3rd Gen 4Runner Lift Information and FAQ's

Thanks @Zehan that helps. I went and looked at your post about rake from back in September to see how yours sits. Funny some people like rake, and others don't. I prefer mine to sit as level as possible front to back and bumping up my front a hair will help there.

I think I have the info I need to get started so we'll see where it ends up. If I can get mine adjusted enough to clear the 285s for normal driving I'll be in good shape. I don't go anywhere that requires stuffing tires in to the suspension. LBJs are due so that's on the list and I'm gonna look at those SPC UCAs as well. Heading to find a gear calc now as I'm thinking I'll need some 4.88s when all's said and done.

A body lift is in consideration. I need to see which ones are recommended. I see some reports of the BL causing some poor ride side effects.

Thanks again.
 
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I like rake so that when I load the truck the ass doesn't sag. All of the newer generations of 4Runners come from the factory with 1" of rake at a minimum. But, to each their own.

Roger Brown "4Crawler" makes excellent body lift kits. I'd start my research there.

Cheers and good luck!
 
Unless the 4Runner is different from a Tacoma, I'm not sure that 2:1 ratio is correct for the shock perch changes. Best I can tell the distance between perches is about .5" and most here didn't take good measurements from what I can find but the Tacoma guys were pretty obsessive about it. They weren't doubling lift height on each perch.

This is the documentation for the Bilsteins that I've seen. Notice they say "front lift height"....not sure on the wheel travel deal?
1st gen Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner will have the same geometry for front shock travel vs. wheel travel. The motion ratio is not exactly 2, but reasonably close (maybe 1.6 or 1.8? "2" covers that, mathematically speaking).

Travel was a bad choice of words there. Lift height is in reference to where the wheels will be at static height vs. the body of the vehicle before lift.

Big BUT here - the Tundra is a different chassis (heavier) and has *slightly* different geometry up front. Quoted lift heights from Bilstein are not a 1:1 comparison in that case. (the extended and compressed length of the shocks are different, the position of the lowest perch is different, etc.)

-Charlie
 
1st gen Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner will have the same geometry for front shock travel vs. wheel travel. The motion ratio is not exactly 2, but reasonably close (maybe 1.6 or 1.8? "2" covers that, mathematically speaking).

Travel was a bad choice of words there. Lift height is in reference to where the wheels will be at static height vs. the body of the vehicle before lift.

Big BUT here - the Tundra is a different chassis (heavier) and has *slightly* different geometry up front. Quoted lift heights from Bilstein are not a 1:1 comparison in that case. (the extended and compressed length of the shocks are different, the position of the lowest perch is different, etc.)

-Charlie

Yeah the Tundra thing would definitely be a difference. I'm gonna find out for sure how much these perches are worth lift wise. I'm gonna move mine from the bottom perch to the 2nd when I replace my LBJs here soon. I'll report back how much it lifts the truck and I "bet" it's about .5" not 1" that a lot are saying. If it does end up being 1" all the better.
 
Yeah the Tundra thing would definitely be a difference. I'm gonna find out for sure how much these perches are worth lift wise. I'm gonna move mine from the bottom perch to the 2nd when I replace my LBJs here soon. I'll report back how much it lifts the truck and I "bet" it's about .5" not 1" that a lot are saying. If it does end up being 1" all the better.
Measure the c clip distance while you have them apart please. We can use that measurement plus the net change of hub to fender height to determine the actual ratio.
 
I got the Tundra 5100's for the front. I'm wondering which OME spring to get. I want max 1" of lift up front. I'll have a heavy bull bar and winch. I see a bunch of 88x options, not sure what the difference is.

Aren't you guys worried about wrecking your CV's with 2" or more? Are you doing a diff drop?
 
If you want a max lift of 1" up front, get the 1999 "Tall" coils and install them on the 1st perch.

4813135350 - 4WD, 3.4L, 16" Wheel, Front Left
4813135400 - 4WD, 3.4L, 16" Wheel, Front Right

4823135210 - 4WD, 16" Wheel Rear both sides
 
I got the Tundra 5100's for the front. I'm wondering which OME spring to get. I want max 1" of lift up front. I'll have a heavy bull bar and winch. I see a bunch of 88x options, not sure what the difference is.

Aren't you guys worried about wrecking your CV's with 2" or more? Are you doing a diff drop?

I put my Tundra 5100 and Tundra Coil lift on almost 10 years ago and set it at 2" (bottom perch). Truck had 95K miles on it at the time. 155K now, never have had issues with my CVs to this date. I'm about to bump mine to the 2nd perch when I replace my LBJ in a week or two and I'm guessing I'll be at 2.5" then. If I'm ever going to have CV boot issues it'll be then. If they have problems, I'll just put new boots on.
 
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If you want a max lift of 1" up front, get the 1999 "Tall" coils and install them on the 1st perch.

4813135350 - 4WD, 3.4L, 16" Wheel, Front Left
4813135400 - 4WD, 3.4L, 16" Wheel, Front Right

4823135210 - 4WD, 16" Wheel Rear both sides

Would the 99 spring handle the extra weight up front without sagging? I understand it is made for stock weight. I want something like my 906 in the rear which gives 1.5" lift but is more stiff than the stock spring so can handle more weight.
 
Would the 99 spring handle the extra weight up front without sagging? I understand it is made for stock weight. I want something like my 906 in the rear which gives 1.5" lift but is more stiff than the stock spring so can handle more weight.
99 talls are the same spring rate just a little longer OAL to give a little extra lift.
 
Would the 99 spring handle the extra weight up front without sagging? I understand it is made for stock weight. I want something like my 906 in the rear which gives 1.5" lift but is more stiff than the stock spring so can handle more weight.

No. You would need a heavier duty spring. I'd call Wheeler's Off-Road and tell them your desired lift height and intended usage with a winch and see what they recommend. It'd be either the 2881 or 2882 most likely. They will both lift your truck more than 1" without extra weight.

Good luck.
 
Yeah I'll ask around thanks. And regarding 1" vs 2" vs 3" lift, it's all kind of arbitrary isn't it since each year had a different stock height? And they sag over time. Wouldn't a better way to describe it be LCA or CV angle under the desired weight? Then you can compare apples to apples.
 
Yeah I'll ask around thanks. And regarding 1" vs 2" vs 3" lift, it's all kind of arbitrary isn't it since each year had a different stock height? And they sag over time. Wouldn't a better way to describe it be LCA or CV angle under the desired weight? Then you can compare apples to apples.

Most lift numbers go off a 20" front and 20.5" hub to fender height measurement as stock height. It does vary between the years, but that seems to be the baseline number that most lift amounts are based on.
 
Anybody got the SS 1.2 instructions? I can't find them and have searched all over the internet for them. Looking to check something.
 
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Apologies if this has been answered, but is there a maximum number of miles you should consider for used LC springs? 50k? 100k? I assume at some point they get much stiffer, but that may not be the case since 4Runners are much lighter?
 

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