Height differences between years

[UARandy3]

Lately I've started looking into the differences between the different coils from year to year as well as the differences between 4wd vs 2wd (since mine's a 2000 2wd). I have been considering getting the SS System 3 to have the 99 coils and bc I need new shocks soon anyways.

BUT, what I'm wondering is if anyone has measurements from the ground to the fender so I can get a better idea of the different heights between 99's and 00's 4wds so I can compare to my 2wd. TIA.

Randy

 

[JohnsD90]

im pretty sure theizzardking hast a pic of the spring sizes differences between 4 of the years

 

[UARandy3]

im pretty sure theizzardking hast a pic of the spring sizes differences between 4 of the years

I've seen the comparison between all the years from Sonoran Steel's website....but it's a little tough to translate that to the actual differences in height. So I'm more concerned with the heights from the ground to the fender so I can measure against my own ride to get a better idea of the difference. I'm trying to get a better idea about the difference firstly between 2000 4wd vs 2wd and then 99 vs 00.

My brain is starting to hurt haha. And this site is going to hurt my wallet even worse.

 

[JohnsD90]

I've seen the comparison between all the years from Sonoran Steel's website....but it's a little tough to translate that to the actual differences in height. So I'm more concerned with the heights from the ground to the fender so I can measure against my own ride to get a better idea of the difference. I'm trying to get a better idea about the difference firstly between 2000 4wd vs 2wd and then 99 vs 00.

My brain is starting to hurt haha. And this site is going to hurt my wallet even worse.

this site also saves your wallet, we not only give you the ideas, but cheaper ways to do them.

 

[shawnstcyr]

Are you wanting to gain height for cosmetic reasons, or to offroad?

 

[UARandy3]

Are you wanting to gain height for cosmetic reasons, or to offroad?

A little bit of both. I'm trying to keep it as practical as possible since I commute 30 miles each way every day....which is why I'm having a hard time justifying 285's vs 265/75s. However, I do get off the pavement occasionally and basically every weekend from around Thanksgiving til the end of January since that's deer season here in AL.
I am looking for more height to fit a larger, more aggressive tire esp since we have a lot of clay and mud down here. I know 4wd can fit a 265/75 stock with little to no problems, but according to Sonoran Steel's site, 2wd sits an inch lower than the same year 4wd.....but I want some real world measurements before I take that as fact bc a lot of people I know say mine seems bigger than other 4wd ones. Could be from the visual affect from the lack of running boards, who knows.
I'm guessing you asked bc if for cosmetic reasons, a spacer kit may be sufficient but for more offroad articulation and what not, a coil kit would be best, right?

 

[theizzardking]

pic of stock springs
http://www.sonoransteel.com/Thumb_4Runner_Front_Coils.JPG

linky cause it's huge
from "the man's" site
http://www.sonoransteel.com/store_complete_liftkits.html

 

[theizzardking]

A little bit of both. I'm trying to keep it as practical as possible since I commute 30 miles each way every day....which is why I'm having a hard time justifying 285's vs 265/75s. However, I do get off the pavement occasionally and basically every weekend from around Thanksgiving til the end of January since that's deer season here in AL.
I am looking for more height to fit a larger, more aggressive tire esp since we have a lot of clay and mud down here. I know 4wd can fit a 265/75 stock with little to no problems, but according to Sonoran Steel's site, 2wd sits an inch lower than the same year 4wd.....but I want some real world measurements before I take that as fact bc a lot of people I know say mine seems bigger than other 4wd ones. Could be from the visual affect from the lack of running boards, who knows.
I'm guessing you asked bc if for cosmetic reasons, a spacer kit may be sufficient but for more offroad articulation and what not, a coil kit would be best, right?

i know where your coming from but the numbers you want don't exists,
the real world heights would be different on almost every vehicle depending on load and sag and how much weight difference in each rode from teh factory, just use the stock numbers provided above as when you go to buy your lift the advertised "lift" for each ride is based on the averaged stock dimensions for that year or model "3rd gen" if you have a '99 or a 2wd you know you need to either add or subtract and inch from the advertised ride height increase.

just search around here you'll see guys with the same year and same lift but still have a difference of a 1/4 inch or more.
for the 4runner.

i understand dropping cash makes you nervous and want to know what your getting before it gets on there, but it's one of those things that you just have to get the most and best information you can and pull the trigger, i'm still crapping my pants on which lift to get, as even i've heard people having completely different ride qualities between same lifts and same years with all the same components.

or am i wrong here? i don't think there is any empirical data on ride heights for real world uses.

