4runners can only have 3" of suspension lift? i know its because of the cv's...but then how come tacoma's can be lifted 6" with the fabtech lift kit? they have cv's as well right?

 

i would like to know as well..

 

if you find an answer, let me know

 

It CAN be done. i cant give you an exact answer but i know that it can be done, take a look at SC4runner, who is using the 6" Trailmaster kit, and ROOFGOOF, who is using some kind of 4" IFS lift. As i recall they are both tacoma kits used on 4runners.

 

The fabtech lift includes a diff drop, IIRC

 

From what i ahve seen, the 6" tacoma kits lowers the entire front end. So the cv's are at the same angle they were stock. This takes away some ground clearance and would be alot more difficult to install than a 3" suspension and 3" body lift

 

I think the tacoma 6" lifts are pretty much irreversable also

 

Most if not all bracket-style lifts that lower the diff to keep the same CV angle require that you cut the stock mounting points for the front diff. So, yeah, once its on there it aint comin back off

 

so the tacoma lift kit is compatible with the 4runner??? how bout the rear...the tacoma has leafs and the 4runner doesnt?!?!?

 

To the best of my knowledge the front tacoma kit will work on the 4runner. The rear will not, if you wanted the 6" tacoma front, the longer fj80 coils and a spacer may work for the rear

 

correct. you CAN with alot of work make the front work but the rear will not you will have to get the LC coils withs 8 wraps and then probably a spacer to make up for the extra inch or two.

 

I have a mini-writeup in my pictures link below on the whole situation.

Tacoma and 3rd gen 4runners have essentially the same front end. I had to do a few small modifications to make it work, but, was pretty minor.

The drop bracket lifts drop your rack and pinion, front diff, and lower a-arms. So, you have a stock ride, stock steering and CV angles as well. Its a great combination. The problem is installing it. It took me a good weekend and a few days to get everything in there.

The rear I am using the long FJ-80 coils, with a 1.5" poly spacer. The only problem with the setup is that it makes the rig pretty tippy. 4runners with all their glass and weight have some issues.

 

i recently aquired an axle from a '84 toyota truck...what you rather do...
1. do an SAS swap...I don't want leaf springs...so my front suspension will have to use coils...once i get the coil buckets, coils and some a-arms...am i set from there? if not what other parts do i need?
2. Get a tacoma lift and just try to make it work with LC coils in the rear?

 

Well, I can tell that you need to do a lot more research !!

First off, an 84 Toy axle is not an axle you want to put under your 3rd gen. 1) Its a good amount narrower and 2) its a passenger side drop, so you'd need to use an adapter or switch your transfer case output to the passenger side. I know there are some ways of doing this, but, its going to cost you probably $1k to switch over to that.

Swapping to a solid front axle takes a lot more work as well. It will cost you at least $5k, and if you want to use coilovers, then you'll probably be looking at $7k plus. Check out http://www.hunt4steve.com for some good pictures on how much work is involved to do a swap.

If you just want to have a bigger truck, you'll definetly just want to do a drop-bracket lift. I would recommend the Tuff-Country 5" lift. Its very stout, and is the best engineered. You can still use aftermarket coilovers as well to add even more lift if you want. The LC coils and spacers will do fine.

The best option for 4runners though, if you are adding that much lift is to do a leaf swap in the rear. It adds a lot more stability that is needed, and is easy to gain 6"+ from shackles and some lift springs from Marlin or Allpro.

 

All I really want is 35" tires...do you advise me to just go with the Sonoran Steel setup(1.51) and get a 1" body lift? will this help retain my factory ride and driving comfort?

 

A SAS is what you want if you want the ultimate flex and you want leafs b/c they flex way better than a coil setup and require 0 fab work besides mounting hangers on the frame.

If you want to run 35's you need to lift 2-3" suspension and 1-2" body lift. but you also need to regear the axles otherwise you will be SLOW.

 

With getting a SS lift and body lift, you will still need to do quite a bit of fender trimming/cutting to fit the 35" tires. I think its possible though. You might need to get a 2" body lift.

However, you will loose a factory ride with jacking your coils up. The higher you go, the stiffer they will be. Its not a bad thing, but, it wont be as soft.

 

one of the sonoran steel 4runners has 35's with the SS setup...

do you think this guy has any body lift at all?

 

hes got a 2" body.

and as i recall he did lot of trimming to get the 35's to fit.

he also added a power steering cooler and an oil cooler as well to help with the added stress.

 

god i couldn't imagine how much power he lost with those 35's. The power loss with 285's bugs the crap out of me as it is. Also with that tacoma front drop lift, I heard you had to remove a cross member somewhere up front. Not entirely sure if that's true...