I have an 03 V8 Ltd. I am looking into adding a lift kit. I have heard Daystar makes a 2.5" and Rev Tech makes a 3". Has anyone installed either of these and have thoughts they could share?

My 4Runner is a daily driver and I really like how it rides on the road (particulary compared to my old 97 4Runner). I also reguarly tow 4000 to 5000 lbs and may even want to tow my 6500 lb toy-hauler / camper in the futrure (with a weight disctrbuting hitch of course).

Having just cracked the catalytic converter connection just where it comes off the manifold, the truck needs to be lifted before I going wheel'n again. (That cat manifold combo is quite pricey).

 

Daystar and Revtek are both good I think. The Daystar is the least amount of lift so will be closest to your stock road ride.
search "Lefty Daystar" or "Sedonaz daystar lift" or "revtek lift 4th gen" for a ton of threads and info.

If you tow, the height might be a factor with weight distribution and you might need a extended drop hitch the higher you go... 2-3" this is not a worry I would think.

The taller you go, the more you will want larger tires to fill in the wheelwells. It starts to look funny with the stock tires. Larger tires affect your gearing, which could be a little annoying when you are towing depending on how much you upsize.

Bulldoy-yota and many others have done the daystar lift. I like the daystar lift as it gives you alot more offroad clearance while giving a close to factory appearance- as if Toyota made it that way.
I have heard equal praise for the Revtek lift also. You can't go wrong with either lift, they are both simple and both are proven companies with spacers on tons of trucks, not just 4Runners.

My guess is if you like the stock road ride, go with Daystar since it's closest to stock.
Good luck and post some pics when you're done! Sorry bout the cat, those are $$!

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f33/nitrous-enterprises-leveling-lift-kits-4th-gen-4runners-xreas-non-xreas-41496/

there's also that kit, which is ours, and you can get any height you want.

if that doesn't interest you, i'd recommend Revtek long before i'd recommend Daystar.

thanks for forgetting us, FirstToy.
(we've lifted trucks other than the 4Runner as well)

 

Rocky, my apologies. I am very new to world of custom mods. A guy in my club steered me toward REV Tech and Daystar. I did not mean to forget anyone and the info I got on this board is very helpful. I will correspond with your company directly. Thanks for the heads up.

 

no no, please don't worry, Damlaker, i was just joking around with FirstToy, as he was mentioning companies and forgot to mention ours!

 

Do you have XREAS?
Also if you go offroad what type of stuff do you do?

I have the Daystar kit and was happy with it for a while, now I need a bit more lift. It worked well for me. However the rear lift was found lacking on a few occasions. The front is OK, but in the rear the gas tank hangs lower than the frame on the driver side. SO my gas tank skid have made a few "friends" off the road. Day to day use you notice very little difference to stock driving. A bit more lean in hard cronering and a little more road noise (this one was unexpected).

I have XREAS so I am looking at getting an NE kit, more lift and the rear the shocks get relocated for more flex (droop). So I dont know your timeframe, but check what you need for lift.

The less lift you can get away with the better, but the problem is you always want to go do more then

Maybe one day we can get lots of selection of suspension components like with the 3d Gen.

 

Damlaker:

If you have XREAS then please follow this thread:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f117/4th-gen-4runner-suspension-43736/

If you don't, then you can actually go w/ some other alternatives that are available and will be available hopefully by the end of the year.

There will be two vendors that supply a full suspension kit that might be an alternative if you don't mind the higher price tag. Swapping out the complete suspension will give you more travel compared to the stock shocks. The options currently are to go with:

Downey Offroad (they're the only coilover vendor right now).
Donahoe Racing should have something for sale by the end of the year. (They have a working version in their shop for display).

Other vendors expressing interest in coilovers:
Fabtech
King Shocks
Nitrous Enterprises
Sway A Way

The 4 vendors above have stated some interest but I have no clue on what their status is at the time. Please contact them directly to find out their timeframe.

OME which makes pure coil and shock suspension is working on something but I haven't heard from them on their timeframe so we're all still waiting. Unfortunately the truck is still relatively new so these things will take time.

