1995 4 runner lift
 

Newby here.......

I'm about to purchase a 1995 4runner w/ the V6 and it has the typical rear sag (for which I'm getting a discount). I'm going to go ahead and put some new coils on it, but I had some questions for some of you more knowledgable people.

The setup I am planning to run is some 2" Downey coils in the rear, crank the front torsion bars and replace all 4 shocks with Bilsteins. What do people think? Any other suggestions? I'm also wondering the pros and cons of the Downey Heavy Duty vs. the regular. I don't get to do as much 'wheeling as I used to (had to move from the mountains to the City), so I'm not sure I need the heavy duty coils if it significantly compromises the ride. However, I want to make sure that the regular coils would give it the same lift.

The second question is regarding the lift. I need to replace the rear springs anyway, but will this help to give the 4runner about 2" of lift? I don't want to do a whole pro-comp kit or anything, but I like the look of it sitting up a little higher and was hoping I could get the lift w/ some springs and torsion bar adjustment.

Finally, how easy is this to do. I'm fairly competent w/ cars and used to do a lot of work on my 1990 Toyota 4X4 (before the engine died at 250K). But I don't want to f*** anything up either and I've never had to replace springs, crank torsion bars, replace the brake line, etc. Anyway, sorry for the long post and thanks for any responses.

Oh yeah, one final thing: Anyone have any suggestions for an automatic vs manual tranny? I'm definitely leaning toward the 5 speed, but someone told me to go automatic. Just wondering if anyone has any opinions. Thanks again.

Definitely go 5-speed...much better in the 3.0. Also, let me put in a vote for doing a complete Old Man Emu suspension: rear HD coils, and front/rear shocks. They are awesome and everything works very well together. Then just crank your T-bars a bit. Downey's are good, too, but I prefer OME.

You'll be happier with 5spd. The auto is not very responsive.
I've had the Downey reg. duty....they're about 10% stiffer than stock. the HD is 20% stiffer. Install is pretty simple. do the search, plenty of folks have done it.
You might even be able to find people to help you out if you give your location.

I've got the Downey HD coils. I figured that since I was already down there why not put in the spacers as well. Then I thought, "hmmm, I really don't wann stress those Tbars too much with a 3" crank..." So, I bought some new 26mm Tbars - all from Downey. Final price was $518, shipped to my door. I was so, so happy I did it this way. The ride is awesome, it's nice and tall and my 33s fit really good. Anyway, here's how my 4R looked after I finished the lift:

http://home.comcast.net/~j0ne/pics/4...Runner_001.jpg

i put another vote in for old man emu. its a great lift option for 4runners. ive got about 4 inches or so with heavy duty springs, ome shocks all around and coil spacers. heavy duty, no matter what brand will make you have a stiffer ride, you get used to it after a while, but IMO, id rather have the heavy duties, and this is my DD. i just didnt feel like the regular or medium coils would hold up how i wanted them to.

either way you go, both brands a really good and tons of people here run one or the other or both. good luck.

I did the Downey HD coils and torsion bar crank. It's a good, cheap way to get a little lift. Geneius -- your ride has the Downey HD springs + a spacer, correct? How does the ride feel with the 26mm torsion bars cranked? I've read several people have gone with the 26mm from Downey and then regretted it because the ride was so harsh, and ended up going back to their original torsion bars. I'm guessing most of those who swapped back the originals were still using their 4Runner as their daily driver.

I'm surprised to see you were able to fit 33" tires with that set up. I recently went with 32" BFG T/A KO's and had some major rubbing on both front tires with my original "minor" lift. I then added the 1 1/2" ball joint spacers up front and 2" coil spring spacers in the back. This allowed me to relax the torsion bars up front and gain a little ride comfort back, and now I have no rubbing. But even with this set up, I'm not sure I could fit 33" tires under there -- guess I could with the torsions cranked again.

Overall, if you're just looking to get a mionor lift to fit 31" tires, go with the Downey HD springs and torsion bar crank. It's cheap and effective. Anything greater than that and you're in for some additional considerations -- CV angles increase, so manual hubs become imperative; bigger tires = less power, so you'd want to regear to at least 4.88s. Now that I've gone up a tires size, I wish I had just gone with the OME coil springs (no spacers with this set up) and BJ spacers/OME shocks front & rear from the outset.

Ed

Ed,

Yup, HD Coils and Spacers. I actually got more than 3", more like 4.2", weird but true. I don't tell much people because they wouldn't believe me...shoot I don't. But my ruler doesn't lie, unless it shrunk. Maybe that's why I can fit the 33s. I do get very, very little rubbing at full turn. The culprit is a little piece of plastic from the wheel well lining. I could shave that piece off, but I'm just lazy and plus, it doesn't bother me a bit because nothing is breaking.

When I put the 26mm bars on, I immediately got a 1.5" lift without even cranking them...wow, no load TBars w/ a lift. So I turned the bolt a few to where the threads stick out about <1" above the TBar nut and I was even w/ the rear. The ProComp ES3000 shocks help smooth out the ride 'cause they're nice and soft and CHEAP - it actually feels better than stock now. I think if I went w/ Ranchos I'd be hurting. I know it's a good ride because my wife doesn't complain (she drives a Sequioa...very nice ride).

Also, my stock 4.88s really make the drive more pleasant. Overall, I'm very happy with this setup.