Poor Mans Lift Questions for '97 4Runner

[BMWgiant4RUNN]

About 6 months ago, I put some 265/70/17 Mud Tires on my '97 4Runner. I simply wanted an aggressive tire that would improve my Winter driving in Colorado and provide some fun driving for the Summer. I made the mistake of thinking these would fit with no issues. I instantly faced rubbing issues.

I already have a 1" top strut leveling kit on the front. To fix the rubbing issue, I put on 2" spacers on the rear and 1.75" spacers on the front. I also trimmed the mud flap, again thinking I would face no more issues. When I finally drove with passengers in the car, I found that with running over almost any bump while turning, I get to hear a lovely grind noise.

I figured I would live with this minor issue through the winter but now It's Summer time and I plan on driving to camping spots in the mountains that require some minor off road driving. Driving that is almost guaranteed to have full of passengers and equipment.

I have a buddy that has stock FJ80 springs that he is going to give me for what ever I believe they are worth. I was thinking I could throw him $50. I plan on putting these on the rear and adding a 3" leveling kit to the front.

Here are my questions:
1. When adding the FJ80 springs, do I necessarily have to replace the shocks with longer shocks or do any other work that required more money? I am hoping to just install the springs and be good to go. I don't know how much lift the FJ80 springs will add, but I am hoping for the minimum I read about of 3 inches.

2. For the 3" top loading leveling kit. I found this 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner PRO Leveling Kit from Supreme Suspensions for $68.95. Do you think this is a good pairing with the Springs in the rear or will it create a bad rake look?

3. Would I be better off buying this complete1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner PRO Lift Kit from Supreme Suspensions for $149.95 that includes a lift for both front and back rather than doing the FJ80 Springs? I don't quite understand the part for the rear, since it says it's a 3" lift in the front and 1.5" in the rear. Would this end up being level in the end?

I will end this by saying, I am not that knowledgeable about any 4x4 mods as I was heavily involved in the classic BMW world before this. I simply know what I've read on the forums. Any and all advice is very welcome. I am trying to do this as much on a budget as possible. I just don't want to make any mistakes that will cause my car to be inoperable that I have to put more money into it immediately. I just want eliminate the grinding noise I experience with these wheels the easiest way possible.

Thank you!

Here is a picture of my 4Runner with it's current set up:

 

[rubegoldberg]

Regarding the tires. Offroad tires are actually problematic for winter driving on roads rather than making things safer.

 

[BMWgiant4RUNN]

Regarding the tires. Offroad tires are actually problematic for winter driving on roads rather than making things safer.

I honestly felt a huge difference compared to last years winter driving. I had ZERO incidents of slippage, losing control or getting stuck in snow. Last year, those were constant issues.

I bought Treadwright GUARD DOG M/T
LT265/70R17 (https://www.treadwright.com/individual-product/175/GUARD DOG-265-70R17.00-E) which were amazing for winter driving.

 

[BMWgiant4RUNN]

So this was my first post, so I'm curious if my post was too long for any body to respond to? Or is it in the wrong section? Or do questions like this just take time to be answered?

 

[RAZsRunner]

You may get a few knowledgeable people stumbling through to help you but unfortunately this topic has been just about beat to death and the guys on here often prefer if you do the research in threads were it has been covered and recovered already. If I knew more I would certainly chime in but I am in the middle of doing lift research myself. I haven't heard of your lift option yet in my research but this is a link to a thread that has proved very helpful. Good luck in the future my good man!

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/66976-3rd-gen-4runner-lift-information-faqs.html

 

[A.Wilson013]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/66976-3rd-gen-4runner-lift-information-faqs.html

The lift FAQ is a good start.

If the spacers are all you can afford and you need to lift your 4Runner right now to be able to enjoy it, get them. Just know that down the road you'll probably be disappointed in their performance.

As for the springs... If you put them in the back you will 100% NEED new shocks. If you don't, the first time you articulate the axle you run a serious risk of ripping your shocks in half. You'll be looking for the 7/7.5 wrap coils to net the least amount of lift, but it will still be ~4" I bet, which will look pretty silly with your tire size...

Where are you rubbing? Perhaps we could shed some light on where to cut/hammer to get a bit more clearance?

 

[BMWgiant4RUNN]

I am rubbing in the front only. And mostly when turning right over any curb/driveway/bump. I have heard it turning left as well, just not nearly as often.

I did refer to the Lift FAQ first. That's how I got to this point. Which has still left me with some questions, since everything I know about lifts came from that thread.

I appreciate the information on definitely needing new shocks if I go the FJ80 Spring route. That's exactly what I was curious about.

That puts me back at my 3rd question:

"3. Would I be better off buying this complete 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner PRO Lift Kit from Supreme Suspensions for $149.95 that includes a lift for both front and back rather than doing the FJ80 Springs? I don't quite understand the part for the rear, since it says it's a 3" lift in the front and 1.5" in the rear. Would this end up being level in the end?"

Again, I am looking for the simplest solution possible to avoid rubbing. Perhaps some cutting/hammering is what's needed. Is there any threads you can point me to that show the best method to do this? As I said before, I did do some trimming to the mud flap already.

 

[1985taylor1925]

I would imagine your suspension is all original right? The issue youre having sounds like the coils are worn out, and therefore are compressing very easily, causing your rubbing issues. The problem with spacers is that they do not address this issue. So you could throw on taller spacers, and be fine driving down the road. But as soon as you get off road, especially with any extra weight in the vehicle, you will continue to have issues with rubbing as the coils compress too easily.

