5th Gen 4Runner Lift Buyers Guide

[the_fornicator]

Leak? What would be leaking?
I think you're overthinking this area. Some rattle can paint should easily take care of this area. It's not like you could re-powder coat the frame....
Mine's been done for 5 years and shows no sign of rust

Leak as in if the exposed metal was not sprayed and covered entirely -water can penetrate and oxidize the metal especially in the winter if your city uses some form of salt or corrosive solution. It would be a really ugly spot to get some rust -really nasty place to try and fix it also.

I restored a 2nd gen 1995 4Runner that was rusted to all holy hell so admittedly I'm overly sensitive to rust. I had to re-cut the rear quarters entirely to re-weld new panels in because it was my first time doing that kind of stuff and I didn't apply a sealant to the weld seams nor did a cover everything with por15 so things started rusting from the inside out. A very labor intensive and time consuming task because of oversight (ignorance? lol) on my part.

Say you sprayed some sort of thick liner on top of the shaved body mounts, if rust were to occur, you wouldn't be able to see it because it is covered by a the liner. The only way you would notice is if it was rusting is if the rust had a chance to build up, fester, and then start creeping beyond the spray liner.

Personally, I'd cover the entire area (and then some) with several coats of por15, then do some for of sealant, and then some form of heavy duty liner.

Some people have a phobia of spiders; spiders to them is rust to me lol

 

[J0HN_R1]

They will set the fronts to 0.....which is exactly where you want it.

To me, that's too much rake... The front needs to be slightly higher (~ 3/4"), IMO.
But it looks better than stock, that's for sure ! :bravo:

 

[jppower]

How do lifts work on 4runners is it a matter of getting shocks, springs, and upper control arms? Or is there more too it, I'm only looking at maybe 1-2".
5th gen

 

[Eric0321]

I've been out of the loop for a while... Broke my wist last year and it severely affected fun time :-(

I'm ready to replace the suspension on my '14 Trail Edition that has the following added:

SSO Slimline Front bumper
SSO Roof Rack
Rock Rails/Sliders
Tepui Kukenam Ruggedized Sky 3 RTT

There is noticeable drop in my overall clearance when I go on a trip with it loaded with gear/supplies/etc. I'm also nosediving a little too much for liking on normal driving when stopping.

Question: Will simply replacing suspension with Blistein get me back to a decent height and stiffness to handle the addons that I have, or even slightly above stock height? I don't want to do a lift kit like spacers etc. if I can get away with it, but definitely willing to do shocks and springs if that will work.

I'm currently looking at this: FJ4RBILK10 Bilstein Height adjustable front and matching 5100 Rear shocks (10+ 4Runner & FJ Cruiser)

EDIT, actually I think this looks like what I may want: TTHA-CK-RCC - 3" Lift W/ Bilstein 5100 Front Coilovers (FJ/4Runner/GX) What say you? Thanks!

 

[Rightside Up]

Dobinsons.

 

[Rustytaco]

Old thread, but does anybody know if the 5th gens have issues with the front diff needle bearing like Tacoma’s? I’m looking to possibly sale my Tacoma, but before jumping I was curious if when 5th gens are lifted they have the same dreaded bearing issue as the Tacoma’s do. Thanks!

 

[Crikeymike]

Old thread, but does anybody know if the 5th gens have issues with the front diff needle bearing like Tacoma’s? I’m looking to possibly sale my Tacoma, but before jumping I was curious if when 5th gens are lifted they have the same dreaded bearing issue as the Tacoma’s do. Thanks!

Mine is a 2014 and hasn't had that issue

 

[Rustytaco]

Mine is a 2014 and hasn't had that issue

Thanks for replying! Greatly appreciate it. Really looking into getting one.

 

[5thgen20]

Hi, so I have a 2011 SR5 w/ standard suspension and I'm looking to lift it. I'd love to stay below $1200, and think it's easy to do so until I read about the possibility of needing new UCA's..

Ideally, I'm looking for a 3" lift, and I like the ToyTec 3" non-adjustable kit, but new UCA's are so damn expensive, yet I don't want to mess up the alignment on my 4runner. So I guess I have 2 questions:
1. Do I really need new UCA's with a 3-inch lift?
1a. If so, what are the best cheapest options?
2. How high can I lift without needing new UCA's?

