Suspension question for everyone. Going crazy!

[socal4rnr]

So I have a 2012 Limited Edition 2x2. I just switched from the 20" wheel (it's for sale btw) to the 17" trail edition wheel. See attached pic.

My question is this... Will I lose any of my smooth ride if I put a leveling kit on the front, and does anyone recommend spacers, or does this really make the ride suck bigtime?

I know the Limited Edition has some sort of custom suspension over the SR5, and Trail Edition. Can I just change the shocks, and struts to a KYB, or Bilstein that will simply give it a bit of a lift all the way around?

Sorry for the super remedial questions. I'm just a novice, and I know many of you are rock stars, and know everything on this forum.

Thanks,

Alex

 

[Jetboy]

You can put spacers in to give a slight front lift with minimal change in ride comfort. If you wish to replace the shocks, you'll need to do all 4 at once and bypass/eliminate the XREAS system. Leave all the hoses in place and you can hook it up again if you wish to go back. Put some protective cover over the ends.

 

[Engineer]

If you just want a level look I would lean towards simple front spacers. You are unlikely to be able to tell a difference in ride, simple & cheap. As you mentioned all Limited 4runners come with Toyota XREAS suspension which means the shocks are cross linked together so if one goes bad you have to replace it with Toyota OEM parts ($$$) or swap all for to standard aftermarket shocks that are not linked.

Also there is a lot of information if you want to dig deeper by searching the forum/reading the stickies.

 

[jwkilgore]

Limited come with an interconnected XREAS suspension system which has no aftermarket support. Your shocks are crosslinked to improve the highway ride. Anything you do to the shocks will affect this and affect the ride.

You can, however, install spacers.

A preload spacer (inserted inside the coilover assembly) will change the ride and make it more harsh. But most current 4Runner spacers are placed above the coilover assembly. The ride is basically identical except slightly higher up.

 

[Mistaken]

When I did my research before lifting my Limited I came to the conclusion that a spacer kit all around would give a worse ride. I ended up ditching the XREAS all together and going with some 5100's and I am very happy with the ride.

 

[borfoo3]

Limited come with an interconnected XREAS suspension system which has no aftermarket support. Your shocks are crosslinked to improve the highway ride. Anything you do to the shocks will affect this and affect the ride.

You can, however, install spacers.

A preload spacer (inserted inside the coilover assembly) will change the ride and make it more harsh. But most current 4Runner spacers are placed above the coilover assembly. The ride is basically identical except slightly higher up.

This and a front end alignment afterwards should put you back to stock ride characteristics

 

[Auntie Soshul]

I'd leave it alone unless cosmetic "leveling" is worth a few hundred dollars to you. But that's just me.