Suspension lift for the TE?

[jca21]

so... as always i've been crawling the internet looking up mods for the 5th gen. :fishing:

the one thing about the TE that threw a curv ball was doing suspension lifts with the KDSS. :sobbing:

well... while searching around i found people who have successfully lifted their lexus GX's with KDSS. :bravo:

one guy used 1.5" cornfed spacers front and back to give his GX a bit more ground clearance.

(Lifting GX with KDSS - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum)

also, there has been some people who posted regarding lifts for LC200's with KDSS and seemed to have been successful. :driving:

if the KDSS and suspension in the 5th gen is the same as the LC200 and the GX then theoretically wouldnt we be able to lift the TE with the same spacers??? just a thought :hungry:

so.... the big question is... whose gonna be the first guinea pig :reddance:

 

[DEMEAUX]

Im waiting for my T.E. to come in as we speak. I talked to someone at toytec and was told that they had not installed one or tested one as of wednesday of this week. He suggested the 3" spacer for the front and 2" rear coils for the rear. I think the same lift bflan installed on his. If i can find someone to install it, I will bite the bullet shall we say...lol

 

[jca21]

Im waiting for my T.E. to come in as we speak. I talked to someone at toytec and was told that they had not installed one or tested one as of wednesday of this week. He suggested the 3" spacer for the front and 2" rear coils for the rear. I think the same lift bflan installed on his. If i can find someone to install it, I will bite the bullet shall we say...lol

awesome, keep us posted :bluejump:

 

[EdinAthens]

jca21-

did you send a message to any of those owners to see if they encountered any issues with the KDSS after lifting? I'm also willing to lift my TE 2 inches, but I'd like to know what they used on their vehicles and what to expect.

 

[jca21]

jca21-

did you send a message to any of those owners to see if they encountered any issues with the KDSS after lifting? I'm also willing to lift my TE 2 inches, but I'd like to know what they used on their vehicles and what to expect.

havent had a chance to mate. i would need to make an account over at that forum and the weekends got me feeling lazy :hiding:

hopefully there will be a member on this forum with a gx and lift that can chime in

 

[4RunnerTrail]

so... as always i've been crawling the internet looking up mods for the 5th gen. :fishing:

the one thing about the TE that threw a curv ball was doing suspension lifts with the KDSS. :sobbing:

well... while searching around i found people who have successfully lifted their lexus GX's with KDSS. :bravo:

one guy used 1.5" cornfed spacers front and back to give his GX a bit more ground clearance.

(Lifting GX with KDSS - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum)

also, there has been some people who posted regarding lifts for LC200's with KDSS and seemed to have been successful. :driving:

if the KDSS and suspension in the 5th gen is the same as the LC200 and the GX then theoretically wouldnt we be able to lift the TE with the same spacers??? just a thought :hungry:

so.... the big question is... whose gonna be the first guinea pig :reddance:

That vehicle looks great. I love the Black wheels and MTRs. I like the height of my TE. Maybe raise the front an inch or so to level it....

 

[Jesse1983]

i've been reading the forums on 1h8mud about lifting their LC's with KDSS. it doesn't seem too hard as long as you follow the procedures for bleeding the KDSS system prior to the install. there apparently is a procedure out there, but in the thread i read the link was broken. has anyone else been reading up on how to lift with KDSS? i'm hoping to have my lift purchased and ready for install in April, and this is the only think i'm unsure about as I've never dealt with KDSS before.

 

[ssmathis]

This is a quote from ARBUSA.

"We are developing a specific suspension for the 2010 4runner for fine
tuning purposes, but you are correct that the older stuff will work as
well. The KDSS system on the 4runner is significantly more
sophisticated than what is used on the Land Cruiser and so the Cruiser
install notes do not pertain to the 4Runner. As it is, we have yet to
fit a KDSS vehicle with an Old Man Emu suspension here in the US and
would recommend having your dealer do the work if you decide to
undertake it. It is a fully electronic system using hydraulic cylinders
to drive the sway bars and the danger is allowing the cylinders to over
extend during install. Testing in Australia indicates that it is
possible to "lock" the KDSS sway bar cylinders into position using
ratchet straps while removing the suspension components as an option,
but your dealer should have access to the factory recommended procedure
for this process which may well be preferred."

