Newbie lift questions
Hey guys, been reading about suspension lift options but I still want to be sure before i pull the trigger. I have a 2004 SR5 V8 4WD with 160,000 miles, all original, 17" factory wheels. I am thinking of lifting it to gain some clearance for future vacations to areas with 4 wheel drive only roads and areas, and I think it looks better lifted. I thought a 3" up front and 2" in the back would be right and then go with a 285/70/17 or similar size tire, thinking Duratrac right now.
I got a quote from 4 wheel parts for a Revtec 431 lift kit, 2 -Bilstein 5100 struts and some 1.25" wheel spacers. $1500 installed, seems expensive, $320 to install plus $150 more for alignment. Maybe that's about standard. My questions are this,
1) Can't I just use spacers for the front and back to lift it and then install 5100's in the front and back? Cheaper than the Revtec kit and I would assume better shocks than the one's included in the kit.
2) My the 4 runner has struts up front and shocks in the rear right not shocks all the way around?
Really just looking for a cost effective way to get the lift to run a larger tire, won't be doing any real 4 wheeling, 99% highway mileage, pulling an enclosed work trailer some of the time so a stiffer suspension to help support the load is a plus.
Thanks for any help you can give me.