swerks

I have a 99 v6 SR5 runner, which to purchae????

CTB

I'm pretty sure you go with the Tundra valving. Try a search over at Outdoorwire - it should yield some results.

WATRD

That will depend upon your rig. Do you have a ton of extra weight like a winch bumper and the like? If so, the Tundra valved SAW's are your best bet. If not, then they might be too stiff for your likes.

swerks

no extra weight ' so the taco may be the way to go??????????

swerks

On trail talk board they say go with the Tundra valved due to the V6

Darren

I posted it over there, but I'll say it here too. Even the Tundra valving is VERY mushy, weight or no weight up front. Waaay softer than the stock suspension.

smr4runner

Steve Schaeffer also advised that he rode in another 4Runner with the Tacoma valved and found not much of a difference from the Tundra valved. I believe he also stated that the rig was hooked up w/a bullbar and winch.
Hopefully he'll chime in.
Anyone else setup with the Tacoma valved running this same setup?
Your thoughts?

swerks

I'm having second thouts on the saws, I dont think I want a mushy suspension, I'm confused

Mojo_Risin

Well, I'm sure if you ask 50 people what they think of their SAW's your going to get 50 different responses. Some might say mushy, while others might say stiff. It's a very subjective thing.

I do know this, lots and lots of people on these forums have put SAW's on their rigs and I have yet to hear of someone taking them off because they weren't satisfied with them. So that's gotta tell you something.

And as far as Tacoma or Tundra valved - If you are concerned about having too soft of ride - error on the side of caution and get the Tundra Valving.

John

Darren

What are your thoughts on this, John? We do now know they are softer than the Revteks you had.

Since we're not getting a whole lot of responses, I guess I'll expand. You can always try the King coilovers and give us your thoughts. No one on either forum has them as far as I know. They are a little more expensive though and I forget what their valving rates are.

~95% of the Sway-A-Way owners have the Tundra valving, for what it's worth. I also have a brief write-up on these on my site, but I will end up saying most of it on here anyway I think.

I, like you, was debating this when I was first looking to purchase these. They are a big purchase after all and you want to make the most informed decision. I was a little concerned that the Tundra valving would be too stiff based on everyone's input. All I have ever heard people say is that ANY aftermarket suspension will be better than stock because they all give a firmer ride. I can say that I was very surprised when I purchased these and couldn't believe myself what all the hubub was about. I thought all (generally speaking) people liked a firm ride?

3 things indicate to me they are way softer than stock:

1) If you push down on the front (bumper or hood) and make it oscillate, you will get much more play out of it and it will MOVE.

2) When you're getting in the vehicle, the thing will move like crazy (compared to stock). Granted, I have a little mass (hehe!), but nonetheless it will sway (no pun intended) a lot more.

3) Going over potholes, speedbumps/dips, bumps in general, big rocks on the trail or whatever, these things literally soak them up and the ride is like butter. No other way to describe it.

Stock suspension, plain and simply is a harder ride. This isn't debatable but I guess this still qualifies as an opinion, but it is a fact as it pertains to my 4Runner. I love the fact they're adjustable. A lot easier than just adding spacers later when the springs sag. And they have sagged about a 1/4" on me which makes a noticeable difference. Obviously, this makes it nicer to compensate when you add a bumper and or winch later should you decide to. Oh, and the red looks pretty cool behind the wheels. If you want a stiffer ride, go with the popular Downey/Bilsteins. I am unable to comment on how that combo is. I am very pleased with what I have as it accomplished the only thing I wanted it to do-- to lift it. The ride was secondary. Good luck!

smr4runner

Darren,
Thanks for the input. Any info is greatly appreciated.
My next goal is to work on the front end of my rig.
In order to add a bullbar and winch I need to concentrate on the front suspension.

Currently Im running OME 880 comfort coils/N91SC shocks. After the front started to sag I added Cornfed 1inch spacers to bring me back to level. By adding the spacers my the ride quality has changed on the road. RR tracks, potholes, etc. are now noticable. Offroad, all is still good.

Im not sure if I want to go with the OME HD coils and spacers as this would create the same issue I had with my current setup. Adding an ARB or TJM bull bar and winch would maybe compensate for the stiffness but then I have to contend with the possibility of the coils sagging after awhile (AGAIN).

Going with SAW's seems to be the only alternative as it is adjustable.
The concern I had was whether to go Tacoma or Tundra valved. As it seems the Tundra valve may not be any stiffer so I may be going that route
The other concern is how often the coilovers have to be rebuilt.

Again thanks Darren. Oh by the way. I really enjoy your photos man.

Anyone else? Bueller.....Bueller?

azrain

So, I'll be a huckleberry and throw out a couple more pennies.

I too debated for a long time on what I wanted to do when I decided to lift / mod. I have also sold / thrown away two full suspensions worth of parts before having what I have now.

My setup is the SAW (Tundra valved) / Bilstein / Downey / ATS.

I feel that I if I had done this first, I would not have changed my mind 15 billion times (well, OK, that may be an exaggeration). I like the SAW's a lot, they ride very nice on road (soaks up holes, railroad tracks, deep drainage passages, speed bumps, etc.) and off road they just rule over any previous setup that I had. Very smooth and responsive on rocks, high speed washboard roads feel like the interstate and they have excellent compression / rebound characteristics. They are soft, that's for sure, but the are the "good" kind of soft IMHO.

Prior to the SAW's I had stock with Billies and a one off set of spacers (they were really nice, but I just didn't cotton to the spacer thing) and then PP's all the way around.

Soft springs, hard shocks work great for me. Opinions vary though...

Mike

EDIT: Mind changed 15 billion and one, I am thinking about building a custom set of a-arms... When does it all stop?