So a little logic . . . For the same price as that spacer kit you could probably find both front and rear coils to replace your worn out coils. If you get those LC coils, as Wilson said, you absolutely will need to replace the rear shocks as well. LC coils are far too tall for stock rear shocks. But this will also be the case with any rear lift over 2". The rear shocks are just too short for a rear lift.

Your best bet right now to fix your rubbing issues and do it as cheaply as possible would to find a decent set of front and rear used coils, and then use them in addition to the front and rear spacers you already have.

For the front:
It you find a decect set of 99 coils, or ome 880s or 881s, you could throw them on with your 1" spacer and shouldnt have any issues with rubbing in the front. These cols are constatly available in the classifieds here.

For the rear:
There are a ton of options for coils. But with any of them, including a stock coil and a spacer, you will need to get a longer rear shock. However there are always good used rear shock options in the classifieds as well.

Edit: If the picture of your truck above is with the spacers on, then your front and rear coils are DEFINATELY worn out. Theres very little gap between the wheel wells and tires. You would really benefit from a good used set of coils. And, are you sure those are 267 70 17s? They look bigger, more like a 33" tire.

 

[Wikki]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/101758-**rickashays-ome-vs-trd-tundra-lc-review**.html

This may help with the FJ80 springs questions. Also, for the FJ80 springs, you get the fronts for the rear of your runner in case you were not aware of that already.

 

[absalom]

Stop considering any spacer kits right now. Just erase that idea from your head.

If I were you, trying to clear 265/75's on a budget, I'd do used 99 tall coils with new OEM shocks/struts to match. I'd keep an eye on local Craigslist and the classifieds here every day to find a complete set.

Running TRD/LC setup is beyond what you require for the style of driving you do. The on-road manners aren't as refined as the 99 setup and is much more involved.

The Treadwright Guard Dog is an excellent tire, and while they classify it as a "mud-terriain", it certainly has many similar characteristics of a good all-terrain. If you haven't siped them yet, I'd look into doing it yourself. Watch here to see how! Should those wear out, I highly recommend looking into the Treadwright Warden. Should be even better in ice/slush/powder.

Tl;dr - '99 tall coils front/back used, new OEM shocks front/back.

 

[sportscarfan]

Stop considering any spacer kits right now. Just erase that idea from your head.

If I were you, trying to clear 265/75's on a budget, I'd do used 99 tall coils...

I support this advice. This is exactly what I did, except I put the '99 coils in with the [stock?] shocks the 4runner already had. I also made a 1" body lift out of a 1-foot length of UHMW-PE from McMaster-Carr. Total out of pocket for coils and body lift material/hardware was under $125. My 4runner is on 33's and has remained on this setup for the past 4 years.

 

[BMWgiant4RUNN]

MY mechanic checked over the suspension today and said everything looked pretty good and nothing seemed to be sagging. I found a pair of never installed '99 Tall Springs on this forum's for sale section that just happened to be local. I am thinking I will pick those up for the rear and still consider doing the front leveling kit with a 2 inch spacer that I posted above. I figure that should give me about an inch of lift since I'll be replacing the current 1 inch leveling kit. I am not sure how much lift I will see with the 99 Springs in the rear, but I figure about 1-2 inches is likely, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Sorry I can't erase the spacer kit out of my mind, since it seems like such an easy and cheap option when all I found was the rear springs.

Stop considering any spacer kits right now. Just erase that idea from your head.

If I were you, trying to clear 265/75's on a budget, I'd do used 99 tall coils with new OEM shocks/struts to match. I'd keep an eye on local Craigslist and the classifieds here every day to find a complete set.

Tl;dr - '99 tall coils front/back used, new OEM shocks front/back.

 

[1985taylor1925]

I would get the rear 99s you found, install the spacers for now if you really have that much issue with rubbing. And then wait for a set of 99 fronts to come available. I would sell you my front 99 set if I were able to change them right now, as I am planning on getting a different front coil in the future. But it will probably be a while before that happens

 

[1985taylor1925]

Heres a set of front 99 coils, or at least they should be. PM deathcougar for more details. He'll give you a good deal.


http://www.toyota-4runner.org/sale-t4r-items/192914-parting-1999-4runner-sr5-4wd-marysville-wa.html

 

[IsaiahC]

Stick with the 99 talls if you're trying to stay cheap. You can probably re-use your shocks/struts for now.

 

[absalom]

MY mechanic checked over the suspension today and said everything looked pretty good and nothing seemed to be sagging. I found a pair of never installed '99 Tall Springs on this forum's for sale section that just happened to be local. I am thinking I will pick those up for the rear and still consider doing the front leveling kit with a 2 inch spacer that I posted above. I figure that should give me about an inch of lift since I'll be replacing the current 1 inch leveling kit. I am not sure how much lift I will see with the 99 Springs in the rear, but I figure about 1-2 inches is likely, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Sorry I can't erase the spacer kit out of my mind, since it seems like such an easy and cheap option when all I found was the rear springs.

I'm all for easy and cheap. Just realize, it's going to ride like absolute crap after the spacer lift. I've had two spacer lifts so far. They were both terrifying to drive on the highway. If I were you, I'd find some TRD YY/YB coils and struts off car-part.com for ~$90 shipped. Will like a Cadillac by comparison.