Lift advice for Newbie

N

NPTITim

New member
Hi - I was hoping to get some feedback with some advice on which lift would be ideal for my set-up? I have read through tons of pages on here which is great so I am sorry for a slightly redundant question, I am not new to T4R's but new to lifting a truck.

I have a 2010 SR5 and am going to be putting new tires on it, I am going with Duratracs 285/70/17. I off road very little but love the look of the more aggressive tires. I know I need at least some sort of a lift with those tires, I have no interest in going above a 3" lift. I know I will lose some mpg with the tires and a lift and I am okay with that, it is important to me however that the truck handle well on the highway as this will likely be my family's trip car. I am considering 3 types of lifts.

I do like the current rake my truck (stock) has so I would like to keep that look if at all possible. One of the things I need help with is how to lift it but keep a reasonable rake, everything seems to level it out.

Here are my options so far:
1. Get a Readylift Kift, this seems pretty simple and easy, although the price I was quoted for install was $660 which seemed kind of high for this kit, I thought these spacer/type kits were reasonably easy to install but maybe I am wrong. It seems like with the parts and labor this is just over 1K.

2. Go with the 5100 Bilsteins front and rear. I read that the rear don't lift the car so then i would need some sort of a spacer to keep the rake, correct? I am okay with the way the car currently drives (stock suspension) but it could be somewhat tighter and I am fine with that. I haven't received a quote to install this yet. I guessing this will run me about 2K total

3. Go with the Toyotec Ultimate Lift 3" with the upper control arms. I am not sure if this lift will maintain the rake or if I still need a spacer in the rear? This seems to be the top of line but the parts are close to 2K and the install quote I got was $860 so this is a reasonably pricey upgrade given that I don't really go offroad. However if it is leagues ahead of the other options and still meets my requirements I can do it.

If it matters I am getting a Shrockworks bumper installed as well although that will likely be about a year down the road from now.

I am not great doing stuff with cars so I won't be doing this work myself, I realize that will cost me more and I am okay with that.

If you have any suggestions for my situation I would appreciate it. This forum has been great so far and lots of helpful ideas on here. Thanks
 
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Thanks for feedback, I didn't think the SW bumper really mattered or not? Are you factoring in the weight or is there something else I am missing?
 
You gotta account for the weight of that bumper, so pretty much any kit you install that ends up level will not be level more than likely after the bumper install.
 
Toytec Ultimate is a great set-up and comes with everything you need. It's pricey, but looks and works great.

The Bilstein 5100s are a fairly simple set-up and will cost much much less. The 4 shocks and rear spacer, along with instal and wheel alignment was shy of 1k, but I live in rural Canada and things are pricey. You could do this set-up for much less. Check out Wheelers Off-Road. They're a sponsor here and great to deal with.
 
So I'm going to go in a different direction. If you don't do a lot of offroading and highway handling is most important to you, then don't lift your truck and put bigger tires on it and definitely don't get a front bumper. Get yourself some Bilsteins and set them to stock height to firm up the ride, buy yourself some better tires in stock size to get a more aggressive look and call it a day. You'll still have a vehicle that handles well on the highway - though if you get Duratracs your family might complain about the noise - and be more than capable for occasional offroading as long as you aren't headed to Moab or the Rubicon.

At the end of the day it's your truck so do what you want, but that's just my advice to you from someone who has a pretty heavily modded truck.
 
Intruder - thanks for the post. Your ride is sick, I have read through your entire build thread.

If I went with the duratracs in stock size (265/70/17 I believe) do you know if that requires any significant moving of things around or will they fit right in with no issues?

The one thing I like about your suggestion is if I go no lift then I can just use that money to buy the Shrockworks Bumper. I am more excited about the bumper vs the lift anyway.

Another thing to ponder. Thanks
 
NPTITim said:
Intruder - thanks for the post. Your ride is sick, I have read through your entire build thread.

If I went with the duratracs in stock size (265/70/17 I believe) do you know if that requires any significant moving of things around or will they fit right in with no issues?

The one thing I like about your suggestion is if I go no lift then I can just use that money to buy the Shrockworks Bumper. I am more excited about the bumper vs the lift anyway.

Another thing to ponder. Thanks
Click to expand...

You will definitely not be happy with the front bumper on stock front Coilovers. Your front end will dive even more than it does right now, which is too much. The stock coils are not rated for an additional ~100 pounds that the SW bumper will add. I previously ran an ARB bullbar on my 98 Tacoma with stock front coils. The road manners were kind of scary due to the lack of spring rate needed for that much additional weight.

I am a big fan of adjustable Coilovers but you pay a price for them. They come with 650-700 pound coils which is plenty for the added weight of a steel bumper. Also, they offer adjustability. If they sag too much, crank them up. They may be a little overkill for your needs, but if you don't mind spending the money you won't be disappointed.
 
Yeah, you won't be happy adding a bumper with stock coilovers up front. Give some real thought to the bumper though. The extra weight will change your handling when cornering, though if you're a big Ken Block fan it'll make it easier to drift your 4Runner. Personally, if I didn't need the extra clearance for the trails I do and a winch I'd still have the stock bumper on.
 
Thanks for the all the feedback so far.

The whole reason I bought the 4runner was to put big tires on it and a brushguard, honestly I don't even like the look stock that much but then I saw some pics of it modded the way I want and fell in love with it. I have a 3rd generation with 265 BFG AT's with a brushguard and I like that although it could be a bit more aggressive, since this is a bigger truck it needs more to create the desired effect.

Right now I am thinking I will get the toyotec lift but just lift it minimally to make space for the tires (I think that and the bumper will also help keep my rake), get the tires I want (highway driving isn't my main priority, I just don't want it to suck on the highway, my 3rd gen was totally fine in that regard). I have been looking forward to the shrockworks bumper since I first saw it so I will be getting that although I don't need a winch which will also save some weight.

Anybody happen to know what the minimal lift is with that setup to have clearance for the 285/70/17 tires (duratrac)?

Thanks
 
I ordered the toyotec lift and new tires today, I am excited to see what it looks like once they arrive and are installed
 
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