Tundra coils/Bilstein 5100/OME lift questions

[Blute]

Scored me a set of y/y y/b Tundra coils today with about 75k miles, for $67. Been scouring the junkyards and online sources for awhile, so I was pretty happy with the find, and I thought that was a pretty good deal. I have a '98 runner w/ 265/75R16 tires (no plans for bigger tires) and I think a lift of around 2" would be fine, but I'm open to ideas. Just have stock weight on my rig and no plans to add heavy equipment.

Anyways, I've been scouring the message boards but I'm a little confused with some of the info on lift heights for various options. I'm going to go with Tundra Bilstein 5100's on front and rear, so here are some questions I was hoping others could provide advice on:

1) In the front, how much lift can I expect using the Tundra coils and the 5100 struts, at the various perch settings (bottom, 2nd, and 3rd setting)?

2) I'm likely planning on going with either OME 906 or 890 coils for the rear. What lift heights can be expected for each of these coils? Based on the anticipated lift height for the front options listed above, what would be a good match for the rear?

Any other ideas or advice? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[UnderFire]

3rd notch will net you around 3.5", you're probably going to want to be on the bottom perch for 2"

 

[the great him]

yeah those coils give around 2-2.5" of lift -2.5" being new, so id guess for more around 2-2.25" and thats on the bottom perch, if you go up a perch figure about 2/3" of an inch per perch...

the 906 rear coils give around 1-1.5" of lift, you might want something more... im not familiar enough with the others you mentioned to give any info on them

 

[Blute]

Thanks for the replies.

Based on as much info I could find, for the front I'm probably looking at around 2" lift on the bottom perch, and around 2.5"+ on the 2nd perch, although I'm still very unsure about these numbers.

The numbers may be off a little, especially when you take into account the year of the Runner. For example, Speedy got about 2" front and rear on his lift for his '02 (bottom perch on front and 906 rear coils). http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/154200-speedys-lift-install-how-video.html
So i'm wondering if this lift would only net me about 1.5" front and rear on my '98, which was taller than most other years, except for the '99s.

So what about the following options?

1) Bottom perch on front: use 906 coils for the rear.
2) 2nd perch on front: use 890 coils for the rear.

I'm still having trouble deciding. For my vehicle, I would like to lift the front about 2", and the rear 2.5". I think 0.5" rake would be perfect. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I'm still worried the first option would be too low, or the 2nd option may be too high. Too bad rear springs aren't adjustable too...:nono:

 

[bpowa]

Just do what I did install it and adjust 3 times until you like the height.

Seems everyone is getting different numbers.

 

[jasonoflivingston]

More head spinning lift logic. I am beginning to think that the "lets put 'em on there and see what happens" way of doing things is about the only way to know for sure what you will end up with. An educated guess is the best you will do.

At least, if you are going Bilstein 5100's in the front, you can make some adjustments there. If the rear is too low, you could always put a spacer in to get that extra little bit as well.

 

[Blute]

Alright, I finally decided what to do. I scored some OME 890 coils from another forum member (thanks, dirtbike250x) and bought the rest of the parts as needed. Here's my final parts list:

Tundra yy/yb front coils, bought a used set (75k miles) locally: $67
OME 890 rear coils, used (15k miles) from forum member: $90
Bilstein 24-188265 Tundra front shocks from eBay seller "hardpartsfast": $89 each, $178 for the pair
Bilstein 24-100144 Tundra rear shocks from same eBay seller: $68 each, $136 for the pair
Monroe 907926 spring isolators (2), plus Monroe 904900 strut mounts (2), all for $51 from RockAuto.
Daystar KU08007BK 3/4" shock eye bushings for rear shocks: $7 for the pair from Amazon seller "Trends-Auto"

Total for parts: $529. I spent a lot of time trying to find the best prices I could, so I feel pretty good about the money spent.

I decided on the new strut mounts (top plates), just to save some time and hassle with disassembling the stock struts to get the stock 4Runner top plates.

