Justdoitmikey

I picked up my 02 Limited yesterday and know that when the stock tires need to be replaced I want to go to a meatier 32 possibly 33 tire. I know Im going to need some lift to accomplish this and from what I can tell im going to need 3" overall to fit 33's. I would like to just do a 3" suspension and be done with it but I see enough people on here saying they are having problems out of CV's as well as alignment issues. I know this is always a hot debate and I have read hundreds of posts on it and am trying to make sense of it all, so any help is greatly appreciated!

First this is my daily driver and it needs to perform pretty much like stock. I need to be able to go 80 MPH and carry people and stuff just like its stock. I don't want any vibration like others said they got, I don't want to be destroying drive train and joints. It needs to be a solid Mall Crawler. This being said I will commence with the questions:

1) Most important question! Will the 3" suspension lift cause CV or other problems? I have heard things from both sides here so I need an official answer.

2) Can I achieve a good stock alignment with a 3" suspension lift and 33's?

3) Would it be better on CV and other things to do a 2" suspension lift and 1" body lift? Will going that 1" shorter on the suspension make a world of difference when it comes to ride quality and longevity of parts?

4) If I did a 1" body lift besides the steering linkage what needs to be changed? Its an auto tranny so will the shifter linkage be ok? Will all the wiring be able to reach to its new location? Will I need to relocate the radiator?

5) Is there a way to relocate the stock bumpers so there is no body gap? And the trailer hitch? Are these hard fixes?

I guess that sums it up. I would prefer 100% suspension lift but due to other comments on this board im really leery about doing one. I would be happy with the 2.5" OME lift versus 3" OME but Im not sure how much of a difference these small changes make.

Thanks Guys!

X-AWDriver

I'd stick with no more than 2.5" lift to avoid CV angle issues and with that lift I've never really read about any alignment issues.

hross14

Take a look at Sonoran Steel for the suspension lift and Roger Brown for the body Lift.

**IF you find a competent alignment guy that will not be problem
**If you do it right--you will not have any problems

Here is the set up:

Sonoran Steel#1 suspension lift--comes with Diff Drop spacers so no buzz

Maybe a small Roger Brown Body lift--he will also have the bumper brackets, steering extender......

you might need to trim a little--nothing major.

I run 35's and besides the fact that i regeared to 4.88's and run Toyo Open Country MT's--it is a nice ride

BUT I WOULD STRESS--if you are going to wheel--you get somekind of Limited slip or Lockers

My .02$

toy_tek

To be blunt: if you want it to ride/drive like stock, keep it that way. Any change you do to suspension or tires will negatively affect driveability. I did not skimp on any parts when it came to my "build" and it doesn't drive anything like stock.

I think you need to seriously consider your priorities before you purchase parts. Lift leads to Tires (or vice versa) which leads to Gearing which leads to...

wjwerdna

1. Yes, will cause minor CV problems (with diff drop installed) most likely your clamps will come loose, spraying lube out of joints, all that is required is clean up and reclamp as soon as you notice it

2. Yes, should be no problem

3. Yes, I kind of wish I went that route, 1" isn't too bad, and would be a good compromise... I probably would have gone higher eventually anyway =) now I have sliders welded on and a custom bumper, so not doing a body lift

4. 1" shouldn't cause too many problems, if you get a quality kit from the sources on the board here, and read their FAQ's all the answers will be there

5. Front bumper, yes I believe so, available with Body Lift, rear bumper is not an issue, trailer hitch I have seen some workarounds, but nothing definite, nice, or easy

bwhyit

Like was mentioned before, if you want it to ride like stock then leave it that way. It doesn't sound like your planning on doing any wheelin? If not then go with the 32s and leave the stock suspension. Thats what I plan on doing. I considered a lift but I've come come to the conclusion that my money is better spend on other mods. Take a look at a locker. For me, a locker and possibly a winch is worth more than a lift and an inch more tire (33s).

Justdoitmikey

wjwerdna:
Is the whole CV problem only the boots comming loose? I know if the lube all comes out it will kill the CV but I thought it was more of an angle causing additional wear thing not just the boot poping off.... Does the 3" suspension lift cause any other problems with driveline, Ball joints, or anything else? Or all the CV boots the only problem?

bwhyit:
I will be wheeling but lightly. I can't bring myself to hit the harder stuff in my new 4Runner. You seem to indicate that 32's can be fit on a stock setup? No clearance problems with that?