 

[Jesse1983]

interesting, thanks. i wonder what the the big, sophisticated, difference is? i have a contact at my dealer that could get me info if there is in fact a "factory procedure" for lifting it. i just have trouble believing many toyota techs have much knowledge about KDSS, etc.

 

[harper7]

Hey TE guys with KDSS wanting a lift....It has been done at least once.The Rubicon rig that later was lifted and out fitted with Bilsteins for the BAJA 1000 had KDSS.

TRD,Toyota racing,the shop and mechanics that outifitted the BAJA rig are probably the only ones that know how as they had factory support.No mechanic at your dealership is going to know, although maybe he can find out.

Under Vids of the BAJA build,google research ,blogs from the BAJA 1000 4Runner race, Toyota racing ,ECT. is where you are going to have to find clues and do some CSI(my favorite show) type work to get names and then find them on the net and contact them.Just watch the videos on the video post section and they have all kind of clues.They also show the KDSS in the video,but the endlinks from the swaybars are not hooked up . The endlinks are where the KDSS ties into the suspension uprights that he points out.

Should be alot easier then finding a needle in a haystack for sure! There are people out there that KNOW,but they are just not on this forum with the info.You just have to use the resources you are given and find them.
I imagine if they had a million dollars of mine I could find them within a week and be knockin on the Ironmans front door for it.

Research!!!

 

[Jesse1983]

good thinking Harper, that may be the way to go. I contacted Iron Pig Off Road, Toyota 4WD experts who had some experience lifting LC's with KDSS. The guy there told me that the KDSS is different in the LC vs 4R. Apparently the LC has it in the shocks whereas the 4R it's in the sway bar. He said it may be possible to lift and relocate the sway bar. but he said it's more likely that in order to lift it, the KDSS may have to be capped off (as you said above) and be non functional.

I'm going to start trying to contact people involved in the BAJA build.

edit: in the MT article about the BAJA runner, it says:


In the end, the 4Runner ran all the same suspension and driveline components from its previous life as a prototype test mule through both the Rubicon and the Baja 1000 durability tests: The same stock 4.0-liter V-6, exhaust and emission control system, five-speed transmission, 4WD transfer case, driveshaft, axles, uprights, A-arms, ball joints, steering gear—even the 4Runner's Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) with automatically adjusting anti-roll bars—everything was high-mileage except the new springs and shocks, and the lower rear trailing arms, which were pretty chewed up from rock-crawling on the Rubicon.

so this suggests the KDSS was functional at the time of the run.

 

[jca21]

and so it begins :hungry:

 

[Jesse1983]

and so it begins :hungry:

and it won't end until my 4R is up in the air

 

[jca21]

and it won't end until my 4R is up in the air

i think toyota should hire a couple of us forum guys for RnD

i mean, to be honest, the trail should have come from the factory with another 1.5 inches of ground clearance, 33 inch AT's and sliders :thumb3:


that woulda made it a REAL trail grade truck .


please keep us posted of how your development goes on the lift jesse. i'm getting in touch with local toyota and lexus mechanics who have done the KDSS lifts for LC's and GX's and hoping to find some answers :hungry:

 

[ssmathis]

good thinking Harper, that may be the way to go. I contacted Iron Pig Off Road, Toyota 4WD experts who had some experience lifting LC's with KDSS. The guy there told me that the KDSS is different in the LC vs 4R. Apparently the LC has it in the shocks whereas the 4R it's in the sway bar. He said it may be possible to lift and relocate the sway bar. but he said it's more likely that in order to lift it, the KDSS may have to be capped off (as you said above) and be non functional.

The 200 series LC has them on the swaybars as well. My brother has a lifted 200 series. Slee offroad did the lift.

Scott

 

[4RunnerTrail]

good thinking Harper, that may be the way to go. I contacted Iron Pig Off Road, Toyota 4WD experts who had some experience lifting LC's with KDSS. The guy there told me that the KDSS is different in the LC vs 4R. Apparently the LC has it in the shocks whereas the 4R it's in the sway bar. He said it may be possible to lift and relocate the sway bar. but he said it's more likely that in order to lift it, the KDSS may have to be capped off (as you said above) and be non functional.

