my bushwackers will probably not allow a good measurement - just a guess though. I'll try to measure it later tonight. Bottom of fender lip to top of rim, right?

 

Exactly. That way I have an idea how much lift I can get. Like I said - if someone with the Downey springs can chime in that will make it very informative for a lot of us sitting on the fence. If the lift is about the same I'll go downey - comes with the longer rear brake lines and all the brackets. Although I still don't understand the warning at Downey's site about progressive springs not working on trucks.

 

I came up with 13 1/2" both fron and rear. I'm a stickler for symmetry - yea right, mostly just dumb luck they're the same. Like I said, I don't think the Bushwackers let me get a good measurement.:rolleyes:

Great, now I need to get more lift... Although, if I put my JGC next to my 4R, the Runner looks huge!!!

 

I just checked mine. I got 14.5" in the front (stock!) and 11 3/4 in the rear. You didn't happen to take measurements prior to changing the springs did you? 2 inches of lift sounds about perfect for me.

 

When you lift the rear of the stock saggin butt, it must push the front down a bit. (?) I never measured prior to the swap. It was a good 5 years ago, maybe even more. I think the PP springs have settled some over that time. Again, I don't think I'm getting a good measurement with the BW's.

 

Last weekend I redid the entire suspension on my rig. I went with the downey coils 1.5 coils. I decided against the HD version because I rarely ever tow anything and my car is usually empty in the back.

Here's the parts

Here's a comparison between the old/new.

Here's what the final install looked like.

The only part about the install that was difficult was getting the new springs in. We jacked up the rear using the tow bar then I stood on the brake drum while my friend slid the new springs in. It wasn't easy, a sping compressor would have made life much easier. The rest of the install went smoothly. Make sure you have a 10mm flare wrench when working on the brake lines, its too easy to strip the nut using an plain open ended wrench.

The difference in ride and performance is amazing. The only concerns I have about the Downey coils is that the shifting of weight causes less traction on the rear. On wet or slick pavement, there's a higher tendency to just spin tires. I haven't raised the front end yet as the vehicle appears to be level on flat ground. I'm curious if anybody else has experienced trouble with rear wheel traction as a result of the downey 1.5 springs.

I'll post more pics later on the details of the install.

 

Looks good Travis.
I have the NWOR yellow bushings in the rear where it shows your red ones.

I don't have any problems in the rain at all or feeling light ended back there.
In fact sometimes I try and slip in the wet going around the corner and it doesn't happen.

Reason may be the tires I run.

My tires are Les Schwab Wild Countrys, and they are a mud/snow tire, and both of my sets are siped by Les Schwab when I got them.

The siping really helps in snow,rain, ice, as it grips a lot better.

 

I've got Bridgestones on it right now, The traction up front is great but I slide a lot in the rear. The tires have around 40k on them now and appear in good shape, they just don't perform too well when the back is unloaded and the pavement is icy or wet.

Is there a way to get them siped, or should I look for new treads? After the recent $$ I"m hoping to get another year out of them. My last set of Bridgestones made it 72K before I replaced them.

 

You can get your present set done now.
Most tire shops charge about $10 per tire to do it.
There are heated knifes you can use to do it yourself, but I would not trust myself to do it

The tire shops that do this do it all the time, so I figure $40 for a pro job is worth it too me.

Oh, siping also has been known to add about 10K to the life of your tires as they run cooler.

The only time siping can be bad is if you are into serious rock crawling, as the slits can get ripped open bigger over the rocks.

 

I have the Edelbrock monotube IAS on all 4 corners and added the Performance Products 1" lift springs along with the AirLift bags and compressor in the rear. The result was a 2" lift from where it had been and it now sits level all the way around. The nice thing is it has a very smooth ride and firms up on the trail. The shocks made a HUGE improvement in handling and cornering. I can air up the rear if I am carrying extra cargo and it still gives me a great ride and does not sag. I had the air compressor gauge installed in the lower armrest and it fits great with a little bit of bending to the mounting bracket- otherwise it takes up too much space under the dash. I run around town with about 10psi in the springs and air up to 20psi for trails. A very nice mod to do if you are doing the coils at the same time. As an added bonus you get an auxillary outlet to air up inflatables- I had mine installed just under the right rear bumper for tubes/rafts/etc.
Be careful- I have seen some posts from others complaining about the Downey coils and Bilsteins being too harsh in some instances.