bbeast

Peter,

Thanx for the update. I've been thinking of getting these as well. One question - what shocks are you using and if stock will u be upgrading? Thanx,

Brad

ManyMods

Brad,
My present observations deserve some further investigation because the ride height has not dropped one bit. I am at about 34" from the ground on a vertical line through the center of the wheel and to the lip of the fender flares all around, give or take a fraction. I seem to recall that there is a difference between the Limited and the basic SR5? However, my recollection is that the Limited rides taller? If I had it to do over again, assuming that the front coils are practically identical to OEM, I would do just the rear H&R's. Also, I would not and will not go to a HD shock. I think the OEM's are perfect and the ride is very civilized, yet controled. If anything I will replace the OEM's every 25K miles. YMMV

bbeast

Interesting about the lack of drop. Perhaps your previous set had compressed a bit (not likely) or maybe the H&R's just need some time to settle. I can't imagine that they would be the same height, but I'd never put it past PP to dabble in a bit of false advertising. Regardless, something's obviously a bit screwy there.
I'm looking to have a similiar set up and appreciate your comments. I will be getting rid of my Bilstein HD shocks (just too stiff) and either installing OEM's or OME Firm shocks. Good luck with your ride!!

Brad

ManyMods

Hi Brad,
I didn't do any driving today because I was rewiring my entire stereo and adding that 2nd BassLink SUB. But,I am going on a prietty long road trip and will measure the ride height when I get back, If the ride height is still the same I will call PP and see what they have to say. Remember one thing, I only have 18K on this truck so the springs could not have really sagged to any extent.

Dr. Zhivago

Hey Peter,

I have a theory as to why you didn't notice a change in ride height after installing the PP 1" drop springs. The springs were designed when the 3rd Gen 4Runner was fairly new and back then they sat higher than the later 3rd gens, especially the post '99 models.

In fact, several people have done extensive comparisons and made charts showing the differences in ride heights between the different years of the 3rd Gen 4Runners. The post '99 models were at least 1" shorter than the pre-'99's.

Let me find a comparison chart...

Dammit, I can't seem to locate it and I can't remember who compiled the information. I'll keep searching, but in the meantime: Suffice it to say that when my 2000 model year truck was at it's stock height, I compared it to a '97, also at stock height and the '97 was at least 1" taller than mine, if not more. I've also ridden in a few of the older 3rd gens and I swear that their stock suspension was firmer than mine. I think Toyota screwed up with the later models.

Hope this helps. I'll update this when/if I find the comparison information.
G

george16

Here's the link for the different ground clearances of the 3rd gens. I found it the info from darre's site. 3rd gens

Hope this helps.

George

ManyMods

I just finished almost 300miles of highway and country and city road driving and here is my first impression of the ride with Addco bars, H&R springs and stock shocks with 19000 miles of use.

We know that the 4Runner is nothing more than a four door version of the Tacoma so, it is a TRUCK! The ride is harsh and unrefined, slightly abrasive. When I put the Addco bars on it was still the same but not as sloppy and I felt more secure when cornering, although it was not smooth, just firm. If you were cornering and hit a bump or expansion joint the rear would skidder harshly. With the addition of the H&R spings the ride has become refined and much smoother, but it is not a sedan so the road still telegraphs all of its blemishes, just not as loudly.

It is a characteristic of progressive springs to have recoil or extended travel, if you will, during straight tracking but tighten up considerably as you transition into corners. That is what is happening here. Now what I need to do is figure out where the limits to the envelope are. I can liken the ride in the car now to what I experience in a BMW X5 althhough the X5 is much bigger and heavier. On the highway, the suspension floats over the expansion joints and road imperfections, but on the on-ramps I can make the rear end start to break loose without any lean ... scary! I want to say that my experience is totally subjective and your experience or opinion may be totally different, but if you want a more civilized and luxurious performance street ride my advice is... Addco bars, H&R springs (you might be able to get away with just the rear springs) and OEM shocks. I think you will love this setup. I really do not care that the ride height has not lessened because the fun and comfort factor has multiplied ten fold. You do not need stiffer shocks unless you are like a friend of mine in Chicago who wanted a really stiff ride so he took the shocks off of his '94 B-body and installed solid steel rods.