LifeOnABoard

Not yet installed but I thought I'd put the carrot out there. User Batsoff did this to his 3rd gen and it looked good so I thought I'd give it a try.

My 4runner has just put 50K miles of highway use on it in a short time period. This should be changing soon but over the past 2 years I think the suspension has gotten slowly sluggish. New front poly sway bar bushings helped greatly. Just replaced the worn LTX's with LTX2's and didn't see any change in dry road handling. But now it's at 140K and time for new springs and shocks for the following reasons:

1. Feels lofty when settling after a sweeping turn.
2. Feels lofty when settling after a dip in the road.
3. Feels lofty in the highway wind. I never get car sick but now I start to feel the yuck after 3 hours of continuous driving.
4. Front left tire cupping on the inside, these are pricey tires so I don't want to ruin them any further.
5. I have 50 lbs of sub/amp in the rear: enough to make it reverse rake. Visually bothersome.

I chase the storms up the mountain in the winter so the biggest concern I have is increasing stiffness over 1/2" bumps. The snow gets packed in the cement from the plow, this causes a cement/ice texture that is very washboard like. I would say 1/4" - 3/4" packed chunks will line the road. Other than that I like how the 4Runner drives more like a pickup than a van.

I will be installing new Moog 1999 front coil springs (for 16" wheel). These were $55 on Rockauto. In the rear I will have slightly used OME 906 springs. And as stated, new Bilstein HD's all around.

Here's some before pictures I took today. Bad lighting, dirty paint. Oh well. I hope to install the combo sometime this week!

mynameistommy510

Pretty interesting setup. I'm excited to hear your results and opinions when finished.

J2F42C

I have this combo but on a 99. Most folks who have gone this route I think have used the OME 881s up front.

The 906s will take care of the rake. I gained with the exact setup about 2" all around after my install. Will it eradicate the lofty feeling? It did for me.

Is it stiffer over bumps? Absolutely. If you are carrying anyone in the back for any length of time over uneven terrain, they will not be your friend for long.

You may have to adjust the camber in the front FYI after installation.

Use the search thread if this is DYI for ya.

mynameistommy510

J2F42C Where did you purchase your Bilstein HD's?

IanB

I'm running '99 talls in front, OME 906's in the rear, with the factory e-adj struts ('96 Hilux Surf), and I'm a huge fan of this setup. There is a slight forward rake now, when I had '99 talls all around the rear was sagged even with a spacer on the rear springs. The 906's are firmer, but not unpleasant IMO, your choice of struts will factor into the ride quality, and Billstien HD's are quite firm I believe.

LifeOnABoard

I'm appreciating the feedback so far. I would have gone with the Tokico Trekmasters but the HD's are actually cheaper right now. I paid $293 shipped for the set from tirerack.

In my research I found it interesting that there was such a polar difference in opinion on what is "stiff" for an SUV. I've always thought mine was stiff but fine for cement driving. I hate driving on pot hole and washboard dirt roads though. I primarily dislike getting more interior squeaks and rattles more than anything.

jrm

ive been on that exact HDs 99s (f) 906 (r) set up on my 00 limited for a while. Just recently bought some 881s and 10mm trim packers (spacer) for the 906s so that the combo would be level/slight front rake.

If you already have the 906s you might look into a set of tundra coils. The tundra/906 coils combined with the HD WILL ride a lot better then the moogs.

J2F42C

I got my Billys on Ebay for $210 for all four. This was in early 2008 though.

If the idea of rear rigidity scares ya, possibly think about the OME 60028 shocks for the rear.

I'd give the rear end setup you want about 5000 miles to break in. I used to carry about 75lbs of tools in the back years ago and if there was a rake after my install, it was soon gone and not apparent to me.

To second Ian B, I like the setup I have on mine. If I had more $$$ at the time, I may have bought the 881s.

shiftMX

I have ran this setup on my previous 4runner and I am about to put it on my new one. Every where i read most are complaining about 880s and 881s that eventually sag. This is the reason I stuck with the 99s because of how long they last. A 3/8" topout spacer will bring it almost level with it still being about 1/4" taller in the rear. I had the HD shocks on my runner and soon replaced them with the trekmasters also...

