4th Gen Suspension Options/FAQ

[Jason B]

NOOB in need of confirmation

07 4runner sport 2wd with XREAS

I have the cornfed kits on sale as we speak. Will work with or without Xreas and rides great and guaranteed never to compress or lose lift. Also, can make ANY SIZE you want. Just not that other kits can compress in the front over time and you can lose some of your lift, depending on the material used.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/229041-lift-leveling-kit-holiday-season-sale.html ongoing discussion

4th gen lift & leveling kits Burtman Industries - ORDER LINK

 

[Shishkabab]

Jason,

I've been researching this like crazy but don't find any threads/complaints on this. Can any other members chime in (that aren't selling a similar product)? Am i making a mistake with this daystar kit?

I do appreciate the warning...

 

[knowhutimean]

ive narrowed my search down to 5100/OME combo or the toytec 3' lift. my concerns with the toytec lift are limited adjusting after the fact, and all the other things that come with 3 inch lift over the 2 inch i would get from an OME lift. Can i get your opinions on what to expect with each choice?

 

[Jason B]

Jason,

I've been researching this like crazy but don't find any threads/complaints on this. Can any other members chime in (that aren't selling a similar product)? Am i making a mistake with this daystar kit?

I do appreciate the warning...

Well, I can tell you I've had more than a few customers with that kit and I and prefer not to offer it. The last guy had a 2.5 front. Within about 1.5 years his 2.5" kit went down to 2" in the front and he started rubbing on his tires. Literally shrunk/compressed down to 2" in the front, which seems can happen with urethane. I could have our kits made out of this and while it would cost much less to make it, you could lose some of the lift over time. This isn't a joke, it's happened numerous times that I've had to sell our kit to replace the other. There is a lot of weight on that front end and you need to use materials that don't compress and shrink down.

Long story short, the last guy called in and told me the same story, and I got the 3/2 kit from me that's guaranteed to never shrink or compress. If you don't rub when you first put this kit on, you will never rub in the future. You can also text or call me at 717-319-2100 with anymore questions.

 

[DT04R]

ive narrowed my search down to 5100/OME combo or the toytec 3' lift. my concerns with the toytec lift are limited adjusting after the fact, and all the other things that come with 3 inch lift over the 2 inch i would get from an OME lift. Can i get your opinions on what to expect with each choice?

What OME (assuming front and rear) springs are you thinking about?

That's really the only thing I can't seem to get my head around, I'm good on 5100s, a 1.5-2.0" rear lift/spacer kit (CF, Daystar, whoever ...) and I'm OK with doing the 07-09 FJ springs, even new at MSRP, I just want to make sure for the same $400 (or $800 for 5100s + FJ springs), there's not a better option for my use.

 

[knowhutimean]

What OME (assuming front and rear) springs are you thinking about?

That's really the only thing I can't seem to get my head around, I'm good on 5100s, a 1.5-2.0" rear lift/spacer kit (CF, Daystar, whoever ...) and I'm OK with doing the 07-09 FJ springs, even new at MSRP, I just want to make sure for the same $400 (or $800 for 5100s + FJ springs), there's not a better option for my use.

Today I made a decision. Purchased a set of OME 885 for the front and 895 for the rear. along with 5100s to go all the way around. The plan is to get two inches of lift in the back and 2-2.25 in the front. I also have a set of 255/75/17s ill be tucking in there too.

 

[alia176]

Today I made a decision. Purchased a set of OME 885 for the front and 895 for the rear. along with 5100s to go all the way around. The plan is to get two inches of lift in the back and 2-2.25 in the front. I also have a set of 255/75/17s ill be tucking in there too.

Congrats. What kind of tire? I've been shopping for 255/75/17s tires lately.

 

[knowhutimean]

Congrats. What kind of tire? I've been shopping for 255/75/17s tires lately.

have a friend who recently upgraded tires, got his 4 month old duratracs

 

[bstaresnick]

FJ/5100 Front Lift Help

Hi All,

Need some assistance as my spring/shock install is producing far too much lift and I cant exactly tell why.

After some research I decided to go with the FJ/5100 spring/shock lift option for the front suspension in order to level out my 2008 4runner limited v8.

After receiving the parts below:
48131-35541 - Genuine Toyota SPRING, FRONT COIL, RH
48131-35551 - Genuine Toyota SPRING, FRONT COIL, LH
2 of Bilstein 24-239370 Shock Absorber

I started to do the no spring compressor method install mentioned on the various websites following the basic instructions on these videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6u7dC7EHg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo0FJSi-KYs&t=3s

I set the 5100's at the .85 setting

After getting everything bolted back up and lowered I am getting the following lift results:
center of hub to fender before: 18.5 inches
center of hub to fender after: 24 inches

that's 5.5 inches of lift out of a setup which should have produced an inch at best. Unfortunately at the time I didn't think to do a side by of the strut assemblies but I did do some measurements between to two setups afterward.

between the center of the lower shock mount and the bottom of the spring seat is around a 3 inch difference between the original shock and the 5100 @ .85. Is that expected?

