Need help with 2.5/1.5 dystar lift.. Yes I searched!

[bpowa]

Well My dystar lift should be here tomorrow. Also picked up a set of FJ coils.

I like the look of the dystar lift from pictures I saw while searching. for my 265/70/17 Wheels.

However Im afraid with the FJ coild the lift would bee too high and require UCA replacements?

What do you think. Should I install this or just get rid of the front xreas, and get 5100 billies for the front and spacer in the rear.
I would really like to keep xreas all around since they are still good.

Anyone tried the first setup and not like ride quality and requires UCA?

Thanks

 

[montana_jeepn]

I didn't even try running it without aftermarket UCA's because based off of the positive experience I had with my 3rd gen with LR UCA's, I know how much easier it is to get your frontend aligned because they really help correct some of your new angles you create with the lift....and it drove like a new truck. That said, I have never done a before/after comparison and I know a lot of folks on here do run the factory arms. XREAS or Bilstein, IMHO the benefits are too many not to upgrade the arms. Good luck!

 

[montana_jeepn]

Oh, and XREAS is an all or nothing system. You can't just pull the front. I kept mine, but I am running stock coils with the Daystar lift. From my research on here, the decision to keep/scrap is usually based on the condition of the XREAS due to the expense to replace it if it is leaking. In my case the prior owner had it replace 20k previous, so it made sense for me to keep it.

 

[cmoua]

Instead of getting the 2.5/1.5 Daystar kit, I bought the 2" Daystar front and 3" Daystar rear separately along with FJ coils and had no problem with this setup. I had similar concerns and went this route. As other already mentioned, you can also ditch the XREAS and go with adjustable Bilstein 5100.

 

[Cygan1008]

Plenty of folks have ran the Daystar with fj's setup and no control arms or issues. If you have the XREAS you may notice what I noticed with the daystar kit. The rear shocks are short and nearly anytime the rear flexed it you could feel the shocks running out of travel.

The 5100's all around are pretty good. The TRD Tacoma swap is also a pretty nice option. You will get about 1.5-2" lift on the front with the coils and struts. The rear wont give any lift but its much better shocks. You can add some smaller spacers to the front and the daystar rear spacer to achieve the look you want.

I am running the TRD set up with a toytec 1/2" spacer in the front and the daystar 1.5" in the back with no issues and it has a better ride than the xreas.

 

[bpowa]

Instead of getting the 2.5/1.5 Daystar kit, I bought the 2" Daystar front and 3" Daystar rear separately along with FJ coils and had no problem with this setup. I had similar concerns and went this route. As other already mentioned, you can also ditch the XREAS and go with adjustable Bilstein 5100.

Do you have clear pictures of your lift? Profile?

I was thinking the same. I just need some input on options. My truck will mainly stay onroad and minor offroad for camping and such.

I was thinking 2'' level lift in front and with the fj coils I would acheive a total of 2.5'' lift. And the rear would the FJ coils would net me an additional .5''.

So basically I would just get a 2'' spacer/ level lift and install the FJ coils?

Anyone have done this and have pictures with good results? Im thinking this should give me a comfortable ride and still keep the xreas. If I need higher clearance in the future ill slap on some bilstiens.

 

[cmoua]

I didn't bother to take pixs of my 4Runner after the lift. However, my (2" daystar/FJ coil front and 3" daystar rear with FJ coil) setup works fine and no UCA is required and alignment is a non-factor.

 

[preacher35]

Well My dystar lift should be here tomorrow. Also picked up a set of FJ coils.

I like the look of the dystar lift from pictures I saw while searching. for my 265/70/17 Wheels.

However Im afraid with the FJ coild the lift would bee too high and require UCA replacements?

What do you think. Should I install this or just get rid of the front xreas, and get 5100 billies for the front and spacer in the rear.
I would really like to keep xreas all around since they are still good.

Anyone tried the first setup and not like ride quality and requires UCA?

Thanks

[MENTION=100766]bpowa[/MENTION], the rule of thumb for the 4th gen Runner is you can go up to 3" of suspension and/or spacer lift over stock, before encountering serious problems. If you are going to run a true 3" of lift, you really should consider aftermarket UCA's or you will have trouble getting caster correct and you will wear out your ball joints faster. You do not want to go over 3" of suspension/spacer lift without doing some expensive modifications like aftermarket spindles, etc. Bottom line is, if you want more than 3" of lift, you had better consider a body lift. Also, as stated before, XREAS is an all or none proposition as all four wheel shock assemblies are tied into each other, hydraulically.

 

[bpowa]

[MENTION=100766]bpowa[/MENTION], the rule of thumb for the 4th gen Runner is you can go up to 3" of suspension and/or spacer lift over stock, before encountering serious problems. If you are going to run a true 3" of lift, you really should consider aftermarket UCA's or you will have trouble getting caster correct and you will wear out your ball joints faster. You do not want to go over 3" of suspension/spacer lift without doing some expensive modifications like aftermarket spindles, etc. Bottom line is, if you want more than 3" of lift, you had better consider a body lift. Also, as stated before, XREAS is an all or none proposition as all four wheel shock assemblies are tied into each other, hydraulically.

Thanks for the info. I am actually going to send back the 2.5/1.5 dystar.

I ordered a 1'' dystar leveling for the front and going to slap the FJ coils in. I swapped tires from my 3rd gen and it looks more like a truck now. Im sure I will like the leveled look plus 1/2 in lift. This is only a DD and I dont need much lift. This way if I decide to add Billies on in the future Im only out 40 bucks. When the xreas leak I will get billies with a slight spacer. I dont want no more than 2'' of lift. I had a full 4'' superflex lift on my past TJ Wrangler. I regretted the ride quality. I was happier when I had the 2'' spacer lift. Everything should be completed this weekend. Heck I spent 8 hours just detailing the leather and whole interior.

 

[MarkinWMich]

Pay attention to your downward suspension travel

My first lift was the Daystar 1.5/2.5" lift with my stock springs. I did not use a differential spacer or a swaybar drop bracket. I really didn't know what I was doing. Well, 2 years after this, I found out through experience and education, that my geometry was off, my CV boots were leaking grease, and my upper and lower ball joints were failing.

I switched over to my current set-up (see my signiture below). The one thing I did, on purpose, was to limit my front lift to accommodate better downward travel and reduce the chances of future ball joint damage. Yes, the higher front lift leveled it out, it really looked good, but I noticed when I jacked the vehicle up, there was very little downward suspension travel and the tires lifted off the ground with only a few inches of travel. This is with the stock control arms. I am currently saving up for a better set of upper control arms that allows for a higher degree of articulation,...then I'll set the lift a little higher.

Your suspension only has a certain amount of travel. If you do a lift to gain upward travel, then you will loose downward travel. A better set of UCAs are recommended for anything more than a 2-2.5" lift...in my opinion.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

maybe I'm a special case here, but i had a 3/2 spacer lift, had no alignment issues, no leaky cvs, didn't relocate sway bars and do a diff drop, and had no issues for nearly 20k. then i did a full suspension lift, 3/3, and after almost 15k i have still had 0 issues with it, no aftermarket ucas, no relocates, no diff drop, still tracks straight now wobble and no vibration