Looking to put a lift my 98 SR5

[UARandy3]

Sonoran Steel 1.2 lift is no more expensive than an OME lift from someone, because it comes with more items to do your lift right.

New bump stops, stainless steel braided extended brake lines, adjustable panhard bar, etc. So instead of doing it half way for $800, you are doing it complete for $1200. Compare for yourself.

Like I said, the SS kits is more expensive but is a great package and worth it depending on a person's needs :thumb3:....but it really depends on the particular needs of the individual. Not everyone needs "The kit with the best pure off-road prowess bar-none".....I sure don't, but would looooooove to have it haha. He may not be planning to add custom front and rear bumpers and sliders, as that lift is supposed to be ideal for. And that's why I provided options from the leading kits and even that it's possible to piece together his own kit.

I'm not sure how doing the full OME or Toytec Ultimate kit is doing it half way as those kits are nicely put together (at a decent price) that fit some peoples' needs better than others (like mine w/ my 2wd haha).....which is a big part of why they are so popular and widely used. Either way he goes, as long as the research is done and his needs are considered, he should be happy and will have a sweet lift. Luckily, with the extensive knowledge on this board, he'll have plenty of options and reviews of the different set ups, that's for sure!

I was just trying to help by giving the OP some options so he can make the best decision for the needs and expectations of his runner.

:cheers:

 

[CarolinaCowboy]

The help is much appreciated guys! I highly doubt I'll go with the SS 1.2 kit simply because I won't be installing custom front and rear bumpers and don't intend to be offroading that much. It's possible I could add a brush guard in the future but I don't think even that would merit stepping up to the next level in lift. I certainly will not be off-roading in this truck all the time. My reasons for getting a lift are a combination of having the ability to take it offroad a few times a year as well as simply making it look awesome. If I do end up getting the ToyTec Ultimate or the Complete OME it will likely be for the purpose of adding the lift while at the same time replacing a 12 year old stock suspension system. Knowing that my offroading will be limited, would any of you recommend just replacing coils or a simpler/cheaper lift? Obviously the off-road prowess of these cheaper lifts isn't as great but would I be able to do mud/trail riding just as easily with these lifts? Anyone with off-road experience on coil-only or coil-spacer lifts would be helpful...

 

[CarolinaCowboy]

One other quick question... what kind of mileage are you guys with 3" lifts & 33" mud tires getting? Just curious

 

[CarolinaCowboy]

anyone...?

 

[brian2sun]

I would recommend the complete OME kit (4 coils and 4 shocks) for your needs. The spacer lift will look good and let you be pretty capable off road still, but you'll end up wearing your coils out quickly, especially since they're 12 years old. I personally don't think it's a great idea to put spacers on top of 12 year old coils. I did on mine (the first time I ever lifted it) and that lasted about a year and then I did it all over again the right way.

Gas mileage...
Before I got gears, I got about 14-15 around town and 16-17 on the open highway with my set up. Now I get about 1 mpg better with 4.88s.

 

[UARandy3]

The help is much appreciated guys! I highly doubt I'll go with the SS 1.2 kit simply because I won't be installing custom front and rear bumpers and don't intend to be offroading that much. It's possible I could add a brush guard in the future but I don't think even that would merit stepping up to the next level in lift. I certainly will not be off-roading in this truck all the time. My reasons for getting a lift are a combination of having the ability to take it offroad a few times a year as well as simply making it look awesome. If I do end up getting the ToyTec Ultimate or the Complete OME it will likely be for the purpose of adding the lift while at the same time replacing a 12 year old stock suspension system. Knowing that my offroading will be limited, would any of you recommend just replacing coils or a simpler/cheaper lift? Obviously the off-road prowess of these cheaper lifts isn't as great but would I be able to do mud/trail riding just as easily with these lifts? Anyone with off-road experience on coil-only or coil-spacer lifts would be helpful...

One other quick question... what kind of mileage are you guys with 3" lifts & 33" mud tires getting? Just curious

EDIT: Ok, Brian beat me to it bc I was busy stuffing my face instead of replying. haha

Yeah, when I did mine a couple weeks ago, it was for several reasons. The first being to replace the tired coils and shocks that were pretty much shot. I hated how much my truck would "bounce" after hitting a bump in the highway. Since I was going to replace the shocks anyways and wanted to replace the coils w/ the 99 tall coils, I figured for just a little more money, I might as well get the full 3" lift. Mine happens to be 2wd, but I do take it out and get it dirty and it gets me where I need/want to go for the most part. Some people on here do run the rear coils with front spacer set-up. I don't have really much comment on it though. But when I was doing my searching, it seems that many people who did pure spacer lifts (like the daystar) were reccommending just going straight to an all coil lift. But, there are also some people who reccommend them. So, not much help there. Sorry.
As for MPGs, I drive about 60 miles a day for work all highway. I used to get about 20 mpgs if I was only driving to and from work w/o much traffic. I have only gone through about 2 tanks of gas so far, but my last one I got 18.8mpgs after correcting for the odometer difference (travel 7% farther now) from going up to 33s. The tank I'm currently on doesn't seem to be getting quite that good, but not too bad. If I remember correctly, most people are seeing about a 2mpg drop or so....but I could be wrong.

