3rd gen lift help needed

[Jpete16]

Okay, time for some advice.

I have a 3rd gen (1997) that I bought about a year ago. I just stared looking into the suspension. It has a three inch suspension lift but only from spacers. I think the coils are stock. The shocks upfront are fairly new from les Schwab, the rears may be toytec for length but I'm not certain. Right now it rides really stiff and rough. It would be nice to soften it up a bit. I'd still like to run a 3in lift but want to get more travel. Do I need to start at square one and remove the spacers, buy coils and shocks? Or can I meet in the middle and just replace the coils? Price is a factor for me, recently married, baby on the way, going back to school, and looking at buying a house... Hence why it's taken me a year to look into suspension. I will haul quite a bit of gear at times and a small trailer now and then. And the truck will primarily be driven on road.

Thanks!

 

[Cree]

If you want better ride quality, buy some new factory springs and get some softer shocks. That would probably do the trick. These things don't ride bad on good stock stuff. Problem is most people, when talking stock parts, only replace shocks. Your springs wear out just the same.

If you want more travel then your only real option is a full lift. However, you can still do that on a budget if you're willing to put in work to find good deals on the parts.

Read through this when you get some time.

Lift FAQ

Also, this is one of my personal favorites as he lays out ride quality and costs of each kit.

OME vs Tundra Review

Personally I'm running Tundra/Bilstiens up front and OME 891's/Bilsteins out back. I couldn't be happier with the ride quality. Very compliant on the road, and that's going to translate to very nice flex on the trail. I bought everything new and I rang in at just over a grand.

However, that was just the shocks and springs. Something a lot of people fail to factor in is peripherals. You MIGHT be ok on axle boots since you're already lifted, but I would budget in at minimum a boot kit, if not a set of axles. If you haven't already, now would be a good time to replace your lower ball joints as well. They're a common failure item and since you're already in there, would be super easy to replace, assuming the bolts come out easy. And don't forget the alignment when you're done.

 

[Jpete16]

Thank you for the advice. I'll check into the links later today. I didn't even think about it until you mentioned the stock could are worn out. When I first bought it I put air ride airbags in the rear to boost it up from sag.

 

[reelamin]

Thank you for the advice. I'll check into the links later today. I didn't even think about it until you mentioned the stock could are worn out. When I first bought it I put air ride airbags in the rear to boost it up from sag.

Wore out is all about miles on the suspension usually. Personally I have not seen too many Toyota standard coils that were not worn out after 100k shocks also. I have only had two previous (gen 2) and a current 4runner (Gen 3) and every one had worn out coils.
Correct suspension mods to maintain overall drivability and quality require actually changing parts not just slapping some quick fix in. (Spacers, etc. IMO) Trust me I have tried the cheap route...and end up actually buying replacement components.
You just have to decide if you want the current lift or something different. No matter what lift/no life you choose I would use non-Toyota aftermarket springs and shocks. You can save money lots of different ways or buy ready to bolt on from several different companies. I spend my money on the parts and save on the putting together and install.
I have never been disappointed with buying the highest quality parts I can afford. Good luck and post up what you ended up doing and the overall change you experienced.

Tons of information on here about lift options and cost.