 

[shawnstcyr]

A little bit of both. I'm trying to keep it as practical as possible since I commute 30 miles each way every day....which is why I'm having a hard time justifying 285's vs 265/75s. However, I do get off the pavement occasionally and basically every weekend from around Thanksgiving til the end of January since that's deer season here in AL.
I am looking for more height to fit a larger, more aggressive tire esp since we have a lot of clay and mud down here. I know 4wd can fit a 265/75 stock with little to no problems, but according to Sonoran Steel's site, 2wd sits an inch lower than the same year 4wd.....but I want some real world measurements before I take that as fact bc a lot of people I know say mine seems bigger than other 4wd ones. Could be from the visual affect from the lack of running boards, who knows.
I'm guessing you asked bc if for cosmetic reasons, a spacer kit may be sufficient but for more offroad articulation and what not, a coil kit would be best, right?

Exactly.

 

[UARandy3]

that seems to make sense about the variability between rides. After thinking about that, I would imagine that spring height/sag on vehicles of this age could vary significantly based mileage, terrain they drive on, weight carried on a consistent basis, towing, etc.
I suppose that could be a part of why mine seems to be a little taller than some others....i had a buddy that has the same year in 4wd and he swears mine looks bigger (maybe i should try to contact him for some measurements just to see).

It says on the SS site:
RAW DATA: This kit lifted a 2001 2WD 4Runner 2 5/8" over stock. 1996-97 4WD 1" lift, 2000-02 4WD 1" lift, 1998 4WD 1/2" or so lift, 1999 4WD no lift.
So based on that, I would assume that System 3 would get me a little over 2" (since the 01 is supposed to be a little shorter than the 00). But then again, the variability haha. Hmmmmm :shrug:

 

[theizzardking]

that seems to make sense about the variability between rides. After thinking about that, I would imagine that spring height/sag on vehicles of this age could vary significantly based mileage, terrain they drive on, weight carried on a consistent basis, towing, etc.
I suppose that could be a part of why mine seems to be a little taller than some others....i had a buddy that has the same year in 4wd and he swears mine looks bigger (maybe i should try to contact him for some measurements just to see).

It says on the SS site:
RAW DATA: This kit lifted a 2001 2WD 4Runner 2 5/8" over stock. 1996-97 4WD 1" lift, 2000-02 4WD 1" lift, 1998 4WD 1/2" or so lift, 1999 4WD no lift.
So based on that, I would assume that System 3 would get me a little over 2" (since the 01 is supposed to be a little shorter than the 00). But then again, the variability haha. Hmmmmm :shrug:

yeah exactly....still crapping my pants.... lol
it gets kind of confusing but once you figure it out it all makes sense, even though you may or may not get the advertised ride height, and as far as wheel clearance issues go again that's another one of those things depends on the offset tire size by brand as bfg's 33's and terra 33's aren't the same one may be 32.75 and the other may be 33.12 or something to that effect.

my advise is to just buy the best lift you can for what you can afford, and by best i mean by components not by height, and put that on there get the tires you want and put them on if you don;t have the height you need throw some spacers on there and if you don't have the off set you need throw some wheel spacers on there, you're building a system here so do it right but be prepared for a little dead blow action or maybe needing to add some sort of spacer.

let me just say, i'm no expert and my advice is to be reflected upon and not taken as gospel, i just hope it all works out for you and between all of us here we can find a good solution for you.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

It's best to get a measurment from the center of the wheel to the fender lip since that eliminates the tire size in the equation. I'll measure mine and get back to you shortly but from ground to fender lip with my Nittos and new Duratracs I have a little over 36" in the rear and right at 36" up front with my factory taller coils.

 

[UARandy3]

It's best to get a measurment from the center of the wheel to the fender lip since that eliminates the tire size in the equation. I'll measure mine and get back to you shortly but from ground to fender lip with my Nittos and new Duratracs I have a little over 36" in the rear and right at 36" up front with my factory taller coils.

I measured mine from the ground and I got 33 1/2" in the front and 34 1/4" in the back. That's with 265/70s.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I'll have to also measure my mom's '99 Limited with the stock 265/70 tires and her coils are the regular ones.

