Tapping the collective Yota minds, I have finally gotten around to lifting my 3rd Gen 4Runner (SAW coilovers in front & OME springs, shocks in the rear) and after the fact learned about front diff drop spacers and their function. I read on FabTech’s website that they do NOT recommend lifting the front more than 1 ½” due to differential/CV wear/breakage and I’m now sitting 2 ½”– 3” higher than before. I am a bit bummed that the shop that did the install said nothing or knew nothing of this potential issue. I’ve found some good info in the archives here on YotaTech.com and have made some calls to shops in my area only to be more confused than when I started.

One local shop said there is no drop spacer available for anything under 4 to 6” and that on my 4Runner, the skid plate & other steering mechanisms would get in the way of a drop spacer. Another shop said he’s done a couple installs for customers who obtained them somewhere else but that he didn’t have enough info to make a judgment one way or another. He said there’s pro’s & con’s to them but would not elaborate.

I know Sonoran Steel has a nice drop spacer available, and in theory makes sense…
but how critical is it on a truck with a 3” lift? How can professional installers NOT know this?

Thanks in advance,

 

Two words: cheap insurance. It's definitely worth it, especially if you plan on wheeling the truck. To my knowledge, the only issue you would have is having to deal with the rear skid plate mounting holes being slightly off. There are a variety of ways to deal with this issue, none of them really all that difficult. I highly recommend getting the diff drop. The price vs. protection from blown cv joints is well worth it. For the record, I have a 3" susp. lift on my Tacoma, with a diff drop, have wheeled it regularly and have no cv issues to date. Hope that helps, and welcome to YT!

 

i second that, i see the diff drop as being pretty neccessary, it makes a good amount of difference for how inexpensive it is. The reason others said nothing was available for under 4-6 was because they probably were thinking of a complete bracket lift/drop for the front end, the spacers are just that, spacers

 

i'll third that also , i've just made up a set of 1 1/4 diff drop spacers out of some steel that was kickin around, just installed bj spacers and have noticed the cv boots are starting to tear , so i'm thinking this should solve it ,

 

Yes, most folks find they help reduce the angles on the CV joints and boots. Basically reduces the angles of a 3" lift closer to what you would see with a 2" lift:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/DiffDrop.shtml

Also helps prolong CV boot life if you don't have manual front hubs.

 

the diff drop is real easy and u should probly be able to do it your self, it just two bolts after u get the skid plate off then u use two longer bolts from the diff drop kit to put in your skidplate because of the cleance needed for the skidplate and the diff. i got mine off of www.toyteclifts.com the were it was a lot cheaper than 4crawler and the toytec kit includes every thing u need.

 

looks like the same kit from 4crawler is actually $3 cheaper

 

If you get the Toytec drop kit with the rest of the lift, then you save a few $, but if you order it separately, they nail you for $10 shipping. The 4Crawler kit includes free shipping, so works best if you are getting it to add onto an existing lift.

This is the kind of mod. that is good to do if you experience problems due to the front end lift you have. Some typical situations that I have encountered are CV joint binding at full droop (usually on 2nd gen 4Runners/pickups) and frequently torn CV boots (on 3rd gen/Tacomas). If these sorts of issues are encountered, then by all means, lower the front diff. One customer decided that it would be easier that changing CV boots every 6 months. He installed the diff drop after changing boots for the 3rd time in one year. First boot falure he attributed to an old original boot, 2nd set he figured might have been a bad replacement boot, but after changing that, he lowered the diff and all has been fine since (several years now).

And, if you have no issues with your front end lift on your vehicle, then by all means, leave well enough alone. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fi it.

 

My two cents on the diff drop (scroll down to last paragraph).

I think if you really need/want to have 3" of suspension lift it's probably a good idea. For 2.5" or less, (or maybe even 2.75", just keep an eye on the boots and see how they do) it's not necessary.

 

And... read through this thread to learn about doing this for very little money. It's what we know as the "Ace Hardware Diff Drop":

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/3rd-gen-front-diff-drop-15530/

That'll actually end up pointing you to here:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/big-weekend-20680/

And you'll wanna head towards the bottom, message #18