Lowering my lift?

[JayRolla]

Good to know. I don't have a bumper and winch, and I sort of ruled having one out last year, and I was about to type "...and I'm never going to get one". That said though, I ruled it out because of cost (Addicted's plate bumper), and that isn't really an issue anymore because of a fancy new job I got that doubled my salary. Maybe I should stick with the 881s in case I do end up getting the bumper I've always dreamed of?

Strut-wise, I've heard good things about the OME sport comforts. I'm only going with Bilstein if they warranty them for me. If not, **** them and their heavily caveat'd warranty policy and crap product. Don't get me started on how infuriating the warranty caveats are with all of this equipment that is so clearly marketed for off-road and lifts but then suddenly isn't when it's not engineered to put up with it.

The bumper is so well worth it. The winch gives me so much piece of mind when wheeling alone on the trail.

 

[atalarico]

The bumper is so well worth it. The winch gives me so much piece of mind when wheeling alone on the trail.

Oh, ask me how I know that (AKA how to lose $550 to call for a tow when getting stuck in a perfectly winchable situation)!

 

[JayRolla]

Oh, ask me how I know that (AKA how to lose $550 to call for a tow when getting stuck in a perfectly winchable situation)!

One day middle winter, up on Eagle Rock, (rated 7), lots of snow. Decided not to wheel because it was too deep. Some guy is running and yelling coming down the very hard beginning section asking for some help.

He said Im stuck about a mile back and have been walking through snow. I said I dont think I can get you up there because how bad it is. He said I know, im in a SUBARU LEGACY!!!. OMG. He somehow started down the trail from the top and couldnt get back up. He ended up totaling the Subaru from the damage he did trying to get through the trail. If anyone knows Eagle Rock you dont take it lightly. Its usually full of rigs and buggys.

 

[BrandonF]

Something to keep in mind: added weight from bumpers, winch, skid plates, etc don't lower the suspension THAT much. Adding 100 or even 200 lbs to the front of the vehicle is still pretty insignificant when you consider how much weight is up front already. I have bilstein 5100's set on the 3rd perch with stock tundra coils. From adding my ARB bumper, my Warn VR8000 with steel cable, and full 3/16" skid plates (about 250 lbs of added weight) my front suspension sagged MAYBE 1/2"

This is how it sits now (2.5" front, 4" rear). This is the perfect lift height and amount of rake IMO. I'll be tubbing the fenders and stuffing 35's in there one of these days.

 

[lrc4runner]

I've come to the conclusion that as a community, we're lifting these trucks unnecessarily high. I've also been trying to lower my truck as of late, and have taken several steps so far. I've dropped my front perch down a notch, downsized my tires, shortened my body lift. As a result, my truck feels much more stable, does better in nearly EVERY situation offroad, and is far more comfortable and smooth to drive.

I dealt with the classic 3"/5" (front & rear) lift for 2 years with my last truck. I dealt with the crappy road manners, horrible jarring, and unstable high speeds. I put up with significant loss of power from my 33" E range tires. With every step I take towards a more stock-like geometry, I'm rewarded with a far better driving truck. I now sit at about 2" lift in the front, and 4.5" in the rear. I look forward to replacing my LC coils with Superflexes, and seeing what a 2"/3" lift feels like.

Finally, let's talk tires. Whether or not folks on this, and other, forums care to admit it, load range plays a significant role in the ride quality of a vehicle. The stiffness of a sidewall, with it's various plies, is the main factor. Also, the psi in our tires can massively affect ride quality. I'm not sure where we got the 35 psi rule of thumb that so many of us subscribe to (my past self included), but running tires at/or near OEM recommended psi greatly improves ride comfort. I originally ran my Duratracs at 35 psi, I've since deflated them to 30 psi to the benefit of all my passengers.

Not my most coherent post, but I'd really like us as a forum to come together and encourage new members to at least consider well thought out, milder lifts. Their on- and off-road journeys will benefit greatly!

I agree with absalom here. The lift setup I have is OME 890 springs in the rear with OME 881 Springs up front, Tundra Bilstein 5100's all around and set on the first perch in the front. I'm running the diff drop and adjustable panhard bar
(the consensus is that those aren't necessary for this lift setup but I have much more peace of mind with them on) and it is definitely a more mild lift, yet have run into no issues with CVs or anything. I'm getting around 2.5" in the front and just under 3" in the rear because I removed the internal bump stop cones. I would say that I do a moderate level of wheeling, and the truck performs great, even with open diffs I still haven't run into many situations that I can't make it through. The on road manners are great as well with running 265/75/16 hankook dynapro A/Ts. No bad shakes or vibrations and I still get decent MPG. I understand that this set up is not optimal for the hard core guys but in my opinion is perfect for someone who does a lot of camping and even moderate to moderate+ wheeling trips. with a locker I wouldn't hesitate even to say that it would perform well on hard trails.

