Which [toytec] full 3" lift kit with 500lbs of armor?

[Lindenwood]

Have you looked into one 861? Seems like most people that have installed them have not had any sagging issues. Theyr'e supposed to give 4-5" lift but if you already know you will be carrying around a lot of weight the 861 might be something to consider.

Thanks for the tip! The kits are not offered with those as standard options, but I will look into them and check.

And yeah, between the sliders, the trans and fuel tank skid s I will be building (or i might get lazy and buy a Shrock set), and the extra weight in the back, the rear suspension will be supporting about 250-300lbs extra over stock (or, roughly 15% more). Thus it certainly makes sense that I should expect to, for example, lift the rear an additional 15% over what most are using for stock-weight vehicles, or use coils with approximately 15% higher spring constants. Obviously, these variables can't be controlled independently, but it definitely makes a case for looking at either taller- or stouter-than-typical rear coils.

Thanks again!

 

[Lindenwood]

Do you guys know if the Eibach kit's rear bilsteins can work with the longer Superflex coils? It seems those will likely provide the closest to what i want.

Still, I have read good and bad things about the ability of both 891s and the superflex's to handle heavier loads on a daily or weekly basis without sagging (again, daily rear loads of 250-300lbs over stock, including their portions of skids and sliders).

I am still a little afraid to go with 861s because i don't necessarily want more than 3-3.5" of total lift. It sounds like they do work great, but I dont think they will sag down enough for my liking unless i start approaching vehicle weights of 6000lbs.

 

[fourfive]

Do you guys know if the Eibach kit's rear bilsteins can work with the longer Superflex coils? It seems those will likely provide the closest to what i want.

If you're referring to the rear 4th gen 4runner bilsteins (33-187174) then yes they will work with 3"+ rear lift for 3rd gens.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

If you do go Superflex- and use the recommended 33-187174 2" lift 4th gen 5100 shocks- know that you will need to lower your bump stops quite a bit. I lost a good 3" of up-travel at the outside of the tire when articulating. I am swapping them out for shorter shocks, because I want to be able to stuff my 315.

 

[Lindenwood]

Sorry, I was referring to the Toytec Boss rear shocks (TT-9602R) that come with the BK9602 lift kit.

I am waiting to hear back on whether they will swap the springs out for the Superflex rears, but I think I am going to go with the above kit if I can.

 

[Lindenwood]

Just ordered the Bilstein/Eibach kit, and they swapped in the Superflex rear coils for an extra $10.

I am exoecting approximately 2.5" if lift up front, and 3-3.25" in the rear. Should go well with the 16x8s and 285/75s I just ordered!

As far as weight goes, I will probably keep the recovery gear behind the front seats to distribute the weigt a little more evenly. I also would be willing to carry the hi lift on the hood or front bumper if i feel like the rear is sagging too much. Those steps, and carrying the spare underneath rather than on a tire carrier, should make a good bit of difference in the overall load that the Superflexes have to carry. I will ultimately probably just do my best to balance the load between the front and rear as evenly as possible.

Thanks to everyone to offered advice and pointers! Many of you provided info that sent me down new lines of research which helped me narrow my options considerably.

 

[ltsr]

Just ordered the Bilstein/Eibach kit, and they swapped in the Superflex rear coils for an extra $10.

I am exoecting approximately 2.5" if lift up front, and 3-3.25" in the rear. Should go well with the 16x8s and 285/75s I just ordered!

As far as weight goes, I will probably keep the recovery gear behind the front seats to distribute the weigt a little more evenly. I also would be willing to carry the hi lift on the hood or front bumper if i feel like the rear is sagging too much. Those steps, and carrying the spare underneath rather than on a tire carrier, should make a good bit of difference in the overall load that the Superflexes have to carry. I will ultimately probably just do my best to balance the load between the front and rear as evenly as possible.

Thanks to everyone to offered advice and pointers! Many of you provided info that sent me down new lines of research which helped me narrow my options considerably.

I bet you're excited. Which wheels and tires did you go with?

 

[Lindenwood]

Found some American Racing wheels (455 shipped for 5, 22lb each), and got some imported MTs after an acquaintance had good luck with them (and online reviews are all generally more positive than the Treadwrights I was also considering).

 

[Paddo]

How did the install go? Got any pics? I'm planning on going with the ToyTec/Eibach 3" kit (TTHA-9602) in a few months once I have a bit more money saved up.

Did you also install new upper control arms?

 

[Lindenwood]

I did not install new upper control arms. It drives fine--better than my wife's 5th gen lifted 3" up front. My alignment came with a 6-month free checkup, so when I take it back I am going to ask them for the paperwork to see how it really is. I think they just accepted a little negative camber on my wife's car to keep the caster right, so we will probably need UCAs for hers.

The install went about as well as you'd expect for a Northern car lol. I ended up cutting off all 4 shocks...

But, overall I am super happy with it. I am in the middle of a move right now so I havent had a chance to build any of the armor I was hoping to start. But, I still have a good 150lb of gear, cargo box, and additional spare tire weight in the back and it is still a hair above level and rides much more smoothly than it did with no weight (still not as smooth as stock, but I didnt expect that).

Overall, I am definitely happy with it. I do wish there were more options to lift less that are still designed to support a good amount of weight. But, I am still happy with this choice and think the height will drop a bit and the ride will improve with more weight.

 

[Paddo]

It looks AWESOME! Now I'm even more excited to get mine done. What size tires do you have on it? I didn't see if you mentioned that above. They look a little bigger than mine, though.