 

[pDubs]

1. Do I really need new UCA's with a 3-inch lift?
1a. If so, what are the best cheapest options?
2. How high can I lift without needing new UCA's?

1. With a 3 inch lift, yes.
1a. JBA, Total Chaos seem to be the most popular
2. 2.5 and under. Even at 2.5 you're pushing it.



Dobinsons c59-302 in front
Dobinsons c59-505 in back
Dobinsons 700 and 701 struts

Should get you 2.5/1.5 lift if you aren't running any bumpers or additional weight. Will be under the $1k mark.

 

[Crikeymike]

1. With a 3 inch lift, yes.
1a. JBA, Total Chaos seem to be the most popular
2. 2.5 and under. Even at 2.5 you're pushing it.



Dobinsons c59-302 in front
Dobinsons c59-505 in back
Dobinsons 700 and 701 struts

Should get you 2.5/1.5 lift if you aren't running any bumpers or additional weight. Will be under the $1k mark.

Yeah, those parts are under $900 delivered to you.

New UCA's correct (add) caster, and the more you lift, the less caster you have to get out of the stock adjustments in the vehicle.

 

[5thgen20]

Wheel Spacers?

Hi, I also read that the stock wheels may rub on the new UCA's, so will I need wheel spacers? And if so how big?

Thanks!

 

[Kyegarret]

New to the T4R world

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 2019 4R ORP. I've skimmed through a large chunk of this thread, but due to the the size of this thread and year difference between posts, I wanted to check a few things.

I am mainly going to be using this as a daily driver/ occasionally taking on some light trails. I'd like to level at a minimum but wouldn't mind a small lift.

1. Do Bilstein 5100's still fit the 19's?
2. If I was going to level would getting 5100's and adjusting them to 1.75 in the front with 1 inch spacers in the rear be all I need?
3. Would any other components be needed other than the front and rear 5100's and a rear spacer? I.E. Dif drop kit?

I need to not break the bank and got the wife to bless off on about $400 with out a fight.

I'm open ears to any other suggestions for leveling options.

 

[Crikeymike]

Hi, I also read that the stock wheels may rub on the new UCA's, so will I need wheel spacers? And if so how big?

Thanks!

It all depends on tire size. Wide tires on stock wheels that don't have much offset, even without a lift they could contact the UCA's.

 

[Kyegarret]

Bump

 

[4runnin4mylife]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 2019 4R ORP. I've skimmed through a large chunk of this thread, but due to the the size of this thread and year difference between posts, I wanted to check a few things.

I am mainly going to be using this as a daily driver/ occasionally taking on some light trails. I'd like to level at a minimum but wouldn't mind a small lift.

1. Do Bilstein 5100's still fit the 19's? Yes, they still fit and will work perfectly with your '19 T4R
2. If I was going to level would getting 5100's and adjusting them to 1.75 in the front with 1 inch spacers in the rear be all I need? That is all you would need... Bilsteins front and rear! At 1.75" up front and 1" rear spacer you would keep a very slight rake; much more close to level but with a slight lift also. If you go to 2.5" on the front bilsteins, then I would opt for the 1.5" rear spacers to keep slight rake with a slightly higher lift.
3. Would any other components be needed other than the front and rear 5100's and a rear spacer? I.E. Dif drop kit? No diff drop or other components needed.

If $400 is your budget than this is a perfect route to go for a small lift, in my opinion!

I need to not break the bank and got the wife to bless off on about $400 with out a fight.

I'm open ears to any other suggestions for leveling options.

See my answers to your questions above!

 

[Kyegarret]

See my answers to your questions above!

Thank you!! Bout to make this happen!

 

[jcrown7]

I've been searching around for a few weeks and haven't found a clear answer, so: I've got a front/rear set of Dobinsons springs for a 2.5/2 lift. As a TEMPORARY (probably till June) solution, could I use the stock struts and shocks?
I'm in south Mississippi for the time being so I will not be mudding and it's completely flat down here. She's purely a pavement princess until I get back to New Mexico in July.

 

[Chewgasm]

Good post, is there a reason why Kong’s suspension was left out?

 

[CoolMax]

Good post, is there a reason why Kong’s suspension was left out?

#12
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/1657545-post3.html