Ultimate Suspension For On Road Handling?

[1985taylor1925]

Hi guys.

For quite some time now I have been on a quest for the "perfect" suspension for on-road driving manners. So I wanted to start a new thread to gather some good, objective, comparative info on this topic. I realize that probably well over half of the members here are less concerned with on-road manners as they are with off-road capability in regards to suspension. However, there are still quite a few of us who do far more commuting/city driving/weekend trips in our 3rd gens than wheeling, and would prefer great road driving manners at the expense of extensive off-road capability.. On 3rd gens with stock weight, it seems that most aftermarket set-ups and lifts are overly stiff for the small truck. I would love to find something that gives a similar ride quality to my dads 09 TRD Tundra. Love the way that truck rides! Unfortunately there are few choices for progressive coils for our 3rd gens. I am hoping that this thread will serve as a detailed and collective source of info by gathering input from many members who have experience with various suspension set-ups.

I have run several suspension lifts on my 3rd gen as I initially spent a ton of time off road while doing forestry work, and I also did a lot of towing and hauling. Things have changed, and now I do primarily commuting. The suspension set-ups I've run include . . .

Rear
- Stock shocks and coils (for 98)
- KYB Gas adjust shocks with OEM coils
- KYB gas adjust shocks with Performance Products coils
- LC Tokico shocks with LC 7 wraps
- LC Tokico's with OME 890 coils
- LC Tokico's wth 99 coils and 1.5 spacer (my current set-up)

Front
- Stock shocks and coils
- KYB gas shocks with stock coils
- KYB gas shocks with PP coils
- Tundra/Bilstein NON-progressive set up from a full cab 4x4 model.
- Taco Bilstein 5100s with 99 coils on second perch (current set-up)


So a few considerations before you give input . . .

- Our opinions on what we consider "good" on-road ride manners can be quite subjective. What one person likes, another might consider terrible. So try to give a comparison with other 3rd gen suspension set-ups you have experience with and elaborate on why one is superior on-road.

- Personally, my biggest issue has been stiffness. My truck still has a case of the "Jitters", and this is due to the actual suspension as Ive replace all the linkage components. Every set-up I've run has been too stiff for my liking with the bad roads in Wisconsin and my long daily commute to work. I'm looking for something softer, without compromising too much on body roll. Again for myself, I would love to find something that gives the ride quality of my dads 09 TRD Tundra, if not slightly softer

- The set-up can be stock height, or lifted. Just whatever you have found to ride the best on-road.

- I am running at STOCK WEIGHT. No armor. So Im most interested in suspension best suited for a stock weight 3rd gen. Though Im interested in all input.

- There are a number of brands out there that I VERY RARELY see used on this forum, especially for shocks, including Rancho, Pro Comp, acdelco, moog, sachs, Monroe, Gabriel, beck/arnley, etc. I know the general opinion on most of these products is that they are cheaply made. Honestly, I am open to some of these brands even if they have a shorter life span if the trade off is a great on-road ride. I.e. I have read a lot of good things about Rancho 9000 series adjustable shocks, but have never seen anyone use them on this forum. Anyone use these?

- If you have found an odd/less common shock/coil set-up that worked really well, that's the kind of info Im looking for.


Ok, enough typing from me. What set-ups have you guys found best for smooth, controlled driving manners for on-road driving and commuting? I appreciate your input!!

 

[1985taylor1925]

Bump on this. Anyone?

 

[shadow247]

I am interested as well. I bought this in VA to drive on the beach and lifted it accordingly. Now that I am back in the concrete jungle of DFW I'm thinking about throwing some 2wd springs on it and possibly upgrading the sway bars to some heavier units.

 

[RockenAlex]

If you ask me the best off road shocks are going to be what you want, if the roads are as bad as you say, paired with a set of stiff sway bars and properly fitting end links.

The upper echelon C/O companies like King/Icon/Fox etc will be able to make the shock perfect for your driving style on road because don't forget these factory bolt on kits are extensively tested on and off road because the company knows that's what their going to be use for, unlike the full race kits. Dampening and down travel are key components of high speed on road vehicles. You essentially want each tire to individually stay in contact with the road and have as little effect on the rest of the vehicle as possible. This sort of set up is made easier by less lift (enabling more rapid down travel) and by a complexly designed custom valved shock.

The coils are where your issue will be because you want something soft. A liner rate may be favorable in this case because they will react the exact same to every single hole/bump where as a progressive will react slightly different depending on the the size of the road obstacle. I'd still likely go with a progressive though since I prefer them in almost any situation.

The softer a coil you go the more your vehicle will handle like a mattress on a tow rope so your going to want good, stiff, sway bars; road racing vehicle's that are designed not to roll at all have massive sway bars on them, which wont be necessary in your case. I do believe however that thicker sway bars can be purchased online somewhere, but I can't think of who makes them.