Lastly, since you do plan to tow heavily, I might suggestion this option:
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/larsdennert/4runner/airlift/
The owner's name is Lars Dennert and he's done some extensive work on his 4runner for towing. It looks like this might be something you might want to consider since I'm sure your rear will sag alot after hauling stuff and people.

Good luck

 

bulldog - I do not have XREAS. As far as offroading goes, I live in the Midwest and we regulary go to Northern WI, and off road in the Nicolet National Forest. Some rock but mostly old logging roads and the remains of an old pipe line. Not really all that hilly - nothing like out west. Can get fairly muddy (fun). I have changed out the tires to BFG AT (TA/CO type I think) and I went down to a 16" Rim and run 265 / 70 / 16s. These have the exact same diam. of the stock Tires (roughly 30.8 Inches). I am looking at lifting between 2.5" and 3" and have spent some time looking at the NE 3". I realize we all want to go bigger and this issue may plague me as well. However, my biggest concern with going much bigger on tires is that the my 03 4Runner has the first generation tow hitch and this seems to restrict the space where the spare tire can go. Keeping the tire in the vehicle is not really an option.

My biggest reason to lift is low clearance - cracked the Cat where it comes off the manifold. This is going to be solved by a new skid plate I am having fabricated. The lift will help as well.

If also regularly tow 4000 to 5000 lbs, and I am told larger tires and lifting can effect towing ability (more than just getting a drop down ball).

I think I saw a thread with your truck when I searched for lifts. Looked great.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

If you're on a strict budget, I'd just go w/ any spacer lift (daystar, revtek, or ne). If you want to splurge on some better applications, your best bet is to wait until the end of the year and see what other vendors come out with and go from there.

As for the towing, I'd say look into that airlift link I posted as this might be a great alternative.

If you want to tow more than your towing capacity, go to your toyota dealer and order the revised weight distributed hitch so you can tow 7000#. This way, you will be able to tow more without any concern.

With minimal lift and upgraded tires (3" and even going up to 285's), you really won't be sacrificing much but if you do get a drop down ball then that will be your biggest limiting factor as some are not rated high enough. Please check the specs on it and purchase it accordingly.

Good luck

 

Good Times - Thanks for the quick reponse. I did look at the Air Lift and have thought about it. A couple of questions / thoughts:

(1) The v8 4 runner is rated to tow 7000lbs if it has the weight distributing hitch. Oddly enough, my Window Sticker that came with the Truck seems to indicate that is came with the a 7300lb weight distributing tow bar. I wonder is that is the same one that you are referring to. The 03 seemed to have one type of hitch (the one I have) and the 04 seems to have a different one. Maybe I got lucky and have the heavy duty one and then in 04 they went with a less heavy duty one.

(2) The Air Lift Bags - I assume these really don't add to the towing capacity per se, but really just eliminate the problem of sagging in the back when a heavy trailer is hooked up. At this point, even with my 4000 lb plus boat, I don't get much sagging because it is a double axle trailer and the hitch weight does not seem to weigh down the car. Certainly if I pulled the 6500lb toy-hauler, I would likely need the air bags.

(3) How is the Demello off road front bumper? Where did you get it, how much did it cost, etc? Could you post a few pictures? I have been waiting for over a year for ARB to make a bumper for the 4th Gen 4Runner. They have built a prototype and given it to the guy who loaned his truck for measurements. They sent the plans off to AusieLand and it was supposed to be going into production. Now I guess, the 05 Prada (not sold in the US) will be the same as the 03 / 04 4Runner and now they are going to design it off of that. Long story - short problem - can't get the winch on the Truck right now

Thanks for the heads up on the drop down ball and checking it make sure it is rated for the correct weight.

I am really leaning towards the NE 3" kit.

Thanks again.

 

Damlaker --

Do you have a picture of your hitch???

I had some VERY strange problems with mine when I bought it ... but anyway, maybe if you have a picture we'll be able to tell you?

I want an ARB bumper too!!!!!!!!

