suspension seems harsh

[88mustanggt]

i put the 5100 front and rear with 884 fronts and 885e in the rear. it felt to harsh in the back so then got toytec springs. then it felt a little better. i might of convinced myself to justify the purchase

I still feel the suspension is harsh or gittery mostly in the rear.
the small bump compliance is horrible.
it will pick up front to back harmonics easy like a lowered Honda with crappy shocks on un-perfect roads.
off road it seems there is a lot of uncontrolled body movement, it will start swaying side to side really easy making it uncomfortable for my passengers.

every once in a while off road if the rear drops of something i get a ting sound like something topped out or extended to fast. not sure what thats all about, only happened a hand full of times. just trying to give as much info as i can, any ideas on what i can do to make this better or is this normal for this type of set up.

thank you.

 

[morphious]

i put the 5100 front and rear with 884 fronts and 885e in the rear. it felt to harsh in the back so then got toytec springs. then it felt a little better. i might of convinced myself to justify the purchase

I still feel the suspension is harsh or gittery mostly in the rear.
the small bump compliance is horrible.
it will pick up front to back harmonics easy like a lowered Honda with crappy shocks on un-perfect roads.
off road it seems there is a lot of uncontrolled body movement, it will start swaying side to side really easy making it uncomfortable for my passengers.

every once in a while off road if the rear drops of something i get a ting sound like something topped out or extended to fast. not sure what thats all about, only happened a hand full of times. just trying to give as much info as i can, any ideas on what i can do to make this better or is this normal for this type of set up.

thank you.

Try adding extended rear sway bar links, made a world of difference in my truck and others.

 

[88mustanggt]

i was thinking about that. is it binding?

 

[Stuck CAPS]

i was thinking about that. is it binding?

Check out the currie antirock sway bars they make for the 4th gen. I have no experience/pricing, but thats what the SAC guys(I think all of them) run. They must be good, as those 120 guys dont seem to roll even at pretty extreme angles.

 

[drewm]

The general consensus is that OME springs are harsh, especially paired with bilstein. Also honestly, for $300 a set shocks, assuming the wholesale cost of those must be around $200 so the retailer can make a profit, and the manufacturer is also making a profit, you're really buying shocks with $25 in parts each. That's really not enough money to build a quality shock.

Also suspension design generally dictates that the rear spring be stiffer than the front or you get significant pitching front to rear. You most likely swapped a softer spring in the rear and your front and rear are probably very close in frequency now which is why you're having that issue. Read the section "Anti-Pitch" if you're interested in the technical details: Pirate4x4.Com - The largest off roading and 4x4 website in the world.


Also most of the 120 guys on the "other" forum run Radflo, Icon, King, Fox generally in that order, which is why their trucks ride well on and offroad. I run Radflo, and I'd never run anything else.

 

[88mustanggt]

i didnt want to hear that, so i might need to upgrade. if there is someone in the tempe / gilbert area with a nice set up i would love to go for a ride before i make the plunge on more expensive setup.

i also noticed a little wetness on one of the rear shock boots.

 

[drewm]

i didnt want to hear that, so i might need to upgrade. if there is someone in the tempe / gilbert area with a nice set up i would love to go for a ride before i make the plunge on more expensive setup.

i also noticed a little wetness on one of the rear shock boots.

You may also want to go back closer to a stock spring rate. A lot of people on this forum run the bilsteins with FJ coils and seem to like it. See if you can get a ride in that setup too.

 

[88mustanggt]

agree but seems like alot of people like the toytecs as well. but i cant imagine anyone recommending this set up, that makes me think that something else is wrong. or even a bad shock its like theres no to little rebound dampening.

 

[drewm]

agree but seems like alot of people like the toytecs as well. but i cant imagine anyone recommending this set up, that makes me think that something else is wrong. or even a bad shock its like theres no to little rebound dampening.

So I'm not a big fan of toytec coilovers. For the money you spent, you could have had a nice Radflo setup for just a teeny bit more. Also, Toytec fronts are just a bilstein 5100 with a 550 spring which is very close to the stock spring rate. So exactly the same as if you just ran an FJ coil with a bilstein 5100, except that the Toytec cost you a ton more. They do offer heavier red and white springs, but then you're back to the ride horridness of using a stiff spring with a cheap shock.

Basically, if you want to run a heavier than stock spring for more body control, handling and offroad pounding, you need a well valved quality shock to prevent it from riding like crap. I learned that lesson with my other car, and vowed never to repeat it with this one.

 

[88mustanggt]

so what should i do?

 

[drewm]

so what should i do?

