Bumper or lift first? noob

[xXsquintyeyesXx]

Debating on either going with a new front bumper or suspension lift.

I've been looking at Shrock Works bumpers but I was wondering if anyone has any other plate bumpers with the center grill guard hoop. I personally just do not like the full out tube bumpers, so please don't recommend those. Any suggestions on plate bumpers would be appreciated.

I also would like some suggestions on full suspension lift you guys think might best suit my uses. Daily driver with some mild off roading for now. I have friends who invite me to go out on trails with them or go mudding but I'm sitting at stock height and can't go to all the same places. I had a Sonoran Steel suspension that my dad put on my old 4runner but that runner was totaled a few years back. I don't remeber which "system" it was specifically. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also does it matter if I get a bumper or lift first?

Thanks from a noob

 

[Asaspades93]

Congrats on the new ride. Personally I'd go lift and tire but im sure there will be some who say otherwise
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/102876-bumper-list.html I think most bumpers have the option of no tube, middle tube, and full tube
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/66976-3rd-gen-4runner-lift-information-faqs.html

I was running a Rough Country lift as I was broke at the time and it worked for 2 years, but now my shocks are blown and I have 5100s getting delivered in the morning:girl:

 

[Kanger328]

The links above have all the info you need on the parts. As far as which one to get first, I'd get the suspension lift first. Sounds like it'd be more "functional" for you since you're wanting to go hang with you buddies off road. Just be sure to get a setup that will support the bumpers you're planning to get. Bumpers = more weight = heavier duty coils.

 

[KidVermicious]

I have friends who invite me to go out on trails with them or go mudding but I'm sitting at stock height and can't go to all the same places.

Yes you can. 75% of where your truck can or can't go is driver skill. Unless your buddies are really good drivers with decently modded trucks, you can follow them. You might have to take different lines or suck it up and ask for a strap every now and again, but you can follow them.

Understand that nearly everything you do to that truck to make it more capable offroad will impact it's utility off-road. The guys that wheel their daily drivers tend to have very moderate builds, or a very high tolerance for crappy power, junk MPG, poor handling, and a lot of road noise :thumb:. But if you really want to slowly build the truck for offroad, you should put armor and recovery gear first. And I wouldn't start with the front bumper, unless you need a place to put a winch already. I'd start with sliders and skids, and then I'd put a rear bumper on, and then I'd worry about a front bumper. I wouldn't even think about lifts and tires and gears and lockers and shit until I had armor and recovery taken care of first, unless I really needed a suitable offroad tire, and then I'd find a set of used AT tires close to OEM size to get me through.

 

[tinman]

Definitely go for the lift first. I love my ARB front bumper, but it's my lift & larger tires that help me to get through the trails (without killing my undercarriage, since my only armor is the front bumper & sliders). If you're looking to trail ride with your buddies, the lift will net you more ground clearance & capability than simply installing a plate bumper.

Like KidVermicious said, you can go lots of places even in stock form. Also, if you are patient, you can usually find lift and bumpers on CL or here in the classified ads.

 

[3rdgensr5]

I'd agree on the lift as well, your stock suspension is probably pretty worn already go and add a nice heavy bumper and I think it might just reduce ride height a lil. always better to freshen up the used up parts, plenty of time to add the bumper later. just my 2 cents

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Belly pans and Sliders first. If your suspension is shot look at a mild ome replacement to give you a small lift to compensate for sliders and the belly pans. I would do the elocker mod after that....and then look at a 3".....maybe after that get into front and rear bumpers with a winch with the final mod being a front locker.

 

[theizzardking]

Depends, you have to keep in mind on where you are going with this, try and look at it as a complete build.

nothing wrong with going with lift first but keep in mind that when you buy your lift you are going to want to order it to support your truck AND all of your accessories, bumper,winch,armor, ect,ect,ect.....

when you order a lift kit that's rated for that sort of weight and you don't actually have anything on it, the ride will be stiff to say the least, no biggie if you can live with it but sure won't ride like it's meant to.... i personally found it uncomfortable....but it by any means wasn't the end of the world...

or... if you look at it from the other way, you will potentially be adding weight to what i assume is an already shot suspension, this isn't any good either, it's probably a good way of lowering your truck by a 1/4" or so, lol, the truck will probably have lots of roll in it and feel unresponsive......

ideally, you would want to do armor and suspension at the same time, but since we don't live in a perfect world you gotta pick your poison, if it were me and i was doing it over again (for the 3rd time, lol) I'd try and get the suspension, skids and sliders done first and then put money back for tires and bumpers... but would just be my personal preference in getting things done...

 

[Tsfc]

I would go lift and bugger tires. Tires first probably if I was not wanting to part with cash for the lift yet. I would go bumpers after I had both lift and tires though..