Assembled these bad boys over the weekend. I set the front Billies on the 2nd-to-bottom perch, so hopefully that will match the 890 coils in the rear. Now I just need some halfway decent weather so I can get everything installed without freezing my butt off in the garage. :madgrin:

 

[bpowa]

Alright, I finally decided what to do. I scored some OME 890 coils from another forum member (thanks, dirtbike250x) and bought the rest of the parts as needed. Here's my final parts list:

Tundra yy/yb front coils, bought a used set (75k miles) locally: $67
OME 890 rear coils, used (15k miles) from forum member: $90
Bilstein 24-188265 Tundra front shocks from eBay seller "hardpartsfast": $89 each, $178 for the pair
Bilstein 24-100144 Tundra rear shocks from same eBay seller: $68 each, $136 for the pair
Monroe 907926 spring isolators (2), plus Monroe 904900 strut mounts (2), all for $51 from RockAuto.
Daystar KU08007BK 3/4" shock eye bushings for rear shocks: $7 for the pair from Amazon seller "Trends-Auto"

Total for parts: $529. I spent a lot of time trying to find the best prices I could, so I feel pretty good about the money spent.

I decided on the new strut mounts (top plates), just to save some time and hassle with disassembling the stock struts to get the stock 4Runner top plates.

Assembled these bad boys over the weekend. I set the front Billies on the 2nd-to-bottom perch, so hopefully that will match the 890 coils in the rear. Now I just need some halfway decent weather so I can get everything installed without freezing my butt off in the garage. :madgrin:

Yes.. You did the right thing by getting isolators and top mounts.. The worst part for me was compressing the springs with no air tools.. It took 20 minutes each side.. Plus the fear of the spring jumping out at you.. But I had to do it since I was using my oem front springs... However Im fairly happy with the lift.. I doubt the tundra springs would feel that much better than it is now.. But I would get them if I found a good price like yours.

 

[ar1five]

so with that lift setup you will be getting around 3"s right?? those front shocks you ordered, those are 5100s right? im confused by all the different part numbers on different sites.

 

[Blute]

so with that lift setup you will be getting around 3"s right?? those front shocks you ordered, those are 5100s right? im confused by all the different part numbers on different sites.

Exactly how much lift is hard to say, it depends on several factors such as the year of the vehicle and how much the stock springs have sagged. I'm going to guess on my '98 that I will get about 2.5" with this setup (I'm hoping for 2-2.5").

And yes, those are Bilstein 5100 shocks.

 

[ar1five]

Exactly how much lift is hard to say, it depends on several factors such as the year of the vehicle and how much the stock springs have sagged. I'm going to guess on my '98 that I will get about 2.5" with this setup (I'm hoping for 2-2.5").

And yes, those are Bilstein 5100 shocks.

I just ordered your same shocks, part for part from the same sites. However, instead of the middle perch I think I will go with the 3rd.(highest setting) these coils have some mileage on them and last time on my 02 it had a slight rake.

 

[Blute]

I just ordered your same shocks, part for part from the same sites. However, instead of the middle perch I think I will go with the 3rd.(highest setting) these coils have some mileage on them and last time on my 02 it had a slight rake.

These are the Tundra model Bilsteins, and have 5 perches (the Tacoma model only has 3). So I will be using the 2nd perch setting. It seems like most folks use the bottom or 2nd setting, although a few have raised it to the 3rd setting.

 

[Blute]

Lift Installed!

Got everything installed last week before Christmas. It went relatively well - as far as lift heights I gained about 1 3/4" in front and 2 3/8" in the rear.

My final measurements (approx.):
Front: 37 1/4" to fender, 22 1/2" to wheel center
Rear: 38" to fender, 22 7/8" to wheel center

I have about 3/4" of rake, looks great!

