Guinea Pig Needed for Rear Suspension Lift Testing

[absalom]

Hi all, I've been working with a vendor to develop some 1" rear lift springs for the 120 platform. I've got the prototypes in hand, and am now looking for a suitable candidate to install them on.

I've had amazing luck with this vendor's offerings lately, and have a lot of satisfied customers because of their development efforts. This project has been a pet project for me as I saw the opportunity for this level of lift in this market segment.

Criteria to be considered:

- Stock 5th gen without KDSS
- Lifting front at same time (I can make recommendations)
- Close to, or willing to drive to Denver area
- Patience while I take necessary measurements before/after and do some gentle road testing to check for interference and verify ride quality

Cost to you? You'll just pay for the labor - the springs are my gift to you!

Timeline? Not before 9/20 - preferably towards the end of the month and possibly the beginning of next month.

Interested? Text me (Jordan) at 303.7(four)6.9938 and we can discuss potential next steps.

 

[flyrv9]

You can't be serious charging someone labor (you don't even say how much) who is willing to donate their 4Runner for your science project! Really?

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

You can't be serious charging someone labor (you don't even say how much) who is willing to donate their 4Runner for your science project! Really?

What is wrong with the OP asking for a test rig and offering to give the rear springs away for free? Why should he have to bear the cost of installing the front and rear lift?

Did you bother to ask the OP if he was doing the install or are they are going to a 3rd party shop? No you did not.

Did you ask what the labor costs might be? No you did not.

Even if the OP is doing the install, so what - Regardless time is money, everything has a cost.

 

[Akkording]

More than likely it will be him doing the work based on his signature links. I'm curious what his project has to offer. Good luck OP, I hope it works out for you.
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/277641-need-suspension-work-denver.html#post3357135

 

[flyrv9]

Nothing wrong with asking. If someone is willing to take a chance - rock on. It just seems lame to me. OP wants a donor vehicle for his science project with an un-named vendor. What happens if this goes bad and damages result? Seems to me if they were serious, they would acquire their own test vehicle; instead of asking for one. I would also expect more information about the vendor and the process. Seems rather vague to me.

I don't care who does the install - so I didn't ask. I don't care what the costs may be - so I didn't ask. Lots of red flags here I think. But hey - feel free to donate your rig.

 

[bakerb87]

FWIW - OP installed my suspension a month or so back. He's a great dude and did a great job. Knows his stuff in and around Toyota off road vehicles. I'd trust him to do more work for me, or this project if I had a stock Runner

 

[absalom]

Nothing wrong with asking. If someone is willing to take a chance - rock on. It just seems lame to me. OP wants a donor vehicle for his science project with an un-named vendor. What happens if this goes bad and damages result? Seems to me if they were serious, they would acquire their own test vehicle; instead of asking for one. I would also expect more information about the vendor and the process. Seems rather vague to me.

I don't care who does the install - so I didn't ask. I don't care what the costs may be - so I didn't ask. Lots of red flags here I think. But hey - feel free to donate your rig.

Why so skeptical? Science project, ha what? These springs are based on the extremely successful 2” lift coils, just modified slightly in their free height to provide slightly less lift.

I’m giving away free springs and asking for a small sum just to cover cost of labor but you complain? I love the 120 platform and thought the community would benefit from another option. I stand to gain nothing from this project...

(Well, I guess I stand to gain a whopping $80 for spring install, which if you count against the hours I’ve put into this project still puts me in the red.)

 

[flyrv9]

I got your private message - any discussion involving me on this topic will be done here for everyone to see. Although I think it's lame to charge someone a labor fee for helping you with your project - perhaps that's just me.

However, you propose to alter the suspension of a vehicle with your new springs. Springs you mention little about. Springs that could fail with a serious outcome. Are you an engineer? Do you know what you are doing? Who is this vendor? What kind of reputation and experience to they have with vehicles and springs? What kind of testing program do you propose and how are you going to determine your springs pass or fail? Are you going to instrument these parts and record data to analyze to answer these and other questions?

All I know at this point is that you want a free 4Runner to install and test your springs on. I have to come to you and you are going to charge me labor. I don't know how long all this will take. I don't know who will be liable for damages if any. Also I get to keep the springs if I want. Do I pay labor if I want my original springs reinstalled? Seems to me you have provided very little specific information; yet you want someone to supply a 40K 4Runner for your project. Does that seem a little strange to you?

 

[absalom]

I got your private message - any discussion involving me on this topic will be done here for everyone to see. Although I think it's lame to charge someone a labor fee for helping you with your project - perhaps that's just me.

However, you propose to alter the suspension of a vehicle with your new springs. Springs you mention little about. Springs that could fail with a serious outcome. Are you an engineer? Do you know what you are doing? Who is this vendor? What kind of reputation and experience to they have with vehicles and springs? What kind of testing program do you propose and how are you going to determine your springs pass or fail? Are you going to instrument these parts and record data to analyze to answer these and other questions?

All I know at this point is that you want a free 4Runner to install and test your springs on. I have to come to you and you are going to charge me labor. I don't know how long all this will take. I don't know who will be liable for damages if any. Also I get to keep the springs if I want. Do I pay labor if I want my original springs reinstalled? Seems to me you have provided very little specific information; yet you want someone to supply a 40K 4Runner for your project. Does that seem a little strange to you?

