Suspension upgrade 09 TE

[Enduro414]

I have been meaning to get around to upgrading the suspension on the 4Runner for awhile now, but now that my tires will need to be changed in the few months, I am biting the bullet. I will admit I do not know much about suspension work and I am trying to read up as much as I possibly can. Originally I was going to run FJ coils and 5100's, but got to love a random work safety bonus to complicate the matter. I have always wanted a LT setup, but admittedly do not know too much about what would be needed to convert stock to LT. This is what I am looking at and would like opinions on things I may have missed or do not need. The vehicle is a DD, but it will definitely see desert use as well as Baja trips.

----------------------------

**Front
03-09 4Runner Extended Travel Remote Reservoir Front Coilover Shock Kit
Total Chaos UCA
Slee Offroad Extended Front Brake lines

**Rear
MetalTech Long Travel Suspension Stage 5

----------------------------
Some questions:
1. On the TC UCA's... is there a large difference between heim and urethane joints... Seems like standard urethane would suffice for this build from what I have read. The heims just add more adjustability and if so are they worth it?
2. Would all the rear links need to be switched out as well?



I welcome all opinions. I just want to make sure I get this correct the first time.

Cheers

Chris

 

[chmura]

I have been meaning to get around to upgrading the suspension on the 4Runner for awhile now, but now that my tires will need to be changed in the few months, I am biting the bullet. I will admit I do not know much about suspension work and I am trying to read up as much as I possibly can. Originally I was going to run FJ coils and 5100's, but got to love a random work safety bonus to complicate the matter. I have always wanted a LT setup, but admittedly do not know too much about what would be needed to convert stock to LT. This is what I am looking at and would like opinions on things I may have missed or do not need. The vehicle is a DD, but it will definitely see desert use as well as Baja trips.

----------------------------

**Front
03-09 4Runner Extended Travel Remote Reservoir Front Coilover Shock Kit
Total Chaos UCA
Slee Offroad Extended Front Brake lines

**Rear
MetalTech Long Travel Suspension Stage 5

----------------------------
Some questions:
1. On the TC UCA's... is there a large difference between heim and urethane joints... Seems like standard urethane would suffice for this build from what I have read. The heims just add more adjustability and if so are they worth it?
2. Would all the rear links need to be switched out as well?



I welcome all opinions. I just want to make sure I get this correct the first time.

Cheers

Chris

I have a 2009 Trail Edition as well and also live in So Cal.

I researched ALOT when it came down to suspension upgrades.

So I bit the bullet and bought ICON front coilovers, rear springs, total chaos upper control arms, and ICON rear 2.0 shocks.

You DO NOT need remote reservoirs front shocks . They are a overkill for 90% people. They are good for high speed prerunner desert runs. They are just "bling" for a lot of people.

I love the setup. I recently came back from a 2,000 mile round trip to Utah and it does really well off road. Few months ago I went to Death Valley and road over the infamous wash boards and it handled it great! So smooth going 40mph over the wash boards and aired down to 20 psi. My previous 2002 Tacoma I thought was going to shake itself to death over the wash boards.

You can search my name on here. I have a few pics of my rig floating around here.

To answer your posted questions:

1. Seemed like everyone goes with standard urethane TC UCA. I went with urethane as well.
2. The only thing I changed in the rear were the 2 springs and 2 shocks. Nothing else is really needed.

 

[Enduro414]

Chmura

Thanks for the reply! Did it also tone down the front end dive when braking? I figured it might have been overkill for the remote res. Glad to hear about how well the suspension does preform. I will definitely check out your posts.


Thanks again and cheers,


Chris

 

[JustSomeName]

If this is gonna be your DD, extended travels probably are overkill as well. the regular ones will do just fine

anybody correct me if im wrong, but i think with extended travels, you'd be putting a lot more more stress on your lower control arms when the regular travel ones dont put as much stress on them

 

[Enduro414]

Yeah, the more I think about it the more I would probably not need the extra capability. I was thinking it might have been better to have them since I will be doing a bit of long distance wheeling down in the middle of nowhere mexico with buddies and would prefer to not have any regrets. Nothing says I cannot upgrade at a later time anyways.

I remember reading somewhere that when converting to LT rear, the stock endlinks can end up binding on the axle housing... can anyone shed some light on this?


Thanks!


Chris

 

[JustSomeName]

the rear swaybar end links are already deal with alot of stress with regular travel lifted shocks/coils. I have bilstein5100s in the rear, after the lift i noticed the swaybar was "pulling" on the endlinks at all times because of the change of height of the car, I found that the extended rear swaybar endlinks helped put the swaybar at a more "natural" position, also got a bit more flex out of the rear with the extended links!

there is a writeup somewhere that describes how to piece together rear sway bar endlinks with a few bushings and some things you'd find at a home depot. Piecing together costs around $100 for a pair

you can also get them prebuilt and ready to install at wabfab for around $150.

 

[HHIRunner]

If you want to go to a LT suspension I'd suggest going over to TacomaWorld on their Long Travel B.S. Thread where you could ask some questions at least about the front end.

 

[kkz]

If you want LT front, then you should probably just get it now rather than regret it and get it later. Assuming you have the money for it. On my DD, I run extended travel Icon's in the front and the Metal Tech LT rear. A year later...I'm wanting more.

Edit - No that extra 1/2" shock travel won't hurt anything. Run it on your DD. Just make sure you have UCA's if you go this route. And if you want to go desert romping, get resis. They're more important in the rear than front, but if you had resis in the front, you can also add compression adjusters.

 

[HHIRunner]

And if you are into desert speed stuff them the resis are not overkill. If I were to go LT, not Extended Travel, but actually LT I'd look into both the Total Chaos 3.5" kit and the Camburg kits and get whichever looks right for your needs. Won't be cheap but if you have the money and its what you want then it's worth it