FJ Suspension Crossover ?

[4runr30]

i think you're missing the point, people, like me, put FJ suspension on 4th gen 4Runner's because it's an easy fix to greatly improve the ride, get a small lift in a ridiculously cheap way. them FJ owners are throwing them away anyway. i got all 4 corners of the OR package shocks and coils(assembled front, 3000 miles) for the price of 1 aftermarket Bilstein shock. because the front are all assembled, i didn't need to rent a coil compressor(very very dangerous tool), i was able to swap out in my driveway by myself. and the lift is minimal, i didn't pay or an alignment, either, it's just not need.

don't forget about warranty, a lot of the 4th gen's are still under factory warranty, if you have some drive line issues and need warranty work, when they jack it up see the aftermarket suspension, i'd bet my house the stealership will give you a whole pile of BS. but with all Toyota parts, not many yahoo's would know the are not original.

my 0.02

hey guys thanks for your posts. How much stiffer are the regular FJ shocks than the stock T4R shocks?? I have the rear FJ set up sitting in the garage with a DS 2.5 sitting next to it. The only reason I am going to an FJ set up is bc my t4r was wrecked by a precious owner and the rear shocks were replaced by a cheap/soft set up. I really want to go ahead with installing the rear components with the FJ set up but im afraid with the front being stock that the ride will suck. Should I wait to find another FJ front end or go ahead with what I have? Thanks

 

[4runr30]

Thats no good. Sorry to hear, and Id be pissed too. Ive been lucky with ebay, but you never know anymore. $38 for front struts is steep! UPS would probably be cheaper. My springs/shocks/struts (all 4 corners) weighed 42 pounds. Out of curiousity I calculated shipping on our UPS scale at work and that would cost $25 to be shipped to me from Washington. We get discounted postage obviously, but still sounds like hes asking too much or isnt doing something right. Either way its his mistake, that you shouldnt be responsible for.

Yeah I thought it was high too. Any how the guy refunded my money so im back to hunting down a set of front struts. Where did you find your set up?

 

[TC4Rnr]

hey guys thanks for your posts. How much stiffer are the regular FJ shocks than the stock T4R shocks?? I have the rear FJ set up sitting in the garage with a DS 2.5 sitting next to it. The only reason I am going to an FJ set up is bc my t4r was wrecked by a precious owner and the rear shocks were replaced by a cheap/soft set up. I really want to go ahead with installing the rear components with the FJ set up but im afraid with the front being stock that the ride will suck. Should I wait to find another FJ front end or go ahead with what I have? Thanks

shocks alone ain't gonna work, it's the coils which carry the weight, shocks are dampers. FJ rear coils have one extra wrap than 4Runner's. when the coils are sit free without any load, they are the exact same height. after they are installed on to your vehicle, the FJ coils compress less than stock 4Runner coils.

on the front coils, they have exact same number of wraps, but FJ coils are made of thicker wire. same height free standing, compress less when loaded.

the lift is only 3/4"-1" front and rear.

go ahead put yours on, shouldn't be any problem.

 

[4runr30]

shocks alone ain't gonna work, it's the coils which carry the weight, shocks are dampers. FJ rear coils have one extra wrap than 4Runner's. when the coils are sit free without any load, they are the exact same height. after they are installed on to your vehicle, the FJ coils compress less than stock 4Runner coils.

on the front coils, they have exact same number of wraps, but FJ coils are made of thicker wire. same height free standing, compress less when loaded.

the lift is only 3/4"-1" front and rear.

go ahead put yours on, shouldn't be any problem.

Thanks for the info TC. I will def be putting the lift and rear components on after work tomorrow!

 

[TC4Rnr]

since you are only doing the rear, try without the spacers. you can always add them on later.

 

[camdz]

Yeah I thought it was high too. Any how the guy refunded my money so im back to hunting down a set of front struts. Where did you find your set up?

fjcruiserforums.com

There are usually a few sets floating around over there. If not, you would probably get a quick response from a "want to buy" post.

