SCRunner12
New member
This is all I could think about when I bought them...at 17 seconds
SCRunner's Build Thread
- Thread starter SCRunner12
- Start date
SCRunner12
New member
I think these will work out much better and reduce some of the body roll I was having with the SAW's. From what I've read it's just a spacer inside the shock that needs to be removed. Once you remove that then it will allow for that extra inch of travel. One guy on TW has a video of his rebuild, so I may do it myself down the road, but that depends if I resi them of not.
JWaldz
Moderator
Ohh, ok.. so there's no way of telling if it's ext. travel without cracking it open. Just wondering, cus when I got mine he said they were the ext. travel version but I'm not sure if they are or not. If I decide to get aftermarket uca's down the line I'll have mine rebuilt to make sure they are in fact ext. travel and to add a external resi.
SCRunner12
New member
I ended up calling Icon to see if they could look it up They don't have the old serial number system from Donahoe, but they did give the measurements for the extended and standard lengths. I'm going to same route as you with UCA's and a resi. Should happen next summer.
11/19/2012
I'm pretty annoyed right now as I wrote up my entire post and somehow it got erased before I could post it. Hate when that happens.
So I've had a few bigger changes to my 4runner in the last couple of weeks. Obviously I bought some Donahoe Racing 2.5 coilovers to replace my SAW 2.0's. I ended up putting them on last week after my daughter went to sleep. I really don't like working at night since all stores and shops are closed and I have to get to work the next morning. But with a 2 year old in the house and a full time job, time isn't very abundant. I figured this would be an hour to hour and half job, well I was wrong. The DR's have mounting holes for both Tacoma/4runners and Tundra/Sequoias. I new this going into it, but it's only a little dot next to the 4runner thread that differentiates it. It's not hard to lose track of which one is the right thread.
I got the SAW's off no problem and mounted two of the top plate bolts, but for some reason I couldn't get the third. I ended up threading part of the third bolt, but ran into some resistance. This really scared me so I pulled the coilover out and inspected it. Turns out I was using the Tundra threads and cross threaded it. When I figured out it was the Tundra mount I was very excited. It could have been a very long night if not.
I also got a nice little surprise when I began to start the swap. Turns out my CV boot finally decided to rip. It's been over a year since I put my lift on, so I can't really complain. I'll replace it sometime later on.
Pic comparing the SAW 2.0's to the DR 2.5's. The SAW's are much lighter and a bit longer.
DR's all mounted and looking purty
My impressions of the DR compared to the Tundra TRD's and SAW is I love them. They are exactly the ride I was looking for up front. They are very smooth on road and not harsh at all with the 650 lb coils. They handle the bumps well and have reduced my body roll a lot. I liked the SAW's, but the body roll was a bit too much. Even with only the stock front bumper then don't ride rough with a higher spring rate. I highly recommend ICON coilovers to anyone.
My other big update is a new front bumper. I wasn't really planning on getting a bumper so soon, but Slow_T4R was selling his and I couldn't pass it up. It's a pretty basic bumper and the welds aren't the prettiest, but it works for now. As I was taking off my stock bumper I went to unhook the drivers side fog light and found no quick disconnect. I guess at some point the PO had to splice in the wiring and just electrical taped the wiring. I'm not too happy about it, but o well.
Here it is all mounted.
Side View
I have some plans for it though if I keep it for long. It's lower mounting points are just holes in the frame I had to drill. I plan on creating a crossmember piece to mount it to and also replacing the flimsy "skid plate" with some thicker steel. This will have to wait till I can get a welder or find someone who can help me with it. I also might create a center hoop and weld it on. I might be making a trip up to BAMF and have Jerry help me out.
I also got some small things for the 4runner. I picked up an AFE Pro Dry S filter to replace my worn out K&N. I've been wanting one for a while, but never really took the plunge. I also got some Morimoto 3FIVE ballasts to replace the cheap ballasts I originally bought. I'm hoping it will make the projectors a bit more bright as I feel they aren't as bright as they should be. We'll see soon, if not I know I have a great set of ballasts.
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Whitson Metalworks
New member
i may could help you out with a hoop, what size is your tubing?
SCRunner12
New member
Nice Robert, so i guess next time we hit up a real trail i can expect you to be there?
Hell yeah. I still need some skids, but I at least won't be ripping off the overly large 99+ front bumper. Hopefully Jerry can start making skids so I can save on shipping.
I have no clue. I'm not that familiar with tubing and sizing. I'll look up some info on how to find out and let you know. That's why I asked on your build thread. I really liked the angles and width of the tubing a lot. I actually will take a lot of ideas from your thread for my own build later on. Very impressive work, I hope at some point I can fabricate like you.
Whitson Metalworks
New member
Thanks man, and to find your tubing size your looking for the width. It looks like 1-5/8 or 1-3/4 maybe. Just lay a tape measure behind it and take a picture.
SCRunner12
New member
Ok cool. I'll take a pic tomorrow in the sunlight and figure it out. I'm not sure how much work I want to do one this one as it isn't ideal, but I'd make it a lot safer with some upgrades.
I forgot to mention in my write up before, but I plan on getting some permanent blinkers and painting the whole thing black. That will come later when it's a bit more dry out.
Zachpins34
New member
Plan on tinting the clear corners at all? I think that'd look pretty cool with the projectors. Trucks looking great!
SCRunner12
New member
No I actually have a set of the black corners being shipped right now. Redrunner02 hooked me up so I'm going with those. I'm tempted though to open up the clear corners I have and paint the inside, but I'm not sure if they can be opened up very easy. Might have to experiment. I may tint the turn signals until I can get a different turn signal system in place.
Stockwell45
New member
Nice! I always like his old bumper, looks great on your rig!
rickashay
New member
I've done it twice. It's a HUGE PITA. I actually broke my OEM one this way... second time I got it but there is a very fine line between baking them to the right temp and melting the little support where the corner attaches to the headlamp. It can be done but it aint easy!
PS - Jelly of your DR's.... soooo nice.
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SCRunner12
New member
Haha so am I. These will be the last updates till Christmas. Hopefully around then I will have one of the best updates yet. I plan on updating my sig pic, but I need to get the front end buttoned up first. Once I get my corners on and the bumper painted I will take some better pictures.
Thanks! It's simple, but will serve it's purpose very well. It will definitely let me go on harder trails without worrying about destroying my stock bumper and I can take harder lines now.
Yeah that's what I thought. I will be happy with the black corners as they are. The other option was doing the same as you and tinting them with some vinyl.
I highly recommend any Icon or DR coilovers based on my experience so far. I don't think they will flex as much as the SAW's due to the higher spring rate and less coil wraps, but we'll see.
sierra_summits
Member
Coilovers
Glad to see you are liking the icons! Sorry about the cv's, but if u ever need a hand working on things let me know.
Sierra
Glad to see you are liking the icons! Sorry about the cv's, but if u ever need a hand working on things let me know.
Sierra
SCRunner12
New member
Thanks again for selling them to me. Yeah the CV will just have to wait till I really want to mess with it. It's fine for now, but will need to be taken care of. I might take you up on that offer when I do the Tundra brakes.
Possibly...
:It's what I'm hoping for, but it all depends on what happens with my raise and bonus at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately my firm lost our biggest client recently, so I'm not sure what is going to happen. Either way it will be my next big purchase.
