Why do so many people jack up the front?

[Falls]

OK here are my findings .......

*Trailer specs= tongue wt , 40 lbs approx.
trailer size=6x10 Triton alum. w. ramp single axle

*Truck 4x4 V8 sport 2006 with 265/70/17 Revos ( upsized tire )

*STOCK HEIGHT (unloaded) from ground to top of wheel lip
front pass. side = 34.5"
back pass side = 36.5"

*JACKED UP (unloaded) in front at center cross member 1" at the wheel lip.
front pass. side = 35.5"
back pass. side = 36.5"

*WITH TRAILER (loaded) , 40 lbs tongue wt.(trailer only) and a 1000 lb. John Deere 445 tractor pulled to the front of the trailer where I need it to be to load other stuff on the back . NO tongue weight was obtainable with the tractor on and pulled to the front of the trailer.
front pass. side = 35.75"
back pass. side = 35.5"

It visually looked and is squated and nose high , rear looked low and thats not a lot of weight .

Like I said for me personally I'll talk to Jason on tues. because I'm not really happy with the loaded look and it was a light load at that IMO.

For everyday driving the look is great , but hauling I dont care for it at all. As far as off roading the 1" will help slightly . My truck already has a 1/2" add'l clearance from the 265/70/17 tires and honestly takes me many places that I should not even attempt without fail.

Bottom line looks , daily driving & off road , better stance the 1" is a great mod.

Towing , nose high , level look this may not be the mod for you , unless you like that .

All in the eye's of the beholder.............

the unofficial test is over ........

 

[Northof49]

All this talk of squat with a tongue load is exactly why I loved the rear-air suspension on my Ltd's so much.....load it up and the truck compensates to make it level, all without the rough ride and extreme rake associated with overload springs, or the PITA with aftermarket airbags.

 

[chiplee]

crozhawk on these boards has airbags installed on his rig for towing. Said it was like $75 and very easy to install.

 

[Northof49]

The stock system has a pump built in and figures out/equalizes pressure for you.....you just hook-up/load-up and drive. Plus it came standard on Canadian ltd's, so not like it was "extra cost."

 

[Falls]

Rear air bags would be cool , but I would opt. for the factory one.

 

[gizmopt2002]

Hey Falls. Maybe because mine is an '04 and yours is an '06, but when i had nearly 1,500#'s of gravel, and bricks in the back of the 4runner it looked even. And the back was still higher than the front too, so I dunno why it would be different.

 

[Falls]

Hey Falls. Maybe because mine is an '04 and yours is an '06, but when i had nearly 1,500#'s of gravel, and bricks in the back of the 4runner it looked even. And the back was still higher than the front too, so I dunno why it would be different.

We had somewhat similar weight on the back and like I said it only went down an inch. Maybe because of the rear spacers ???? do no.....

How the hell could you fit 1500 pounds of gravel and brick in the back of your 4R and have it barely go down , where the hell did you fit all of that ???

 

[gizmopt2002]

lol. the bricks were the huge 50# slabs that were all on the bottom, then the gravel was in bags. Stacking is your friend
oh and slow corners are too. Wish I had a pic. It was stuffed. The seats were down too. BTW, I only had 30 miles left of gas, so that plays a role too.

 

[crozhawk]

I dunno Chip, I like the levelled out look

 

[chiplee]

yeah me too with your rig. that pic is my desktop background. but it's hard to tell on the uphill slope in that picture and there's something different about the new rounded wheel wells that seems to make it more acceptable visually too. For mine it's going to go up the same amount all the way around to maintain the factory rake.

 

[crozhawk]

I was just messn with ya ... you may change your mind later once it's lifted though. I think at stock height the raked stance looks better too but once I lifted mine, it just looked better to me level. Just my 2 cents. Good thing is ...by going with an adjustable coilover, you'll be able to set it the front end right where you want it.

 

[chiplee]

Oh, I knew you were. What this thread was about was trying to figure out where people looked to determine whether a truck was "level" as you put it. Front to rear wheel well space that is perfectly even/equal above the tires is one way to "perceive" level. In my opinion, the more likely way to perceive level for the average person is the bottom of the truck where your cool a$$ sliders are. In your pictures the sliders look very level, even though the wheel well space is equal front and back. That would be optimal but I'm not buying an '06+ to get it. I think getting as close as mathmatically possible to level at the running board while getting simultaneously as close as possible to equal wheel well space front and back is the best look overall for pre '06 4th gens. You're absolutely correct that the coil overs will be perfect for the precise tuning of ride height that I'll need to do to make myself happy.

 

[juneau92]

Myself, I like the look of the lift kits I've seen. I was going to install a 1" leveling lift to the front of mine, but now that I use my 4Runner to tow a 5000# (loaded) trailer, I've completely scrapped the idea.

 

[Even Steven]

juneau92,

Lilfting the front of your 4Runner 1 inch will still leave you with a bit of rake, as the rear will still measure considerably higher than the front (as measured at the wheel wheels). Even with the front lifted 1 inch, the additional weight of a trailer in the rear will make it just about even front to rear. In other words, you will not end up with the front way up in the air.

BTW, even with the 1 inch lift up front, the rear end of the running board is still higher than the front end.

I dont know why people are making such a big deal out of such a small amount of front end lift. There is really no negative effect to it at all, and it looks much better than stock in my opinion, and the opinion of the majority of people who see it.

 

[TeCKis300]

With my usage, I would hate a leveled or lifted front.

Anytime I go on vacation with the rear loaded, a leveled or lifted front would only be exacerbated and my headlights would be pointed in the air while I drag my a**.

 

[crozhawk]

An $80 airlift for the rear suspension installs in about an hour and will easily fix any sagging rear end issues under a load....towed or otherwise ....super easy mod.