Economical lift w/o spacers
- Thread starter Falls
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hamiltonj2w1
New member
I would say just do the toytec topout spacer that is what I originally did on mine for about 3 months and then I just went ahead and lifted the whole thing. The toytec website says it gives you 3/4 of lift but it gives more like 1 1/2 the 4runner will still have some rake to it
Will733
New member
I'd go with 5100's...
It has improved the ride (No more nose diving) and lifted the front 1.75" making it appear perfectly level now.
Plus the price can't be much more than spacers. Total cost out the door after tax ($172), shipping($0), professional install($100), alignment($50) came to just $322.
I doubt the spacers would be much cheaper than that and wouldn't perform nearly as well as 5100's.
It has improved the ride (No more nose diving) and lifted the front 1.75" making it appear perfectly level now.
Plus the price can't be much more than spacers. Total cost out the door after tax ($172), shipping($0), professional install($100), alignment($50) came to just $322.
I doubt the spacers would be much cheaper than that and wouldn't perform nearly as well as 5100's.
4RunnerTrail
New member
When you run long shocks? will it work with the stock coils? aren't the coils matched to the height of the shock? curious what exactly preloading means. I'm guessing will stretch the coils to a different length thus changing the way they are suppose to ride.
i got this info from another thread from Toyotec employee. "The 5100's do preload the coil so they can firm up the ride. However the 5100's are much better than the stock shock and make the 4Runner handle better and brake dive less. You can also add the coilover kit to the 5100's later on if you want more lift"
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Will733
New member
You can use the 5100's to get .85", 1.75" or 2.5" of lift with the stock coils.
I went with 1.75" since the rear isn't lifted yet, but maybe sometime down the road I'll lift the rear an inch and then kick up the 5100's another notch to the 2.5" setting.
hamiltonj2w1
New member
Falls you should pm idrivet4r he had mentioned in a previous post when discussing lifts the problems he had with the 5100's after awhile. From what I remember he basically said after awhile from pre-loading the springs he started to notice the front of his tacoma starting to sag so he eventually replaced all if it with coilovers like on his trail. He could probably give you more info I am not sure what thread it came up in. I do think the bilsteins are good shocks not sure how I feel about pre-loading the spring like that or at all. I am not dogging anybody who has done this just think it is good to inform people I personally have no experience with these shocks so that why I said if your interested pm him or maybe he will chime in. So we don't start a war like in this other thread.
To 4runnertrail no pre-loading doesn't mean stretching your stock coil it compresses it more forcing it to firm up and put more pressure on it forcing it down thus creating your lift it works much like a spacer that goes on top of your coil spring except it creates the pressure from the bottom of the strut. The top out spacer I suggested doesn't create preload since it bolts to the top of the strut and doesn't put any pressure on the spring. But it keeps the stock ride and doesn't do anything for the brake dive like the 5100's do.
To 4runnertrail no pre-loading doesn't mean stretching your stock coil it compresses it more forcing it to firm up and put more pressure on it forcing it down thus creating your lift it works much like a spacer that goes on top of your coil spring except it creates the pressure from the bottom of the strut. The top out spacer I suggested doesn't create preload since it bolts to the top of the strut and doesn't put any pressure on the spring. But it keeps the stock ride and doesn't do anything for the brake dive like the 5100's do.
Will733
New member
No war? What's the fun in that? :uzi:
I doubt the shocks cause the springs to sag enough over time to settle back at the stock height... and even if it's close, just move it up to the next highest setting later or put on aftermarket springs then.
The overall reviews on the 5100's from 4th Gen, 5th Gen, Tacomas and FJ's are extremely positive, so I didn't have any worries about putting them on. Plus the stock shocks are pretty much garbage (look at all the complaints here regarding nose diving and floating around) so even if they settle in a bit over time, you'll still have a far better shock.
Correct me if I'm wrong here... but I think Nathan (idrivat4r) was talking about spending more money upfront this time around since he kept going back and tweaking his ride more and more and therefore didn't recommend leveling it again since he knew he'd just want more lift later on. I don't remember him saying he wasn't happy with 5100s on his Tacoma from too much sagging.
hamiltonj2w1
New member
Now that you mention it I think that is what he said it was awhile ago and I couldn't find the post. I thought he had mentioned sagging somewhere in the post? I could be wrong.
Will733
New member
Oh well... maybe I'll repost in this thread in a year or so complaining about sagging, but for now it looks and rides great.
Like any product, it's good to get feedback from users and there just hasn't been much negative feedback over the past few years on the 5100's. We'll see how they hold up overtime though, I guess.
Like any product, it's good to get feedback from users and there just hasn't been much negative feedback over the past few years on the 5100's. We'll see how they hold up overtime though, I guess.
