'90 Suspension Options

[brettniles]

I've been wanting to get some 33s on my 2nd gen when it's time to replace the 31's that are on it and looking at the OME suspension kits to accommodate that. My question is, how do I know if I need the medium or heavy kit and the one with/without the torsion bars? I am new to lifting trucks so I wanna know what I'm doing before I go in. Also, I've noticed many people re-gear their trucks when stepping up to the 33s. Is that recommended as well? If it gets too expensive I may just stick with the 31s cos I'm not a serious offroad guy but I would like to prep my truck for an overland trip in a few years. BTW, looking at the General Grabber A/Ts. How do we feel about those here? Any insight is appreciated.

 

[4runnerBrett]

Re gearing is just reccomended. Plenty of people are running 33s without regearing. If your planning on having heavy loads or towing then you want the heavy.

 

[BucknutBob]

The gearing is recommended because even with 31's you're starting to move the engine out of its powerband, so 33's will make it even worse. 4.88's would put you back to roughly factory specs on acceleration ability and speedometer setting. As Brett mentioned, the "heavy" kit is if you plan to carry much in the rig, or pull a trailer. It's nice having the new torsion bars so when you crank them up to match the rear lift, you have the extra strength AND the right rating for being at that height (so it doesn't beat you to death).

 

[Footofgod]

33's and a 2" OME lift. Stock 4.56 gearing. It works!

 

[BucknutBob]

33's and a 2" OME lift. Stock 4.56 gearing. It works!

The automatic's gearing of 4.56 definitely gets you in a more reasonable range than the one's I was thinking of, the manual's 4.11's--that's a lot bigger jump to 4.88. I guess I should've specified, huh.

 

[77'911]

We did not lift our 1990 4runner, and I with the following components up front:
1) Sway-away 25mm torsion bars
2) new upper/lower ball joints
3) urethane control arm bushings.
This combo made a huge difference to the feel of the truck, much tighter. The front end, without lift, might be too tight for some. We like it for highway driving as the truck is far more stable at speed. Having said that, upgrading the torsion bars on these trucks is a no-brainer. The originals are too soft, and usually pretty tired by now.
regards

 

[KidVermicious]

31s are plenty for mild offroad and overland gallivanting. You don't need 33s or bigger unless you're getting into technical wheeling or need the flotation for deep mud or snow.

 

[2ndGen4runner4x4]

My 4Runner came from the factory with 31's and 4:88 gearing.
I am currently running a 2" lift with 33's and I don't notice any loss of power... probably because there just isn't much there in the 1st place.
This set-up works very well for me.

 

[BucknutBob]

I've never even heard of stock 4.88 gears on these--was that a special tow package or something? You wouldn't feel a loss of power, because that's what gears are SUPPOSED to be run with 33's, just like 5.29's made my truck with 35's feel just fine (when I still had the 3.0 in it). Nice looking truck, 2ndGen!

 

[KidVermicious]

Tow package had 4.88s, didn't it?

 

[Footofgod]

Unless I am mistaken, Auto tow package was 4.88 and manual was 4.56 right?

 

[2ndGen4runner4x4]

I believe all 1995 4Runners equipped with 31" tires and automatic transmissions came with 4:88's. Not sure about previous years...

G144 code on the door jam = 4:88 ratio