Leveling and new tires

T4R_Finally

T4R_Finally

New member
Promised a newbie I would create this thread. Getting my Bilsteins and new tires (Michelin LTX M/S2 - P265/70R17) put on as I type this. My tire shop got me nervous this morning when I showed them the front shocks and they realized they had to compress the springs to replace them. Not totally sure why but they weren't sure they had what they needed for these particular springs.

Work is completed and gave it a bath. Have to say I am more than pleased with how it came out. Not only with the appearance but the ride is awesome. The notorious nosedive is negated and the ride is smooth. The new shoes probably aren't hurting it either. Apologize that my after pix are from the opposite side but the sun is giving me better light from that side right now. Can post other side later if anyone is interested.

If anything, there is still a tiny bit of rake left, no reverse rake that I can tell. The gas tank is about 3/4 full and my heavy tool bag is in the back along with the box with the old shocks in it. Will rarely put more weight than that back there.

Anyway, here is a pic of the day we took delivery (with running boards):


This is a pic from this morning before taking it to the shop (without running boards):


First pic from front angle after shocks, tires, and a bath:


Second after pic from passenger side:
 
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The agony is finally over and now you can stop changing your mind every day and asking questions! :jk:

Looks great dude, did you take measurements to see how much rake there is? Glad to see you're happy with the results :)
 
eddiebx said:
The agony is finally over and now you can stop changing your mind every day and asking questions! :jk:

Looks great dude, did you take measurements to see how much rake there is? Glad to see you're happy with the results :)
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Not yet. Had to run to my sons baseball game.

I had them start with the fronts at 1.75" and that's where they sit. Sorry, I had that posted above until I edited it.
 
Whiplash Willy said:
Looks good! Can you post your alignment specs once you get it done, and let us know how cornering has improved?
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Sorry. I would post the specs if I had them but I don't. I know there were no issues with it though.

Someone asked about my measurements. As for the fenders, I had the stock Duelers before and they were worn to 3/32's. Prior to the work, the front fender bottom center was at 34 1/4", the rear was at 36 1/8". With the new shocks and michelins, the front is now 36 1/4" and the rear is 36 7/8". That's with 3/4 tank of gas and a 40+ Lb bag of tools in the back and a few other misc items. So, still over 1/2" of rake between the fender heights. I am 6'4" so I can still look down the roof line from the front and back and to the naked eye, it appears almost perfectly level to maybe just a slight forward rake. Same thing when looking from the side at the lines between the wheels. Loving the way the front end looks now "comin at ya". Much more like a truck now than a soccer mom-mobile.
 
U R helping me lean toward staying with 265s instead of jumping to 285s. Thanks for the info in the pvt msg too.
 
thelouv said:
U R helping me lean toward staying with 265s instead of jumping to 285s. Thanks for the info in the pvt msg too.
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That's definitely not my objective here. If the 285's hadn't have rubbed I'd be sitting on spacers in the back and the bilsteins set on 2.5" with 285's on it right now. I just drew the line at having to mod anything further than that because I don't have a practical need for that much tire or lift anyway. I'm happy with how it turned out but I say go for it if you want to go a little bigger and are willing to do it right.

Unrelated but funny story. This was my wife's daily driver for 3 years, right? So you'd think she'd notice any little different detail. It sits in the garage right beside what she is driving now. All she noticed the first day was that I had washed it. I finally pointed out the tires yesterday. She stared at it for a few minutes and then asked "did you get new rims too?". Hahaha! Yeh honey, bought some exactly like the ones that were on there for the past 3 years.
 
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thelouv said:
U R helping me lean toward staying with 265s instead of jumping to 285s. Thanks for the info in the pvt msg too.
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275's are always an option too, depending on tires you're looking at (the size is not as widely available across manufacturers as the 265's). If you're sticking to stock rims, 275's would fit great with a mild lift and fill in the wheelwells a bit more too.
 
It didn't take long for me to eat my words about not loading up my leveled 4Runner. However, this won't happen often. This past weekend, I had to haul some outdoor furniture down to my place at the lake, so I thought a quick picture might be helpful to anyone that may be considering a similar leveling but are concerned about carrying extra weight in the back. The picture below is my rig with a cargo trailer with probably a couple hundred pounds of stuff on it and the cargo area is loaded with weekend luggage for three and a bunch of other misc stuff - probably another couple hundred pounds when including my toolbag, etc. There was some slight sag in the back but it did not feel unstable at all and when driving it did not feel like the front end was pointed up. This was a 3 hour, 1 way trip at highway speeds.

 
I did a trip to the coast this past weekend in my Wrangler which has a 3.5" lift and rides on 35" tires. Have read about wobble on these vehicles but have luckily never experienced it till recently. On this past run it came up several times. When I got home I told the wife I decided to stick with the 265s on her truck (but more aggressive tread). We will have the 4runner for so long (had the 97 for 17 years) and it being her daily driver, I just "feel" like the 285s that I really want could compromise the vehicle over time. Like what I am now seeing in my JKU. Not gonna downsize the Jeep tho. Just going to find a knowledgable shop to diagnose what is deteriorating on my front steering creating the wobble.
 
No to cast doubt on your reasoning, but you are aware that at wrangler and the modern 4runner have two very different front suspension designs and two very different steering sustem designs .....? It might not be accurate to apply the analogy from your or others jeep problems ( the "Wobble" has many possible or contributing considerations) to your 4runner. That said , nothing wrong with staying stock!
 
I've had the death wobble in my lifted TJ, 5" lift. Check front track bar and pitmen arm. Make sure its tight and holes and bushings have not detiorated.

As stated earlier totally different suspension setup. Wit IFS, i think main concern is CV boots and joints.
 
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