Best lift options for DD?

[Vrrooom]

I purchased by 2015 TEP in November and am now considering a small lift. My goal with the lift is to improve ride quality, improve aesthetics (slightly larger tires, wheels, level look), and provide additional clearance for some terrain I encounter.

The 4R rides pretty smoothly but I still feel that there is room for improvement in absorbing the bumps. Ride quality is key here- I want a ride that absorbs bumps and imperfections on the road better than stock. Handling is fine the way it is with KDSS. This isn’t a race car and I don’t drive it like one either.

The other aspect of the lift to me is to give the vehicle a more leveled look (I prefer a slight front rake to accommodate for passengers and gear when traveling) and lastly to go a tire size bigger with no rubbing at all – maybe a 32” OD tire. This is purely aesthetic. And lastly I do go through off road terrain that needs more ground clearance – non paved deeply rutted back trails, farm land, and for some expedition type runs I want to get into in the next year.

My main concern is in the process of trying to improve these characteristics that I don’t sacrifice in other areas... such as lifted vehicles tend to be darty on the highway as the caster changes. Granted this can be improved on with lower control arms, etc., you can see my mod list isn’t too crazy and so I want to keep costs appropriate as well.

I see the OME suspension kit for $870 (OME full suspension -- Click here for details) and I see the Icon Stage 1 for $1750 (Icon 07-09 FJ Stage 1 Suspension System). Both look like they have similar parts (2 sets of springs, 4 shocks and no control arms, etc.)- what’s the real difference here?

 

[PNTRDPROO]

I purchased by 2015 TEP in November and am now considering a small lift. My goal with the lift is to improve ride quality, improve aesthetics (slightly larger tires, wheels, level look), and provide additional clearance for some terrain I encounter.

The 4R rides pretty smoothly but I still feel that there is room for improvement in absorbing the bumps. Ride quality is key here- I want a ride that absorbs bumps and imperfections on the road better than stock. Handling is fine the way it is with KDSS. This isn’t a race car and I don’t drive it like one either.

The other aspect of the lift to me is to give the vehicle a more leveled look (I prefer a slight front rake to accommodate for passengers and gear when traveling) and lastly to go a tire size bigger with no rubbing at all – maybe a 32” OD tire. This is purely aesthetic. And lastly I do go through off road terrain that needs more ground clearance – non paved deeply rutted back trails, farm land, and for some expedition type runs I want to get into in the next year.

My main concern is in the process of trying to improve these characteristics that I don’t sacrifice in other areas... such as lifted vehicles tend to be darty on the highway as the caster changes. Granted this can be improved on with lower control arms, etc., you can see my mod list isn’t too crazy and so I want to keep costs appropriate as well.

I see the OME suspension kit for $870 (OME full suspension -- Click here for details) and I see the Icon Stage 1 for $1750 (Icon 07-09 FJ Stage 1 Suspension System). Both look like they have similar parts (2 sets of springs, 4 shocks and no control arms, etc.)- what’s the real difference here?

I dont have much experience or knowledge with 4Runner lifts, but I do know that OME (in general) is supposed to be one of the best riding, smoothest lift suspensions out

 

[Engineer]

There is a thread somewhere were a member put together a lot of the lift options out there......I am sure someone will look it up or has a link to it. My 2 cents on the 2 options you posted without getting into the technical differences. The OME is a non rebuildable set up where as the Icons are rebuildable (because they will likely need it during the shocks life on the truck). Not sure about progressive vs digressive etc but I would get some input from other forum members about which ever kits you are considering to check on "ride quality" while thats subjective I can tell you from having my Radflo's installed (similar to Icons) the ride is much rougher/stiffer then stock. While I expected this and wanted it to reduce the annoying nose dive during braking it is not what I would call a "better" ride around town - not harsh , just more truck like. Over the holidays the truck was loaded up with people and baggage and road like a dream, my assumption is that these shocks were tuned/spec'd out to assume 500lbs of gear (random guess) which would make sense as most people spending that kind of $$$ on a suspension are also going to have additional things like gear, bumpers, skids, armor, roof racks, etc.

While I love my set up only time will tell if its the route I would have gone if I could do it over, I knew I would have to rebuild them but if they last 60k I would be thrilled, 20k....not as much. Also for the cost I think one needs to think long and hard about the type of driving they do and if the extra cost / potential rebuilds are worth it to them. Ex: I just missed a guy selling his Icon front coil overs from a FJ on craigslist because they needed rebuilding......200$ if your going to do that you are throwing money away.

In summary, don't get caught up in the high end kits thinking they are the "end all be all" they have trade offs and while I am sure they excel at high speed dessert runs for low speed trail riding I doubt there it notable difference between an Icon and OME kit.......airing down tires will be more noticeable then what suspension you are running.

