Quick question, need help ASAP - Mechanic installing 5100's as we speak

[Mr. Sparkle]

Mechanic buddy is installing 5100's as we speak on my '05 4Runner SR5

No lift, re-using OEM springs.

He said when front shocks are set at 0" the shocks are "damn near loose"

Where should these be set when just doing an OEM swap?

Sorry, if this is covered in FAQ, I am trying to get him as answer asap!

Many thanks in advance!

 

[srs034runner]

I think it's 0.85 ... I think!

Mechanic buddy is installing 5100's as we speak on my '05 4Runner SR5

No lift, re-using original OEM springs.

He said when front shocks are set at 0" the shocks are "damn near loose"

Where should these be set when just doing an OEM swap?

Sorry, if this is covered in FAQ, I am trying to get him as answer asap!

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I think it's 0.85 ... I think!

Pretty sure you are correct, he said they put it on 0.85 and that is where the coil felt tight.

Thanks!

 

[blackoutt]

the "0" setting = 0 lift. Your springs might be sagged enough that they barely get preloaded at all on the 0 setting. 0.85 setting will preload them a little bit more and are supposed to yield you approx. 0.85" of lift.

 

[RonJR]

As was said, it's a question of pre-load. Nothing will be "loose" once the shock and spring are installed in the vehicle, since the full weight of that corner of the vehicle will be resting on the spring.

If you set the distance from the lower spring perch to the lower shock mount on the 5100 to be the same as it was on the OEM shock, the ride height will be exactly the same as your OEM setup (sag and all), since you're re-using the same spring (assuming no added spacers on top). If you want the ride height higher, move the lower spring perch up on the shock 1/2" for every inch of lift you want.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Thanks for the replies everyone, we ended up keeping the front at 0.85 and the 4Runner rides absolutely fantastic.

Night and day compared to riding around with a blown out front drivers side shock for the past year or so.

Next up on the list is wire wheeling some of the frame rust off and spraying a couple of coats of 3M undercoat underneath.

We live near the ocean and this thing looks pretty bad under there, pretty much par for the course in this area though to be honest.