Will I lift? That is the Question...

[adkinsadam1]

Will It lift? That is the Question...

Sooooo.... I was going to get a lift. THEN, I got scared. I read all these posts from people who says it's BAD to spacer lift and that it wears down many components quicker than leaving it stock would.

So here is my question: Is there a CHEAP (<$250) lift I can do that will give me more ground clearance and NOT be bad for any components now or in the future?

Thanks all! (I WAS going for the 3" Toytec spacer and then I got scared...)

 

[adkinsadam1]

Soooo...
...

 

[BlairB]

Any type of lift can potentially be hard on components. The only real part you see issues with are your CV bands leaking and some guys tearing their CV boots when installing (which is installation error, not caused by the lift).

Any type of lift will stress these equally, regardless of if it is a full coilover setup, or just spacers.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Any type of lift can potentially be hard on components. The only real part you see issues with are your CV bands leaking and some guys tearing their CV boots when installing (which is installation error, not caused by the lift).

Any type of lift will stress these equally, regardless of if it is a full coilover setup, or just spacers.

:iagree: 100%

There's many 'stories' out there. Many are true or have an element of truth. Many are based on general experience with lifts.


A 4th gen T4R is a bit of a special case IMHO.

The suspension appears to have been lowered from it's intended design. My guess is that it was lowered to meet crash worthiness (rear-ending a regular car). If you study the stock angle of the of the upper and lower control arms it becomes more evident. To further support my position consider the OEM ride: they bottom out on the smallest of bumps. The dampening and spring rate seem ok but they bottom way too easily. Why? Because the suspension has plenty of travel (for the design) but most of it is available for droop and almost nothing for compression. Look at how close the LCAs are to the bumpstops. It's ridiculous. And that supports my theory that the 4th gen was designed and then made to comply with the crash height standard. The short front springs were a compromise/afterthought IMHO.


Next look at the CV angles. Unlike many other vehicles the CV's are angled UP not down. That means when you lift a little bit you're actually straightening the angle out somewhat. Something around 2"-2.5" of lift gives you the same CV angles just opposite.


Kmvreter has a great post on how to re-clamp the CV's. The OE clamps just suck. The leaking that some report, IMHO, has more to do with the slight change in the angle of the pressure on the boot combined with the crappy clamp. It has nothing to do with CV angles getting extreme. IMHO you almost have to lift a T4R to get the CV angles to an optimal angle as the factory has the front-end so low...


If you lift a 4th gen T4R in the 2-3" range on the front and up to 2" in the back there's no need to anything other than lift. If you go a full 3" or better in the front there's some cheap add-ons that may or may not be worth it. One is a diff drop kit. The 3rd gen guys really need this but the 4th gen not-so-much. At T120 it's considered a waste, I tend to agree, I think. It's $30 so I view the diff drop thing as a preference and personal choice. The second one is a front swaybar relocation bracket set, again super cheap but generally not necessary.


I say within reason, on a 4th gen T4R, lift and enjoy! I honestly believe the whole vehicle was designed to be run around 2" higher than they are delivered and you'll pay no penalty for a mild lift of any type. Now, will you pay a price in terms of long-term durability with wheel spacers and big, heavy tires? That's a whole other post My short answer is up to zero offset rims and 265/70/17 class tires "no" or at least nothing you could ever quantify.
:cheers:

 

[cornedbeef]

go for FJ Cruiser suspension...struts and shocks.

 

[progress4m]

Sooooo.... I was going to get a lift. THEN, I got scared. I read all these posts from people who says it's BAD to spacer lift and that it wears down many components quicker than leaving it stock would.

So here is my question: Is there a CHEAP (<$250) lift I can do that will give me more ground clearance and NOT be bad for any components now or in the future?

Thanks all! (I WAS going for the 3" Toytec spacer and then I got scared...)

I recently did mine DS custom lift 1.4” front 0.9” rear. Total was about $220.00 including lifetime alignment (I did installation by myself). Truck is looks better and I already tested it on my last hunting trip when mud was all the way to the axels, so I am sure lift did helped.
I would definitely recommend minor lift like that.
Also with my lift, front half shafts are now perfectly parallel to the ground and that was not the case before, so in case of CV joints it will actually help them.
One more benefit of lift is that driveshaft “bump” issue is almost gone… at least 90% of it.

Good luck!

 

[adkinsadam1]

Thank you everyone! Especially CJ3Flyr. It sounds to me that lifts are 100% fine at first, but could you elaborate on the long-term effects? Because I do a LOT of off-roading, but I also do a LOT of driving on the road. Thanks!

And what about that daystar 2.5/1.5?

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Thank you everyone! Especially CJ3Flyr. It sounds to me that lifts are 100% fine at first, but could you elaborate on the long-term effects? Because I do a LOT of off-roading, but I also do a LOT of driving on the road. Thanks!

And what about that daystar 2.5/1.5?

For the long-term with a 2.5/1.5 I foresee no ill effect beyond a slight MPG penalty due to the increased drag especially at highway speeds. Most report no more than 1mpg with just a lift. From a maint standpoint there's one re-snugging of the six nuts fairly soon after install then once every 12-24months is more than adequate. Again, add huge, heavy rims and tires over 265/70/17 or 265/65/18 and you may be working the components harder and instead of running 170k they may only run 130k.

A Daystar 6 piece kit would be a great choice and there are other very good choices. J.A., a member here, has a great site and great write-up here: 2007 Toyota 4Runner Sport Edition Lift
:cheers:

 

[4Runner8]

so CJ3flyer if the Cv's are angled up why cant a company make a 4.5 inch lift becase i have seen IFS trucks that are 4wd with descently big lifts and the cv's are anmgled pretty bad ... and what about a cv drop.... i have only seen a 1 inch why not a 2 inch????

 

[BlairB]

so CJ3flyer if the Cv's are angled up why cant a company make a 4.5 inch lift becase i have seen IFS trucks that are 4wd with descently big lifts and the cv's are anmgled pretty bad ... and what about a cv drop.... i have only seen a 1 inch why not a 2 inch????

I have a 1" diff drop and had to lower my skids, I do not think you would want to lower it any more due to lost clearance. And some vehicles can have bigger lifts than others, just depends. Some older Toyota trucks, for example, required diff drops at 3", while ours do not.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

so CJ3flyer if the Cv's are angled up why cant a company make a 4.5 inch lift becase i have seen IFS trucks that are 4wd with descently big lifts and the cv's are anmgled pretty bad ... and what about a cv drop.... i have only seen a 1 inch why not a 2 inch????

IDK for sure. My guess is that two factors enter into the equation: 1) Using stock control arms there'd be no way of getting the caster/camber specs dialed in with a 4.5" lift. 2) I think the suspension would come up a little short on travel. With a 4.5" lift it would be almost topped out at rest.

I am not sure the CV's are the problem with lifts in 3+ range on a 4th gen T4R.

Alexjet got his up that high and there's a Total Chaos medium travel kit that gets you into that range.
:cheers:

 

[4Runner8]

so the total chaos' is available to get u as high up as alexjet then why doesnt another company make a lift to do that to compete with total chaos b/c theres is like a couple grand with no coil overs

 

[BlairB]

so the total chaos' is available to get u as high up as alexjet then why doesnt another company make a lift to do that to compete with total chaos b/c theres is like a couple grand with no coil overs

There are similar kits, namely All-Pro and maybe Camburg, but they are all similar prices. And these are not out there to allow you lift, it is to allow for increased performance. Chris (T4RFun) has the total Chaos Mid Travel Kit and his truck has no more lift than mine.