For your needs I think most of the respectable kits out there would be fine, as far as "dartyess" on the highway, lift, get the alignment and if you need UCA get them ask well (personally I didn't want to do the job 2x so I got UCAs and didn't have any trouble with the alighnment)

**Disclaimer: If money was no object I would buy a fully adjustable compression and rebound set up just to play around with and see how much the ride changes from the adjustments**

 

[CAN-03runner]

My experience with an OME kit is that it made my truck ride harder. I wouldn't get these after what I know now for my actual use. These are load bearing springs, without weight in the back I really do not like them on bumpy, pothole filled roads. But they do have "e" version available now which are supposedly softer, give lift but not the load bearing harshness.

Check out the lifts from toytechlifts I think their springs are dual rate and use bilstein shocks. Plus the springs are in cool factor RED and add at least 9.5HP LOL :lmao:

A plus for the OME is that they appear to be good quality. A great majority of my offroad club use them, have heavy steel bumpers, carry weight, and offroad them in the northeast cold, snow and salt. and so far no failures. So at least I have that.

 

[hamburglar210]

I asked this question earlier via PM to [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] so here is his answer/opinion to me:

It looks great and I saw you mentioned possibly putting Bilsteins on it... which made me think that since you seem like such a skeptic of some of the suspensions people put on their trucks, you would be a good person to ask without starting ANOTHER new thread.

I'll start by saying I read your suspension thread and I don't have an immediate desire to increase wheel size. I live in Colorado and mostly use my 4Runner on the road(80% on the lowest end) but I do get up into the mountains to bike/hike/camp/snowboard so I see some fire roads/dirt roads and other very easy offroading that could easily be accomplished(and has been) in an Infiniti G35. There have been a few times when I actually needed the ground clearance and 4WD my Runner possesses and I anticipate using those features more and more but the majority of my driving will still be on road.

I would like to improve some of the body roll, highway handling, nose dive, and most importantlyeep: the looks. In your opinion, what would be a suitable kit to use? I don't need to add a full 3 inches but I would like something that works well offroad and will last with little maintenance while also improving some onroad driving comfort and handling(who doesn't.)

Thanks for any help you can provide and I appreciate all of the great contributions you've made to the forum.

-Joe

Thanks Joe!
I would put the Bilstein 5100's on the front, set them at 1.75" (middle setting) and put the non adjustable Bilsteins (maybe 5160?) on the rear with a 1" spacer or close to it. The shocks will cost around $400 and the spacers $20. The labor will be probably around another $400 or so.
This will minimize your body roll and nosedive without installing something that will require maintenance. These are install and forget.
You will have to get it re aligned after lifting and make sure to tell the tech you want the caster set as high as possible.
The Bilsteins are on national backorder right now so it might be early spring by the time you get them.

Thank you so much. I've seen a few people switch over to SAW 1.5 coils in the rear to get a lift, why would you go with a spacer? (I'm still trying to figure this all out haha)

I actually like the spring rate of the stock spring which is why I wouldn't want to switch. Going to a different spring is no big deal though. If you use a longer spring you still have to get a longer shock. In my mind, just get a longer shock and a spacer.

 

[1engineer]

...In summary, don't get caught up in the high end kits thinking they are the "end all be all" they have trade offs and while I am sure they excel at high speed dessert runs for low speed trail riding I doubt there it notable difference between an Icon and OME kit.......airing down tires will be more noticeable then what suspension you are running....

This. In the upper end, suspensions are designed to do a specific task. Fast desert running? There is a suspension for that. Rock crawling? One for that too. Lots of back country pulling a trailer loaded down with skids and bumpers? Yep, one for that too.

You listed what you are going to do (stay on the road) and you just want to improve on that. My advice is to go with something reliable and no maintenance and tuned for many general tasks.

Also lifting never improves the ride or handling on the road.

 

[eauxneaux]

I was in the same boat as you, but after I had a chance to test my stock TEP's off-road capabilities in NW Arkansas I decided there was no need (for me) to go with a 3" lift and the required UCAs and 3" rear coils. Fox's Performance 2.0 system is the direction I went; it provides 2" of front lift (no UCAs necessary) and 1" rear lift utilizing the stock coils and 1" spacers. Other <3" lift options I considered were Bilstein 5100s and the soon to be released Bilstein 6112s.

 

[Vrrooom]

I was in the same boat as you, but after I had a chance to test my stock TEP's off-road capabilities in NW Arkansas I decided there was no need (for me) to go with a 3" lift and the required UCAs and 3" rear coils. Fox's Performance 2.0 system is the direction I went; it provides 2" of front lift (no UCAs necessary) and 1" rear lift utilizing the stock coils and 1" spacers. Other <3" lift options I considered were Bilstein 5100s and the soon to be released Bilstein 6112s.

