going for one 881/906 lift pretty soon

S

silver4est

New member
its a 2001 SR5, current hub to wide flare edge is:
FD 19.25
FP 19.5
RD 20.25
RP 20 7/8

Is that sagging a lot? I have no clue what original ride height is on 2001

Going with 881 front and 906 rear, 4runner specific Bilstein 5100 front and rear. I will get rear 10mm trim packers as well incase I need them.

I do not carry much weight at all, just sailing or kiteboarding gear which doesn't weigh much. Also tow an 18 foot Hobie Cat, boat and trailer weigh under 600, not sure tongue weight but it is easy to pick up and move around.

stock bumpers

My inner tie rods are seized according to mechanic, last alignment they could not be adjusted (steering wheel is crooked 15 degrees clockwise) but wheels are aligned within spec, could not straighten steering wheel because of inner tie rods.

I will replace inners with Napa premium, outers with oem
steering rack bushings if they appear bad or if rack has movement with Energy Suspension
sway bar end links and bushings front and rear. should I use polly bushings or oem rubber?

Will inspect and replace LBJ with toyota if needed.

anything else I should plan on like shock mounts, bump stops or anything?

what order should I do these things in?

truck has 169,000 miles on it, all from michigan. The frame looks really good for being a 16 year old michigan toyota, only rust spots are surface at the welds. I check everywhere I can reach regularly and poke and prod around, no soft spots. I know I should coat the frame this summer.
sad thing is, there is a 1" hole in the outer back driver side rocker, finger went through it a month ago. This makes me hesitant to put $1000 into suspension, but the rest of the truck is good. May just have to cut that rust out and have it patched, not a very noticeable location.

thoughts, opinions, advice are mucho appreciated. Will be doing work myself with my Audi tech buddy.

thanks!!

Forrest

oh I noticed when I was poking inside frame next to muffler that the color code on the rear pass spring is yellow/blue. all the springs look clean
is that the 2001 color for rears?
 
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I think your front measurements are about 3/4" lower than my '97, and I think that's about right. I know the '01/02 do sit a little lower. I think you could expect advertised lift height +3/4" for your final height. As for the rear, my 3.75" lift Superflex springs put me at 24" even(with center coil isolator/bump stops in). If the 906 are 2" lift(correct me if I'm remembering wrong), I think you should be able to expect a 2" gain in the rear. Your '01 rear seems to sit exactly where my '97 sat in the rear.
I went with Energy Suspension rack bushings, but honestly, I wish I would have just gone OEM. I think OEM new would work just as well- or better- than the poly, and is probably higher quality.
I also did Whiteline LCA bushings. I have no squeaks from them, but I think I gained some road noise.
If I were to do it again, I would use as much OEM parts as I could. I think the OEM bushings are the best option for MOST 4Runner owners. Maybe some people abuse their rigs to an extreme level that the rubber wouldn't tolerate, but I would even be hesitant to buy off on that. Just curious- why are you using NAPA for the inners instead of Genuine?
 
the toyota inner tie rods are twice the price of the Napa. From what I have read, using after market inners is fine, but OEM for outers is recommended.

Do Bilstein shocks come with new shock bushings yes?

Do you have to remove the lower control arm to do the control are bushings?

I have a slight loose knocking sound when Im driving on bumpy 2 tracks. I don't recall feeling it in the steering wheel at all.

My front sway bar link bushings are shot and I'm pretty positive my shocks are dead.

could one or both of those things be the cause for the knocking/clunking sound on bumps?
 
I just replaced my 906s with 890s after six years of what I thought was a typical "firm ride". The difference between the 906 and 890 (lower spring rate, taller coil) is NIGHT AND DAY. 906s were great when loaded with 400lbs or more. Any less and the ride was harsh and ridgid. 890s with no weight compress so much more easily. The rear end is smooth now. Just something to consider. 890s with the rubber jounce put me at 22.75 in the rear. Just thought I'd pass on the info.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
Non oem inners will last less than 30k miles on michogan roads. And if you did all the required reading you would know your statment is backwards. Oem inners always. Camelbacktoyota or toyota dallas.
 
With 881's up front and 906's you might end up with a slight reverse rake. I would throw one or two 10mm spacers under each rear bump stop.

There are a few of us who are running 906 with 5100's and the ride is not harsh at all.
 
How much weight are you running. All I know is I spent 6 years with 906s and when I swapped them out for 890s the ride was significantly smoother.

Agree on 10mm spacers. You'll need if you go with 906s

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rallypoint_1 said:
With 881's up front and 906's you might end up with a slight reverse rake. I would throw one or two 10mm spacers under each rear bump stop.

There are a few of us who are running 906 with 5100's and the ride is not harsh at all.
Click to expand...

Sorry Bro..running 906 and 5100's. Damn thing skips all over the place!!!

Edit: I was pretty lit up when I typed that....it skips around on washboard and rough roads more than I like.
 
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silver4est said:
the toyota inner tie rods are twice the price of the Napa. From what I have read, using after market inners is fine, but OEM for outers is recommended.



Do Bilstein shocks come with new shock bushings yes?



Do you have to remove the lower control arm to do the control are bushings?



I have a slight loose knocking sound when Im driving on bumpy 2 tracks. I don't recall feeling it in the steering wheel at all.



