dirtypuke

i have been doing alot of reading and i cant decide on what shocks to get for my 98 4wd 4r. i see that tokico and bilstein seem to be a pretty popular choice. i have tokicos on my car and love them but i here that the tokicos are pretty much the stock shocks. i want to leave my 4r the same height so i am guessing i will need something that mounts to teh stock mounts. i see that bilstein makes about ten different models. the shocks will be used for driving to work, mudding, maybe even some jumping. do you guys have any suggestions?

Localmotion

WOW...jumping?

I dont know anything about shocks for jumping. www.cabeperformance.com sells bilsteins for cheap. They are the Blue/yellow HD shocks. They are good for a normal ride and also great in conjunction with PP 1" lift springs.

Wht kind of ride quality do you want? stiff, comfy

www.wheelersoffroad.com

dirtypuke

i would like a shock that doent rattle my truck apart when i hit a pot hole. i use to take my old 4runner off road and i jumped a table top at my friends house. i would like to make this 4runner more rally style.

Bob_98SR5

leaving your 4runner stock height...and jumping?!? and you want a rally-like 4runner?!? sounds like you are not really sure what you want here. please clarify so we can help you out.

bob

MTL_4runner

I am not sure I would put bils on and go out "jumping".
The OME shocks might be better suited for that type of offroad abuse.

dirtypuke

well i dont wont to lift my truck because wouldnt that raise the center of gravity and make it more likely to flip over? why would the stock shocks be better for that. i just dont want to jump my 4runner with new bilsteins and blow them out.

dirtypuke

oops ome not oem. yeah i will look into them. who carries them?

lee

ive never seen a messier thread!

you need to first read through and find out what lift options there are, why ones are better than others, etc. next look into shocks. there are plenty of threads telling you pros and cons of both.

here, ill get you started... http://www.wheelersoffroad.com/ome4runner.htm you can order ome's from them.

if you dont understand lifts and shocks and how they relate to whatever style of offroading you want to do (rally jumping apparently), then how will you ever proceed safely?

yes, lifting does raise your center of gravity.. but it can also keep crucial parts from breaking when you jump!

Bob_98SR5

a jumping truck/rally-type suspension set up (like pre-runners) have totally different suspension set up than what you are looking for (stock height). and it will also be lifted (to what degree depends on you). and if you're scared about rolling over, imho, you really shouldnt be jumping your 4runner

what i'm trying to say is "you can't have both" and thus, you need to figure out what you want out of your 4runner.

for example, i dont intend to do serious rock crawling, mudding or anything too crazy and i dont really have a lot of time to offroad---maybe 3 or 4 times a year. so most of the time i spend on-road and thus my suspension upgrades reflect that. i have a mild 1.5" performance products lift + bilsteins, a proven combination with many happy users. also, i have 32" tires. not super aggressive or tall, but just enough to help negotiate the type of wheeling i do and at the same time, not overburdening my 4.10 gears.

so again, realistically define what you want, search and read alot here on the forum (because its painfully apparent you need to read/research more), and come back with some questions and we'll help you out. start with our "Lift FAQ" in the off-road forum!

bob

Localmotion

Pm Init6. I believe hes got a Taco that is "pre runner style with wider axles and stuff.

dirtypuke

after hours of reading i have came to the conclusion that i am going to buy the bilsteins stock heigth. i dont want to lift my truck because i dont want to mess with lowering the transfer case or weird angles of cv shafts, ect, ect... i have replace shocks in many different vehicles, the front suspension looks ok on the 4runner but the back looks like a bear, because of the top bolt. i started soaking the bolts in pb blaster. is there any easy way to remove the top bolts or nuts on the back shocks?

Localmotion

nope...just gotta be like a gymnist and get that sucker outta there. yea soak the bolts with PB blaster for a while, especially if they are rusty! FWIW: you dont need to lower the t-case with a lift..just the cv angles, which is realllly easy to do.

tc

I just did shocks and steering stabilizer on my very salt-exposed-93 4Runner. Took about 3-4 hrs (2 hrs for the last shock!). My driver side shock was not too bad. There is actually an OK amount of room above the frame and below the bed to get in there and get them loose. You will need a buddy on the outside with channelocks or a pipe wrench to hold the shock from turning. The passenger side was a real PITA. Finally gave up with disaamebly and went for brute removal. Cut the shock mounting stud with a sawzall using a pretty coarse metal cutting blade (18 tpi I think). Get it JUST above the bottom washer, through the rubber bushing, then through the bolt. When cutting through the bushing, it will smoke a bit. Looked tight, but didn't have any problem with the blade bottoming out on the body behind the shock.

MTL_4runner

If you have a sawzall, then the fastest way is to cut the stud off the shock.
Took me about 3 min per side to do it, otherwise they are a serious PITA without an air ratchet.