LifeOnABoard

I installed the rear setup yesterday and so far I am VERY happy. Small bumps and imperfections are just soaked up now, to the point that I can't even feel them. I don't know how anyone can say that for the rear the 906/HD combo is too stiff. So far it feels JUST right to me. Also, the truck feels faster since less energy is put into squatting during acceleration. Bonus!

As far as installation, the rear took about 4 hours and by the time I was done my hands were so tired and sore that I didn't want to jump onto the the front. No saws or blades were needed but damn that top nut is a pain in the ass.

LifeOnABoard

Arrghh, I hate doing suspension swaps. Unfortunately I will have to do it again. Got the fronts replaced last night. I wish I would have had new mounts for the front, would have just saved my time not de-compressing the originals. The mounting rubber is going bad and the cheap Moogs don't have a tapered cut on the top so the end of the spring is just digging into it. I will be replacing with new next time around.

As far as ride goes the Moog front springs are HORRIBLE. The front end floats around like it has bad shocks but the HD's are brand new. Hopefully it settles in and tightens up. If not I will eventually replace them with one of the suggestions above. Small bumps are soaked up better versus stock but I'd rather have more stiffness and a flatter cornering truck. I would have been better off with the stock springs and just added spacers.

Height increase

Front: 2" (34 to 36")
Rear: 1.75" (34.5 to 36.25")

As you can see I'm just barely level! The front better settle in because I prefer a forward rake.

Anyways, as far as the install goes, it was a pain but I got it done with hand tools. I borrowed an extra set of spring compressions from Autozone. My made in China set wasn't going to cut it but Autozone parts are beefy enough. I just used one of mine and both of theirs. Never felt unsafe.




The rear shocks, came off alright with this big channel lock:




The before and then the After shots:

4Tard

Which Bilsteins did you get for the front? The Tacoma/RCDs or the Tundra model? You will not be happy ever with the Tacoma model.

LifeOnABoard

I got the 4runner model because I'm using 99 spec 4runner springs. It feels like the Bilsteins are having a hard time controlling the springs though.

LifeOnABoard

Hmmmm, I think the front is stiffening up. I'm actually liking how comfy it is now. I don't avoid those pot-holed short cuts so much anymore. I shall call this "the Detroit lift".

fish0281

Looks pretty good; I think that's about where I'd like my runner to sit in terms of height... What size tires do you have?

LifeOnABoard

Thanks. They're stock SR5 size 265/70/16 Michelin LTX MS2 which have lately rocked in the snow.

Oh, the front springs have settled in and there is no plans to replace them. I've decided that the better bump forgiveness is worth the extra float.

LifeOnABoard

Took the girlfriend snow boarding and in the mountain parking lot she commented on how much nicer the truck took the bumps.

freshley

So it's been a while since you did this setup. Do you still like it or would you go with different springs in the front. I'm looking at the same setup and everyone likes the rears but they say the 99s in the front either don't work well with the rear or are too soft. I'm trying to save around $100 by going with the moogs in the front but I don't want it to feel lighter in the front than it does now as that's why I'm looking to upgrade to begin with.

LifeOnABoard

If I was to do it over I would have used the matching OME front springs and put the 10mm trim packers in the rear with the 906's to keep the front rake.

The '99 Moog springs are OK. They have stiffened up and now sit a little lower. I should take an updated picture as it took a while for everything to settle. The rears settled before the fronts so I actually was about to install the trim packers but I don't think I have to now. I still consider this a good setup for a city rig. The front takes the pot holes much better. But at speed the dips in the road make the front end feel slightly cadilac-ish.

I think if your stock front end feels light it's due to REALLY worn out shocks.

All in all I don't plan on changing out this suspension unless I really really have to.

poleclimber63

Now looking to upgrade my rear setup... I tow and with the stock setup it sags big time! On another forum it was suggested that if I wanted to firm up the back when towing, the 906s would be a good choice. Leaving the front stock, it was suggested I would have quite a lot of rake, which I don't feel would be a big problem. You went with the Moog 1999 which is a stock replacement right? After 8 odd months how are things feeling now?

I'm interested, as I'm ok with the stock ride, I do 90% on the pavement-- not crazy about a really stiff setup, as I probably wouldn't be popular with the wife and kids.... My idea to go to the 906s, in the rear, is solely based on towing my boat. Otherwise, things are good ie... no real desire to lift, just handle my towing better.