To be honest with you no one makes on road stuff for 4Runners in the US because very few people would purchase it. Yet there mat be hope with JDM because the market it very different there. You may not be able to purchase the items but theirs always a possibility that you could copy the components into a setup that you piece together yourself.

 

[T4R2014]

Simple answer. OEM

Shocks, springs, bushings, etc. Proven and free of faults that aftermarket alternatives may have.

If you want to go the extra mile, you could put in some Addco sway bars. P-rated tires also make a difference. Lifting it higher will only make the road manners worse.

 

[Falonious]

There is a good right up and vid here on your question, look at the 2in lift install. Project SportRunner

More info there also.

 

[ihateBL]

look, i do the same thing. i commute 50/50 (on road/ off road) so i got the toytec ultimate. its reliable and well built and manageable on road. if you want cool then peek at this
MillerPKA - 97 4Runner - YotaTech Forums :lasercannon:

 

[1985taylor1925]

Simple answer. OEM

Shocks, springs, bushings, etc. Proven and free of faults that aftermarket alternatives may have.

If you want to go the extra mile, you could put in some Addco sway bars. P-rated tires also make a difference. Lifting it higher will only make the road manners worse.

Would the oem rear tokicos be long enough for my 1.5" spacers on 99 coils?

 

[T4R2014]

Would the oem rear tokicos be long enough for my 1.5" spacers on 99 coils?

Good question, but no idea. Maybe contact the manufacturer of your spacers?

BTW, the OEM's are not the same as Trekmasters. I've heard that KYB is one of the OEM suppliers as well.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Yes your shocks are long enough. How do I know? I run 906 coils with the stock shocks and I was actually going to suggest my rear setup. It is great on road (even crappy ones google hwy 62 in socal desert). It is soft enough that the bumps don't rattle the truck but firm enough that you can load up with camping gear and go off on an adventure with very little sag. The stock tokico shock are great imo. I am going to add a spacer to the rear so I can run the land cruiser tokico (minimum 2.5" or so of lift?).

For the front everyone cranks the tundra springs up to lift the max height but I bet if you kept it lower or even at the bottom the tundra trd would have excellent road manners. I just don't have any first hand experience.

 

[absalom]

Would the oem rear tokicos be long enough for my 1.5" spacers on 99 coils?

Spacers are a sure fire way to distance yourself from your original goal of "ultimate on road suspension". Brand new OEM everything, in my opinion, is the best on road ride you're going to get. And I mean everything. All new steering components, rubber oem NOT poly steering bushings, etc. Also anything other than P rated, factory sized tires will have a detrimental effect on your on road handling.

I'm with ya on this, to some degree. I wish I wouldn't of followed the forum's hiveminded approach to lifting so high and then slapping stiff, E rated tires on it. Mine rides *ok* at best on the street. I'm hoping reducing the lift to 1"- front and 2" - rear with 2.5" external resi shock bodies, and then putting on C rated tires, will make a big difference.

Finally, having a daily driver and then making your 4runner your "fun car" will make you enjoy it much more. I daily drive a Golf TDI, and it's 3x cheaper than the 4runner to drive, just as reliable, handles much better, and is far more comfortable... The best part, it only cost me $3,500. I was miserable DD'ing my 4runner, as I was always so paranoid of hurting it offroad. My wallet is much happier now.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Good question, but no idea. Maybe contact the manufacturer of your spacers?

BTW, the OEM's are not the same as Trekmasters. I've heard that KYB is one of the OEM suppliers as well.

Really? I didn't realize that. I hated my KGB gas shocks when I ran them with my original stock 98 coils. I know the trek masters are an aftermarket option for our trucks, but I thought the oem 3rd gen shocks were all tokicos

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Really? I didn't realize that. I hated my KGB gas shocks when I ran them with my original stock 98 coils. I know the trek masters are an aftermarket option for our trucks, but I thought the oem 3rd gen shocks were all tokicos

To my knowledge tokico is the only supplier of oem and it is not a trek master shock.

If you do end up wanting kyb in a stock length I have a pair of them brand new sitting on a shelf. 40 bucks and shipping and they're all yours. I won't ever be able to use them with my current rear setup. There's a set of 99 springs around my garage you can have as well if you cover shipping. I think the springs have 50k on them or so? I picked then up second hand but there wasn't any sag in them.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Spacers are a sure fire way to distance yourself from your original goal of "ultimate on road suspension". Brand new OEM everything, in my opinion, is the best on road ride you're going to get. And I mean everything. All new steering components, rubber oem NOT poly steering bushings, etc. Also anything other than P rated, factory sized tires will have a detrimental effect on your on road handling.

I'm with ya on this, to some degree. I wish I wouldn't of followed the forum's hiveminded approach to lifting so high and then slapping stiff, E rated tires on it. Mine rides *ok* at best on the street. I'm hoping reducing the lift to 1"- front and 2" - rear with 2.5" external resi shock bodies, and then putting on C rated tires, will make a big difference.

