Disappointed In Rear ToyTec "Long Travel" 5100's

Tyler James Inc

Senior Member
After installing my Superflex springs and 5100's from ToyTec, I did some back yard flexing to see how clearance was, and also to see how much I need to lower my bumps.
I was disappointed when my 5100's bumped out before my "35's" (315/70R17 K02) even came close to tucking- or even hitting the quarter/flare for that matter.
I understand I have more droop, and I also understand you have to compromise somewhere if you're using stock mounting locations.
But I figured running a pretty big tire, I would still be able to stuff it pretty well.
Now- not wanting to ruin my shocks by bumping them out too hard- I'll have to put bump stops in to stop my up travel much shorter of where I was hoping.
Droop is cool, but I'm more into stuffing the tire up as far as the body allows, and running bumps to limit body interference- not suspension limitations.
Here is a before pic with stock rear shocks-
3652ed86fc47b2228d895630cd360824.jpg

Touching the quarter in that pic.
And here's with the new shocks-
f84d0859bfe520f16836aff8517d13e3.jpg

With sway bars front and rear-
f01e4d969f4864cfe5af2ad46801f5f5.jpg

And the real reason the ramp was setup-
75fca331dd6facc5a202faa92a7506b9.jpg


Am I the only one surprised by the uptravel loss?
I lost about 2" of uptravel at the edge of the tire(not actual shock travel, obviously).
 
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Am I the only one surprised by the uptravel loss?
I lost about 2" of uptravel at the edge of the tire(not actual shock travel, obviously).

yes, you might be the only one surprised. its basically a longer shock no? a longer shock means more travel but longer body which means its compressed measurement is longer than stock. sweet rig tho
 
Isnt the "Toytec" long travel 5100s just 4th gen 4runner shocks?

I also was not able to find them for sale on toytec, was looking for specs on them.
 
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Isnt the "Toytec" long travel 5100s just 4th gen 4runner shocks?

I also was not able to find them for sale on toytec, was looking for specs on them.

That's my understanding after talking with SS when I purchased his rear only lift a couple years ago. The bilstein 33-187147 is a rear shock option he offers for his 3rd gen lift kits meant for a 3+ inch lift. To his knowledge, that same shock was re-branded by bilstein for Toytec as their 3rd gen long travel rear shock which is why the 33-187174 markings are not on Toytec's version. The specs of bilstein 33-187174 & Toytec's bilstein rear long travel are allegedly the same. Bilstein 33-187174 are also used as a 0-2" rear lift shock options for 4th & 5th gen 4runners as well as FJ cruisers if I remember correctly.
 
yes, you might be the only one surprised. its basically a longer shock no? a longer shock means more travel but longer body which means its compressed measurement is longer than stock. sweet rig tho

Yeah, that's why I said I know you can only do so much if you're using the stock mounting.
But I don't know how close the stocks were to being full bumped in the pic with my tire stuffed.
Buy I would expect the frame mounted bump stop would hit right before the stock shock hit full bump.
So, say my housing is 3" from hitting the frame bump when my tire hit the quarter. With my last assumption, I should have ~2"+ of shock travel still. So, if the new shock was 2" longer bodied, I would be able to stuff the same, but have 2" more droop- you follow?

>Truck flexes like a beast, almost as well as his dedicated trail rig.

Haha I have nothing to whine about, I just like to be able to stuff the tire. Just a silly thing i get caught up on. I built the '85 in the pic, and it stuffs the 42's pretty good for not being linked. I like to be as low as possible with as big of tire possible. Stable with ground clearance. Just my personal preference.

are you running sway bars? would that haven any effect?

I am; front and rear.
That will affect my flexibility, but not my rear up travel. Does that make sense?

Isnt the "Toytec" long travel 5100s just 4th gen 4runner shocks?

I also was not able to find them for sale on toytec, was looking for specs on them.

I got them from a buddy that has a 4WD shop here, and is a ToyTec dealer.
The shocks are an add on option on the Superflex coil page.
 
