What Lift should I get?

[llitto1]

I have an 2005 4Runner Sport Edition. I want to put on a 2.5 or 3 inch lift. Are the Daystar 2.5 leveling kit a good choice? Whats better, suspension or body lift? I'd like to keep it $500 and lower, but quality is key. I can't install it myself. I just don't want to mess my truck up, or cause and long term damage.
Thanks.

 

[montana_jeepn]

Some great info here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/102272-4th-gen-suspension-options-faq.html

I have the DS 2.5/1.5. If my XREAS ever fails (was replaced around 20k ago), I will probably go with a coil over setup. DS is easy to install in just a few hours....I think I took about 6 with installing new UCA's.

I've never had a body lift, but I like suspension lifts. The Daystar lift is my first spacer lift and I was pleasantly surprised buy the ease of install, ride, etc.....and you can't beat $130 shipped from Amazon.

 

[llitto1]

^

Can you tell me more about the Daystar Lift?

 

[ebg18t]

Can you tell me more about the Daystar Lift?

What do you really need to know? In the front It's a couple plastic spacers that you place on top of the front shock assembly. In the back a plastic shim goes under the rear spring. Wam-bam your now part of the lifted truck club.

In most cases replacing all 4 shocks with something like the Bilstein 5100 will save you money & the headache in the long run. The 5100's you can set the front to 2.5" lift to level it off. The set of 4 shocks is about $325.

Since you have a 9 year old car there is a very good chance your shocks are beat, dead, shot to shit, on their last legs, etc. and for safety & control replacing your shocks would be the preferred, safer, smarter, more cost effective in the long run..

That's my 2 rambling cents. :fishing:

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I have an 2005 4Runner Sport Edition. I want to put on a 2.5 or 3 inch lift. Are the Daystar 2.5 leveling kit a good choice? Whats better, suspension or body lift? I'd like to keep it $500 and lower, but quality is key. I can't install it myself. I just don't want to mess my truck up, or cause and long term damage.
Thanks.

First and foremost what is your build focused on? Are you doing mall crawling, fitting larger flashier tires, mild off-roading, serious off-roading, ect.

You need to determine what your needs and wants are for the vehicle before you or anyone can really help you with what lift you need/want for your vehicle.

 

[MarkinWMich]

Budget lift:

Agree with ebg18t with regards to the Bilstein 5100s. You eliminate the need for the front spacer and the cost. Install the rear Daystar spacers and you're there.

A few words of wisdom:

1. Keep your lift to 1.5-2" for something like this. Much more than this, and now you are risking a limitation in downward suspension travel due to the stock upper control arm and ball joint angle. If the suspension bottoms out, you can damage the ball joints. There are aftermarket UCAs that allow for more articulation and more lift.

2. More lift means a higher center of gravity, suspension geometry issues, driveline geometry issues, safety issues, etc. Many of these issues can be overcome...with more parts...$$$.

You will find that if you change one thing, it effects several other things. It is real easy to find yourself throwing a lot of parts and money at it.

 

[J053619]

If you want to keep it as low as possible go with what ebg18t suggested, a daystar lift. Don't be afraid to to ask for help on the install, and see if you can try to do it yourself because shops will charge you a decent amount (might even push you past the 500 budget you're setting) and if you have xreas, they might even end up messing it up.

I was afraid to do it myself, but i grabbed a friend who knows nothing about cars and did it in a day. Hell if you were closer to NJ i'd even help you do it but MD is a pretty good distance from me. Below is the kit i used, and think it should work for you too.

Daystar

 

[preacher35]

First and foremost what is your build focused on? Are you doing mall crawling, fitting larger flashier tires, mild off-roading, serious off-roading, ect.

You need to determine what your needs and wants are for the vehicle before you or anyone can really help you with what lift you need/want for your vehicle.

I agree with BlackWorksInc. You have given us very little information about what outcome that you are looking for. That being said, unless you are going to do some serious off-roading (which I am doubting considering your lack of lift knowledge), and considering your budget, you should really start simple with a spacer lift. To be honest, if you are not going to do the install labor yourself, you're going to have trouble staying under your $500.00 budget anyway.

 

[Bthbama]

I did the daystar 2.5 front and 1.5 rear. Great lift!! Didn't change ride. Gave me that higher feel factory does not and allowed for 32 inch tires. I do mild off roading and didn't want to sacrifice road ride quality. It totally changes the look of the runner. I had a friend come over and we did the lift ourselves. Many YouTube videos out there help you with the process. Mainly I would advise a good floor jack, good jack stands and a pipe for piping loose those super tight nuts you'll have to remove. Cost me 135.00 plus a hamburger cookout for my friend and his family. I threw in snicker ice-cream bars for dessert