OME 90004 + stock springs + 1" poly spacer=3.5-4" of lift? what am i doing wrong?

[theriddler]

OME 90004 + stock springs + 1" poly spacer=3.5-4" of lift? what am i doing wrong?

so I've been wrenching on Toyota tacomas and 4runners for 20 years and i'm really confused about this situation. yes i'm using the search function and google and i'm overwhelmed by the results and answers i'm getting so here's what I've got:

Goal=OME 90004 struts up front and 2" of lift

Parts I have on hand=OME 90004 struts, stock coils, and a 1" poly spacer (that added about 2" of lift to another 4runner i had but it was removed to return it to stock height)

So i thought i could just install the 90004 struts with the original springs and run the poly spacer to achieve 2" of lift but when i tried it lifted the front like 3.5-4" and i had absolutely no down travel. Realizing on that side of the 4runner that i wasn't going to work I install the OME 90004 strut and stock coil on the other side without the spacer and achieved 1-1.5" of lift. Does this make sense? Toytec made no mention of the strut alone creating lift on it's website: Front OME 90004 Shocks (95.5-04 Taco/96-02 4Run) I was relying on the spacer to create the lift, not the strut, and now i'm confused on how to fix this.

this is kind of embarrassing for me to even be asking how to fix this with all the info out there but i'm getting varying answers. makes me with i just bought the adjustable coilovers and be done with it
:ybrick:

 

[theriddler]

also...i'm not opposed to purchasing a top plate spacer or even the OME 881 springs to make this correct, i'm just trying to make sure i order the correct parts this time. this is my brother's ride and he'd like to have it back soon

also, these springs state that they will add 2-2.5" of lift...is this by themselves or when paired to the 90004 shocks? i'm really baffled that a strut can by itself can raise a vehicle 1-1.5 inches

thanks in advance for any feedback on this

 

[Dezert4Runner]

I’m not very familiar with the 90004 shocks, but I don’t think they’re height adjustable so that would take a higher perch setting out of the equation. I will go ahead and guess that the most likely culprit is that the lower spring seat is upside down, since we’ve seen that here a couple times on this forum. Some pics would probably help rule that out pretty quickly. If that is not the case, there’s not much else that could cause that much extra unexpected lift. Do you know for sure that the Springs were stock and not OME? What is the original/ and current hub to fender measurement?

I had excessive lift after installing a set of coilovers in my old 1996 4runner and the ride height dropped 1” after the alignment was done, so it’s possible some of that extra height is reduced after alignment.

 

[theriddler]

Ah crap....you may have just nailed it. I'll check out that lower spring seat when i get home. Must have been the 105 heat index getting to me...thanks a million for the quick response

 

[theriddler]

i installed the spring seat just like this from Wheeler's offroad website:
https://wheelersoffroad.com/i-25490...-4runner-assembly-a.html?ref=category:1389006
I can see how this can add lift if it's backwards

 

[Lamer]

i'm really baffled that a strut can by itself can raise a vehicle 1-1.5 inches

struts will never add lift.

some offer adjust-ability to ride height via variable lower spring perch settings.

can you take some pics of your actual front suspension?

:worthless

 

[Tyler James Inc]

also...i'm not opposed to purchasing a top plate spacer or even the OME 881 springs to make this correct...
...also, these springs state that they will add 2-2.5" of lift...is this by themselves or when paired to the 90004 shocks? i'm really baffled that a strut can by itself can raise a vehicle 1-1.5 inches

I'm betting your suspension isn't settled.
Did you install both sides- without spacers- and go for a drive? I don't mean to question your 20 years of wrenching on Toyotas, I'm just asking to get all the info. If you didn't fully install both sides and go for a spin, the suspension likely wasn't settled. Also, you need to loosen the UCA and LCA bolts, and re-torque them with the vehicle on the suspension- at the new height. This keeps the bushings in a neutral state at ride height.
I installed the 881 coils on my buddy's '99, and they are great riding coils!
I think those coils would get you right where you want to be.

 

[theriddler]

struts will never add lift.

some offer adjust-ability to ride height via variable lower spring perch settings.

can you take some pics of your actual front suspension?

:worthless

Haha...i knew that quote was heading my way. I took the day off from working on stuff yesterday, I'll dig back in it today pending I don't get rained out.

But yes, struts should never add lift....unless the lower spring seat is raised up or they are ride height adjustable as you noted.

 

[theriddler]

I'm betting your suspension isn't settled.
Did you install both sides- without spacers- and go for a drive? I don't mean to question your 20 years of wrenching on Toyotas, I'm just asking to get all the info. If you didn't fully install both sides and go for a spin, the suspension likely wasn't settled. Also, you need to loosen the UCA and LCA bolts, and re-torque them with the vehicle on the suspension- at the new height. This keeps the bushings in a neutral state at ride height.
I installed the 881 coils on my buddy's '99, and they are great riding coils!
I think those coils would get you right where you want to be.

I've been thinking about this for the past day and I'm betting you're correct! I don't see any way that a 1" spacer can have this effect unless the suspension is not settled or something is wrong. I did not install the spacer on both sides, I just did the one side and realized that something didn't look right. I ended up just installing the struts and using no spacer what so ever at this point so my rear end of the 4runner is about 4 inches higher than the point at this point. I did drive it after i got this done and it did seem to settle down some so maybe i'll give the spacer another shot now.

I've been impressed with the rear OME 890 coils so far, they make excellent products. I ran them with Bilstein 5100's in the past and they seemed a little bouncy but matched up with the OME Nitrocharger shock it rides like butter....love it! I just didn't see much benefit in replacing the front coils at this point, i'm not carrying more weight yet and the appropriate spacer accomplishes the same thing. Too bad OME doesn't get on the bandwagon and make a coilover Nitrocharger shock, i'd have me a set for the front if they did and would never have to worry about spacers again.

Thanks to you all for your input, I've been on the sidelines for a while since getting married so it's taking me a while to catch up with you guys knowledge wise

 

[theriddler]

Problem solved!!! So I tried the driver's side and it went on perfect, had to disconnect the steering tie rod and the upper control arm joint but once the shock and spacer were installed it looked correct.

Took the passenger's side apart again, and it went together well too. I did notice what i think the original problem was, i believe one of the cv joints was in a bind when i put everything back together. I could feel a "catch" when trying to feed the ball joint into the upper control arm so i was careful it wasn't bound up once reinstalled. If it wasn't that, it could have been the spindle caught under one of the spring coils...whatever it was it was definitely bound up.

Got the 265/75R16 load range C Duratracs installed today and it looks and feels fantastic. Although the front sway bars aren't hooked up yet and i still need to replace the power steering rack bushings, but it drives like a dream. Suspension feels very controlled and the tires are a lot quieter than i expected. I'm very happy with this setup if anyone is considering doing something similar.

Thanks again for your input everyone, I'll post some pics once it quits raining...the 6 year old said i need to put smiley face on here so here goes, he liked the sniper (?)...haha
:sniper::sniper: