880/960 OME coils or 1999 OEM coils

[xcmtb83]

880/906 OME coils or 1999 OEM coils

Ok TR4 people I am going back and forth with what lift I should get. To give you a little background I don't really plan to wheel my (at least for a long while) 4Runner as I already have a Taco for that. I do plan on driving it daily and would like the ability to haul a passenger, a hitch mount bike back, 2 bikes, 2 kayaks on the roof and 300+lb of Mastiff(s) in the back on occasion and not have my headlights in the trees. I am tired of the rear sag and the land yacht handling of the 1996 coils and worn out shocks so it is time to do something about it. I am also currently running 265/75R16 FWIW.

I have my sites on the Sonoran Steel System 3.0 and the OME 880/960 combo with the comfort shocks from Toytec. I already believe that if I go with the S.S. kit I will want to add airbags so add another $100-$150 to the total price. Part of me thinks that it is silly to supplement a brand new suspension system instead of getting the right coils to start with. I am also fearful that the Toyota coils from S.S. will end up sagging in a couple of years anyway. Another part of me is concerned and curious about the harshness of the OME coils. Please share any input and or recommendations you might have for me, thanks!

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S.S. lift

4 Wheel Drive - System 3
Starting at: $727.00

Front:
(2)-1999 Brand New Toyota 4Runner front coils from a vehicle made in Japan with a 3.4 V6, 4WD & 16" wheels.
(2)-Tokico Trek > Master R/T front shocks. Limited Lifetime Warranty!
(2)-Genuine Toyota Upper Front Shock Nuts.
*We remove the problem prone Tokico Aftermarket upper front shock nuts and provide Genuine Toyota Replacement nuts.
Rear:
(2)-1999 Brand New Toyota 4Runner rear coils from a vehicle made in Japan with a 3.4 V6, 4WD & 16" wheels.
(2)-Tokico Trek > Master R/T rear shocks. Limited Lifetime Warranty!


These optional parts are not included with the base kit but are needed to pre-assemble the front coil-over's.

(2)-48609-35030 (Top Plate with Retainer #2) $120.00
(2)-90948-01056 (Rubber Bushing) $16.54
(2)-90948-A2003 (Retainer #3) $23.72
(2)-90948-02159 (Retainer #1) $18.52
(2)-94184-01241 (Nut) $3.50
Total of new Toyota Parts: $182.28

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Toytec Lift

This kit has been specifically designed for your 4Runner and has been proven in the harsh conditions of the Australian Outback.

Includes 90004 Nitrocharger Sport Front Shocks and (1) OME Trim Packer to be installed on the driver side front. Choose front and rear coil options from dropdown menu

Front coils: OME 880: Stock front weight.1.5 inch lift.

Rear coils: OME 906: Medium 2 inch lift coils.

Rear shocks: OME 60028: Comfort valving.

NOTE: Med and Heavy coils are rated to handle additional weight from aftermarket bumpers, winches, and accessories and should NOT be used without stated weight already in or installed at all times. All lift figures are based on averages.

 

[tre9er]

First option should ride smoother but the ome will handle weight better...but I would not use the ome shocks. Get some bilsteins instead.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

First option should ride smoother but the ome will handle weight better...but I would not use the ome shocks. Get some bilsteins instead.

Exactly right. Get some Bilstein HD's from AJUSA.com (cheapest I've found) and just buy the coils you want. I suggest 890's over 906's. I've had both, 890's ride a lot better.

 

[xcmtb83]

The 890s ride better than the 906s even though they are both "medium" coils?

About the Bilsteins...3 out of the 10 bilsteins that I have ever owned ended up leaking. I am leaning towards trying something different at this point in time. Are the shocks I have listed really that inferior to a functioning Bilstein?

Thanks!

 

[fish0281]

The 890s ride better than the 906s even though they are both "medium" coils?

The 906s are actually the strongest coil that OME makes for our trucks. I have them with 880s up front and OME shocks all around. I love it and I don't think it rides rough like so many people comment on here about - it's easy to find complaints though. Also, I tend to travel often with a lot of stuff (passengers, berner dog, gear+gear+more gear, etc) and I was sick of my rear bumper sitting on the ground. The 906s handle the weight without sagging and they still handle great with and without load.

I am also happy with the small lift it gave me, it's just enough to notice, but not so high it makes stock tires look small.

The shocks are up to you, but the full OME package is tough to beat - designed to go together and priced right. I ran the 906's with stock shocks and with OME and I can easily say the stock shocks with OME didn't ride any better than stock coils. The OME coil+shock really planted the truck - no more butt-clinching body roll and it keeps the tires on the ground over the washboards.