Get a ride with someone on Radflo/Icon/King/Fox

Get a ride with someone with a FJ/bilstein setup

Then you'll figure things out.

Also make sure that rear shock you mentioned earlier isn't leaking. There shouldn't be enough fluid to cause a drip, if so you should replace it.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

I would suggest driving another 4runner, even stock for comparison. I've ran most setups out there, and the 5100s/FJ coils are excellent for the price. I for one was not impressed at all with Radflo. I run icons now and they are much better than radflos imo, but please don't buy into "having" to buy a $1500+ suspension for a good ride.

The Radflo and Icons both do well with larger bumps, but smaller ones the 5100s and FJ coils seem to take it better. If ride quality was my only goal, it would be very hard for me to recommend either Icon or Radflo. IMO, it isn't worth the cost if that is the only reason you're buying them.
[MENTION=44999]HOJeepster[/MENTION] ran Radflo as well, and was not satisfied with the ride. Ride is very subjective, so you can't believe everything you read.

 

[HOJeepster]

I would suggest driving another 4runner, even stock for comparison. I've ran most setups out there, and the 5100s/FJ coils are excellent for the price. I for one was not impressed at all with Radflo. I run icons now and they are much better than radflos imo, but please don't buy into "having" to buy a $1500+ suspension for a good ride.

The Radflo and Icons both do well with larger bumps, but smaller ones the 5100s and FJ coils seem to take it better. If ride quality was my only goal, it would be very hard for me to recommend either Icon or Radflo. IMO, it isn't worth the cost if that is the only reason you're buying them.

[MENTION=44999]HOJeepster[/MENTION] ran Radflo as well, and was not satisfied with the ride. Ride is very subjective, so you can't believe everything you read.

Agreed. My consensus is that if you go with Radflo, go with the 2.5 versions. It seems the 2.0 versions run into more issues with clunking noises, etc. I'm not sure why, given the overall design is the same, just smaller dimensions. I'm looking at swapping out my Radflo 2.0's with something else...I just don't know what yet since OME seems too rough of a ride, and I don't buy into the $1,500 coilover to solve my problems.

What's funny, I've never heard any real complaints about people running the Toytec Ultimate kits...its seems like the best middle ground system.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

Agreed. My consensus is that if you go with Radflo, go with the 2.5 versions. It seems the 2.0 versions run into more issues with clunking noises, etc. I'm not sure why, given the overall design is the same, just smaller dimensions. I'm looking at swapping out my Radflo 2.0's with something else...I just don't know what yet since OME seems too rough of a ride, and I don't buy into the $1,500 coilover to solve my problems.

What's funny, I've never heard any real complaints about people running the Toytec Ultimate kits...its seems like the best middle ground system.

i would talk to [MENTION=55855]zopperman[/MENTION] and [MENTION=72341]NJshadow93[/MENTION] , they have the non adjustable co's from toytec, 5100's and eibach springs, and they seem to give an excellent ride and good off road capability

 

[88mustanggt]

I have driven several stock 4runners sense i did the swap. (i work at autoshop) imo it just seems there is not enough rebound dampening to account for the increased spring rate of the toytec rear springs.

or could it simply be the rear sway bar is binding causing increased spring rate?

 

[morphious]

I have driven several stock 4runners sense i did the swap. (i work at autoshop) imo it just seems there is not enough rebound dampening to account for the increased spring rate of the toytec rear springs.

or could it simply be the rear sway bar is binding causing increased spring rate?

Before spending a bunch of money trying other suspension options I would recommend extending your rear links to smooth everything out (pretty cheap). I did this on mine:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/141258-custom-ish-extended-rear-sway-bar-links-write-up.html
or you can go with something like [MENTION=72341]NJshadow93[/MENTION] :
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/126092-njshadow93s-2006-sr5-build-10.html
Do a search and there is info on others that have done this as well. If you really want a great ride, try removing your front sway bar when installing the extended rear links.

 

[88mustanggt]

so there was a SOTP improvement?

 

[Whiplash Willy]

When the rear 5100s were being installed, did you torque the lower mount when the suspension was loaded or unloaded?

People who torque those down while the wheels are in the air complain of a similar issue to yours. You may want to break the bottom bolts loose, and re-torque the lower mount shock bolts.

 

[88mustanggt]

it was in the air but I cant see how it would make a difference its not like a control arm bushing where it pivots, but ill try that today when doing the sway bar links

 

[88mustanggt]

WOW What a difference the end links made, it took 80-90% of the harshness out of the rear suspension. im surprised this mod isnt pressed more sternly as most people have lifted a few inches