Is swapping in '99 coils really worth it?

[T4Life]

Ive been looking for a set of '99 coils to swap into my 2001 4runner with some new tokicos, but am having second thoughts..

Are 12 year old coils gonna improve my ride (and a small lift) or should I just buy new?

1.5" is about as high as I wanna lift the suspension the truck only gets driven on pavement. Thoughts?

 

[marcel]

i have rear 99 tall coils if you want them

 

[Gerdo]

IF I wanted 99 coils I would go new.

I will tell you from experience that if you get a little lift it will soon not look lifted and you will want more lift. Dive in and get a 3" lift now.

 

[fenrisx]

I was getting ready to install a new set of Tokico TM RT's with 99 tall coils... when I ended up trading the 99 springs for a set of PP lift springs.

Going from stock shocks and springs (~197k on 'em) to the new setup I only noticed a slight (better) difference at highway speeds, and equally as rough and bumpy ride on the terrible Minneapolis streets. Now.. the PP springs are known give a stiff ride, so that's probably why my old worn & the new were similarly rough feeling on the Minneapolis streets.

The person I traded with was running the traditional PP/Bilstein setup, and he swapped for the 99 springs and new Tokico TrekMaster R/T's... he said he only noticed a subtle difference in the ride after the swap.

With all that said.. I'm not sure you're going to notice a huge difference in the way the truck feels. It will probably be fairly subtle, for the better. But whether or not that difference is worth the cost of buying everything is up to you.

(Note: I'm referring to the Tokico TrekMaster R/T's, and not the factory Tokico's. The factory Tokico's may be a little softer.)

In regards to what Gerdo said... I agree I already feel that my ride looks stock. It looks really good though.. especially when you are next to a stock 4Runner.

 

[Jared Pabis]

If you plan on keepin your ride for a while, just go with a full on coilover. You're gonna spend $400 on new '99 talls from the stealership and then another $150 on struts. For another $300 you can have a nice pair of Sway A Ways, Kings, Icons, or even FabTech (which really aren't as bad as people make them out to be).

I put on Bilstein 5100 adjustables and got about 2 1/4 inches. The ride did improve. But now I wish I went with SAWs.

 

[cordrayj1]

If you plan on keepin your ride for a while, just go with a full on coilover. You're gonna spend $400 on new '99 talls from the stealership and then another $150 on struts. For another $300 you can have a nice pair of Sway A Ways, Kings, Icons, or even FabTech (which really aren't as bad as people make them out to be).

I put on Bilstein 5100 adjustables and got about 2 1/4 inches. The ride did improve. But now I wish I went with SAWs.

I agree. get quality stuff. the tundra coils w bilstein 5100's are comfy btw. . .

 

[Nelsonmd]

I was getting ready to install a new set of Tokico TM RT's with 99 tall coils... when I ended up trading the 99 springs for a set of PP lift springs.

Going from stock shocks and springs (~197k on 'em) to the new setup I only noticed a slight (better) difference at highway speeds, and equally as rough and bumpy ride on the terrible Minneapolis streets. Now.. the PP springs are known give a stiff ride, so that's probably why my old worn & the new were similarly rough feeling on the Minneapolis streets.

The person I traded with was running the traditional PP/Bilstein setup, and he swapped for the 99 springs and new Tokico TrekMaster R/T's... he said he only noticed a subtle difference in the ride after the swap.

With all that said.. I'm not sure you're going to notice a huge difference in the way the truck feels. It will probably be fairly subtle, for the better. But whether or not that difference is worth the cost of buying everything is up to you.

(Note: I'm referring to the Tokico TrekMaster R/T's, and not the factory Tokico's. The factory Tokico's may be a little softer.)

In regards to what Gerdo said... I agree I already feel that my ride looks stock. It looks really good though.. especially when you are next to a stock 4Runner.

What? Have you driven in other parts of the US? Minneapolis has really nice streets. Granted I havn't been there in a while, but when I was there last (maybe 10 years ago) MN had the nicest streets I'd driven on. And the drivers were so nice and courteous compared to other places. And the children all had gumdrop smiles, and there were rainbows all the time... Ok, maybe not, but seriously, the roads and drivers were really nice.

Come to Boston. We don't just have potholes, we have construction sites where the workers forgot to cover the holes they made before opening the road back up. You get a long line of people putting their spares on after blowing their tires hitting it.

I mean to be fair, you did have that bridge that collapsed... but other than that!

 

[econhonda]

If you're really only looking for 1.5" all around and you don't want a spacer lift, then OME 906's are pretty much your only option for the rear. OME 881's up front. That's what I have and it netted about the same lift you're talking about. Everything else is in the 2.5" range.

Edit: This is, of course, unless you decide to go with the pricier coilovers.

 

[fenrisx]

What? Have you driven in other parts of the US? Minneapolis has really nice streets. Granted I havn't been there in a while, but when I was there last (maybe 10 years ago) MN had the nicest streets I'd driven on.

Maybe you should come back then. I've lived in places with nice roads(down south), and this one is not one of them. I think any place with bad roads/ that salt them all winter is going to have bad roads.


Back on topic...
Someone mentioned 881/906, and for the amount of lift you want that would be a good option. Pair them up with OME's softer shocks.

Someone said get a good set of coilovers for about $300 more than you're spending on 99's and shocks... but that 300$ more is only getting you fronts. You still have to buy rears after spending that extra $300. If you've got the money though... go for it. You can keep it at the height you like, and if you ever want to go higher in the future you can just crank them up. You'd only need to buy new rears then.

 

[jrm]

My experience

Ive been looking for a set of '99 coils to swap into my 2001 4runner with some new tokicos, but am having second thoughts..

Are 12 year old coils gonna improve my ride (and a small lift) or should I just buy new?

1.5" is about as high as I wanna lift the suspension the truck only gets driven on pavement. Thoughts?

I have 99s up front paired with bilsteins and i like um. If i were to do it again though id go with OME 880s which cost a bit less and you get a better coil.

Had rear 99s and bilsteins. Liked the bilsteins but the 99s are way to soft and sagged under any weigh. Swapped um out for OME 906s and the ride is really improved.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

many of us are running the Old Man Emu 881s up front and 890s in the rear. It's a pretty good compromise for off roading abilities and decent street ride.

Having just recently done the Old Man Emu 906s in back for an 01 (Limited) Runner for a local friend, those are a good rear spring as well. We netted a solid 2" lift out back and the raked look was not hardly even noticeable. Did not touch the fronts....nor the shocks themselves.

The choices are endless, but I sure would not pay anywhere near $400 for a set of factory rear springs. Shop around and compare of course....the 906s were around $150 for the pair with shipping and tax.