3rd Gen 4Runner Lift Information and FAQ's

[phattyduck]

I want a CLEAN, LEVEL, LIFTED 4R that rides comfortably and allows me to run the 285s.

285's won't fit with just a suspension lift. They WILL rub. You will need either a body lift or firewall clearancing. Stick with '32's' as Brian said. 4Runner Bilstein 5100's all around. Stock springs up front (up a few notches on the 5100's), OME 906 or 890's out back, remove running boards. Done.

-Charlie

 

[99runner4me]

TRD coils might be too stiff for a stock front end, but if you go that route you must get the prescribed ones to get the same lift and ride. Shocks are another story; the tundra bilstiens are used with those coils but again, in a heavier front end (winch, heavy bumper, armor, etc)

Not sure about 5th gen shocks, I don't believe they are a direct fit on to a 3rd gen or everyone would be doing it. IIRC [MENTION=139000]phattyduck[/MENTION] answered someone else asking the same question in another thread not too long ago

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Installed 5th gen rear shocks a couple days ago. They are direct bolt-ons with no modifications. The centering washer hole is a little larger in the 5th gen from what it looks like. I just flipped the washer, and went ahead with the install. The holes could be made larger to fit, but I didn't want to mess with it.

These shocks are the best $10 I ever spent at the Toyota Dealer. :guitar2:

5th gen shocks are slightly taller than the tired old Explorer Pro Comp ones that were replaced. Gave it a little lift from the rear sag from the added weight of the box on top w/cargo. This was the first time the Yakima box was ever on this 4Runner. It was always on my 1997 Land Cruiser 40th Anniv. Sadly, sold the Land Cruiser about a month ago, and decided to keep the 4Runner.

 

[FishRunner97]

so I just found a 2004 tundra trd being parted out with the coils and shocks still there. The shocks look fairly new and in good shape.So my question is could I run the whole assembly on the front after swapping out the top hats? If that works I plan on getting ome 890s and 5100s in the rear. Would this setup work and be leveled? All stock weight btw. Sorry if I sound dumb, I've installed lifts before but never pieced one together like this.

 

[rufast]

My advice to you is lose the running boards, get a 1.5 - 2” mild lift, and only go with 265x75x16 which is essentially at 31.5” tire. If I had a 2WD I would definitely not go with 33s. 33s hmmmm worse gas mileage, less power, more wear and tear on the truck.

Siince you may only need mild 2” lift there are lots of ways of doing it.

Did you by chance search for “mild lift” and did you use the Sticky, not the forum search. I agree there is a lot of info.

BTW welcome to the forum. That looks like a really nice truck.

Thanks for the input! Looks like I'm gonna be stuck with a brand new set of 285s which were delivered today. I'll list them on craigslist or some other avenue because there is no way I'm paying shipping on them... I *thought* I had done enough research that I understood they would fit with the suspension lift.

HAving said that... I guess a set of 265s is in order. DO stupid things, suffer stupid consequences. :crazy: hwell:

 

[89hatcher]

can I use bilstein 5100 33-187174 with OME 861 coils?

Also any mods needed to install bilstein 5100 33-187174 on a 3rd gen 4runner?

 

[AdrianBrewster]

Lift Help

Hey guys!

Im new to the forum, but Ive been a long time member over at Tacoma World. After 7 tacos, I figured it was time to give a 4runner a try. Im still getting used to this forum layout, and tried using the search option, but nothing directly answered my questions.

My runner is a 1998 v6 4x4 sr5. Its totally stock with 115k miles. I plan on ditching the running boards tomorrow and doing a tune up. I will also need to make an appointment to get the clutch replaced, as its slipping pretty bad.

That said, I am planning on doing a pretty mild 2 inch lift. I will likely use OME products, since I have used them plenty in the past and they have also impressed me. For 2 inches, what is the best OME combo?

Also, how big of a tire can I run before I need a regear? I currently have brand new 265/70r16s on there. Apparently they were installed less than 3k miles ago, and they sure look it. What is the biggest tire that will comfortably fit without requiring a regear?