In the process of removing the shock we also had to loosen the lower control arm bolts to give it enough room to get the assembly out. We tightened it back down once the ball joint bolts were re-secured. Could the bushings in the LCA be keeping the suspension from settling?

I plan to take off at least one side of the assembly and do a side by side comparison of the struts. But does anyone have an idea of what could cause this?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Brad

 

[t-man]

Hi All,

Need some assistance as my spring/shock install is producing far too much lift and I cant exactly tell why.

After some research I decided to go with the FJ/5100 spring/shock lift option for the front suspension in order to level out my 2008 4runner limited v8.

After receiving the parts below:
48131-35541 - Genuine Toyota SPRING, FRONT COIL, RH
48131-35551 - Genuine Toyota SPRING, FRONT COIL, LH
2 of Bilstein 24-239370 Shock Absorber

I started to do the no spring compressor method install mentioned on the various websites following the basic instructions on these videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6u7dC7EHg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo0FJSi-KYs&t=3s

I set the 5100's at the .85 setting

After getting everything bolted back up and lowered I am getting the following lift results:
center of hub to fender before: 18.5 inches
center of hub to fender after: 24 inches

that's 5.5 inches of lift out of a setup which should have produced an inch at best. Unfortunately at the time I didn't think to do a side by of the strut assemblies but I did do some measurements between to two setups afterward.

between the center of the lower shock mount and the bottom of the spring seat is around a 3 inch difference between the original shock and the 5100 @ .85. Is that expected?

In the process of removing the shock we also had to loosen the lower control arm bolts to give it enough room to get the assembly out. We tightened it back down once the ball joint bolts were re-secured. Could the bushings in the LCA be keeping the suspension from settling?

I plan to take off at least one side of the assembly and do a side by side comparison of the struts. But does anyone have an idea of what could cause this?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Brad

Did you put the coil seat upside down? It would give you way more lift. The seat should sit over the height adjustable clip, not just on it.

Sent from the drivers seat of my 05 4runner.

 

[ply2win]

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 and OME springs with Some Fox 2.5 extended travel coilovers with DSC adjuster. I had them set for 2.5 inches of lift to match the ride height of my old setup but there was so much preload that I couldn't even drive it. I've attached a picture of both shocks next to each other and you can see how compressed the spring is on the Fox and how the Bilstein assembly is still longer then the extended length Fox. Something has to be wrong right? I had to drop the collar back to 1/2" of exposed thread for it to drive right but I lost almost 2" of ride height. Extremely frustrated and disappointed in these Fox coilovers. The 1st picture is the way the shock came out of the box and the second one is after they were adjusted for more lift.

 

[t-man]

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 and OME springs with Some Fox 2.5 extended travel coilovers with DSC adjuster. I had them set for 2.5 inches of lift to match the ride height of my old setup but there was so much preload that I couldn't even drive it. I've attached a picture of both shocks next to each other and you can see how compressed the spring is on the Fox and how the Bilstein assembly is still longer then the extended length Fox. Something has to be wrong right? I had to drop the collar back to 1/2" of exposed thread for it to drive right but I lost almost 2" of ride height. Extremely frustrated and disappointed in these Fox coilovers. The 1st picture is the way the shock came out of the box and the second one is after they were adjusted for more lift.

Bilsteins are longer than all the extended length shocks. That's why it's a very bad idea to put a spacer above them. You could put a spacer above the fox though.

Sent from the drivers seat of my 05 4runner.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I recently replaced my Bilstein 5100 and OME springs with Some Fox 2.5 extended travel coilovers with DSC adjuster. I had them set for 2.5 inches of lift to match the ride height of my old setup but there was so much preload that I couldn't even drive it. I've attached a picture of both shocks next to each other and you can see how compressed the spring is on the Fox and how the Bilstein assembly is still longer then the extended length Fox. Something has to be wrong right? I had to drop the collar back to 1/2" of exposed thread for it to drive right but I lost almost 2" of ride height. Extremely frustrated and disappointed in these Fox coilovers. The 1st picture is the way the shock came out of the box and the second one is after they were adjusted for more lift.

What do you mean you couldnt drive it with that much preload. Too stiff?

You may already know this but just so we are on the same page:

• The amount of thread exposed does not equal the amount of lift.
  
• Moving the thread 1/2" changes the ride height roughly 1".
  
• The length of the shock has little to do with your lift amount as the spring holds up most of the weight.
  
• Changing the preload does not change the length of the shock.
  
• Adjusting the preload while the shock is on the vehicle is easier especially to more quickly check ride height. Although I've ran into difficulty adjusting mine with the resi hose in the way

 

[iversong]

Hey, I'm looking to get a little extra height on my Runner so I can switch to a set of AT tires (Would like to switch from 265/60/18 to 265/65/18 or 265/70/18). I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to suspensions, but based on OP's suggestions and looking around on here, I think I have decided on OME coils and Bilstein 5100's.

Can anyone tell me if the list below would be sufficient for what I'm trying to do, or do I need some other parts?

Old Man Emu 2885 Front Coil Set
Old Man Emu 2896 Rear Coil Set
Bilstein 5100 Height Adjustable Front Shock Pair
Bilstein 5100 Rear Shock Set
Front Strut Stem Cushion and Washer kit


Thanks!