 

[Qyota]

I just measured mine. Stock suspension on a '99 4WD, empty cargo area, 265/70's:

Front: 34.5" (measured ground to limited flare trim)
Rear: 35"

No wonder I think it sits really level!

 

[UARandy3]

I just measured mine. Stock suspension on a '99 4WD, empty cargo area, 265/70's:

Front: 34.5" (measured ground to limited flare trim)
Rear: 35"

No wonder I think it sits really level!

Hmm....that's interesting. Based on everything I've read (mostly from SS), I should sit ~2" lower than yours.....1" for mine being 2wd and another ~1" for the shorter coils. Also, are there 2 different sets of coils that could have been on earlier vs later 99s? I've seen some people call them like "99 talls" or something, but have just assumed the 99s were the talls.

Hopefully we can get some more measurements from others for more comparison.....interesting to me to see the variation.

edit: Just re-read SS site. "Does every 1999 have these magic coils? No way, only a few did and the chances of finding them in a junk yard is possible but, it is very slim that you find a 1999 and only a 1999 with the specific options factory installed, not dealer installed."
So there IS a difference even among the 99s???? geez

 

[jacob7071]

Randy

I ordered the SS 3.0 for my 02 2wd sport. Supposed to have them installed on 11/16. I'll get some before and after pics and let you know exactly how much they lifted the truck

 

[theizzardking]

Hmm....that's interesting. Based on everything I've read (mostly from SS), I should sit ~2" lower than yours.....1" for mine being 2wd and another ~1" for the shorter coils. Also, are there 2 different sets of coils that could have been on earlier vs later 99s? I've seen some people call them like "99 talls" or something, but have just assumed the 99s were the talls.

Hopefully we can get some more measurements from others for more comparison.....interesting to me to see the variation.

edit: Just re-read SS site. "Does every 1999 have these magic coils? No way, only a few did and the chances of finding them in a junk yard is possible but, it is very slim that you find a 1999 and only a 1999 with the specific options factory installed, not dealer installed."
So there IS a difference even among the 99s???? geez

yeah i happen to have the magic coils they talk about i sit about an inch or so higher than every other 4runner i pull up next to, i know it's kind of lame that you can't get an exact match to your ride.............

the guy below with the '02 2wd will not actuately reflect the gains your going to show as the '02 was one of the lowest/shortest of all of the years.

but thinking about it like this, regardless of where you start you should end up about the same right? even though the gains will be different the over all height should be the same if the same components are used, so where he may gain 3 inches and you only gain 2 you still both sit at the same height.
...don't quote me but i'm pretty sure it works like that.

 

[UARandy3]

Randy

I ordered the SS 3.0 for my 02 2wd sport. Supposed to have them installed on 11/16. I'll get some before and after pics and let you know exactly how much they lifted the truck

Awesome. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Are you having it installed somewhere or doing it yourself?

yeah i happen to have the magic coils they talk about i sit about an inch or so higher than every other 4runner i pull up next to, i know it's kind of lame that you can't get an exact match to your ride.............

the guy below with the '02 2wd will not actuately reflect the gains your going to show as the '02 was one of the lowest/shortest of all of the years.

but thinking about it like this, regardless of where you start you should end up about the same right? even though the gains will be different the over all height should be the same if the same components are used, so where he may gain 3 inches and you only gain 2 you still both sit at the same height.
...don't quote me but i'm pretty sure it works like that.

That's true. This works out nicely that he is having the same system put in, so we can get an idea of where that setup puts you....especially since his is 2wd too. Like you said, with that system, you should have similar results regardless of year and 2wd/4wd.
The whole reason I wanted to get a better idea of what the different height differences were was so I could decide if it was worth the money to even worry about getting the SS System 3. Because if I could compare, then I could get a better idea of what kind of gains and where I'd end up in height.

Since jacob7071 is getting the same system, I'll have a really good idea of where it will put me in terms of height so I can decide if there would be a better route to go. :dancin:

 

[SkidPalace]

my '00 measurements

My 01/00 date code 2000 sits 33.5 in the front and 34 in the rear on 265/70s. I have the stock 8-turn coils in the front. I had read that some 2000s got the magic 99 coils, but sadly my early '00 is not one of them (production #484).
Thanks for starting this thread, I was quite curious about all these suspension differences. I am in need of new tires and I want to go with a larger tire, but not at the expense of on-road daily driveability. I am thinking I may be right on the cusp of having 265/75s rubbing.