Hi all,

My dad's got a 97 4runner with the saggy rear syndrone and after reading all the posts in this forum I've narrowed down my choice of springs to be one of the 2 listed in the title. So now I ask you guys: which would be better? His driving is 99.99% on-road but where he drives has many potholes so a stiff suspension is not a good idea.

Also can you guys tell me if buying the fuel filter and tranny filter from the dealer is better than the aftermarket products offered in Napa / Autozone / Strauss

Thanks again

 

i like to stay OEM on all my parts.

As far as the suspension, the 906s gave me 1 inch of lift and were nice and soft.

The PP springs are pretty stiff IMO. They rebound a lot quicker and handle awesome. What were you going to put up from with the 906s?

 

IMO, the PP springs are NOT that stiff -- they are more firm than stock, but in a good way. stock springs are floaty.

 

I honestly think that if your dad has a bone stock 4runner with a saggy rear end and does pretty much 100% on road driving then the best option would be to just go for a set of the 99 4WD 4runner springs. That will keep the ride totally stock and shouldn't sag even after the springs settle unless you overload the rear or do some heavy towing.

I prefer using the fuel filters from the dealer.....are they better? Who knows but I don't want to spend time finding out and the costs aren't that much more all things considered. The tranny filter screens don't have to be replaced since they are made of a metal mesh. Do a search and you'll find quite a few threads telling you how to pull the pan and clean it along with how to do your own tranny flush.

 

Thanks for the opinions guys. As far as goin for 99 oem's though I'd rather stay clear of them. In my opinion, they're just too civil ( soft). I just dont want to end up getting my dad something thats gonna relocate his kidneys. Knowing him though he'll most likely be throwin stuff in the back though and currently he has a hefty sub box in the back ( Post-midlife crisis, lol). As for the rest of the suspension. All will remain the same.

 

I ran the 906s without any lift up front for a while and i think it looks great. It has a slight forward rake and the ride was decent (better then the saggy )

I would also get some OME shocks in the rear to match the springs.

 

I would do the 99 coils, they are very inexpensive as well. The rear Performance Products springs are nice, the front ones can be tricky to get to work correctly as both springs are the same and the truck really does need two different front coils, a slightly longer one for the drivers side, Stock 4Runner & Tundra coils are like this, in two sized. Otherwise you ger "Cruiser Lean".

Old Man Emu is the only one to have different sized rear coils, although the FJ-60 & 62 as well as Tacoma Pickups come stock with two slightly different rear leaf packs. But not the 95 and older Mini Pickups.

Either way the 1" Performance Products Coils (Really 2", I installed a set) or the 99 4WD Coils or even Downey has a smaller coil for no lift but sag elimination or the ARB/OME 906. Will all be fine. Shocks and shock length is much more critical, coils are not.

 

I guess I missed something Steve? I hadn't seen it noted anywhere about the PP Springs may result in a 'lean'. I have the spring sitting in the garage - was going to install the rears first to cure the saggy ass so I can pick up more wood in my trailer. Now I may just not install the fronts at all - have to come up with something equivalent for the front - don't want to much rake for a long time.

 

i didnt get any front end lean with my pp's?

 

Steve I have PP springs frt and rear and my truck does not lean, tilt or sag at all. It is even on all four corners.
I have mine with Bilstein's, the ride is not actually stiff it's more sports car like. firmer than stock for sure.

 

Don't know what the deal is, Mike's (AZRAIN) leaned a good 1/2". Don't know what to say. The coils he had were the same length.

Don't know. Not a product I deal with. So ???

 

What you are saying is a bit confusing because up at the top you wanted soft springs because of potholes and in this response the OEMs springs are too soft. Unless you were going to upgrade the front and rears (in that case the PPs or OMEs would be fine) then the best ride will probably come from the taller OEM springs. The other option would be to use airbags in the rears to stiffen it up a bit and prevent sagging when loaded in the rear. If you don't upgrade the fronts and do use the PPs or the OMEs, you're gonne have a pretty decent rake on the truck's stance (not sure if that's what you're after or not).

 

LOL, welcome to my world MTL. This is my dad's brain at work which is why I'm having a tough time figuring out what to get him. On one end he wants to eliminate the sag, on the other he doesnt want the truck to look higher in the rear, additionally, he doesnt want the rear to be too stiff but he also doesnt want to back end to drop if he fills the cargo area with stuff. There is just no pleasing this guy. This Is why I came to you guys for advise.

 

Tell him it ain't gonna happen, it's the old "have your cake and eat it too" scenario. His best option given that case (totally level, can load rear without sagging.....the truck is going to be stiff if he wants it to sit level when loaded, period.....unless he wants to design his own active suspension at considerable cost) is to just get another set of stock springs for the model he has and then throw a set of airbags in there. The airbags aren't maintenance free because you need to pump them up with air (they also sell in-cab adjustable air compressors that will allow you to do it on the fly, but they are about $300+ alone) when carrying more weight in the rear and deflated when the load is lessened. All the other options (even the 99 springs......these should settle over time to ride near level, but will look higher when first installed) will give the truck a slightly raked look (although not excessive maybe 1" to 1.25" front to back).

 

lol, I mentioned air bags and he shot that one down at mid sentence. He's got an old-school mentality. I guess airbags were not to great in the past. I decided to just get him a set of pp springs and call it a day. A firmer ride aint gonna kill him and it seems like OME springs would perform better when you do both front and back and include the shocks in the mix. Now I just gotta wait for one of those free shipping promos to show up in my email box. Thanks all for your inputs.

just outta curiosity, if I were to go with OME springs. Where would be a good place to purchase them?

 

MTL

I just saw the before and after pics of your rig ( very nice lift ) How much of a lift did you get after that susp. upgrade? Did your ride stiffen (front end especially) after the upgrade or do the shocks do a good job of dampening the bumps?

 

I always get all my ARB/Old Man Emu stuff from Phil or Barb @ Toyota of Dallas.

The best and most Caddilac ride I have ever found on a 3rd Gen is the correct Tundra coils up front and the 80 coils out back. That is going to give considerable lift, but those factory coils are quite soft. The stiffest I have personally found was AZRAIN's OME 881's and our FJ-62's OME front and rear leafs. The Alcan springs on my 4Runner ride alot better on the road.

If the old man does not like the PP springs, get him some 99 4WD coils. Like I said they are cheap. Really cheap.

 

how cheap is really cheap? and do you have a part # for them?

 

Well that would probably be a good question for Phil @ Toyota of Dallas.

 

Thanks!

1) First answer is all of it came from the suspension lift (I don't have any body lift).


2) The ride is stiffer than stock up front (although not enough I really noticed while highway driving....the rear is where you really notice how the springs perform), but I had near 100k on it when I did the swap so it's hard to say exactly how it compares to stock. I also bought used front springs from a member on YT that had a winch and heavy bumper so they were already broken in when I installed them. I also have the comfort shocks so that helps to soak up the bumps very well also. The rear doesn't pogo anymore like it used to with the stock setup and it handles ALOT better than stock with any amount of weight in back (cargo or towing).

Also the best place to get OME and OEM stuff is Phil (he goes by strap22 on YT) as Steve mentioned. www.toyotapartsales.com

The OEM 99 4WD coil spring part numbers are:

The rear springs (Part# 48231-35210 )

The front left spring (Part# 48131-35350 )

The front right spring (Part# 48131-35400 )