 

[ply2win]

What do you mean you couldnt drive it with that much preload. Too stiff?

You may already know this but just so we are on the same page:

• The amount of thread exposed does not equal the amount of lift.
  
• Moving the thread 1/2" changes the ride height roughly 1".
  
• The length of the shock has little to do with your lift amount as the spring holds up most of the weight.
  
• Changing the preload does not change the length of the shock.
  
• Adjusting the preload while the shock is on the vehicle is easier especially to more quickly check ride height. Although I've ran into difficulty adjusting mine with the resi hose in the way

Thank you T-man for your insight and Inv4drZm, yes the ride was way too stiff. There was a 1/2" of thread exposed out of the box and we adjusted to 1 3/4" but it was out of control stiff. I set it back to original and the ride and high speed off road capabilities are awsome just the lost in height sucks. I rub with 285s now where I used to run 305/70-17 KM2s with no problems. But oh well, I chose this option and I can deal with it. It would be cool if Fox had better customer service though. :ybrick::ybrick::ybrick:

 

[t-man]

Thank you T-man for your insight and Inv4drZm, yes the ride was way too stiff. There was a 1/2" of thread exposed out of the box and we adjusted to 1 3/4" but it was out of control stiff. I set it back to original and the ride and high speed off road capabilities are awsome just the lost in height sucks. I rub with 285s now where I used to run 305/70-17 KM2s with no problems. But oh well, I chose this option and I can deal with it. It would be cool if Fox had better customer service though. :ybrick::ybrick::ybrick:

Ya I don't know why one of the worst shocks has the most travel. Really sucks! You can use a spacer above the coilover though to get your lift, and keep your preload down. It won't affect your ride like it would on other setups. My advise is put in some blocks made for 2" lift, then adjust your fox coilovers and dial it in. Height and ride = awesome sauce! Lol

Sent from the drivers seat of my 05 4runner.

 

[t-man]

Hey, I'm looking to get a little extra height on my Runner so I can switch to a set of AT tires (Would like to switch from 265/60/18 to 265/65/18 or 265/70/18). I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to suspensions, but based on OP's suggestions and looking around on here, I think I have decided on OME coils and Bilstein 5100's.

Can anyone tell me if the list below would be sufficient for what I'm trying to do, or do I need some other parts?

Old Man Emu 2885 Front Coil Set
Old Man Emu 2896 Rear Coil Set
Bilstein 5100 Height Adjustable Front Shock Pair
Bilstein 5100 Rear Shock Set
Front Strut Stem Cushion and Washer kit


Thanks!

That will work fine unless/until you get into harder offroad stuff. You do not need the stem bushing kit as they come new with the Bilsteins though.
Side not, I would get new top hats for the assembly. They are cheap and since you are buying new coils with the shocks you can put them together beforehand and plug them right in. Your old ones probably aren't in the best shape even if you can't see it.
https://www.amazon.com/KYB-SM5640-Mount-Kit/dp/B00C7S0KA8

Sent from the drivers seat of my 05 4runner.

 

[iversong]

That will work fine unless/until you get into harder offroad stuff. You do not need the stem bushing kit as they come new with the Bilsteins though.
Side not, I would get new top hats for the assembly. They are cheap and since you are buying new coils with the shocks you can put them together beforehand and plug them right in. Your old ones probably aren't in the best shape even if you can't see it.

Thanks for the input. I had someone on the Florida 4runners Facebook group tell me, "Go eibach with bilstein or ome with ome. Bilstein is a monotone shock so it works better with a softer coil, ome is twin tube gad charged so the coil needs to be stiffer. Ome coils with 5100 is going to be a wagon cart." He also said, "4th gen I believe needs a front sway bar drop."

I can understand about the sway bar drop, but I have seen a lot of people on T4R.org talk about pairing OME with 5100's. Thoughts about this?

 

[t-man]

Thanks for the input. I had someone on the Florida 4runners Facebook group tell me, "Go eibach with bilstein or ome with ome. Bilstein is a monotone shock so it works better with a softer coil, ome is twin tube gad charged so the coil needs to be stiffer. Ome coils with 5100 is going to be a wagon cart." He also said, "4th gen I believe needs a front sway bar drop."

I can understand about the sway bar drop, but I have seen a lot of people on T4R.org talk about pairing OME with 5100's. Thoughts about this?

Ome with ome would be best, handle better and definitely last longer. I'm not a fan of Bilsteins. I've blown 1 front and both rears.
I think the Bilsteins can handle the normal ome, many run higher coil rates to compensate for bumpers and such and don't have an issue, but I agree it'll be better with eibach coils or full ome.
Sway bar drop is necessary, I forget how high you can go before needing it though. I don't run sway bars so I forget about them. Lol

Sent from the drivers seat of my 05 4runner.

 

[mccar349]

275/70r18

Looking to see if I can run 275/70R18's on my 07 V8 Limited. Bilsteins Front and rear. Front is set to max 2.5, Moog 81088 coils (had a hard time getting my hands on Front OEM FJ springs) Rear Springs from a FJ + air lift 1000 and 1.5'' Daystar spacer. Thanks!