Got a 93 4runner 3.0 a couple of months ago and so far its been running great but it is now ailed by butt sagg and a lean to the right. I noticed a gas mileage drop from 21-23 to 19-20 and it looks like crap. I dont have the cash for the a full suspension lift that totals over a grand so what are my best options? I was looking to stuff either 32 or 33 by 10.5s as well (narrow as i will be driving A LOT of snow) so whats the best cheap option?
Secondly the stock system sucks ass and i know nothing about sound systems so once again whats the best cheap option that wont leave a lot of wires and boxes around my truck? I am a skiier and downhiller so LOTS of condensation snow and mud is in my truck and i dont like the idea of it getting on my speakers. I listen to mostly metal and metalcore with some reggae and dancehall so i dont care about booming bass, makes metal sound like crap
Lastly i need new air and fuel filters and ive heard K&N is the cats pajamas. True?
thanks

 

question 2: stock replacement speakers with polypropylene cones from pioneer or sony are the easiest 'cheap' option but aren't really all that cheap- expect to pay $100+ for a pair. they'll resist condensation, sound very good, and don't require hardly any modification to make them fit. If you want it louder than stock though, you'll need amps and then you're out of the cheap zone.

question 1: coil spring spacers are the least expensive, followed by new springs and air bags. but considering the sag, you'll be out over a grand just to get things close to being able to run larger than 31's and look level while doing it.

 

You want landcruiser coil springs. This is the common fix for rear end sag in 2nd gen 4Runners. I bought mine off this board for around $80.

 

So just replace my coil springs with landcruiser ones? What era cruiser? I would guess 60 but have no idea.

 

as for the stereo on these trucks...
they sound great with a different set of speakers...
everybody has their own flavor of what brand they like and ive heard a lot of different types in pickups and 4runners, and honestly, kickers sound the best... the ones that i have in my runner all have tweeter towers, so you get excellent sound all around...
a set of 4.5"ers in the fronts will just plug into the stock wiring harness, and you can fit a set of 5.25"ers in the rears in the stock location... they are a bit bigger than factory, but will still work... and alas, the next step is the head unit... id suggest an alpine unit, and make sure that it has a hi-pass filter on it so that if you ever do add an amp and sub later, then its already set... and really, i have a 12 inch ported sub in my truck, and i do listen to metal a lot (lately i have been stuck on five finger death punch) and i wish that i had a 10 inch sealed box... a ported box slaps too much, and i think that you would like the tight response of the sealed box...

i know that the kicker speakers run about 100 bucks a set of 2, but if you want, i have a friend who works at best buy, and he gets them for 35 a set with his employee discount...

good luck!

 

FJ80 coils. 92-98 Try IH8MUD.com for FJ80 parts if you can't find a set here.

 

I picked up a set of stock replacement springs off of rockauto.com for about $60 shipped. Leveled it right out.

 

For the stereo what is your price limit. It is not that expensive to get some stuff from a pawn shop. I bought a low end Pioneer deck for $100 new and it has 4 50 watt outputs, definetly good enough. I also got a sub and amp combo for $150 at a pawn shop. Sounds awesome! I also have to disagree that metal sounds like crap with bass.

 

true... like i said, you need the right bass for metal...

as for the pawn shop, great idea... i also like to peruse my local swap meets... ive had many a kickin sound system from the swap meet...

 

If you put in leveling coils, (140-200 bucks) the truck will level it self basically. you might have to crank the torsions a little bit. you can run 33x10.50's on stocks rims with little to no rubbing.

 

I'm going to fix my 86 4Runner the same way I fixed the sagging rear of my 86 Truck and the 91 Truck I used to have. I'll take it to a good spring shop and have them add a leaf to each side and rearc the existing springs. I just tell them how far I want the rear bumper to lift. Last time it cost me $350 to have this done.

 

okay, lets get it straight, the lc coils probably won't level it out. i put a 4" lift on my 2nd gen and the lc coils leveled it out then. so your probably looking at 3+ inches of lift with cruiser coils. Just a heads up! I believe you get them from an fj80. i got mine from a 1993 i think, rear coils


There are also bj spacers you can look into for the front, and apparently 33X10.50's fit stock, with maybe a little beating of the pinch weld!

 

oh another thing, after the lc coils you probably want a panhard drop bracket. with out one my driveshaft hit the gas tank. now it doesn't, you will need longer shocks, possibly longer rear brake line if you do any wheeling where there is articulation. ANy more questions you can pm me if needed. or search around!

Good luck

 

2nd Gen 4runners have no leaf springs - just coils.

 

no more than 80hz on the x-over and definitely no audio processing or compression on the signal

the biggest problem with metal and subs is washing out 80-160hz, this music naturally has a lot of sound energy in this frequency range and boosting it will not help, compressing it is even worse and is probably one of the main reasons people think subs make metal/rock sound like ass.

but with any type of music, try and get a flat frequency response. it will sound the best.