Anyway, I would suggest the 906 and 880s over tall '99s.

 

[xcmtb83]

The 906s are actually the strongest coil that OME makes for our trucks. I have them with 880s up front and OME shocks all around. I love it and I don't think it rides rough like so many people comment on here about - it's easy to find complaints though. Also, I tend to travel often with a lot of stuff (passengers, berner dog, gear+gear+more gear, etc) and I was sick of my rear bumper sitting on the ground. The 906s handle the weight without sagging and they still handle great with and without load.

I am also happy with the small lift it gave me, it's just enough to notice, but not so high it makes stock tires look small.

The shocks are up to you, but the full OME package is tough to beat - designed to go together and priced right. I ran the 906's with stock shocks and with OME and I can easily say the stock shocks with OME didn't ride any better than stock coils. The OME coil+shock really planted the truck - no more butt-clinching body roll and it keeps the tires on the ground over the washboards.

Anyway, I would suggest the 906 and 880s over tall '99s.

What do you measure from center of hub to top of wheel well? I can then subtract your BL.

 

[freshley]

I have 906s in the rear and if I were to do it again, I would go with the 890s. The 906s are stiff but good if you have weight in the back(300+lbs). I also took my bilsteins off the back as unless you were loaded, everything just bounced around. I still have them and probably have less than 10k miles on them if anyone is interested.

 

[jrm]

If you do the 99 coils

youll end up where you are now sooner then if you get the toytec lift with the OME coil and comfort shocks. The 906/60028 combos a good one.

 

[fish0281]

What do you measure from center of hub to top of wheel well? I can then subtract your BL.

I'll have to get back to you on that - I'm currently out of the country. I'll try to remember this weekend. They were only about an inch taller than 99's if I remember correctly.

I have 906s in the rear and if I were to do it again, I would go with the 890s. The 906s are stiff but good if you have weight in the back(300+lbs). I also took my bilsteins off the back as unless you were loaded, everything just bounced around. I still have them and probably have less than 10k miles on them if anyone is interested.

Mine were used so perhaps they've broken in more, but I strongly disagree on your 300 lbs statement. I think that much weight would even sag these just a bit, that weight definitely will change the damping characteristics. 890's are significantly taller than the 906's too, btw, and I'd be surprised if they ride that much smoother out of the box - a lift is going to ride stiff, unless you do the LC coils and even then...

 

[ssk1]

I'm fairly new here and have just owned my 2001 4Runner SR5 for a little over 1 month, and I recently battled with this debate... I'm in a similar situation as you -- it's my DD, I don't plan on wheelin' in the next 3-5 years, but needed some minor offroad and hauling capability because I will be rock climbing all over California. I also run ~80% tread 265/70/R16 (~30in. dia) on stock Toyota rims, and can't afford larger tires all around at this time.

So after many days and hours spent with my laptop and refills at Starbucks, I decided I would go with the Toytec Complete OME Lift. I bought it about a week ago, and at the time they were running a 10% off coupon. You can find a year-round 5% off coupon here on the forums if you look in the Vendors forum under Toytec. With shipping to San Francisco, it was $890.20 total after the discount.

I settled with 880 standard weight 1.5" lift in the front, with included 5mm trim packer on drivers side, paired with the 90004 OME front shock. I went with 906 medium weight 2" lift in the rear, paired with the 60028 Comfort Valved shocks. I had Toytec Preassemble the fronts for $100 (totally worth it, you get new top mounts and bushings, they align it properly for you, not to mention time saved from going out and renting/buying a spring compressor). Also, I went with this mild lift because I did not want to prematurely wear out, or have to replace the other stock suspension components (LBJ, CV axle). I did not include the differential drop kit in this package, so that saved me $30.

I did even more research and installed everything myself. All I needed were a 1/2" drive Torque Wrench, 3/8" drive ratchet, a couple jacks and jack stands, a small basic socket and deep well socket set, basic wrench set (offset wrench would help too), a rubber strap wrench, and some pry bars. SAVE YOURSELF THE ~$400-550 I was quoted to install this. BTW I am not a mechanic by any means.

Installing the rear took me about 6 hours, which most of it was spent just figuring what everything was underneath the car and how it all came together. I also had to improvise with pressing in the lower hour glass shaped bushings on the rear shock (pressed the lower shock eye and bushing between a scissor jack and block of wood, and truck frame because I didn't have a vice or big enough C clamps). The next day I installed the fronts which only took me 2.5 hrs.