You’re coming from a negative place and I’m surprised. These aren’t springs I’m selling or even making a dime on. I’m simply a student engineer attempting a career change, and took this on as part of a design project as a part of class.

I partnered with a vendor to implement some of what we are learning in our courses. They were gracious enough to hear my design requests and agreed that there is an opportunity for another height offering in their lineup.

I will not suffer your unnecessary insults and unfair skepticism any further, nor the hiding behind the keyboard behavior. If you, or any other forum members, have any further questions or requests for information on my design project for school, I would love the opportunity to walk those parties through all the details. I have nothing to hide, nothing to profit from, and am only seeking to bolster my skills and knowledge as a fledgling engineer.

Regarding my charging labor. I am a mechanic (focusing only on suspension) on the side, and it’s allowing me to maintain a roof over my young family’s heads and put myself through school. The $80 fee was simply put in place to discourage folks who aren’t interested in the science from simply reselling the springs after the fact.

My phone is on and waiting .... 303-746–993eight.

 

[spartacus]

He is a student engineer with a family. let the man do his job. If you are not interested you don't have to take up his offer, for those that are go ahead and contact him.

 

[flyrv9]

Well it seems that you have still left a several questions unanswered. However, you did provide some info - i'll give you that. As a student engineer, are you to the point in your studies where you do research based first on one or more hypothesis's? If so, then you know it's standard practice to state such in the negative, right? Negative place - nope - just cautious.

I think you would have been better off stating the whole story in the first place, instead of being vague. You still haven't provided enough info as far as I'm concerned; but perhaps you have a few offers by now. Charging labor because you are a poor student doesn't fly - sorry.

I hope this project works out for you; but i feel you are approaching it in the wrong manner. There are several other ways you could have done it - with (I think) better results.

 

[absalom]

Well it seems that you have still left a several questions unanswered. However, you did provide some info - i'll give you that. As a student engineer, are you to the point in your studies where you do research based first on one or more hypothesis's? If so, then you know it's standard practice to state such in the negative, right? Negative place - nope - just cautious.

I think you would have been better off stating the whole story in the first place, instead of being vague. You still haven't provided enough info as far as I'm concerned; but perhaps you have a few offers by now. Charging labor because you are a poor student doesn't fly - sorry.

I hope this project works out for you; but i feel you are approaching it in the wrong manner. There are several other ways you could have done it - with (I think) better results.

Please leave my thread ... Not sure how else to ask nicely.

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

So in short you have nothing constructive to offer the OP or the discussion other then to shit all over his idea. Classy AF.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

I think we are all getting alittle heated here! Easy now!

I think some folks are just used to not having to pay anything to test stuff IE Eibach and their new spring. But I could be wrong..not entirely sure of the details on how they went about that.

Anyways, wish you the best of luck on your project!

 

[absalom]

I think we are all getting alittle heated here! Easy now!

I think some folks are just used to not having to pay anything to test stuff IE Eibach and their new spring. But I could be wrong..not entirely sure of the details on how they went about that.

Anyways, wish you the best of luck on your project!

Very fair feedback and much appreciated! I’ve honestly never tested a prototype product on the open market. My main fear was that someone seeing “free springs” and just taking the springs without me getting to obtain the necessary measurements and resulting engineering learning. I definitely don’t have deep corporate pockets and only have the single pair.

At the end of the day, $80 is a pretty small sum of money and if the right candidate came along I’d probably consider waiving the labor cost. I guess I viewed it as an “adoption fee” that folks use when rehoming dogs.

But again, the bringing to market aspect of this is very new to me and I absolutely welcome the constructive feedback. Thanks!

 

[08TxRunner]

OP, if you are not really 14 years old you should change the info in your account page. Look under your avatar - it says you are 14 next to "age."

I do think the question about liability for any damage is a fair one.

 

[absalom]

OP, if you are not really 14 years old you should change the info in your account page. Look under your avatar - it says you are 14 next to "age."

I do think the question about liability for any damage is a fair one.

Good point re: liability. I'm not quite sure how to fully address that. Rear springs are pretty benign and have a somewhat safe (safer than other components) failure mode. But just like anything else in life, success isn't 100% guaranteed. I suppose whoever volunteered would have to be ok signing a simple waiver.

About the age, I'm 34 and I never even recall inputting my age when signing up, so I'm not sure where "14" came from!

 

[08TxRunner]

No sweat man. I think the 14 is what prompted the earlier "book report" comment.

With respect to liability, it's more than just a failure of the spring. What if the truck is in an accident while road testing? The paint is scratched during install? You see where this is going. There's probably not a lot of people willing to loan out their truck if the answer about accidental damage is "Sucks to be you." As I said I think it's a fair question to ask.

 

[absalom]

No sweat man. I think the 14 is what prompted the earlier "book report" comment.

With respect to liability, it's more than just a failure of the spring. What if the truck is in an accident while road testing? The paint is scratched during install? You see where this is going. There's probably not a lot of people willing to loan out their truck if the answer about accidental damage is "Sucks to be you." As I said I think it's a fair question to ask.

Obviously my response to whoever decides to go with this path won't be "sucks to be you", nor has that been my response for the dozens of trucks I've worked on before this.

The offer is still open to those who would like a free set of springs! My time is dwindling though, and I'll only be able to offer these for the next 3 weeks before I leave the state and eventually the country.