outdoorjunky

I'm new to the site but have been doing a lot of lurking and reading of the information provided here. I'm always out exploring in the Desert and Mountains pretty much all year round, I do a lot of Bird hunting and I'm finally ready to build a vehicle that can go where I want to go. Up to this point I've been limited by 2wd toyota trucks or the Subaru Outback we have. The Subaru is a great car to handle the ice and snow when I'm heading to the sierras to hunt ducks but it leaves something to be desired as a trail vehicle if things get much more technical than washboard or light snow and mud.

With that said I'm about to purchase a 99 4runner and have plans to add a winch bumper up front with skid plates and a rear tube bumper with a tire and tool rack on the back plus sliders on either side. My question is regarding adding a suspension lift. Say I install a suspension lift rated at 2", how much will the lift be affected by the added weight of the tube bumpers and sliders? I have researched a lot on this and the general consensus seems to be the use of Tundra Blistein 5100's with TRD tundra coils in the front and either LC coils in the rear with Tundra Bilstein 5100's or OME 906 or 890 with Bilstein 5100's. The LC guys all say the ride is a lot smoother than with the OME coils but I also read that many of the LC coils are producing lifts that are over 3" in the back. Basically I'm looking to accomplish a 2" lift front and rear so I'm not sure that option will do what I want it to do.

Regarding the tundra trd coil option, it seems that the tundra coils and 5100 struts set to the lowest notch will give a 2" lift up front and using the OME 906 coil will give a 2" lift in the back but then I'm going to add the weight from the bumpers I plan to install and that's where my understanding of things gets foggy. I was researching the complete OME kit and they offer stiffer coils to accommodate more weight so thats what got me thinking that using the tundra springs or the 2" rated OME 906 might not actually be 2" under the added load of off road bumpers. Can someone shine some light on this for me please?

Thanks in advance and apologies if this post touches on something that gets discussed all the time, my brain is fried from all the research and comparisons and I need someone to spell it out for me

cheers!

Malcolm99

Sounds like you will be working on your new truck for awhile, I like the 1,2 kit Steve has as he has tried and tested this setup just for us and provides you with all the required parts some reading http://sonoransteel.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2 , personally I like the 99 just the way it sits, put slightly larger tires on it and it will serve all your needs with no mods except "grey wire mod", I have yet to use my winch to pull myself out, but it is nice for the what if. I never installed all the armour on my lifted 97, I also found it was very heavy and unnecessary unless I want to slide on rocks which I usually try to avoid in the real world and the factory skid plates are sufficient for mild offroading, and the tire under the truck makes access to the rear gate much more enjoyable. You will really enjoy the v6 99 4R Limited with rear diff lock, they really are very capable right outta the box.

outdoorjunky

I'm going to hunt for a 99 with 5 speed manual and OEM e-locker before going to the limited with automatic trans. Actually I'd probably just get a 98 or 00 over an automatic trans if I can't find a 99. I just figure a truck that age is probably going to need a new suspension so I'm getting my ducks in a row. As far as working on it for a while, yeah I'd do the timing and water pump change and most likely the radiator too for peace of mind then I'm going to hang a winch bumper on the front because in my 2wd Taco I've been pinned on a granite slab in a narrow canyon in 110 degree mojave desert and had to jack the truck up and drive it off the jack to get unpinned. In the process I bent the heck out of the running boards to the point that we had to climb out the window to get out of the Truck... basically they became half ass sliders and of course were removed from the truck permanently when I got home. If I had a winch I could have gotten out of that situation much more easily and safely. Actually the fact that absolutely nothing was damaged on the truck after that ordeal, except for the cheap OEM running boards, is a testament to Toyota quality I think! Anyway, I can see myself needing the armor for the types of places I go ( or the stupid situations I drive my vehicles into) because more than once I got my current truck into some point of no return scenarios ... I'm over that!

Malcolm99

I think the only 99 5 speed v6 4runner was the "highlander" version not sold in Canada and then they did away with 5 speeds 00-02, I like 5 speeds, but for offroading you can't beat Auto as it makes those technical trail rides much more enjoyable and relaxing as appose to pumping the clutch and bumping between the notchy 1st-2nd gears. I also like the 99 Limited for the multi mode 2wd-4wd-4x4Hicentre diff locked-4x4Lo centre diff locked and RR Diff lock, I run AWD 24/7 in the loose gravel and snow here and it makes the vehicle handle so much better then a locked centre diff for DD on gravel, ice and some snow. Sounds like you know all the common issues of the 3rd Gen and rust shouldn't be a problem in your area, the rad is a major problem for Auto 3rd gens, and the Lower BJ is a serious concern as well, I wouldn't worry to much about timing, the belt is very wide and I have 1 that has lasted past 250,000KM and its a non-interference engine so you don't need to worry about valves colliding with the pistons. If you need armour you'll be glad you have it for sure, most just remove the factory steps and avoid damaging hangups that will bend your aftermarket sliders mounts and skid plates, Sonoran has everything you'll need and really is a leader in the 3rd gen suspensions, and if you read through his 1.2 lift "build it yourself", you'll see that he explains exactly what springs to run, (although placement and position aren't explained), personally I bought it complete assembled from him and it sounds like you'll need his lift to do what your wanting which is heavy offroading, he uses OEM springs and bilsteins, which is a similar combo to what the TRD Taco's get today. I had zero issues the past 5-6 years with his lift which has a hidden winch mount, warn M8000 and a full hydraulic plow hanging off the front, I adjusted the front suspension 1 notch up for the plow and life is good, zero weight on the front was a little harsh at first but not undesirable at all.

outdoorjunky

im not 100% against auto but the strawberry milkshake issue sounds less than desireable and fixing a clutch or manual gear box seems easier than an auto. As far as timing I figure I plan to do the water pump and radiator since the summer month get up to 125f in the deserts here and the last thing I would want is to overheat in those conditions while off the grid. Since l'll have that all pulled appart to get at the water pump I might as well do the timing belt kit that comes with the pulleys and a new water pump. Maybe I'm overplaning but I'm sick of being limited and I'm sick of getting stuck 😂

Regarding the highlander I know that was a special model with lockers that only came in 2 colors but as far as I know the sr5 4x4 had lockers as an option but it's not guaranteed like the highlander version (which apparently wasn't really officially called the 4Runner highlander.

I definitely read about the lower ball joint recall and making sure the truck got the replacement BJ ... loosing a wheel on hwy sounds so unfun!!

Thanks for the lift suggestion! I will read up on this one as well,!