Thanks!

 

[Lamer]

What is the biggest tire that will comfortably fit without requiring a regear?

Thanks!

not sure on the sizes exactly, but there are a couple threads that talk about it.

I have 33" tires with 4:10 gears and I think it runs great.

 

[DaMonkey]

...
My runner is a 1998 v6 4x4 sr5. Its totally stock with 115k miles... the clutch...

nice find.

... how big of a tire can I run before I need a regear?...

i'm not sure re-gear is your biggest challenge with tire size limits. re-gear is not that hard compared to other things that get triggered.

in general, 265/75/16 is biggest on stock and before things get triggered. these are generally referred to as " 31's ", but they are actually almost 32. these are more than an inch taller than what you have now with 265/70/17.

285/75/16 is generally next step up, but things get triggered. these are referred to " 33's ", and actually about 33, usually just shy. but this is where you start to consider a re-gear, because usually to go from 265/75/17 to 285/75/17 you go from P tires to LT, and load rating goes up. this is a lot of extra weight, up to 20# per tire. this is rotating mass, not even in by the wheels, but even further outside the rotation where it's the most penalizing. this is where you really start thinking about a re-gear. 2" lift and proper wheels works for a lot of people to get 285s to fit properly, but if you going to really use those tires for what they were designed for, there are other suspension and fitment issues.

 

[AdrianBrewster]

nice find.



i'm not sure re-gear is your biggest challenge with tire size limits. re-gear is not that hard compared to other things that get triggered.

in general, 265/75/16 is biggest on stock and before things get triggered. these are generally referred to as " 31's ", but they are actually almost 32. these are more than an inch taller than what you have now with 265/70/17.

285/75/16 is generally next step up, but things get triggered. these are referred to " 33's ", and actually about 33, usually just shy. but this is where you start to consider a re-gear, because usually to go from 265/75/17 to 285/75/17 you go from P tires to LT, and load rating goes up. this is a lot of extra weight, up to 20# per tire. this is rotating mass, not even in by the wheels, but even further outside the rotation where it's the most penalizing. this is where you really start thinking about a re-gear. 2" lift and proper wheels works for a lot of people to get 285s to fit properly, but if you going to really use those tires for what they were designed for, there are other suspension and fitment issues.

This is very helpful! Are there a lot of 4runners out there with 265/75r16s with a 3 inch lift? I want to avoid having a empty looking wheel well. I’d be happy sticking with smaller tires (31s) because they will probably be quite a bit cheaper than 33s.

 

[wrench.n.wheel]

Your wheel wells will look empty with a 3 inch lift on 31s. Hence people typically step up to 33s on a 3-inch lift and hammer out their fender pinch welds nearest to the front doors to avoid rubbing.

I have 33s, 3 inch lift, and 1 inch body lift. I have never experienced rubbing and I did not hammer out the fender pinch welds.

This is very helpful! Are there a lot of 4runners out there with 265/75r16s with a 3 inch lift? I want to avoid having a empty looking wheel well. I’d be happy sticking with smaller tires (31s) because they will probably be quite a bit cheaper than 33s.

 

[AdrianBrewster]

Your wheel wells will look empty with a 3 inch lift on 31s. Hence people typically step up to 33s on a 3-inch lift and hammer out their fender pinch welds nearest to the front doors to avoid rubbing.

I have 33s, 3 inch lift, and 1 inch body lift. I have never experienced rubbing and I did not hammer out the fender pinch welds.

Besides a regear what else did you have to do to run the 33s?

 

[wrench.n.wheel]

Besides a regear what else did you have to do to run the 33s?

You don't "have" to regear. I did not re-gear, I just swapped my rear 4.10 geared open diff axle to a 4Runner 4.30 geared rear e-locked axle and swapped the front diff to match the 4.30 gearing in the rear.

That's about it. 3 inch lift. wheels with 4.5 inch backspacing. 285/75r16 BFG K02s

 

[octanejunkie]

Besides a regear what else did you have to do to run the 33s?

