Hey all,

I want, maybe even need to, replace my rear springs with a 1.5in lift spring. My ride is a daily driver that sees a fair share of unpaved boat launches, remote trout streams and also enjoys a regular mud bath. My question is which spring is better performance wise (ride, flex etc) and do you think I should go heavy(er) duty or stay stock. I don't think I'm going to bother lifting the front at all.

 

OME.

I'd go with the medium duties unless you had plans to haul some serious weight more regularly.

 

Don't do Downey. They sag over a short time.

 

OME medium duty give a couple inches lift depending on your sag. My rear sits about an inch or two higher than my front. BJ spacers would level it out perfect. I've had the springs a couple months and nothing to complain about. They're a reputable company and they make a good product.

 

Shoot, wouldn't the medium duty actually lift the rear up so it at least looks even in riding hight, I know everyone else has the same problem as me...the saggy butt.....

 

The OME medium duty springs lift the rear up even that it is an inch or two HIGHER than the front. THus you get a raked look like a pickup. I don't really like the look and and I will probably crank the Tbars an inch once I figure out how to do an alignment myself.

 

I used a spring & shock set up I got from performance products, a little cheaper than the OME & I got right at 3" of lift in the rear without spare tire & on a 1/4 tank of gas iirc.

 

I just purchased a full kit of OME suspension parts for my restoration (87 4x4 pickup) from TRD Parts4U.com and must say that I think the rear springs are probably the highest quality I have seen. I would buy again.

 

I got the same OME package from trdparts4u and am pleased.

 

One thing you should note, it isn't the springs that limit the travel on a coil spring 4Runner, its the shocks and bumstops. Without custom application shocks (ie: using shocks meant for a lifted Jeep TJ, instead of 4runner shocks) your going to get a maximum of about 8.5" of travel.

The extended length of a shock can only be a little less than 2x as long as the compressed length. On full wheel compression, the shock on a 4Runner is almost completely collapsed with about 2" of exposed shaft.

I've bee toying with the idea of shimming the compression bumpstop so I can fit a shock that's about 2" longer than stock. Otherwise, you could weld in custom shock mounts.

Does anyone have a custom rear setup and does the extra travel really help of road (still with IFS up front)?

 

are the OME's pretty flexy

 

My coils have more extension than the stock springs but compress to the same height, so yes they flex well. If I'm crossed up, it takes about 200lbs in the back to get the last inch of compression (wear its squishing the bumpstops).

As I said before, shock length is the limiting factor for rear flex.