All...

I know this will make most of you cringe with fear, but here goes. I need to find some new shocks for my '97 4Runner, and I want them to be the opposite of the off-roading shocks that most of you guys use. This Runner was my beloved ride for a long time, and it is now in retirement as my wife's "Soccer Mom" vehicle. It has just over 112K miles on it, so the original shocks are getting weak. She still has the badass BFG All-Terrain T/A's on it, and she agreed to taking off the ultra-lame factory running boards, so it looks cool. She likes the looks of the vehicle, but wants it to ride a bit softer now, which is a tall order with those tires on it.

Any suggestions?

Also.....it'll be getting a new clutch soon. Any ideas on what I should expect to pay for that??

Thanks

 

Why not just go get some stock Tokicos at the dealer?
They are dirt cheap too from what I remember.

 

do you have the conical bumpstops? you know, the one's they install as part of the rear suspension recall?

if you do, you need to trim the lower 1 or 2 "pucks" off of it. it's probably bottoming out and no shock in the world will help you with that.

i'd suggest some tokico's from the dealer. like $150 or so a set IIRC.

 

Put a good set of Bilsteins (Heay Duty or Sport), and you'll never have to worry about them again! The ride is fine, and it will still stand up to basic off-roading without a problem. I've had great luck with them, over the years, on a lot of my cars and trucks.

 

I've had experience with Monroe Sensatrac shocks. They're way too soft for me, and for that matter, any serious off roading. But, they will give you a softer ride than any Tokico, Bilsteins, Ranchos, etc. They're inexpensive too!

 

I have had the rear spring recall done. I'm not sure,though, what you mean when you talk about modifying that. I wouldn't want to adversely affect the towing capabilities, as I may be towing trailers with toys like snowmobiles or campers in the not-so-distant future.

IF those mods don't affect the towing.....how is it done? pics?

Thanks

 

What Andy was referring to was that if your truck is bottoming out in the rear (against the conical bump stops inside the rear spring coils) then you should modify them by cutting off a section (take a look back there and you'll know what I mean). If the truck is not actually bottoming out at all then that won't have any effect on the ride and a change of shocks would be the only way to smooth out the ride for your wife. I would also suggest the OME comfort shocks (which I run), but they are not el cheapo soccer mom shocks (if you don't mind paying the price, they give a very smooth ride). In any case if you are going to tow any decent loads with the stock rear springs, definately get some airbags to level off the ride height and prevent the bottoming out syndrome these 4runners are famous for.

 

I would agree. I am running Sensatrac's and like them alot. They are reasonably priced and have a lifetime warranty. They should work perfect for the soccer mom application. For me they are a big improvement over the stockers for light off-roading.

Here's your part numbers:

Front’s: 71284 $70 each
Rear’s: 37157 $33 each

 

Thanks to everyone for the shock advice.

What about a new clutch? I got the huge quote from the Toyota dealer here in Green Bay just for a point of reference. It was something like $950. What should I expect to pay at a reasonable mechanic??

Thanks

 

Kinda' like these:

 

Midiwall
I've never seen bumpstops like that before. The "Conical bump stop" is actualy an over load spring that is inside the rear spring.

 

Oh... whops... n/m. Those are (were) on my 3rd gen and I cut 'em down 'cause I was smacking them all the time.

 

looks like that. i cutted one puck of it using a wood saw. b4, the gap bt the bump-cone and the stopper is about 1/2", now its about 2" gap. feels a lot better goin over bumps.

 

Did they have the same bump stop in 2000? If so, I think that's the root of my problem.

 

The conical bumps I think showed up on the '99s and newer otherwise it was the version like midiwall posted.

 

Just stick with stock replacement shocks - they are very soft and ride comfortably.

 

yeah, theyre on my 2000

 

......or unless you got the spring recall done on an earlier year vehicle.