 

1) I would take a photo of the hitch so we can see and I'm sure we'll be able to tell if it's a 7000# hitch or not.

2) The airlift was an option to prevent sagging.

3) Demello is located in Santa Ana and can make anything you are looking for. ARB will have a front bumper due first of next year. Everything is pending as the 03+ Prado (same as our 4runner) Bumper does not mount up to the 4th gen 4runner. They had to do some modifications and depending on how that goes we'll know exactly when it'll be. I have been told first thing next year so let's all cross our fingers. If you really need a winch really bad, just have someone build you a bumper.

Good luck!

 

Almost forgot, if you plan on getting a winch up front, I'm not sure well the spacers will hold the weight. I have coilovers and have been cranking my coils up higher as the winch and bumper did eat up alot of the front. (I'd say I lost approx 1" or so from the initial 3" that I lifted).

Something to consider since the winch and bumper will be heavy. If you get some synthetic lines to replace the cable lines, you'll save a few # so that's something else to think about as well.

If you do plan to go crazy and add alot of armor, I would suggest that you really look into a complete full suspension setup (one that replaces the shock and coil) as you'll want more travel than what the stock provides and the ability for the suspension to support more of the weight.

Good luck!

 

When you say the spacers won't hold the weight that is a bit surprising to me. On my last two trucks - a 97 4Runner and an 02 Double Cab Tacoma, I installed both the ARB Bumper and a Warn M8000 Winch. Neither had lifts and both seemed to do just fine.

As far as add weight add-ons re proposed mods to the 03 4Runner I am going to add the ARB Bumper and winch (when ARB actually makes one), a set of sliders with steps and finally some form of skid plate underneath. The new armor will either supplment what is there or replace what is there. Obviously, some stuff will come off as well (e.g. stock bumper, side steps, skid plate). I realize what is being added will be heavier than what is taken off but I cannot imagine that I am adding more than 150lbs or so overall to the weight of the truck. It seems an SUV that can hold 5 adults and their luggage should be able to handle the extra weight.

I can't see the need to fork over $1000 plus for a whole new suspension when all I really trying to do is lift the truck a small amount so I can stop hitting stuff underneath. I am not one to really try to get into a situation so I can articulate my suspension to see how far it can go.

Having said all that, r0cky can your NE 3" lift handle an extra 150 lbs??

 

One more stupid question - after I take a picture of the rear hitch, how do I post it??

 

Damlaker, any lift can "handle" extra weight ... the problem is just that it is going to compress that some. If you are really considering an ARB bumper, I'd recommend a 4" lift because you may lose about 1" with the added weight --- the same would happen with any lift on the market. I have an idea about this, and will PM you right now.

 

Since you sound like you were pretty content on the spacer setup, I'd say go with the spacer setup. There are 3 companies that supply spacers for the 4th gen (daystar, nitrous enterprises and revtek).

I feel that the 150# is a generous figure if you're looking at (winch/bumper/slider/skid). I would think that weight would be closer to more like 200-250#. Not sure as it all depends on what kind of setup you ultimately go with. Also if you're planning to go with a dual battery setup factor that additiona battery into the equation too.

Good luck and make sure you post up some photos of before and after as we always enjoy those the most We get pretty mean if you neglect us

To post images, just look for the "attachments" and go from there.

Good luck!

 

Good Times - I am bad at estimating weight, particularly my own. You may be correct but was just guessing at the difference. I will take pictures before and after.

On the tow hitch matter - attached is a picture. In any event, the little label that you cannot read says 7300lbs with weight distributing hitch. The tongue weight can be 730 lbs. (This same langauge appears on my window sticker and includes a reference to the drop down ball combo). Because it is on the window sticker from the Toyota factory, I have to imagine is was installed at the factory and not a dealer add on.

I have also attached a picture of my 03 Runner with my kids having the time of their life. What a great truck. Better after it is lifted.

 

no pics

 

Sorry, the limit on size is apparently 48kb, and the pictures were just over 50kb. I don't know how to downsize the size of the file so I cannot post them.