Opinions on Daystar Lift Kit

[johnnytoofye]

Hey everyone,

I'm keep going back and forth on getting the Daystar 2.5" Lift Kit or Cornfed 3/2 Lift.
I have a 2005 V8 2WD 4Runner with 125k miles on it. It's my daily driver. Haven't went off roading with it yet, but plan to do it once or twice. Lol.
I'm uncertain about getting the lift kit because I don't know if it'll make my ride feel more stiff, bring a different in appearance (to give it a 3" look/feel), cause wear and tear, ect. Just little things like that. I still want the original set up that I want: 5100 Bilstein front adjustable and 5125 Bilstein rear shocks and FJ Springs to give it a 3" lift, but being a college student makes things a bit difficult and have to have a backup plan from the way it looks.
I just want to get as much input as I can before I actually make the purchase. I hope you guys can help me out. I'm slowly trying to make my build where I'm more in love with my car.

Thanks!

 

[Hayden_]

Hey everyone,

I'm keep going back and forth on getting the Daystar 2.5" Lift Kit or Cornfed 3/2 Lift. I'm uncertain about getting the lift kit because I don't know if it'll make my ride feel more stiff, bring a different in appearance (to give it a 3" look/feel), cause wear and tear, ect. Just little things like that. I still want the original set up that I want: 5100 Bilstein front adjustable and 5125 Bilstein rear shocks and FJ Springs to give it a 3" lift, but being a college student makes things a bit difficult and have to have a backup plan from the way it looks.
I just want to get as much input as I can before I actually make the purchase. I hope you guys can help me out. I'm slowly trying to make my build where I'm more in love with my car.

Thanks!

I just installed my day star 2.5"/1.5" leveling kit last weekend and as appearance goes it looks incredibly more manly and as ride quality goes nothing has changed if anything it looks better I couldn't ask for a better price either I got them for cheap on Autoplocity.com I'd go with days tar installation was easy and ride quality and wear and tear are great because there's no metal to metal rubbing with the day star which makes it last longer all in all it was a great buy definitely do it man

 

[inscarguy]

love my daystar lift, almost 3 years and no problems.

 

[txclimber]

If choosing between those two, I'd say Daystar, simply due to price. Spacers aren't a performance part, they are, well, spacers.

That being said, I hate to be a negative voice here, but spacers of any kind are definitely a limitation.

I have the daystar kid on my 05. I put it on 2 weeks after I got the truck. Because the truck was "new to me" I had been very aware of how it felt and drove because I was still "feeling" it out and noticing everything.

After adding the spacers the ride definitely suffered. It became much stiffer. Also, aside from clearance (and looks), I would also argue that the off road capabilities were reduced as well. The suspension was no longer able to conform to the irregularities of the trail as it was before the spacers. High speed bumps became much more noticeable.

Immediately, I began saving for a "real" suspension lift. In fact, I have an Icon setup sitting in my garage right now, waiting to be installed.

When making your choice factor in the total cost, which can be way different depending on who's doing the work.

Daystar kit $140
Labor $200?
Alignment? $75
PLUS, if you're over about 130k miles and still on the factory shocks, you probably need new ones anyway. That's another $300 at least.

Suddenly, the cheap way is almost half the cost of a much better setup. It will however LOOK cool. Much better in fact. If that is end goal, go for it. Not trying to rain on your parade here, I just want have your eyes wide open.

I don't regret getting the daystars as they really made my truck look great for the few months it took to save for the ICON setup, but if I were paying for labor and considered it a long-term solution and had to pay for shocks eventually too, well I would have felt screwed.

 

[gshadow325]

If choosing between those two, I'd say Daystar, simply due to price. Spacers aren't a performance part, they are, well, spacers.

That being said, I hate to be a negative voice here, but spacers of any kind are definitely a limitation.

I have the daystar kid on my 05. I put it on 2 weeks after I got the truck. Because the truck was "new to me" I had been very aware of how it felt and drove because I was still "feeling" it out and noticing everything.

After adding the spacers the ride definitely suffered. It became much stiffer. Also, aside from clearance (and looks), I would also argue that the off road capabilities were reduced as well. The suspension was no longer able to conform to the irregularities of the trail as it was before the spacers. High speed bumps became much more noticeable.

Immediately, I began saving for a "real" suspension lift. In fact, I have an Icon setup sitting in my garage right now, waiting to be installed.

When making your choice factor in the total cost, which can be way different depending on who's doing the work.

Daystar kit $140
Labor $200?
Alignment? $75
PLUS, if you're over about 130k miles and still on the factory shocks, you probably need new ones anyway. That's another $300 at least.

Suddenly, the cheap way is almost half the cost of a much better setup. It will however LOOK cool. Much better in fact. If that is end goal, go for it. Not trying to rain on your parade here, I just want have your eyes wide open.