I'm going to start trying to contact people involved in the BAJA build.

edit: in the MT article about the BAJA runner, it says:


In the end, the 4Runner ran all the same suspension and driveline components from its previous life as a prototype test mule through both the Rubicon and the Baja 1000 durability tests: The same stock 4.0-liter V-6, exhaust and emission control system, five-speed transmission, 4WD transfer case, driveshaft, axles, uprights, A-arms, ball joints, steering gear—even the 4Runner's Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) with automatically adjusting anti-roll bars—everything was high-mileage except the new springs and shocks, and the lower rear trailing arms, which were pretty chewed up from rock-crawling on the Rubicon.

so this suggests the KDSS was functional at the time of the run.

If you are able to reach those dudes. Ask them what size wheels (FUEL) and tires are on the baja truck... And what size the MTR's were on the Rubicon Silver before they painted it red...

 

[Jesse1983]

i mean, to be honest, the trail should have come from the factory with another 1.5 inches of ground clearance, 33 inch AT's and sliders :thumb3:

definitely. the trail teams FJ came with sliders. doesn't make sense to me.

The 200 series LC has them on the swaybars as well. My brother has a lifted 200 series. Slee offroad did the lift.

Scott

and that's what i thought reading the threads written by LC 200 owners. The system sounded, and looked, similar. but the guy at iron pig said right away that the systems were different. and him having experience with the LC i took his word for it. if someone could just tell me that using the same procedure for the KDSS as LC owners did, i'd buy my parts and get to work (in April when i hope it will be somewhat warm).

 

[Jesse1983]

ok, good news. I've spoken to Rich Garver, master tech. of the BAJA build. He seems happy to help. I've emailed him back with some questions, etc. He said he sits right across from Chuck Wade of the Motorsports Technical Center (who was also involved in the BAJA build) and said he will help as well. These guys have access to all Toyota technical information, and have years of knowledge pertaining to off-road suspensions.

What answers I'm hoping to get from them:

Was the BAJA truck lifted?
If so, what was used?
Can the truck be lifted and retain KDSS?
If so, what is the procedure for disabling KDSS prior to lift install?

updates as they're available.

 

[SeattleMike]

ok, good news. I've spoken to Rich Garver, master tech. of the BAJA build. He seems happy to help. I've emailed him back with some questions, etc. He said he sits right across from Chuck Wade of the Motorsports Technical Center (who was also involved in the BAJA build) and said he will help as well. These guys have access to all Toyota technical information, and have years of knowledge pertaining to off-road suspensions.

What answers I'm hoping to get from them:

Was the BAJA truck lifted?
If so, what was used?
Can the truck be lifted and retain KDSS?
If so, what is the procedure for disabling KDSS prior to lift install?

updates as they're available.

The 4Runner Trail they used in the Rubicon has sliders, maybe you could ask where they got them or what the measurements were if they made them in house?

 

[harper7]

The 200 series LC has them on the swaybars as well. My brother has a lifted 200 series. Slee offroad did the lift.

Scott

Does Slee Offroad have a listed phone number?Somebody ask them!

If you are able to reach those dudes. Ask them what size wheels (FUEL) and tires are on the baja truck... And what size the MTR's were on the Rubicon Silver before they painted it red...

From they're own press release on the BAJA rig at the LA auto show
"Aftermarket bits include 365-by-12.50-by-17 General Grabber tires mounted on 17-by-8-inch Fuel forged alloy wheels. Bilstein racing dampers have been fitted along with Eibach coil-overs in front and Old Man Emu coil springs in back. Auxiliary coolers for the transmission and power steering were added, and no racy Toyota would be complete without a TRD exhaust and cold air intake."

ok, good news. I've spoken to Rich Garver, master tech. of the BAJA build. He seems happy to help. I've emailed him back with some questions, etc. He said he sits right across from Chuck Wade of the Motorsports Technical Center (who was also involved in the BAJA build) and said he will help as well. These guys have access to all Toyota technical information, and have years of knowledge pertaining to off-road suspensions.

What answers I'm hoping to get from them:

Was the BAJA truck lifted?
If so, what was used?
Can the truck be lifted and retain KDSS?
If so, what is the procedure for disabling KDSS prior to lift install?

updates as they're available.

Way to go Jesse!!Your TE will look like a million bucks lifted!I think they hit the nail on the head with the BAJA trail Edition!
Oh, by the way . Here's the Ironmans facebook page to contact him. Ivan "Ironman" Stewart | Facebook