How is your ride on the road? Absorb bumps better?

And for those running the Bilsteins- have you had a smoother and softer ride? It seems most people with Bilsteins say their ride is a little harsher but with improved handling and less nose dive.

 

[Vrrooom]

This. In the upper end, suspensions are designed to do a specific task. Fast desert running? There is a suspension for that. Rock crawling? One for that too. Lots of back country pulling a trailer loaded down with skids and bumpers? Yep, one for that too.

You listed what you are going to do (stay on the road) and you just want to improve on that. My advice is to go with something reliable and no maintenance and tuned for many general tasks.

Also lifting never improves the ride or handling on the road.

Not to shake things up but I lifted my 07 Rubicon with the Rubicon Express 3.5" and their matching shocks and that Jeep had a significantly better ride. Granted most of it was spring rate and shocks but it did suffer by low caster.

Do you recommend the Bilsteins then? Better bump absorption? Or is there another set of shocks or adjustable shocks that you recommend?

 

[oljedi11950]

Bilsteins 51s adj or wait for new 6112s on front, rear 51s . It's just a more positive ride , harsh IDK better yes but I have 285s which I feel give me a better feel of ride , if that makes sense ? It's my DD but I also go to places where it's dirt roads & do need 4x4 & bad dirt roads at that nothing crazy so ...I also have spacers for a little wider stance poser some say ,IDK to me the 5th is super top heavy & they give me a sense of more stability again perception on my part !

 

[3wbdriver]

How is your ride on the road? Absorb bumps better?

And for those running the Bilsteins- have you had a smoother and softer ride? It seems most people with Bilsteins say their ride is a little harsher but with improved handling and less nose dive.

The 5100's with factory springs will give you a slightly firmer ride, but not harsher. Yes, they do help a little with nose dive but it is still there. The only way to fix that is firmer front springs and then you may not like the end result. The nose dive has never bothered me, but my primary ride has always been a truck since 1989, so I may be biased. Set at 0.85 would give you the slight front rake you still want.

 

[1engineer]

Not to shake things up but I lifted my 07 Rubicon with the Rubicon Express 3.5" and their matching shocks and that Jeep had a significantly better ride. Granted most of it was spring rate and shocks but it did suffer by low caster.

Do you recommend the Bilsteins then? Better bump absorption? Or is there another set of shocks or adjustable shocks that you recommend?

The lifting had nothing to do with it. The shocks and springs had everthing to do with it.

So I will go out on a limb here and use words I am unaccustomed to using: A good set of general use shocks will give you a more "confident and quality" ride in all conditions. A specialized set will give you an "amazing" ride but only in that specific condition. The other times it will either be too firm or too soft and provide a lackluster (@antman) ride.

I am not going to recommend a specific brand although Bilstein is a favorite due to the reliability, durability and no maintenance.

 

[Antman]

The lifting had nothing to do with it. The shocks and springs had everthing to do with it.

So I will go out on a limb here and use words I am unaccustomed to using: A good set of general use shocks will give you a more "confident and quality" ride in all conditions. A specialized set will give you an "amazing" ride but only in that specific condition. The other times it will either be too firm or too soft and provide a lackluster (@antman) ride.

I am not going to recommend a specific brand although Bilstein is a favorite due to the reliability, durability and no maintenance.

I'm taking heed of all this. Carry on, sir.

 

[Jabberjaw]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/185523-upgrade-suspension-minimal-lift.html

 

[Dexter Morgan]

I purchased by 2015 TEP in November and am now considering a small lift. My goal with the lift is to improve ride quality, improve aesthetics (slightly larger tires, wheels, level look), and provide additional clearance for some terrain I encounter.

The 4R rides pretty smoothly but I still feel that there is room for improvement in absorbing the bumps. Ride quality is key here- I want a ride that absorbs bumps and imperfections on the road better than stock. Handling is fine the way it is with KDSS. This isn’t a race car and I don’t drive it like one either.

The other aspect of the lift to me is to give the vehicle a more leveled look (I prefer a slight front rake to accommodate for passengers and gear when traveling) and lastly to go a tire size bigger with no rubbing at all – maybe a 32” OD tire. This is purely aesthetic. And lastly I do go through off road terrain that needs more ground clearance – non paved deeply rutted back trails, farm land, and for some expedition type runs I want to get into in the next year.

My main concern is in the process of trying to improve these characteristics that I don’t sacrifice in other areas... such as lifted vehicles tend to be darty on the highway as the caster changes. Granted this can be improved on with lower control arms, etc., you can see my mod list isn’t too crazy and so I want to keep costs appropriate as well.