 

[4runr30]

since you are only doing the rear, try without the spacers. you can always add them on later.

fjcruiserforums.com

There are usually a few sets floating around over there. If not, you would probably get a quick response from a "want to buy" post.

TC I thought about just doin the rears but im lazt and dont want to redo an install so im going to do it all at once. We will see what happens.

camdz I posted over there but havent gotten any hits. Im keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[TC4Rnr]

I got mine from FJC forum, I found a local seller ended up traded his suspension with my Dell 20" LCD screen which I tried to sell for $120 on craigslist without success.

Be patient and don't be a sucker who over pays.:redbrick:

don't be a chicken, the rear set up is piece of cake, one thing I want to tell you is to treat the nuts and bolts with PB blast, let it soak for couple days before you try to get them loose. broken bolts are not fun.

 

[Falls]

My 4th gen V8 got 1/2" all the way around with FJ full set up.

 

[4runr30]

Done

Well after 8.5 hrs I finally got the DS 2.5 and the FJ rear suspension done. It was the most frustrating install I have EVER done. Def would have helped to have had a partner. As far as ride goes it feels better than it did before and with a new set of BFG AT KO it should look pretty wicked come january. This is a crappy pic I snapped with my camera phone. Will get better ones tomorrow.

 

[nutjob]

FJ Suspension on 4 runner

Hey guys, this is my first post to the forum. I just wanted to give some insight on the whole FJ suspension swap. First of all I will tell you how I got my FJ suspension so maybe you can do the same. The toyota dealership where I live lifts new vehicles and sells them in order to make some more money. I went there one day and asked them what they do with the stock suspension and they said they have to trash it because they cannot use it for warranty work. I asked if I could have the next set of FJ suspension that they take off and they didn't mind at all. So with that being said, I have an 07 sport edition 4runner and I did the swap and also put the toytec 3'' leveling kit on it. Front: 3" Front Lift Spacer Kit -- CNC Machined From T-6 6061 Aluminum and Rear 1 1/2" coil spring spacers. I had the xreas suspension on my yota so it did get a little messy. No matter what anyone tells you, when you take those lines off hydraulic fluid WILL come out. So anyway, I took everything apart according to the toytec instructions on the website. Super easy! When I went to put the FJ shock on I could not get it into the lower shock assembly. Not a big deal though. What I did was take a BFH and and put it in the slot and pry the opening just a hair and then I was able to slide it in. With the back I had to use a spring compressor to get the fj springs in the back with the coil over on it. not a real big deal though. Other than that I also followed the toytec directions and everything went together fine. Key things to my installation going smooth: I was in a garage with a hydraulic lift, I had some BF pry bars to use for pushing the front lower a arm down to slide the shock in easily, and I had a helper. If you want to do this I say go for it. If you dont have someone to help you and a pry bar, I say your insane. I will be more than happy to help someone out that wants to attempt this. It really made my 4runner sit up higher and did away with that mushy shock feeling but the ride is still smooth. I tried to add a pic but could not get it to upload, sorry. Good Luck.

 

[nutjob]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/membe...e5050-4runner-after-lift-stock-rims-tires.jpg

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

Good deal, glad you're happy with the swap. Do you have measurements before/after? It looks like you got the 2010-2011 suspension, which will require slight modification to fit. 2007-2009's you don't have that problem, but you can't beat the deal you got!!!

 

[keitht253]

but you can't beat the deal you got!!!

Amen to that, I wish my local Toyota dealership did that! Where are you located, nutjob?

 

[nutjob]

Sorry for the major delayed response guys. I am located in fayetteville, NC. I am in the Army here and I was away for some time shortly after doing this lift which is why I didn't get a chance to respond. I did not take any measurements, sorry. The ride is still good though. I definitely recommend that if you can find a place that does lifts often, asking them when they lift an fj to save the old shocks for you. They seriously just trash them!