trekerjohn

I have a stock 96 4Runner Limited 4WD w/ 250,000 miles on it. From the
ground to the bottom of the wheel well on the Driver side (front and
rear) is 34 1/2"; on the Passenger side (front and rear) is 34 3/4".
I drive mostly on the road, but go offroad occasionally. I have
265/70R16 Toyo Open Country on now. I have new Bilstein 4600s
for the front and back. I am thinking of buying new OME 881s for the front and 906s for the rear. I wanted 890s for the rear, but I was told that the
3" lift of the 890s may overextend the 4600s, and should instead think
about going with 906s + 10mm trim packers in the rear. I would like a
little lift more than stock coils. So, my question is: from what I
have explained, would the 881/906 be a good match for the Bil 4600s. If not, which combination of springs (and any other ancillary
parts) would you recommend to go with my 4600s? Thanks for the help.

trekerjohn

I decided on Bils 4600s with OME 881s in the front and Bils 4600s with OME 890s in the rear. The rears were much easier than I thought they would be. The driver side came right off by hand after I got a wrench on the top nut. The passenger side was stubborn. I tried a pipe wrench, but no go. So I draped a towel over the exhaust to shield the shock from the gas tank, and I used my 3" Harbor Freight cutting wheel to cut the top of the shock off. That worked just fine. Before I started the cut, I sprayed the whole back area with a Windex spray bottle filled with water. No problem. Got it all buttoned up, and it looks great. I am not going to drive it until I get the strut bushings installed, and then I will take it to the dealer for a 4 wheel alignment. When I put the front wheels back on and let it down, the front and back end links lined up just fine. I had no issues with brake lines being too short, or anything else. After measuring through the center line on the wheels, I got a solid 2" lift in the front and a 3+" lift in the rear. It has a front leaning rake, and I like it. The measurements below are in inches. I would post photos, but this forum has a very strict sizing policy and it is a PITA to get my photos that small for posting. I don't have the patience. the measurements below are all in inches. Thanks for the encouragement.

My 4Runner - Before
LF - 34 ½ / 5 ¾ RF - 34 ¾ / 6
LR - 34 ½ / 5 ¾ RR - 34 ¾ / 6
After installing Bils 4600s and OME 881s up front and 890s in back
LF – 37 / 8 ½ RF – 36 ¾ / 8 + 2 – 2 1/2
LR – 38 / 9 RR – 38 / 9 ¼ + 3 ¼ - 3 1/2

millerad1651

You only need a 2 wheel alignment. The rear can't be adjusted, just the front. Don't let them tell you otherwise.

Other than that, good job. Its surprising how easy it is to change the suspension on these trucks.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

As far as photo posting and resizing- set up a free account on photobucket and copy and paste the [iMG] code into your post. No need to resize. Attachments blow

trekerjohn

After putting it all back together, I realized that I did not have the machine shop install the bushings on the struts. I am pretty disappointed that they didn't notice that the top bushings were missing when I dropped them off for the work to be done. So they put the springs on the struts without the top bushings and charged me $60. I installed them and then realized the mistake. I took them off, bought the bushings from the local dealer, and took them to a suspension shop to install them. The second shop put the top bushings on and charged me $30. So, I re-installed them and then I had a "thunk" sound in the front when I turn left. I checked that everything is properly torqued, and still have the "thunk" on a left, and sometimes on a right, turn. So, on Monday morning, I am taking the Runner to a reputable independent service shop for a front alignment, and I will ask them to figure out what the "thunk" is, and fix it. Other than that, I drove it around a bit, and over some speed bumps. It almost feels like my rear end "swaggers" a bit on the turns. Not scarry, but a different feeling for me. The new setup has definitely made the ride more comfortable and quiet. The shaking over bumps is completely gone now and there is no bounce at all over speed bumps. Still need to take it for a long ride and some offroad after I get it aligned, but it rides like a different truck from when I started this project.

trekerjohn

After finishing all of the work, I took it in for an alignment. While it was in, I had the shop do a full trans flush (not a power flush) & brake fluid flush, just to save me the time. Finished my cargo box-bed platform mod and now I'm ready to take off to the scenic Northwest for a 3 week road trip. Can't wait to explore Olympic National Park. I will look for every cool offroad adventure I can find. I will post some photos when I get back. Y'all take care now.

mforce

How do you like the Bilsteins with the OME's? I am thinking of the same combo but wanted the 883's not sure yet.

trekerjohn

I took my Runner on a 2,500 mile trip from Sacramento to Portland, then up around and all through Olympic National Park, and then all the way down the coast to Mendocino, and then across 128 East back to Sacramento. I went offroad in 4wd 4 times, each for about 10 to 30 miles. Nothing serious, just dirt and gravel with some fairly light holes and rocks, and up and down some pretty steep hills + one minor but fun excursion onto the soft sand beach at Pacific City, OR. The truck was amazing. Those Billies and OME combinations are great, IMO. It rides like a truck, but oh so much nicer and more confident and quiet than before. If I had to make the choice over again, today, I would not change anything. Also, my platform/storage mod was outstanding in every way. Except for staying one week with my kids, and 2 nights in motels, I slept very comfortably in the Runner every night. I have a bunch of photos which I will try to get posted tomorrow.

trekerjohn

Road Trip photos are posted in Photobucket at this site: www.Photobucket.com/ONP_roadtrip_09-12

forsyth793

I have some OME 881's and 890's for my '96 4runner with 4WD to install. I haven't bought shocks/struts yet. I have had Bilsteins in the past but I have been considering the OME shocks/struts for the OME springs. Why would I want to use one vs the other? Is the ride quality better?

trekerjohn

I don't know. I have very little experience with 4Runners so far. All I know is that the Bils 4600 are highly rated, and they are working great for me with the OME springs. I (usually) don't do anything without a lot of research and agonizing first. I did that about the shock/strut/spring setup and that is how I ended up. If you read the posts about suspensions, everyone has a different preference, and one can not, as a practical matter, try them all. IMO, pick one that sounds like what you want, look for feedback, then the best price, and then go for it.