I have a 2003 4Runner V8 Limited. It has x-REAS shocks and as my luck would have it, the airbag suspension in the rear. As my shocks are going out (in particular the front) I have been considering the switch to a non-REAS sol'n by having regular shocks install (kyb or bilstein). That seemed like a reasonable plan given that having your x-REAS shocks replaced appears quite pricey. On the forums I hear people saying they have converted to regular because xREAS is too expensive. However, I also have the rear air bag suspension. I have been advised that this needs to be replaced with springs if you go to the regular shocks. Is this true? Why so? Why isn't it an option to keep your rear air suspension together with reg shocks? Its not like the shocks are somehow attached to the airbags are they? Anyways, the quote I now have for replacing shocks with reg and replacing bags with springs is like $3000. Is this still a better path to take than replacing the xREAS shocks?

 

I just did this last week!. It's a system with hydraulic fluid sealed in it. If one shock leaks you have to replace them all. Amazon shows the Toyota Xreas shock is over $300 each!. There are many YouTubes on how to delete Xreas and just use normal shocks. Basically, you cut off the tubes and replace the shocks. This is my 2008 4Runner with 230k miles and my son drives it. We hope to get a couple of years out of it and not have a car payment until he owns a house. He got these off Amazon with free shipping. The package was 50 pounds. He got preloaded front struts which save a lot of the labor. If you don't want to do it, call a 4x4 shop and ask what they charge. It's a common mod. We did not want a lift and wanted a factory ride. It rides so nicely now! This is what he got. Everything came with it but you have to reuse your bolts or get new ones from an auto parts store. It seems to be nice quality even though it's a no name cheap brand. You can get all four Bilsteins for about $375, but then you'd have to load the springs on the front and buy "top hats" separately which I was not eager to tackle.

 

Thank you for the info. Sounds like you go the shock replacement part figured out. I'm not certain if I should try that replacement myself or not - my vehicle does have some corrosion underneath and I wonder how much more difficult it could make the project. My other problem (I think) is that I have the air springs in the back. I am trying to determine if that needs to be converted to springs for some reason if you replace xREAS shocks with standard. Somewhere I got the impression that you had to convert to reg rear springs. Does you vehicle have reg rear springs or does it have air?

 

It has rear coils which were not a factor in replacing the shocks. I have no idea about air suspension. Was it a mod? I would not think it would be affected by changing to regular shocks. As I said one of the shocks was leaking so much of the fluid was gone. The rear rode pretty rough. I drove it a bunch yesterday and it's far better. We also replaced the yellowing headlight housings with eBay specials. The OEMs were polished several times. Put in H-11 Silverstar bulbs. It really refreshed the look. I'm offering no photographic proof due to technical problems. If you have rust, hit all the bolts with Liquid Wrench (I use Kroil) 24 hours ahead of time and use and impact wrench. I have a $50 electric Harbor Freight impact gun that has saved me many times.