My front sway bar link bushings are shot and I'm pretty positive my shocks are dead.



could one or both of those things be the cause for the knocking/clunking sound on bumps?
Click to expand...

I'm surprised [MENTION=119226]reelamin[/MENTION] didn't take the bait!
They might be twice the price, but they'll last- at least- twice as long. Just something to consider- especially if you aren't planning on selling the rig in the foreseeable future.
Bilstein rear shocks come with all new bushings, but the fronts do not. Wheelers sells front shock bushings.
Yes- you definitely need to remove the LCA to replace the bushings. They are pressed in, but can be done at home fairly easily.
I'm certain your knocking noises is from your front sway bar bushings being shot. Replacing those will make your front end feel SO much tighter and nice to drive! I know from recent experience [emoji41]
If you don't plan on carrying extra weight often, and enjoy a softer ride, I would encourage you to consider the 890 rear coils instead of the 906. They would be a better match for the front coils anyway.
 
rallypoint_1 said:
With 881's up front and 906's you might end up with a slight reverse rake. I would throw one or two 10mm spacers under each rear bump stop.
Click to expand...

I never ran into this problem, but it's easy enough to throw spacers in if you start sagging after a while. I didn't mind the ride of my 906s at all. They are slightly stiff (probably just because I paired them with OME shocks), but the ride never bothered me.

I just swapped my 906s for 891s anticipating a sleeping platform or RTT in the future. Shoot me a PM if you want the 906s; I haven't had any hits locally.
 
Tyler James Inc said:
I'm surprised [MENTION=119226]reelamin[/MENTION] didn't take the bait!
They might be twice the price, but they'll last- at least- twice as long. Just something to consider- especially if you aren't planning on selling the rig in the foreseeable future.
Bilstein rear shocks come with all new bushings, but the fronts do not. Wheelers sells front shock bushings.
Yes- you definitely need to remove the LCA to replace the bushings. They are pressed in, but can be done at home fairly easily.
I'm certain your knocking noises is from your front sway bar bushings being shot. Replacing those will make your front end feel SO much tighter and nice to drive! I know from recent experience [emoji41]
If you don't plan on carrying extra weight often, and enjoy a softer ride, I would encourage you to consider the 890 rear coils instead of the 906. They would be a better match for the front coils anyway.
Click to expand...


I was just thinking the same thing regarding [MENTION=119226]reelamin[/MENTION] haha since he is best friends with Bilstein customer service :clap2:
 
aontkos said:
I didn't mind the ride of my 906s at all. They are slightly stiff (probably just because I paired them with OME shocks), but the ride never bothered me.
Click to expand...
Like every shock/spring discussion- it's largely subjective, and what one guy might think is "rigid/harsh", another guy might say it's just "firm, but not bad".
I was only basing my advise on what people have said- not actual 906 experience. That said, I've seen pictures of 906 with and without a trailer, and there was virtually no sag. That says- to me- they're a fairly HD spring.
My Superflex and 5100 are a perfect balance of comfort and handling, yet [MENTION=119226]reelamin[/MENTION] says his 906 and 5100 are dang near rigid! I wish I had all the springs and shocks at my disposal, so I could compare each spring with various shocks myself. Hearing all these opinions about springs and shocks is enough to make a guy crazy [emoji23]
 
Well, I haven't tested all of them but I have first hand experience with 906s and 890s (both with less than 100lbs of cargo), and the only way I can describe the difference was that after I swapped the 890s in, it felt like my rear axle disappeared. I couldn't feel it anymore over the bumps I was used to bracing myself for. To each their own, and if the intention is to carry some weight, the 906s handle it very well. If unloaded is the way you're driving the truck, the difference in spring rates makes a huge difference in the ride, IMO.

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reelamin said:
Sorry Bro..running 906 and 5100's. Damn thing skips all over the place!!!
Click to expand...

Maybe you should elaborate on this. What do you mean by "Damn thing skips all over the place"?
On washboard roads around corners or what?
Bilstein has a pretty respected name for themselves in the performance suspension market, but when it comes down to it, the 5100 is still a pretty cheap shock. We throw 5100's on our rigs with a huge range of springs- with rates across the spectrum- and expect them to perform well. On top of that, we expect them to perform well on the highway, off-road, and everywhere in between.
I think the 5100 is about the cheapest "performance"(non-OEM replacement) available, so I think our expectations of the shock are pretty dang high.
 
I already have 906 sitting in garage. How much higher would 890 be in comparison?
I could sell the 906 and go with 890 instead. I thought people where happy with the 4Runner 5100 and 906 pair.

Thanks for the heads up on the front shocks not including bushings!
 
I think the problem is that he recently put these on the truck. They can be a little stiff while they break in. After about 1,000 miles or so I think he'll like the ride better.

Tyler James Inc said:
Maybe you should elaborate on this. What do you mean by "Damn thing skips all over the place"?
On washboard roads around corners or what?
Bilstein has a pretty respected name for themselves in the performance suspension market, but when it comes down to it, the 5100 is still a pretty cheap shock. We throw 5100's on our rigs with a huge range of springs- with rates across the spectrum- and expect them to perform well. On top of that, we expect them to perform well on the highway, off-road, and everywhere in between.
I think the 5100 is about the cheapest "performance"(non-OEM replacement) available, so I think our expectations of the shock are pretty dang high.
Click to expand...
 
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