Heavyweight suspension help

[radog]

I think I’ve decided to go super heavy.. CBI steel everything front and rear bumper, skids, sliders.. front winch, all my various gear, a girl, a dog, plus a roof tent and 280lb me in the driver seat..

That being said, just looking for opinions on what to do for suspension for all that? Just want to make sure I’m not bottoming out too bad.. or would it be worth even going aluminum on the front bumper? That 70lb savings might just be a drop in the bucket with everything I’m doing.

 

[comtn4x4]

I think I’ve decided to go super heavy.. CBI steel everything front and rear bumper, skids, sliders.. front winch, all my various gear, a girl, a dog, plus a roof tent and 280lb me in the driver seat..

That being said, just looking for opinions on what to do for suspension for all that? Just want to make sure I’m not bottoming out too bad.. or would it be worth even going aluminum on the front bumper? That 70lb savings might just be a drop in the bucket with everything I’m doing.

The aluminum topic will get you lot's of opinions. I have run aluminum front bumper and full skids for years with no issues. You can search it here there's plenty of debate about it. There is an aluminum rear bumper available as well from Hefty Fabworks. I personally went steel, however, that was more due to design cues than aluminum vs steel.
You would need a 700# front coil regardless of choice of metals. Your rear coil would depend on your specific setup. I'd get in touch with Mike @Dobinson's. They have the most variety of rear coils and everyone seems to do well with their products. I run a variable rate coil and recommend that. Icon also makes a variable rate coil, however, I don't think it would do well with the kind of weight you are describing. OME also makes some heavy duty springs although I don't have experience with them.
You'll need 2.5" shocks/struts to manage that weight, probably remote reservoirs also, adjust ability would be nice for loaded vs. unloaded ride quality. There are plenty of good brands to think about, King, Fox, Radflo, Dobinson's, Eibach etc
I'd really recommend keeping your rig as light as possible. With the kind of weight your talking about you'll probably be exceeding the the GVWR for the 4Runner. Also probably need a re gear as well. 4:56 or 4:88. Tire size and weight will affect that also.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[scratchhax]

I have a warn semi hide front bumper (steel) with an EVO VR 10S winch, full skids all the way to the gas tank (aluminum) SSO sliders (steel) and a victory rear bumper and tire carrier (steel). On stock springs, it was pretty bad. Everything was sagging and loose. I went to an icon stage 3 and that helped a lot, but the rear springs were still a bit under load and saggy, so I'm adding the icon overland springs to the rear in 2 weeks. The front is great, no dip anymore and I can fit 33s with no issues at all. If you are going to go steel everything though, you are going to be around 200lbs over what I'm at before all the gear and I think you're talking some serious spring rate at that point. What you may want to consider are helper bags instead since I imagine you wont be fully loaded all the time. Firestone makes helper bags for the t4r and they are only around $150. I have a pair installed currently but haven't had to air them up yet because it's cold and dammit I'm a big baby that doesn't like to camp in the cold.

I think I’ve decided to go super heavy.. CBI steel everything front and rear bumper, skids, sliders.. front winch, all my various gear, a girl, a dog, plus a roof tent and 280lb me in the driver seat..

That being said, just looking for opinions on what to do for suspension for all that? Just want to make sure I’m not bottoming out too bad.. or would it be worth even going aluminum on the front bumper? That 70lb savings might just be a drop in the bucket with everything I’m doing.

 

[JA50N]

Adding all that weight doesn't leave much room for stuff. Make sure you take a look at your GVW and compare that to what you weigh after adding all the armor and stuff. You may not have any room left for passengers or gear. GVW is a rating based on things other than suspension capacity such as brakes, axle strength, transmission strength, etc.

 

[Charlievee]

Keto?

 

[yotantexas]

Allow my experience to help you in this.
Current set up is CBI steel front and rear with swingout and dual jerry can holder, full steel skids, Prinsu rack, and fridge.
I tried several springs and currently running the Dobinson 749 rear springs and highly recommend them. I ran some OME springs and they were too soft, swapped over to some very stiff Dobinson springs. While they handled the weight and rode fine they didnt flex very well. That is when I settled on the 749 springs and they seem just right for me.
As far as the front goes, I am running the heavier red springs on the Toytec BOSS set up. Full hoops on the bumper, winch with synthetic line and the front skid is aluminum. This is the only piece that is not steel. I have no issues with the front springs being too soft so I have not changed anything out from the Toytec offerings.