Opinions on Sanoran Steels' 1.2 lift for the 3rd gen 4runner?

[Fochps]

I'm going to be doing the tundra/LC lift on my runner and this lift looks pretty inclusive. Would I be better served just looking for most of the parts at boneyards and buying the diff drop and adjustable panhard bar from them? Their lift is $1200 but sometimes you gotta pay a little more not to have the headaches of not finding certain parts in a timely manner. Thanks for the input guys!

 

[GSPRunner]

It's a nice kit. He includes everything that wont make lifting your truck a headache down the road. I bought the TRD/Bilsteins, Panhard and diff drop from him and kind of pieced the rest together myself, but its very comfortable to drive on the street and capable off road.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Buying suspension parts from boneyards vs a new kit from SS is absolutely crazy.

For one thing, shocks & springs are usually good for 100k or 10 years so those used parts are not going to perform or last like a new set would.

 

[blonde1boarder]

The real benefit of the 1.2 system is the added bonuses like the panhard bar, bump stops, brake line extensions, etc. If you are going for the basic setup with just the springs, shocks, and front struts then it's way easier to piece together and it will save some cash. I found all my equipment from car-part.com in less than a week.

Used Front springs with shock- 65 a piece
New OEM LC Tokicos - 45 a piece
Used LC Springs - as low as 30 a piece
New Bilstein 5100 height adjustable shocks - 110 a piece

Total Cost - $500

Eventually if you need the other stuff you can buy it.

 

[NOT ME OR SOMEBODY]

The SS 1.2 a kit is a very good kit. Not to bad to install and it had good instructions with it.

The top of the rear shock can be a pain, but this has nothing to do with the SS 1.2 kit, it's just the way the shock is mounted.

 

[rickashay]

Yah I think it comes down to your budget really. Sure you can source the parts yourself buying some things new and some used, but like you said it will cost you time and effort.

If you can afford to drop 1200 on a lift just bite the bullet and get the SS kit. I pieced my similar lift together myself using all new parts except the rear LC coils which I scored for $30. I am using a Panhard drop instead of his adjustable panhard bar though. I "fabbed" my own e-brake extension bracket, bought my own Crown Stainless brake lines, and just got around to making bump stop extension brackets. Looking back, it would have been way easier to simply buy his kit. It really is a good value too, for what your getting. All the little things are taken care of. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the adjustable panhard, as I prefer the drop bracket, but thats just my opinion.

GL

 

[cordrayj1]

im the "towing" guy that always seems to chime in on SS 1.2 lifts

if you tow a lot. get stiffer rear springs

 

[Fochps]

I don't tow a lot so I'm not worried about sag from tongue weight. I want a nice soft ride that is going to give me nice articulation and from what I've read you can't really beat the LC coils for that. I think I'll buy the 1.2 lift as it will save time cause ill end up getting impatient and might end up with things that "will do for now" and have to change later. Thx for the input fellas! I'll be sure to post pics and maybe a build thread if one hasn't been done on this particular lift.

 

[cordrayj1]

sounds like the perfect choice for you. if i never towed, i would still have mine. those things flexed like whoa. they were the talk of the trails everytime i wheeled. people dont seem to give the old 3rd gen credit where its due until they see it happen. good luck!

 

[rideexileex]

I absolutely love the SS1.2 kit - it is one of the best performing kits I've seen out there. The ONLY downside to this kit I've seen in on the road manners... with the extended panhard bar, while hitting quick bumps on the road, I've noticed quick lateral movements of the rear axle. You wont notice this offroad at all, but if I were to do the lift again, I would have gone with a correctly engineered drop bracket instead. Otherwise, that kit is gold.

 

[Fochps]

Sounds good! If I need to make a more stable panhard setup that's ok with me. I'll see if I can live with the adjustable. Here are some pics of how she sits for now. The Harley is sold to free up $4500 to dump straight into her. Lift, wheels/tires, paint, rack, LED lightbars and who the hell knows what else?! Haha

 

[Fochps]

Another picture

 

[Fochps]

She's gonna be fun! I'm thinking of stock color (dark metallic silver/grey), powder coated bumpers (black), rhino line limited door/fender trim (black) maybe powder coat the wheels CAT tractor yellow, with the lift, rack, lightbar, etc. can ya see my vision? Then when she's all set and lookin really nice I'm gonna go make her really dirty! Hahaha

 

[Fochps]

Here's another, nothing special..... Yet!

 

[Fochps]

By the way, what tires are y'all running. I'm leaning to the Kevlar Goodyear MTRs...

 

[Bandit Runner]

I've been very happy with my SS1.2 lift. Only thing is I will probably replace the rear springs with OME 861's when I add a tire carrier to my rear bumper, because they won't be able to handle the additional weight.

 

[white_n_slow]

I know most people think whatever they spent their money on was a good choice, but I have some buyer's remorse about the SS 1.2 kit.

1) While you don't want junkyard shocks, junkyard front springs would probably do just fine, and maybe rear springs depending on the mileage
2) If you want all new gear, a comparable setup can be bought from Toytec for about 75% of the cost.
3) Rides rougher than I would like, although I did get the Toyota/Tokico rear shocks in anticipation of a tire carrier bumper

I can't complain about the quality of the parts, everything is very good. The main story for me is that if I had been more patient and done more research, I could have saved a good $300 on suspension and probably have been just as satisfied. It's a hefty premium to pay to have someone piece together a pile of toyota/bilstein parts for you.

 

[AZTOY]

Here's my 2 cents. I have a SS 1.2 rear only and Toytec adjustable coilovers on front. This way I was able to get all the upgrades for the rear and fully adjustable front for future front bumper and cv angle adjustment (didn't get diff drop kit and haven't had any problems). I crawl over a lot of rocks and this is my DD. This setup is great to me. Good luck.

 

[AZTOY]

2) If you want all new gear, a comparable setup can be bought from Toytec for about 75% of the cost.

Where do you get that figure? 75% of $1400 is $1050. At Toytec you will pay $1250 ( toytec ultimate 1010 + adj panhard bar 200 + brake line extension 40) without bump stops that cost about $100 more and toytec doesn't sell them.

Just saying.

 

[MATTPENN21]

Chiming in on an old thread

I just ordered this kit last week and it is to arrive in the morning.
I have been a long time reader of this forum but just finally decided to join.
I will have a great build up in the coming months.
I purchased the front and rear coil springs new, the shocks new from the dealer, also aussie locker and going to go 285/75r16 tires. We will see the outcome....
98 4runner V-6 4x4