Sorry for the tangent, but I thought it would be helpful. I like the stance of the 4Runner now, slight forward rake, and my truck doesn't look silly with its 30" tires. I am also happy with the ride quality. Definitely a bit stiffer than the worn out suspension it replaced, but it's not rigid by any means. There's very little body roll during turns, I don't notice it squat under acceleration, and I can only dip the front a little if I brake really hard.

I'm very happy for now, and would only go to a 3" lift + bigger tires for unfortunately, aesthetics, although I would love to go wheelin' (just can't afford the initial investment). There are some truly bad-ass and extremely on/off-road capable trucks on this forum (I'm jealous!).

PM me if you want any advice for installing the setup yourself.

 

[4Runner4TW]

I'm slowly putting together my rig and went with the 906/60028 combo. I personally love it. I have the stock 99 talls up front but I can't wait to get new suspension in there. It's really easy to install as well. If you have the space and basic tools I would do it yourself.

 

[JohnsD90]

906's are not rough, they are a stiff coil, but they are nice to ride with, if you think its a rough ride you must not have ever rode around with a truck with leafs.

 

[xcmtb83]

I have to be honest I thought I had my mind made up. I was leaning towards the S.S. 3.0 with Airlift 1000 bags in the rear to adjust for changing cargo weights on the fly. I ride mountain bike a lot so I always have an air pump in the vehicle. Thanks a lot guys now I can't decide again!

Could anyone with the 880 906 coil setup please post some pics and measurements from the center of hub up the top of wheel opening? Thanks!

 

[ssk1]

I have to be honest I thought I had my mind made up. I was leaning towards the S.S. 3.0 with Airlift 1000 bags in the rear to adjust for changing cargo weights on the fly. I ride mountain bike a lot so I always have an air pump in the vehicle. Thanks a lot guys now I can't decide again!

Could anyone with the 880 906 coil setup please post some pics and measurements from the center of hub up the top of wheel opening? Thanks!

I'm at work right now but I'll post a photo of my 880/906 setup with 265/70R16 (30.60" dia" tires). I don't think the ride quality is harsh at all, and I have practically no added weight in the back during my day-to-day driving. It's stiff, but it has give/cushion. Not the same kind of stiffness as say, your axle hitting the bump stops. There's no mushiness. There's no bounciness, and it even feels like the Runner accelerates quickly because it doesn't lose energy from mushy springs/shocks. Kind of like having a stiff frame road bike, vs a mountain bike with a rear shock.

 

[JMWeaver]

Just ordered some 906's and Bilsteins all around for my 2001 Ltd. I too would love to see pics of others that have a similar set.

 

[ssk1]

So this is what a 880/906 complete OME combo looks like. The truck is a 2001 SR5 4WD with 169k miles on it.

Real difficult to find a perfectly flat residential street in San Francisco, so this is the best I can do. Very subtle forward rake, kind of hard to tell from the photo. This is supposedly a 1.5" front and 2" rear lift, and I think it almost makes my 265/70R16 tires look small...

I will reiterate, San Francisco has some awful street paving... And I don't find it uncomfortable with this setup. I've loaded this up with rope and climbing gear for 2 people, the old stock factory coilovers and rear shocks and coils, multiple jacks and jack stands and various tools in the back, and 2 passengers after I finished installing everything, and the rear did not seem to sit lower at all. I didn't do any measuring, so it's all opinion and anecdotes at this point, FWIW.

 

[ssk1]

Also keep in mind, if you're not able to park your car in a garage, having a taller car means it's easier for jerks to steal your catalytic converter... I've read about people getting their's stolen in front of their driveway, or even at the mall parking lot. Just food for thought

 

[xcmtb83]

Thanks ssk1.

Was there any cargo in the back when the picture was taken?

 

[ssk1]

Thanks ssk1.

Was there any cargo in the back when the picture was taken?

Not more than 20lbs and 1/2 a tank of gas. I'll bring a tape measure on my way out for work and get some measurements that I should have already taken before and after the install.

 

[ssk1]

finally got around to measuring...

Wheels: 265/70R16, or 30.6in (31") diameter wheels
Cargo unloaded, half tank of gas, about 150 miles on these shocks and coils, and I reused the factory in-coil beehive bumpstop.

As measured (rounded up to nearest 1/4") from center of hub to top of wheel well:

Front Driver (has 5mm spacer) - 20"
Front Passenger - 20"

Rear Driver - 20.75"
Rear Passenger - 20.50"

I'm thinking of adding 1 (maybe 2?) 10mm OME trim packers per side in the rear to maintain the rake when loaded with weight. Doing this won't sag the rears any faster than not having them correct? Since the rears are NOT preloaded like the front coils are.