Im thinking maybe the 2-2.5" OME setup.... and then a 1" bl if I want more clearance? But from what Im gathering 2-2.5" of suspension lift means i will be problem free in the CV area... Is there any reason not to get the 3" OME Toytec lift with the 2" rear springs and not use the 3/4" spring spacer up front? Seems cheaper then any other option to get OME.

As far as my "like stock" comment. I want it to still be daily drivable. If its vibrating because of driveline, and its so stiff I feel like im back in my lowered car im not going to be happy. If its slightly stiffer and still completely drivable for daily stuff im fine.

bwhyit

I have a 98 and I know I can get 32s (265/75s) under it with no lift. Maybe someone with an 02 will comment on that also since the newer 3rd gens were slightly lower than the older ones.

If your dead set on a lift and 33s then I would recommend the OME lift. I've heard really good things about the ride quality.

But honestly speaking if your only doing light wheeling then I would leave it stock height. If you just want a little more clearance then get some stock 99 runner coils. I've heard you can get 1/2-1 inch increase with those on a 02 runner.

In my opinion (in response to your situation) I wouldn't do the lift unless you just like to look. In your situation your probably not going to use that extra ~3 inches.

wjwerdna

think about it... your CV's have been spinning around at a certain angle for 6-10 years, all of a sudden you change the angle (diff drop just helps, doesn't keep it same angle). Over these years the rubber has degraded a little, maybe the clamps have loosened too, but they were fine before. Now with the little added angle and change in front geometry, they just slip a little and clamps become loose.

Mine did this about a week or two after lift was installed, hoseclamps have been fine for the last 1-2 years. Sure some grease leaks out, and more the couple times they have slipped off again since then, but I figure eventually I will just pull them out and replace with new ones anyway, so no point in taking off and rebuilding

your truck was designed to operate at stock height, lifting will place additional wear, measurable or not, on every component, no way to get around that

Greg_Canada

32's fit stock.
i have 265/75/16's on my 99' LTD...

Toyvana

No problems here with a Toytec 3" lift (OME3RUN) with diff. drop and a 3" RB body lift.

Justdoitmikey

Toyvana:

Kool thats what I needed to hear, exact same vehicle with what I originaly wanted to do. You have that Toytec on the 02 shown in that pic right? Did you have the 3" Toytec first then added the 3" BL later? Do you have any pics of it with just the 3" Toytec? Did you go with the 2" or 3" rear springs? Right now my runner sits perfectly level and I want it to lbe even when its lifted, its super important to me that it not be badly out of level. What size tires were you able to fit with just the Toytec lift? No CV or other driveline problems? And it still does well on the road right?

Thanks so much.

And thank all you other members for your help and input! Keep it comming!

hiloracerboy84

the ome lift will be fine. i (and many others on the board) personally prefer the ride that the new springs provide. stocks are mushy and just plain old "boat-like". i have the ome-3 type lift, and love it.
this is the truck w/ 275/70/16's

and this is 285 muds (ill be adding a 1"bl in the future)

Toyvana

I had the coils PN OME3RUN and BL installed at the same time. The CV angle is fine and it seems to be level to the naked eye. I'll try to find more pictures for you...

hiloracerboy84

toyvana - man, youre one of the lucky ones who doesnt have issues w/ the cv angles after the lift!

Justdoitmikey

So for an 02 Do I want to get the 2" rear springs or the 3" rear to keep me level?

How thick are the spring spacers with the toytec OME3 kit? Would it be possible to ditch the spacers and only get like 2-2.5" lift and be level front and rear? Or are the spacers the majority of the lift and with just the ome springs I would only get 1" of lift?

Thanks again everyone. I wish everyone said that they had no CV issues.... But Iguess ultimatly I just need to make the call....

hiloracerboy84

theres lots of debate on how much lift the 906, 890, 891 each give, so ill let someone else talk about that. the ome spacers are 3/8" i believe. they give their actual height in lift, because theyre external of the strut/spring. usually the coils alone give around 2.5", and the spacer on top pushes it up to 3".

hiloracerboy84

oh, and youll also have to consider how much load youll be carrying in the back, and account for a bit of sagging after a while. you dont want to be level at first, then sag after a while (then youll be like your stock setup, just a bit higher)

BajaRunner

If I were doing it over again, Id definetly stick to a 2.5" suspension lift, 1" body lift and trim the crap out of the fenders, and still keep the 33's or 35's.

Greg_Canada

Wow great pics dude... nice truck as well..