1988 4 runner lift advice
 

im looking for a a good size lift kit so i can hit somemore trails but i still need to be able to drive long distance'sand good advice?

Get a rear differential locker and some nice tires. If you need a lift, get a body and or bj spacers (front) add-a-leaf or longer shackles (rear)
edit: Do A LOT of searching on here. this has been covered 192378257609217386576217438681574857 times :). Newb FAQ FTW!!

Good advice. I search more than I post.

As do I!
I love having all this information just a few finger flicks away :D

try a 4inch procomp stage 2 lift kit and 35s and a selectable rear locker

that's the exact set up i have. pro-comp lift, stage II, with a 3" body lift and 35's. the body lift is too high, but it drives great on the highway. have yet to have a stability issue and the torsion bars have the least amount of tension possible.

do get yourself a rear locker if you can afford it!

I'll be the first to tell you.... You don't need a lift... 33x10.5 fit the trucks/4Runners with no lift. That combined with lockers and body protection (sliders, bumpers and so on) will be a capable rig... Just like my hero TC's... I wheel 33's on an otherwise stock rig...

Awwww.... shucks!

No, seriously - lift has the LEAST effect on offroad capability of just about any modification IMHO. It also has the most downsides - generally ride quality and reliability suffer. As stated, you can fit 33x10.50 with no lift, and that gets you the clearance under the axles, which is critical. But even then, I wouldn't buy tires unless the ones you have are in need of replacing!

I don't like driving a rig that looks like a wadded ball of tin foil, so being armored up has allowed me to try a lot more trails/obstacles than I would have otherwise. Get some sliders and heavy duty skid plates, and that will lower the stress level considerably and make 'wheeling more fun! The only downside to armor is the extra weight - my rig is now over 5000 lbs!

The biggest thing to help the off road capability is gears and lockers. PERIOD. I don't care how big/sticky your tires are - if you have open diffs and one (per axle) comes off the ground, you're stuck. Check out the locker FAQ (at the top of the Offroad Tech forum) to see the advantages & disadvantages of the different kinds of lockers.

checkout that offroad shop i think its called donnys offroad but not sure but its off of glendale rd in sparks it on the same street as the grand sierra

My cousin has a '92 runner and I can't imagine that thing with 33s and flexing in the trails without the tires rubbing. He's stock height with 31s.

But with a '88, I would do a mild lift like 2" and 33s. I agree that a locker is more impotant and a rear selectable locker is great. An e-locker is best IMHO. I hope to have one soon.

Body Lift for 1988 4runner
 

Hey I'm looking for a small lift to get rid of the stock look to my 4runner. It's a 1988 efi sr5 3.0 v6 4wd 4runner with 31 in tires. What would you recommend?

need help choosing a lift kit for my 89 ifs 4runner
 

ok so i have a bone stock 1989 sr5 4wd 4runner, and i want to lift it and run 33's 12.50 x15 on 15x10's rims .
the problem iam having is there are several manufactures who make the 4-5 lift kit for my truck , can anyone recomend which is the best kit for the ifs front suspension my truck has leaf springs in the rear and want to choose a kit that comes with new leaf springs and not the blocks . iam thinking of going with the superlift kit with the rear springs , but there are several other companys like skyjacker, rough country,etc. , can anyone please give some advice on this kits as the price range is from 600 dollars too 1200 dollars ? :welder:

10" wide rims are too wide for 12.50's if you're actually 'wheeling. You will lose the bead when aired down.

If the answer is "Oh, I'm not ACTUALLY going to be wheeling this rig" then just get 33x10.50 on the stock rims and save yourself a ton of money.... or any of the lifts above will allow you to run 35's. I just don't see why people run 33x12.50 on our rigs - doesn't make sense to me, anyways, back OT...

The Superlift kit was one of the first to come out and still one of the best. I would say the only other good option is the ProComp lift with the braces that come back to the frame to triangulate the drop bracket.

All that said, at $1200 you're about 1/2 the way to a SAS.

help choosing lift kit
 

thanks for the advice, i went with a pro-comp stage 2 4inch lift kit with new leaf springs on the rears , iam gonna install the kit this weekend , the kit came with pro-comp mx-6 6 way adjustable shocks which my buddy told me those shocks suck? and i should go back and get some bilsteins ? any comments anyone on that ? as for the rim and tires still unsure , going to 35's seems to big for the 3.slow and i will have to regear the rear end right?

I'm currently in the middle of lifting my '89 3.0 a couple inches with ball joint spacers and swapping leaf springs from another 1Gen 4runner and its only costing a couple hundred. I'm going to sqeeze in 33x12.50 BFG's. (really corssing my fingers on this fit)

This is by far the most economical way to lift ur 4runner. I've learned everything by searching these forums plus a little experience. I'd advise you guys who are contemplating 4+ inch lifts to really search these forums and then you'll seriously reconsider. The grand you'll spend on a huge lift could be better spent elsewhere.

33's fit with no lift, but there's no way I'm going in on my 88' 4runner with a hammer. So whats my options? I need bumpers I'm sure my smitties wont last to long on the trails. But should I go with a pro comp 4in lift? What tires could I throw under her without the use of a hammer? maybe a tid of a body lift?

i run 37-12.50 on 15x10 rims and have never lost a bead and i only run 8lbs