I see the OME suspension kit for $870 (OME full suspension -- Click here for details) and I see the Icon Stage 1 for $1750 (Icon 07-09 FJ Stage 1 Suspension System). Both look like they have similar parts (2 sets of springs, 4 shocks and no control arms, etc.)- what’s the real difference here?

I did the Daystar 2.5/1.5 on my '05 and there was no difference (a good thing). It rode really nice with the XREAS.

I don't need adjustability, so if I end up with a 5th gen, I would probably do the OME's, heavy's in front, medium's in the rear...I HATE rake.

 

[Greedy]

I had the same desire keep on road manners comfortable. I went with the toytec boss coilovers up front, and the saw coils in back. The toytec co's offered a 600lb spring rate, while all the other off-the-shelf options had a minimum of 650lbs (with exception of radflo, but i liked the toytec customer service better). Also, they are fully adjustable so you can dial in your front ride height precisley how you want it. I have been tweaking mine to get them exactly level while compensating for settling, the kdss lean, and factory tolerances. The bilstien set up did not offer this as they just adjust to pre-set perches.

The saw coils in back gave me about 1.75 inches of lift, and are noticably stiffer than stock, but not harsh at all. I also have a 3rd gen with a medium duty OME set up and my 5th gen is like a cadillac in comparison.

 

[random hero]

Look into the Bilstien 6112 ... I'm going with them, and a 2.0 shock in the rear, not touching the springs for now in rear, just leveling the front and looking to lose some of the nose dive under breaking.

The 6112 is suppose to have great on-road characteristics and is going to be around 450-500 dollars for front setup, about half as much as the icons and toytec's that will get mentioned. Also don't let the "rebuild-able" comment deter you, the Bilstein 5100 are lifetime warranty, and I'm guessing the 6112 will be the same, no need to spend $ to rebuild them if Bilstien warranties them for life.

Look for group buy in the next week! Rumor is us forum members will get a pretty hefty discount :cowboy:

 

[Jhalko]

I have the same setup as [MENTION=14008]Greedy[/MENTION] it rides remarkably well on road and much better offroad. I pulled out Xreas and was really shocked at how little difference the ride on road was, as in comfortable at low speed and firm at highway speeds. If i had a trail with KDSS I probably would have just done bilstein 5100's though.

 

[GRN285]

I went the 5100 route on my last 3 rigs. No complaints and always drove better than before.
My next set might be the 6112's even though that is overkill for my needs.
Only really do fire/logging roads and some snow trails every so often to go bang-bang in the hills.
On road characteristics are amazing with kdss, at least to me from stock form-tires helped a bunch too.

275/70/17's I think are a tad over 32"- I went with ko2's since I liked the orig ko's so much before.

When I used the OME 10mm rear spacers it actually raised the rear about 1/2"

I got a profile pic in my album.

I think it looks right but to each their own.

Good luck, took me a bunch of time reading as much as I could, then widdling down to a few options, then more reading and realization of what I actually use the truck for before I made a decision.

 

[Tronner]

FWIW I got very good results with my setup and accomplished pretty much everything you asked for in your original post. I spent about $700 total (did the install myself). My goal was 1/2" rake with about 1.5" to 1.75" of lift in front to avoid UCA's and drivability issues, better ride, no nose dive and better looks for aggressive stock or slightly bigger than stock tires.

I did the adjustable 5100's in front set at 0" with Toytec 112620 springs and a 1/4" top plate spacer on the drivers side. On a 5th gen those springs add about 1.75" of lift and have a higher spring rate than the stockers which helped tremendously with brake dive and also provided slightly less lift than using the bilsteins on 1.75" which are known to actually give about 2".

With just that setup (rear completely stock) the truck was PERFECTLY level measuring from the ground to the top of the wheel wells. The issue was that the driver's side was about 1/2" lower than the passenger side with 1/2 tank of gas. So when I put the non-adjustable 5100's in the rear I added a 1" Cornfed spacer to the DRIVER SIDE ONLY, which actually lifts the passenger side a tiny bit as well, and now I have a very slight rake on both sides and nearly a level truck from side to side. I think it rides VERY well, provided a very nice improvement to the stance, and it fits stock size duratracs with the aggressive offset MK8 rims with no rubbing. I'm sure with stock rims you could easily fit 275's and probably 285's with a tiny bit of adjustment.

Bear in mind, even with this minimal lift the alignment (very reputable shop who does a lot of lifted vehicles) was only able to get about 2.1 and 2.4 degrees of caster, so anything higher I have to think will require UCA's. I think it drives great so I'm good with where it's at.

Here are pics before and then with the front lifted but not the rear 5100's and spacer. Looks the same now with a very tiny bit more height in back - about 1/2" rake.