 1.5" in the rear to level.

I've read in this forum and over at 4runners.com that some 285's fit with no trimming, cutting, or etc.

My biggest thing is figuring out how I can achieve 285s without any modifications or spacers. If that means purchasing a particular lift kit, I am willing to look into it.

Depends on the tire itself (some brands are larger than others) and the wheel offset. 285s on the stock OR wheels should work for normal driving (might have to trim the front alittle) but under compression they may rub. A lift kit wont help you with that as stuffing the tire...is well stuffing the tire lol. Just has to travel alittle more to get stuffed.

 

[sicnarfone]

Also, does anyone know the ride quality difference between strut lifts vs coil lifts? For instance, adjust strut to a lift height with stock coils vs adjust strut to 0" lift with 2-3" coils

 

[sicnarfone]

Depends on the tire itself (some brands are larger than others) and the wheel offset. 285s on the stock OR wheels should work for normal driving (might have to trim the front alittle) but under compression they may rub. A lift kit wont help you with that as stuffing the tire...is well stuffing the tire lol. Just has to travel alittle more to get stuffed.

I didn't know lift doesn't eliminate rubbing until I posted in this thread and now that I am researching around, I am seeing everyone saying the same thing. Sort of like when you're fixated on a car on the road and you begin to see it everywhere.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

I didn't know lift doesn't eliminate rubbing until I posted in this thread and now that I am researching around, I am seeing everyone saying the same thing. Sort of like when you're fixated on a car on the road and you begin to see it everywhere.

useful article explaining why
Clearing 35” Tires at any Ride Height - Coastal Offroad

 

[dezertbomber]

Are you getting the 1.5 rear coil to replace your 1.25 with spacers?

Yes, ditching the spacers. They are not performance enhancements in the sense of how well the suspension works, purely for increasing ground clearance.

Bilstein has different rate springs and coils for the 6112 and 1.5" coils, so I'm contemplating going stiffer rate for better handling on loaded trips.

I also have to mention I have Durobumps all around and can't praise them more. They made a huge difference when going off road.