I have a pile of Toytec stuff in the corner of my garage. The final and absolutely best rear suspension setup for ride and travel that I came across is the Sonoran Steel package. I learned the hard way.
 
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Agree with above advice. Can't go wrong with tokicos either. Love them. Do have bump stops lowered also.
 
Same thing here, I used a Sonoran Steel lift kit. He stopped using the 5100 shocks in them and instead supplies some stock Tokico shocks (from an FJ80?) instead because they seem to last longer. (We were rather disappointed in the lifespan of the 5100's my wife put on hers, 30 - 40K miles and they were leaking oil already?).

The kit comes with a rear bump stop spacer that puts it downward about 2 - 3 inches. This isn't really a problem, because I have 33" tires as well, so they'd be rubbing in the rear fenders without this.
 
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Same thing here, I used a Sonoran Steel lift kit. He stopped using the 5100 shocks in them and instead supplies some stock Tokico shocks (from an FJ80?) instead because they seem to last longer. (We were rather disappointed in the lifespan of the 5100's my wife put on hers, 30 - 40K miles and they were leaking oil already?).

The kit comes with a rear bump stop spacer that puts it downward about 2 - 3 inches. This isn't really a problem, because I have 33" tires as well, so they'd be rubbing in the rear fenders without this.

They are FJ coils and shocks in that kit. I ran them without bump stops and my 33s didn't rub but shocks could over compress so his bump stops lower 3 1/4". I get way more up travel than op with those shocks. Never knew they did that with the 4th gen shocks. Also didn't know ss stopped selling them as an option. We don't have much rear shock options for long rear coils anymore.
 
The stock mud flaps were limiting my up travel, looks to be about the same amount. Once I removed them I can stuff the tires like an Oreo. Check for contact on the mudflap area while at max stuffage, or just remove the 3 bolts per side from the bumper and stuff the wheel wells again.
 
Same thing here, I used a Sonoran Steel lift kit. He stopped using the 5100 shocks in them and instead supplies some stock Tokico shocks (from an FJ80?) instead because they seem to last longer. (We were rather disappointed in the lifespan of the 5100's my wife put on hers, 30 - 40K miles and they were leaking oil already?).

The kit comes with a rear bump stop spacer that puts it downward about 2 - 3 inches. This isn't really a problem, because I have 33" tires as well, so they'd be rubbing in the rear fenders without this.

Not true. Lots of people with 5100 and more miles then that. Maybe another factor was the cause.
 
Its usually when people dont install bump stops and they keep over compressing them.

She has the extended bump stops (3" bump stop spacer). They shouldn't have been overcompressing.

I think Steve must have gotten some bad feedback on the 5100's because he is no longer speccing them in his 1.2 lift kit:

1996-2002 - System 1.2 - $1,365.00 : Sonoran Steel, Sonoran Steel Custom Metal Fabrication L.L.C. Custom Toyota Truck Parts

It will take a while to see of the OEM Tokico's last longer in the same usage.
 
I think the Tokico's would have been a better choice for me personally. I'd rather sacrifice droop for compression.
It's also strange that they(TT) made the driver spring taller to compensate for "lean", yet when I filled my tank for the first time, the driver side was so much more noticeably softer, I actually pulled over to see if my shock was loose, as it felt like it wasn't even halfway as effective as the passenger.
I didn't notice the driver side being super soft with the 99 tall springs and 250k mile stock shocks.
I know the taller coil doesn't mean higher spring rate, but- with a full tank- it just seemed so uneven, it almost felt sketchy to drive(hence why I pulled over).



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm all about the droop! I'm definitely willing to sacrifice a little compression to get more droop. Here is mine with front and rear sway bars connected, I just put longer endlinks on the rear. Can you post a picture from the other side when it is at full stuff? I'm interested to see your bump stop setup and where your shock is at. And you think you can feel the difference in spring height while you're driving? That's nuts! Maybe I need to pay more attention, but I've never noticed the difference with my 851's.

_MG_6171_zpse0c9e4e4.jpg~original
 
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