I don't regret getting the daystars as they really made my truck look great for the few months it took to save for the ICON setup, but if I were paying for labor and considered it a long-term solution and had to pay for shocks eventually too, well I would have felt screwed.

i agree with most of what ^^^^he said LoL
-ride is firmed up, but mine had 164k on a tired stock suspension
-i did fj coils (used 3k) $80
-i did tacoma trd shocks (new take offs) $100 for 4
-i did daystars spacers
-i did bigger tires 33"

- netted 4.5" up over stock, my stock was at 32" in the front probably due to saggy springs

for me it was a world of improvement, went froma camry to a truck, bouncy yet you didnt feel the suspension crashing on every speed bump. again mine had a old tired suspension, although it was not leaking or blown when it was removed, just OLD.

 

[NOVA46]

i agree with most of what ^^^^he said LoL
-ride is firmed up, but mine had 164k on a tired stock suspension
-i did fj coils (used 3k) $80
-i did tacoma trd shocks (new take offs) $100 for 4
-i did daystars spacers
-i did bigger tires 33"

- netted 4.5" up over stock, my stock was at 32" in the front probably due to saggy springs

for me it was a world of improvement, went froma camry to a truck, bouncy yet you didnt feel the suspension crashing on every speed bump. again mine had a old tired suspension, although it was not leaking or blown when it was removed, just OLD.

second. I was pretty much in the same boat. I like my daystar lift, but almost immediately wanted the bilsteins and FJ coils. I plan on putting those in next month, fronts set at 2.5 while keeping the rear DS spacer. It is a much stiffer ride, and the bump absorption is definately lacking. However, if you're going for looks and added ground clearance only, the DS is the perfect kit.

 

[zonianbrat]

I also want to add that I did the daystar spacer lift/leveling kit and it is causing me to have front differential issues. It is really common on Tacomas but I havent heard of too many people having this issue on 4 runners. Not sure why but there is a fix for it. Basically the lift on the drivers side is causing a needle type bearing to vibrate at 30-45 mph and in 2wd only. When in 4x4 everything is tight in the diff and the rub-vibe goes away. Just some thing to think about.

 

[johnnytoofye]

All the feedback I'm getting is helping me a lot. Look are one of the main factors that I want, however, the overall big picture is what will happen in the long run. I kind of want to make it a "one and done" thing whenever I start my suspension. I'm loving the responses from everyone. I'm pretty sure I'll make up my mind by tomorrow, but for now I'm going to keep letting the responses come through.
My other question is for the FJ Springs do you guys only get the rear ones or both front and rear? I've mainly seen most people only get the rear springs. If you get both, is there anything similar to the FJ front and rear springs for a reasonable price?

 

[gshadow325]

you should fill out your sig to reflect model of your 4r v8 v6 2wd 4wd

also you should take in the feedback from people with similar setup as yours and the others will be for reference. example, miles on truck before daystar, miles put on the daystars

like me, i have 8000 miles on my daystar lift combo with one whole day out in playing in the mud offroading and it has been 7500 miles since then

 

[johnnytoofye]

you should fill out your sig to reflect model of your 4r v8 v6 2wd 4wd

also you should take in the feedback from people with similar setup as yours and the others will be for reference. example, miles on truck before daystar, miles put on the daystars

like me, i have 8000 miles on my daystar lift combo with one whole day out in playing in the mud offroading and it has been 7500 miles since then

Thanks gshadow325! I just took your advice and edit my description to be more specific

 

[gshadow325]

Thanks gshadow325! I just took your advice and edit my description to be more specific

well you gotta watch with 2wd and v8, the daystar may give you more than the 2.5" since its lighter in the front

 

[johnnytoofye]

Mind Made Up

Okay, so I came to a conclusion! I got the Bilstein 5100 shocks (all 4) and got them for a good price. Now my question should I do FJ front and rear springs along with a 1.5 rear spacer?

I also want to know if getting rear springs like this would help the rear height?
Amazon.com: Raybestos 589-1135 Professional Grade Coil Spring Set: Automotive

I'm trying to get to a 3" overall lift. I would appreciate any suggestions to help make my ride smooth.

 

[SI2IS2T4R]

I'm still very much a newbie and I'm glad no one jumped on this thread and gave the typical "did you use the search dummy" comment.

There's some real good answers here. Good opinions and experiences. This thread has helped me too.

I've been back and forth as well, staring at that damn daystar kit as it sits in my wish list in Amazon. But, at the end of the day, if 5100's and FJ springs are what I really want, why waste money on a temporary set up of Daystars.

I think I'll save up. For the 5100/FJs. And maybe some Spidertrax

 

[gshadow325]

Lots may disagree, but I personally would stay away from spacers. It's not my cup of tea on this application. I feel that there is going to be too much stress on them in a offroad situation.