Need help with suspension.

[Mano1124]

I'm replacing my factory shocks after 153k miles on my 99 T4R 2WD. I'm thinking of getting monroe sensa-trac because of the, buy 3 and the 4th free, deal. Then again, I keep on reading that Bilstein are better. I never go off roading or tow. Looking for a smooth ride. Also, the rear sags. I want to fix that while I replace thee shocks. I read that one person switched into new shocks and still had the sag. What can I do to fix it? I'm new at this so what is the difference between springs and coils? Someone mentioned to buy the 99 tall springs. But what about coils? Hope someone can help. Thanks.

 

[THEREALTOR1]

Well I can't help you from experience, because i'm still in the process of getting new shocks and coils myself, however, I can tell you what i've read.

Monroe sensa-trac's are soft. Some people say they are 2 soft. I looked at them, but I don't think I would buy a set because I like a little bit stiffer ride. Bilsteins are very nice, also very expensive. If you don't care about the name you can find shocks that will fit your purpose for probably much less than what you'd pay for a set of bilsteins.

New shocks won't fix your sag. Your truck is sagging because your rear coils are getting worn out. (coils and springs = the same thing, different people/different terminology). 99' coils were 1" taller from the factory then every other year 3rd gen. If you want to go back to factory ride height + add an 1", you can put in a set of 99' coils. If you just want to go back to factory ride height, just buy a set of rear coils for your specific year.

If you want to get into lifting your ride, check out the links stickied at the top of this forum. I'd suggest "3rd gen lift information" and "about rear sag?" to get you started.

If you decide to get new coils, you can wait for a member to get a lift and see if he/she will sell you theres', or just keep an eye on the classifieds. If you want new, 4Runner - Original Accessories OEM Factory Mechanical TRD Products

Good luck. Welcome to the site.

 

[Mano1124]

Thanks for the info THEREALTOR1. I loved that i found this place. It's awesome that people help out other people here. I'll keep a look out if anybody would sell there coils.

 

[00_4runner]

I'm replacing my factory shocks after 153k miles on my 99 T4R 2WD. I'm thinking of getting monroe sensa-trac because of the, buy 3 and the 4th free, deal. Then again, I keep on reading that Bilstein are better. I never go off roading or tow. Looking for a smooth ride. Also, the rear sags. I want to fix that while I replace thee shocks. I read that one person switched into new shocks and still had the sag. What can I do to fix it? I'm new at this so what is the difference between springs and coils? Someone mentioned to buy the 99 tall springs. But what about coils? Hope someone can help. Thanks.

Ive said this on countless threads and Ill say it again in order to save you trouble. Do yourself (and your runner) a favor and spend the extra money on bilsteins. Bilsteins are regular replacements and they will probably outlast your vehicle you will never have to change them again. After 100K i think they still retain 96 some % efficiency as apposed to monroe which need to be replaced like every 50K. If you have rear sag you will need to replace your springs becuase they are old.

 

[Mano1124]

Thanks 00 4runner for the feedback. I'm looking into bilstein. but which model of Bilstein do you recommend for a smooth ride? Like i said before, i don't go offroading or tow anything. I'm just tired of hitting small bumps on the road and my 4Runner bounces a lot, especially on the highway. Friends that sit on the back bounces off the seat. LOL!

 

[CanukRunner]

Just got off the phone with toytech.

For my 98 SR5 V6

To lift 3 inches I need to get

FRONT:

881 std coil
883 if I put a bumper (which I may in the future, warnings of "dont do it untill you have the bumper " where made)
882 If I have bumper and Winch
OME 90004 Sport Shocks

Rear

890 Coils std
891 Coils ( if you have a bumper, which i do,,,,, he did mentioned these coils may be good for every one as they hold up better the the 890's)

60028 Shocks... no matter the load.. apparently the 60027's are solid rods that dont move.

>>>>>>OR<<<<<

Replace the shocks with bilstien 5100's.. for not much more money.


In my case where I plan on a front bumper but dont have one yet .... the adjustable suspension (ultimate kit) is perfect .. you can just adjust the front up later.

What would be even more perfect if the the ultimate kit was say.......$700 and shipping was included......eh hemm..... toytech,,,,,, sorry had to clear my throat.

 

[00_4runner]

Thanks 00 4runner for the feedback. I'm looking into bilstein. but which model of Bilstein do you recommend for a smooth ride? Like i said before, i don't go offroading or tow anything. I'm just tired of hitting small bumps on the road and my 4Runner bounces a lot, especially on the highway. Friends that sit on the back bounces off the seat. LOL!

Go to Google and type in the year and make/model and bilstein shocks. Idk the exact serial number but they are not hard to find. Two tone blue and yellow.