Finally, having a daily driver and then making your 4runner your "fun car" will make you enjoy it much more. I daily drive a Golf TDI, and it's 3x cheaper than the 4runner to drive, just as reliable, handles much better, and is far more comfortable... The best part, it only cost me $3,500. I was miserable DD'ing my 4runner, as I was always so paranoid of hurting it offroad. My wallet is much happier now.

Yeah, I went through a lot of set ups before realizing it's just not worth it for my current driving being primarily on road. What I really want is for one of these companies to make a 1.5" to 2" 3rd gen specific progressive coil. I like the idea of a slight lift but without the overly stiff ride. And I don't like the idea of spacers either.

I am currently running p rated tires. I learned that lesson after running e rated for 2 years. That was just stupid! It was like being on a wooden roller coaster. And it's really bad for the front end suspension linkage components. I'm running the safari ltd steering rack with poly bushings, and heavy duty end links with poly bushings. A arm bushings are still stock rubber.

I would definitely consider the oem shocks for a smoother ride. I'm just torn because I still want that slight lift. I do think the rancho xl9000s would be a great option with 9 rebound settings. They get good reviews. I just don't to drop the $500 on them. But the adjustability would be awesome. I thought my current setup (taco 5100s paired with the 99 coils) would be perfect. Turned out to be pretty stiff.

And yeah, I've been looking at cars as we'll for a daily driving option. Right now I'm really liking the 1st gen Mazda 3 grand touring hatchback. Similar to the golf. And then, I never thought I would say this but, I'm actually considering selling my 3rd gen in the future. I would replace it with a 1st gen sequoia. Basically the 4runners big bro. But with more power, more space, better ride quality and more features.

 

[1985taylor1925]

To my knowledge tokico is the only supplier of oem and it is not a trek master shock.

If you do end up wanting kyb in a stock length I have a pair of them brand new sitting on a shelf. 40 bucks and shipping and they're all yours. I won't ever be able to use them with my current rear setup. There's a set of 99 springs around my garage you can have as well if you cover shipping. I think the springs have 50k on them or so? I picked then up second hand but there wasn't any sag in them.

Did you read my first post? I'm running 99 coils all around right now. And I've already run Kyb gas adjust shocks as mentioned

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Did you read my first post? I'm running 99 coils all around right now. And I've already run Kyb gas adjust shocks as mentioned

My apologies. I was paying more attention to what you have tried and thinking about what is still out there to try.

 

[1985taylor1925]

My apologies. I was paying more attention to what you have tried and thinking about what is still out there to try.

No problem. I know my first post is long and few people will actually want to read the whole thing

 

[absalom]

Yeah, I went through a lot of set ups before realizing it's just not worth it for my current driving being primarily on road. What I really want is for one of these companies to make a 1.5" to 2" 3rd gen specific progressive coil. I like the idea of a slight lift but without the overly stiff ride. And I don't like the idea of spacers either.

I am currently running p rated tires. I learned that lesson after running e rated for 2 years. That was just stupid! It was like being on a wooden roller coaster. And it's really bad for the front end suspension linkage components. I'm running the safari ltd steering rack with poly bushings, and heavy duty end links with poly bushings. A arm bushings are still stock rubber.

I would definitely consider the oem shocks for a smoother ride. I'm just torn because I still want that slight lift. I do think the rancho xl9000s would be a great option with 9 rebound settings. They get good reviews. I just don't to drop the $500 on them. But the adjustability would be awesome. I thought my current setup (taco 5100s paired with the 99 coils) would be perfect. Turned out to be pretty stiff.

And yeah, I've been looking at cars as we'll for a daily driving option. Right now I'm really liking the 1st gen Mazda 3 grand touring hatchback. Similar to the golf. And then, I never thought I would say this but, I'm actually considering selling my 3rd gen in the future. I would replace it with a 1st gen sequoia. Basically the 4runners big bro. But with more power, more space, better ride quality and more features.

Good stuff. However, the Land Cruiser is the big brother to the 4runner The Sequoia is like the gay, creepy uncle that always wants to watch your dance recitals growing up.

Sell your 4runner, you'll be back in a few months anyway, I guarantee it. The recidivism rate on this forum is ridiculous, and I'm guilty as well. Picking up a fun, sporty, economical DD will renew your zeal for the 4runner. Every man should have a ecobox DD and a truck playtoy. It's the secret to happiness.

 

[D Farms]

So the thing about the sequoia is the gas mileage sucks, it has the same suspension as the 4runner just spaced wider, and its huge. the 100 series is big too, but not quite as big, it has basically the best oem ifs suspension you can get and an excellent 4 link rear end. The ride is excellent and they are typically lifted about 2" if needed.

Also if you are just dding, get a body lift.

btw the secret to happiness is solid axles.

 

[Ed_C]

So the thing about the sequoia is the gas mileage sucks, it has the same suspension as the 4runner just spaced wider, and its huge.

If you mean same as in parts interchangeability/compatibility, it shares the some front suspension as Tundras,not 4Runners.