Some notes from my install in case it helps anyone:
1. Assembling the front struts wasn't too bad, I just borrowed a spring compressor from Autozone and took my time. To prepare the rear shocks, I used a pitman arm-puller (also borrowed from Autozone) to both press out and install the new 3/4" bushings.
2. Installing the fronts went pretty smoothly. The inside bolt on the shock tower is kind of a pain to get to, but I was able to loosen it enough with an open-end wrench and then a ratcheting wrench. Couldn't fit a torque wrench in there to re-torque when finished, however.
3. I had no problems with the coils contacting the UCAs or steering knuckles. When I assembled the struts, I aligned the coils so that the bottom end of the spring points directly outwards from the vehicle (per the FSM posted by others). I also ground-off the protrusion on the steering knuckle, just for good measure.
4. The new Monroe top plates already have a built-in bushing on the bottom side of the plate, so I did not use the bushing that came with the 5100s (I still used the bushing for the top side of the plate, of course).
5. I used the stock jack, placed upside-down in the wheel well to push down the UCA in order to get the bottom shock bolt to line up. Worked great!
6. Getting the rear taken apart wasn't too bad. The old shocks simply unscrewed from their top mounts - no breaking or cutting necessary!
7. Putting the new rear shocks in is where the fun started - what a total PITA! For the top mounts, I had to use an open-end wrench around the nylon lock-nut (kind of a pain to get it on there), then use a socket with a hex-head inserted into the top of the threaded stem to tighten it up. Took me a awhile to figure that out, as before the insides of the shock would just turn while holding the nut and trying to tighten it by rotating the shock itself or if putting a socket on the top nut.
8. Even more time-consuming was getting the lower shock mount back on :frusty:. I had a fair amount of corrosion on the mounting posts, and it was almost impossible to get the bottom shock eyelets back on those posts. First, I had to disconnect the top mount in order to get a better angle for aligning up with the bottom posts (adding more time to the job). Lube on the posts also helped a little, but I had to pound the crap out of it with a 2x4 and hammer (the board just rested on the bushing; if I tried to hammer on the shock - which I didn't like to do - it would eventually just push the bushing out). I even ground down most of the corrosion on the posts after I saw how hard it was to get them on. And yes - I did have the right size 3/4" bushings (Daystar part noted previously).

It took most of the day, but it wasn't too bad (wasn't too cold either!) I got it aligned the next day at Les Schwab with no problems. Rides so much differently - much smoother over the bumps, for sure. I'm loving the ride and the new look! I do have some grease leaking from the CV boots now, but I am going to throw some hose clamps on there which should take care of that.

Thanks again to folks on this forum for their various posts with so much incredible and helpful information!

 

[Blute]

Some folks requested pics, so here ya go.

Before (sorry, not that great of a pic, taken in my garage):

 

[Blute]

After (I have about 0.5" of rake as shown on the driver's side, but closer to 0.75-1.0" on the passenger):

 

[Blute]

I am now contemplating whether to jump up to 33" tires when my current BFGs wear out. I don't think the 265/75R16 (32") look too bad, but am thinking it might be fun to go to a 285/75R16 or the skinny 255/85R16. On my vehicle, I'm a little worried that the black plastic fender trim on the lower, front portion of the rear wheel well might cause some rubbing. From the pic, you can see that there's not a lot of clearance at that location. Anyone have any experience with the same fender trim and bigger tires? I haven't looked real close at that location, but am wondering if it could somehow be trimmed or modified yet still maintain the look and integrity of the fender trim overall...

 

[krenaud33]

I have a 2000 limited with Tundra coils/Tundra Bilstein adjustables up front on the lowest setting, OME 906s in back I believe, and 285/75R16 Kelly Safaris TSRs. No rubbing on the flares. I believe mine rubs on the frame on rear tight turns. I have had this setup for almost a year.

I wouldn't think you would have any issues.

 

[TastyRunner]

I can not for the life of me get the bottom bolts in. Granted I am doing it by myself, and I did the bottle jack thing and the thing shot out at me twice. I will probably get it done by the time someone comments on this but if not, shoot some tips my way.

 

[freshley]

I had a hell of a time putting the bottom bolt in as well and I was on the lowest perch. Every post I have ever read that if you use the 3rd perch it rides stiff as you are preloading the spring quite a bit.
I know I used a bottle jack and a floor jack. I did it by myself also. You also need a small mallet to get it on once it's lined up. Put a little wd40 or something in the bushing and a prayer and it should go on real easy. I know I tried at least 10 times on the first side but maybe 5 on the other. It's not as easy as you think it should be.

 

[TastyRunner]

Well... I got the lift done. Definitly wasn't easy by any means but my 4runner is so much higher! I put Rancho rs9000 shocks and Tundra coils up front and stock LC coils 8.25 and shocks in the rear. I bought all the parts off craigsbook for 220 bucks and I got front coilovers 2 sets of LC springs and 3 sets of good used shocks.

I am actually selling the 9.25 wrap coils if anyone is interested.