 

[hounddogman]

Looks like I'm the only one that did a front bumper first. But that was for a very good reason, Deer & elk ! Were I live it's not if you hit a deer, it's when you hit a deer. Everything of mine gets a ARB bumper ( or snow plow) right away. The ARB on my wife's Grand Cherokee has claimed two deer and a Subaru and the one on my dad's Toyota has killed so many deer I'm starting to think he's aiming for them. But if that's not a issue, for offroading the rear bumper is more important.

 

[xXsquintyeyesXx]

There are tons of deer and dumb people around here. Which are the main reasons I was thinking about the front bumper but I think I am leaning more towards the lift. I totaled my last 4runner because A guy crossed the double line in front of me and a couple weeks prior to my wreck i had seen a simiar wreck posted up on yotatech where a guy had a plate bumper and just dented up his bumper some but totaled the other car.

Any specific lift you guys would recommend?

 

[470SNC]

Depends on how you plan to wheel but i would say lift, tires, sliders, skids, then bumper

 

[MattJakobs]

I did a high clearance rear bumper first and am very happy with it. With all the lift options available, I still haven't picked out what lift I'm going to go with since I don't do much wheeling at all. I do more 4 wheeling in the sand than anything else and that requires no lift. I also put a grill guard on the front as a transition until I find a front bumper I want and have the funds for it. Then comes the lift for me. With the removal of running boards and rear bumper being put on at the same time for me, it changed the overall look and made it appear higher.

 

[masphx]

What year 4Runner is yours? A 99 vs 00 are very different stock lift wise. I have a 1998 4Runner. Not that I'm saying my sequence is right but I went sliders, tires, skids, front bumper and rear bumper. I still need a lift and I have been DD driving/ wheeling the last three years on the stock suspension! My firend who has a 2000 4Runner said he absolutely needed a lift when he first bought it. He still tells me I should keep my stock height but just buy new suspension. The advice you get and should follow depends on your stock ride height which differs from year to year.

 

[WILD MAN]

I've been looking at this bumper from Savage Off Road, It's adjustable so I can get a lift later if I want to.

Hybrid Front Winch Bumper with Grill Guard, 96-02 Toyota 4Runner

 

[xXsquintyeyesXx]

What year 4Runner is yours? A 99 vs 00 are very different stock lift wise. I have a 1998 4Runner. Not that I'm saying my sequence is right but I went sliders, tires, skids, front bumper and rear bumper. I still need a lift and I have been DD driving/ wheeling the last three years on the stock suspension! My firend who has a 2000 4Runner said he absolutely needed a lift when he first bought it. He still tells me I should keep my stock height but just buy new suspension. The advice you get and should follow depends on your stock ride height which differs from year to year.

mine runner is a 2002 Limited all stock except tires rims and radio. I don't remember what size my tires are but they are barely bigger than stock I think they are an inch wider than stock

 

[mxer]

Armor is a good investment. If you have enough protection, you can get over way more obstacles.

 

[vm_boy]

Lift/tires will get you further on the trails, but a new front bumper could also prevent tire rubbing a little bit. With your "mild offroading", I would probably get an OME lift, pizza cutter tires, and maybe some rock sliders if you want the piece of mind.

For what it's worth, I got rock sliders before anything else and I was able to follow people on the trails with stock everything else without any problems. The e-locker helps! :eyebrows:

 

[gamefreakgc]

Understand that nearly everything you do to that truck to make it more capable offroad will impact it's utility off-road. The guys that wheel their daily drivers tend to have very moderate builds, or a very high tolerance for crappy power, junk MPG, poor handling, and a lot of road noise :thumb:. But if you really want to slowly build the truck for offroad, you should put armor and recovery gear first. And I wouldn't start with the front bumper, unless you need a place to put a winch already. I'd start with sliders and skids, and then I'd put a rear bumper on, and then I'd worry about a front bumper. I wouldn't even think about lifts and tires and gears and lockers and shit until I had armor and recovery taken care of first, unless I really needed a suitable offroad tire, and then I'd find a set of used AT tires close to OEM size to get me through.

This is spot on. It seems like you might have need as far as safety goes for a new front bumper, but lift really won't do you much good for off-roading by itself. The lift is primary for putting on larger tires, which you hadn't mentioned if you were buying larger tires. Lift doesn't raise your axle or differentials so you're not actually gaining any extra clearance (those are the lowest points of the undercarriage). Armor is way more important since then you won't have to worry about mashing up your quarter panels or exhaust.

 

[xXsquintyeyesXx]

here is a pic of my 4runner with stock suspension and my old 33" or 35" tires. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/images/dto_garage/users/115763/11039t_1.jpg

IF the link doesnt work then its in the my garage are and its the pic where its sitting in a puddle of water. Running boards are currently back on it right now because dad said he was gonna toss them if i didnt put them back on a while back and I like to keep all my stock parts for vehicles so if i ever sell them