yotatrance

Hey everyone, first post ever, for any vehicle. I just got a 2004 4runner sr5. Took it to the shop and they said my shocks and struts are leaking.

A few Questions:

1. Do I have front shocks, or struts, or is it a coil over shock? either way he said it be $950 to get all four done. Does that sound right?
2. I want to take it off-roading, but don't want it to be an off-road only vehicle. OME kit is 842.00. Would that fix my strut/shock/coil problem? is it worth the kit rather than the shocks?

Sorry for such akward, probably fundamental quesitons, but I had to start somewhere. If someone could elaborate, just a little, I would appreciate it.
or any info that would be great for me to know is much appreciated

caslim

I just changed all 4 of mine on my 04 limited. The fronts are considered struts, the rear are normal shocks.

Go with the Bilstein 5100 "Ride height adjustables" for the front. You can lift it 0 to 2.5 inches with these. The part number will fall under an 05-08 tacoma. These are the exact same for the 03+ 4runners.

For the rear, you should match them with the 5100 shocks. These shocks will allow you to put up to a 2inch lift in the rear.

All in all, it should only run you about $380.

The install was fairly simple with the right tools. I had a friend help with the fronts because of the coil compressors, but the back I did myself. I'll get a picture so you can see the results.

caslim

Let me clarify with the rear shocks. These shocks will not lift your vehicle. They are longer and will allow up to a 2 inch lift to be put on. Also, the part number is going to fall under a 06+ FJ cruiser.

yotatrance

awesome, thank you. Another question quick. So neither strut nor shock will lift my truck right? I need to buy lift parts for that?

And if I get a lift in the future, will I need to change my springs? I would guess yeah.

It seems like your saying with the fronts, I can lift it right then, but with the rears, I need lift parts.
What would those parts be?
Where do I order these parts?

I am sorry, please stick with me a minute, I am just learning, just figuring it all out. I want to learn though.

Thanks for being an awesome resource,

Yotatrance

Tacotex

I just orered some Bilstein HDs for our '07 from shockwarehouse.com. Found them in the vendor forum here and they had the best price I could find. Do your research before lifting. There are other things to consider (like increased wear on CV joints), and there may be brake proportion valve issues that need addressing. Read (google, Wiki ect. are your friends), decide what you want to do with the vehicle, and then don't half ass it-even if you have to wait to afford it. A lot of guys find out that starting with a beater is the way to go after they spend big $ on modding an expensive truck and start taking the inevitable damage that happens on more advanced trails...or they just go back to mall crawling.