(note: not the best wheelin' pics but you get the idea. plenty of flex for sure)

 

[BrandonF]

I agree with absalom here. The lift setup I have is OME 890 springs in the rear with OME 881 Springs up front, Tundra Bilstein 5100's all around and set on the first perch in the front. I'm running the diff drop and adjustable panhard bar
(the consensus is that those aren't necessary for this lift setup but I have much more peace of mind with them on) and it is definitely a more mild lift, yet have run into no issues with CVs or anything. I'm getting around 2.5" in the front and just under 3" in the rear because I removed the internal bump stop cones. I would say that I do a moderate level of wheeling, and the truck performs great, even with open diffs I still haven't run into many situations that I can't make it through. The on road manners are great as well with running 265/75/16 hankook dynapro A/Ts. No bad shakes or vibrations and I still get decent MPG. I understand that this set up is not optimal for the hard core guys but in my opinion is perfect for someone who does a lot of camping and even moderate to moderate+ wheeling trips. with a locker I wouldn't hesitate even to say that it would perform well on hard trails.

(note: not the best wheelin' pics but you get the idea. plenty of flex for sure)

I think this is the key to cv longevity as well. I've heard of guys fully locked on 35's with 2-2.5" lift and not having any cv breakage. I feel like the cv stress increases exponentially as the angle increases due to too much lift.

http://www.ultimateyota.com/showthread.php?957-JWBehm-s-1999-Toyota-4Runner

This is one of my favorite 3rd gen builds. Its simple and functional. He's fit 35's with 2" of suspension lift and no body lift. This is the direction I'd like to take my truck, including ditching my ARB bumper that I'm already bashing into everything

 

[atalarico]

So, I think I'm finally settling on getting an OME 90004/880 setup from Slee. Unfortunately it's my DD so I can't reuse my top plates that easily. I have OME 890s with Bil 5125's in the back right now. Do you think I'm going to get a ridiculous rake from this? Slee was recommending replacing the rears with 906s. Rear springs are easy enough that I can just replace the front coilovers, see how it looks, and then buy some 906s if I end up with a ridiculous positive rake.

The 890s I have are 4 years old at this point and are probably a lot more settled than what most people think. Slee is saying they tell people to get the 881/890 combo for a 3" lift.

Just seeing what you all think.

Oh, and if $720 out the door is a decent price for:
Pair of 880s (technically the quote is for 881s but I'm sure they're the same price) ($178)
pair of 90004's ($310)
Top strut mount ($84)
Centering washer ($9)
Assembly $95

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

In order to add my 2 cents to this thread...
When planning a lift for my 4Runner, I specifically tried to get a 2" lift and nothing more. Everyone told me that, once I lift it, I will only want to go higher. They were wrong. I am at 3.25" front and 5" rear, and I think I am much too high. I'm pretty happy with the price I paid for everything, since I got everything used, but I am not totally excited with the outcome of my lift. My budget is tight, so I won't be changing anything soon.

 

[atalarico]

So, I went over to ToyTec today and they wanted to measure my lift. The front measured at about 2.5" and the back at about 3.25" (give or take). I spoke with them for a bit, and I think I've decided on the Tacoma Bilstein 5100s with a Tundra TRD coil. The Tacomas are valved softer, so it should produce a gentler ride. I like the reviews of the TRD Tundra coil/5100 setup too, as it sounds like exactly what I'm aiming for.

Anyway, the 5100s are going to show up on Monday. ToyTec actually recommended keeping my current Eibachs because they've settled in at 2.5", and a broken in coil like that is more desirable than a brand new one. Is that true? Will the Tundra TRD somehow be worse? I have to source the coils anyway, so does anyone have any suggestions on where?

Also, I vaguely recall something being said about pairing a Tacoma 5100 with a Tundra coil, and it not being recommended. However, I can't find anything to say the contrary on our site. Anyone know if there's any reason you can't combine a Tacoma Bilstein 5100 with a Tundra TRD coil?

The tricky part will be the installation/assembly because I can reuse the top-plates. It's my only car, and I'd be doing the work on the weekend. Does anyone know of a good way to go about this? Can I pull the old coil over and take the new and old parts to a place that would be open on the weekend for a reasonable assembly price? If not, what's a average labor cost on taking it to a shop with the parts and having them do it? I have the Firestone alignment anyway, so if I took it all there, and they didn't charge an arm and a leg, it might be easier.

Edited to add: After shopping around for coils, the best I can find for the TRD Tundras is about $350 shipped, and local parts departments aren't an option. I'm so sick of dealing with this and trying to figure out the logistics that I think I'm going to just going to give up and take it to the shop that quoted me a little over $200 for the labor to replace and rebuild the coil over. I'm going to just have them reuse the Eibachs I have. Unless someone has a recommendation on how I can accomplish assembling the coil over in my garage with no way other than a bike to get anywhere. If the CV angles still look bad, I'm going to finally install the diff drop kit that I've had kicking around my garage for the last 3.5 years.

Yeah, I still would like to only have about a 1.75-2" lift with a more comfortable road feel. Maybe switching from a Tundra 5100 to a Tacoma 5100 will help a bit? Would it be better to just tough it out for a little longer and get the TRD coils? Arggghhh.

Edited again: I can't friggin decide between the Tundra or Tacoma 5100s. I think I'm leaning Tundra again. God dammit all! There just too much inconclusive information out there.