 

[foyaboya]

I'm replacing my factory shocks after 153k miles on my 99 T4R 2WD. I'm thinking of getting monroe sensa-trac because of the, buy 3 and the 4th free, deal. Then again, I keep on reading that Bilstein are better. I never go off roading or tow. Looking for a smooth ride. Also, the rear sags. I want to fix that while I replace thee shocks. I read that one person switched into new shocks and still had the sag. What can I do to fix it? I'm new at this so what is the difference between springs and coils? Someone mentioned to buy the 99 tall springs. But what about coils? Hope someone can help. Thanks.

I want to post a thread of my suspension work with pics later, but to answer your question from a personal experience...

I have a 1999 SR5 4wd 4Runner with the p265 70 R16 tires and I just replaced my struts (front of vehicle with COILOVER springs) and shocks plus new SPRINGS in the rear. Also replaced swaybar bushings and end link bushings front and back. Did all the work last night 4/28/2011 (all night LOL!) OK here goes...you asked for it...

I bought this Runner used in 2009 10 years old it already had 236k miles but it did not bother me cause I have friends that swear by Toyota especially Runners...well needless to say I was disappointed with the ride right off the bat but since we got a good deal on it I just promised myself to upgrade the ride...well to my utter disappointment and LACK OF EXPERIENCE and SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS I went out and bought the best shocks available at sigh...Autozone they sold me Gabriel Ultra's front and back...thought about the Monroe's but decided against it since they swore by the Gabe's...bad idea they wore out in less than 6 months...and i mean wore out...not started to ride bad...that happened after about 3 months (i did light offroading occasionally maybe like a total of 4 times in the 6 months.) the middles of the strut bottom where the bolt goes through were completely torn up and the backs hit hard all the time. I kicked myself in the grass and swore to never buy cheapies again!

Light at the end of the tunnel...

Finally saved and bought up supplies from 2011 Toyota Parts Zone - Toyota Parts, Toyota Accessories

and also Summit Racing

I decided to go OEM (original parts) since they were exact matches on all the bushings and washers as well as the 99' rear springs and the rear shocks which I found out are brand name TOKICKO which are put on all Toyota 4Runners i believe. From Summit I bought the Bilstein 24-187244 - Bilstein Heavy-Duty Series Struts, pluse Brake Roters and Brake Pads.

I installed the front struts first (tip I did not make it to my mechanic but would recommend taking the entire strut assembly with your new struts and have them take the coils of the old and put on the new...he would have charged me 15 bucks a piece! instead due to time constraints i rented the strut spring compressor tool from Autozone for 50 bucks which they refund when you bring it back. I ended up needing it though to compress the springs in the back anyway so keep that in mind) once i got the struts installed I immediately took it for a spin with my neighbor who came by to help...holy crap what a difference! On top of that the Bilstein's raised the front like 2.5 inches alone! Very impressed! That was 11:30 pm.

Next I installed the rest of the stuff and finished umm....at 5:30 am! Do not underestimate the rear springs/coils holy crap that was a heck of a job! Also I have a major complaint with Toyota regarding the rear driver side shock top nut and washer! What the !#@*%^? were they thinking you have to be some kind of contortionist to get your freaking hand up there much less get a socket and a ratchet on it...there is all kinds of stuff in the way...contrastingly it took me all of 10 min to swap out the rear passenger side shock and an estimated 1.5 hrs to get the driver side rear! Ok i feel better for saying that! Swaybar stuff was mostly easy day except for the passenger side swaybar bushing bracket removal...holy crap i say again! they position of the nuts and washers on the top of the bracket right under the floorboard and all kinds of crap in the way! Really Toyota that junk was hard as well, make sure and spray repeatedly with WD40 or equivalent for like a week in advance if yours is as old as mine...the end links were a little problematic, i found it easier to undue the swaybar brackets and the end links where they connect to the body and break the nuts for the end links on a workbench where i could muscle it! I did this after breaking my 14mm wrench due to cranking the heck out of it with a bigger wrench on the end of it to get more torque!!!

What's the short answer (Sorry to give it to you last) Do not get anything less than OEM which i think stands for Original Engineered Manufacturer parts or Bilstien or above...Icon...whatever PERIOD!

Sorry for the long answer but did i answer your question? LOL

 

[Mano1124]

foyaboya, that was a hell of an answer! LOL! Thanks a lot. I should be selling my audio system soon. That's where i'm getting my money to buy my shocks and springs. I also have some money saved up. I'm gonna have fun working on my Runner.....maybe i should invite a friend to help me out as well. Thanks again.

 

[cj80cruiser]

I'm new at this so what is the difference between springs and coils?

Let me further help you with your terminology about coils and springs

Coils are springs by the way. What you need to differentiate is between Coil Springs and Leaf Springs. Our 3rd gens only have Coil Springs from the factory so unless you do an axle swap then you'll more than likely only be using coil springs.