 

[Lindenwood]

It looks AWESOME! Now I'm even more excited to get mine done. What size tires do you have on it? I didn't see if you mentioned that above. They look a little bigger than mine, though.

Thanks!

I am definitely happy with how they came out. They are 285/75r16s, but they did measure right at 33" if not a hair over. My wife's 285s are actually much closer to 32", for example (should be 32.8"). Also being on 8" wheels helps them appear just a little wider than if they were on 7" wheels.

 

[violation]

[MENTION=148869]Lindenwood[/MENTION] -

Wish i had seen this thread earlier. i've got full armor with spare tire carrier with jerry cans, and a sleeping platform inside, winch, skid plate and full length roof rack. that's what i drive around with daily.

on top of that i load her up with a bunch of camping gear.

i spoke with toytec prior to ordering my stuff, and they got me LC coils and shocks for a 4th gen in the rear. the fronts are boss.

but more importantly, i'm curious if you have any rubbing on full lock? i'd like to move up to 285/75 tires but haven't really researched to see if a body lift is required to avoid rub. i'm guess we're probably at similar heights now.

thanks.

 

[Lindenwood]

I don't do big rocks and stuff, but after only minor trimming I havent had any rubbing at full lock in either direction or on the 4 or 5 mild offroading trips since then. Actually, my only rubbing was at about a half turn prior to full lock, before trimming the liner.

 

[Lindenwood]

Just an update,

Right now I am at around 180# over stock up front, including my hood-mounted hi-lift plus the winching chain system under the hood. I still need to install my 2nd battery and finish the skids under the engine and tcase, which will together add another ~70lbs near the front axle(s).

Between the axles, I have 45lb worth of sliders, and will have another ~20lb (over stock) for my coming mild-duty gas tank skid.

Out back, I have added a drawer / sleeping platform (+100#), a custom bumper (+35#), a full-sized spare (+25#), and roughly 70lb in gear and tools (maybe more; I'll have weigh it), for an additional 240# over stock that will go up to about 250 once I finish my bumper.

So, overall, I am currently sitting at about 465# over stock on a daily basis, which will go up to about 565# with the coming upgrades

Eibachs / Superflexes without weight:
Until I recently added all the above (I couldnt find the time for most of this until the last couple months), the ride was certainly firm with just the lift. I would not recommend it without additional weight.

With >450lbs across the rig
With this gear, it is about like my wife's TRDP: not a cadillac, but it feels more intentionally like a working rig. It seems to flex well offroad, but actually handles washboards surpsisingly well. It takes doing 50mph on bumpy fire roads and crashing through 12ft-wide puddles at 20+ MPH like a champ!

With this weight, the front driver fender is 38.25" from the ground, while the rear is 38.75". So, I am definitely happy I went with the Superflex springs! Per the specs, it should only squat down another .25" or so with my dogs and kid in the back, and probably only another .25 with the rear carrier loaded with cooler, water, and fuel. Thus, even when loaded for camping, it should sit about level.

And, I think it will only get better with the extra weight up front!

 

[Lindenwood]

And, because :worthless

 

[theesotericone]

And, I think it will only get better with the extra weight up front!

It will.

I've said the same thing numerous times about the Toytec/Eibach lift. First perch with stock bumper it road pretty well. It wasn't really glued to the road but it only skipped out occasionally on washboards. Once my Relentless bumper and winch went on it was damn near perfect. The front end hugs the road and doesn't skip out at all.

I've since gotten a rear bumper and put in 861's in the rear.. When I did that I brought the Billies up to the second perch. I also needed to do that to clear my 295/70/17's better. I was worried the added preload would hurt the ride but it actually made it slightly better. lol

For the price this lift kicks ass.

 

[Paddo]

Awesome. Thanks for the update. Still looking good. How has alignment been without the new Upper Control Arms? I still haven't pulled the trigger on buying the kit yet, and am still on the fence about dropping $500-ish on new UCAs if I don't NEED them.

I see that the Toytec/Eibach kit is now on "Backorder" at toyteclifts.com. I hope they are going to be available in the future still?

 

[Lindenwood]

Awesome. Thanks for the update. Still looking good. How has alignment been without the new Upper Control Arms? I still haven't pulled the trigger on buying the kit yet, and am still on the fence about dropping $500-ish on new UCAs if I don't NEED them.

I see that the Toytec/Eibach kit is now on "Backorder" at toyteclifts.com. I hope they are going to be available in the future still?

I lost the sheet with the numbers, but it was only out of spec in negative camber (visibly so). However, since adding the weight up front the front, wheels are clearly vertical now. I forgot to measure before and after the front-end changes, but I honestly think it dropped close to an inch.

As to them being back ordered, be aware that the "new" version of the Eibachs, TTEBSC2, is what is now offered with the kit. They are listed as 545 lb/in spring rate, compared to the old 112-620 springs listed as 620 lb/in. Both the full kit and the front eibach coilovers they offer are now listed with the new springs. That said, if I could do it all over again, I would likely not put the 620s up front unless I was seriously adding a lot of weight (say, over 300#).


Thus, if the eibach set doesnt come back in stock soon, you might also happy with an 881/890 combo, or an 883/861 combo if you intend to carry a lot of weight and still wanted a more "planted" feel.

 

[Paddo]

Well I probably won't add a ton of weight until I can afford to replace both bumpers with steel ones.