Edit for MPGs: Just figured my mpgs for this last tank, and it was right at 17mpgs.

 

[Rock Hardson]

Like I said, the SS kits is more expensive but is a great package and worth it depending on a person's needs :thumb3:....but it really depends on the particular needs of the individual. Not everyone needs "The kit with the best pure off-road prowess bar-none".....I sure don't, but would looooooove to have it haha. He may not be planning to add custom front and rear bumpers and sliders, as that lift is supposed to be ideal for. And that's why I provided options from the leading kits and even that it's possible to piece together his own kit.

I'm not sure how doing the full OME or Toytec Ultimate kit is doing it half way as those kits are nicely put together (at a decent price) that fit some peoples' needs better than others (like mine w/ my 2wd haha).....which is a big part of why they are so popular and widely used. Either way he goes, as long as the research is done and his needs are considered, he should be happy and will have a sweet lift. Luckily, with the extensive knowledge on this board, he'll have plenty of options and reviews of the different set ups, that's for sure!

I was just trying to help by giving the OP some options so he can make the best decision for the needs and expectations of his runner.

:cheers:

Sonoran Steel 1.2 lift is no more expensive than an OME lift from someone, because it comes with more items to do your lift right.

New bump stops, stainless steel braided extended brake lines, adjustable panhard bar, etc. So instead of doing it half way for $800, you are doing it complete for $1200. Compare for yourself.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the diff drop.

Now that's a complete lift. With Toytec or OME you just get springs and shocks. Hopefully that's a little more clarified. There is also the 7.2 for the same price.
But for the budget minded, the Toytec or OME will suffice.

 

[CarolinaCowboy]

But for the budget minded, the Toytec or OME will suffice.

I mean I don't really see the Toytec or OME lifts as sacrificing though. So yes, I am budget minded, but at the same time I want to get the appropriate lift for what I'll ask the rig to do. It's likely we just have different needs. Out in Arizona I imagine you're doing a lot of rock crawling and other things I'll never do with my lift. Were you in the Southeast where I am, a Toytec or OME that's mostly going to see mud and sand would probably be more than enough.

 

[CarolinaCowboy]

gameplan

So after doing a bunch of research, here is my game plan for mods this summer & beyond... I'll start a build thread once I begin working on it (which might be today). This is also the order that I plan to relatively get things done in, but things could change as well. I'm a big hunter :hunter: (and a new rifle is in order soon) and fisher :fishing:, so those tend to drain my money as well. We'll see how it goes...

What I'm workin' with
-1998 4Runner SR5 Sport 4wd
-3.4L V6
-K&N drop-in
-Yakima roof rack

Will happen sooner or later
-Remove running boards
-Deckplate mod -$35
-Flowmaster 40 series or 50 series - $80
-New exhaust tip
-TRD offroad decals
-Toytec Ultimate lift
-1" 4crawler BL
-Spidertrax 1.25" Spacers
-285/75R16 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs

Possibles
-16" TRD FJ Cruiser wheels
-ARB Roof rack
-ARB front bumper/bull bar or grille guard
-Hella/KC lights
-Rock sliders
-IFS front skidplate
-IFS bellypan

 

[CoMarc]

Thought I'd put my 2 cents in as I'm saving up for a lift myself and have done a bit of research as well. From what I've read there are 3 parts that can make up a lift: body lift, suspension and rims/tires. Each can help produce a higher lift for your truck.

I'm one of those that is budget concious as well and for the most part will be using the 4Runner as a highway/around town driving vehicle and only partly off-road to get to some good camping and/or fishing spots. With that in mind, I wanted something to replace my old worn out shocks/struts and coils but also something that wouldn't be stiff and hard on my butt (and also something my wife can climb a bit easier into).

With that, I've decided to get Sonoran Steel's 3.0 lift for my truck. It'll only provide a supsenion lift of 1" for the 1996-1998 4Runners, but I can then add on a 1-2" body lift from 4Crawler.com to increase the height. Along with that, I'm currently running 32" tires and may upgrade to 33" down the road after the body lift to increase the height. Now I'm 3+ inches higher and the ride will be much smoother than going straight suspension for my lift. It'll be more than the Toytec Complete Lift, but not as much as the Sonoran Steel's 1.2 or 7.2 lift and I still get the lift I want.

Just something more to ponder.