You don't "have" to regear. I did not re-gear, I just swapped my rear 4.10 geared open diff axle to a 4Runner 4.30 geared rear e-locked axle and swapped the front diff to match the 4.30 gearing in the rear.

Not the best thread for this discussion but the larger the tire the more the reduction on effective gear ratio which equals less power at launch/low end torque.

Changing from 4.1 to 4.3 is easy with major assembly swaps but doesn't net much improvement at the wheel at all, it's a 1% difference, so pretty much not worth it in my experience.

To maintain or improve low end grunt (torque) the minimum optimal gear for 33s is 4.88 (the math will tell you 5.29 is the correct gear for 33-35" tires) but that upgrade comes at the expense of higher cruise RPM and a perceived drop in fuel economy. These trucks are pretty gutless off the line with any factory gear so don't expect miracles with a 1% change in ratio from 4.1 to 4.3, I suspect the locker helps more in that swap.

IMO this conversation should be about what is the best lift (and gear) for the intended use of your vehicle. Build to suit a need and understand the trade offs and compromises involved.

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[DaMonkey]

This is very helpful! Are there a lot of 4runners out there with 265/75r16s with a 3 inch lift? I want to avoid having a empty looking wheel well. I’d be happy sticking with smaller tires (31s) because they will probably be quite a bit cheaper than 33s.

your original post was 2" lift. sounds like you're thinking about 3". at 3" suspension lift start to think about shock limits, alignment limits, diff drop, panhard mounts, bump stops and what else am i forgetting.

i guess point is that 2" is easy and not a big investment, 3" the domino effect starts.

correct, 265/75/16 would be a bit small on 3" lift. for 285 to fit, usually also need body lift to be able to fully cycle the suspension.

properly lifted on 285 is great, but there's just a handful to think about first.

 

[89hatcher]

anyone know if the OME 861 is side specific? and would i also need a rear trim packer for the rear?

 

[Plastics guy]

anyone know if the OME 861 is side specific? and would i also need a rear trim packer for the rear?

The springs will come with a small tag on the springs marked "A" & "B". A side is Driver, B is passenger side.

I dont think you would need any trim packer unless you have added weight on one side or the other of your truck.

 

[onemanarmy]

Installed 5th gen rear shocks a couple days ago. They are direct bolt-ons with no modifications. The centering washer hole is a little larger in the 5th gen from what it looks like. I just flipped the washer, and went ahead with the install. The holes could be made larger to fit, but I didn't want to mess with it.

These shocks are the best $10 I ever spent at the Toyota Dealer. :guitar2:

5th gen shocks are slightly taller than the tired old Explorer Pro Comp ones that were replaced. Gave it a little lift from the rear sag from the added weight of the box on top w/cargo. This was the first time the Yakima box was ever on this 4Runner. It was always on my 1997 Land Cruiser 40th Anniv. Sadly, sold the Land Cruiser about a month ago, and decided to keep the 4Runner.

The shocks did not gain you any lift. No regular shocks will.

 

[onemanarmy]

and onto shocks....any P/N for aftermarket shocks with a 2-3 inch rear lift?

I don't need or want $80-90 each OME or Bilsteins.

Some cheaper ones will do just fine.

 

[AZBub]

and onto shocks....any P/N for aftermarket shocks with a 2-3 inch rear lift?



I don't need or want $80-90 each OME or Bilsteins.



Some cheaper ones will do just fine.

just buy monroe LC80 (landcruiser 80) rear shocks. Do not expect any fancy ride.


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[TB-775]

New to the 4Runner world need some help!

Im planning on a 2 inch lift and was wondering if someone could tell me what i need, this is what i have so far.

Rear Shocks
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EKNUZ9S/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2TW9PAD7D7YND&psc=1

Front Struts
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EKNUZMA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2TW9PAD7D7YND&psc=1

For rear springs im going to do OME 906s and for front im doing OME 881s

So basically if anyone could tell me what else i need for the lift that would be nice. Will i need a diff drop? And will i need any other hardware?

All replies appreciated