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Just got a new 1987 mint 4Runner. Rear leaf springs are sagging. Was going to get a new set of OME springs that claim to have a 2" lift. New Bilstein shocks all around too. Will I also need to add shackles to the rear? Hoping I don't have to, but do I need to mess with the front, add a set of ARB Front Torsion bars or 2" front spacers? Hoping I can just add the new OME springs and shocks and be GTG! Thx
Yea, ideally I just want to pep up the rear and get the stance back to looking good! Would be fine with a slight lift (2") but don't want to go over that really with the 31" tires.
I think the OME will force you to make adjustments to the front. Some just crank up the torsion bars, but that’ll make it ride horribly (negating any enjoyment from the Bilsteins) and be hard on the upper ball joints.
You might just consider an Add-a-Leaf, along with the Bilsteins. I have those shocks and love them. My OME’s are wasting away in my garage rafters
I think the OME will force you to make adjustments to the front. Some just crank up the torsion bars, but that’ll make it ride horribly (negating any enjoyment from the Bilsteins) and be hard on the upper ball joints.
You might just consider an Add-a-Leaf, along with the Bilsteins. I have those shocks and love them. My OME’s are wasting away in my garage rafters
Thx, so this kit will sort me out on the cheap and you like the stance and ride results?
I'd try the add-a-leafs first. Cheap (well, cheaper) and easy. I did a lot of things early on that I regretted. Mostly to save money, but ended up paying dearly.
Mine sagged in the back. The previous owner used spacer blocks to lift it up, but the parking cable rubbed on them, making the P-brake useless. They had also cranked the torsion bars close to max, making the front ride like a buckboard wagon.
I replaced rear springs with OME, which did get rid of spacer blocks, and I could drop the front torsion bars a little bit, but not enough. The overall ride was incredibly hard, though. And they don't "break-in" like their tech dept claimed. As I've posted here before, I finally dragged out my factory springs, took them apart, and swapped out one leaf from the OME into the old Toyota spring pack. I then installed the Toyota pack with the one new leaf. That was enough to raise the back pretty level, and let me drop the front torsion bars backed to a normal height. The ride improved a lot. So an expensive, round-about way to end up with an add-a-leaf. Oh, I did replace the leaf spring bushings with new OEM rubber.
I had also previously replaced the body support cushions all the way around with poly. I got to thinking about that later on, and yanked those off and put new OEM rubber in. That also helped the ride quality quite a bit. The whole point of rubber is absorb vibration, and poly wasn't going to do that. Plus if you look at all the photos on the internet where the body mount cracked the floor pan where they bolt in it's often poly bushings in the picture. I yanked the poly off my sway bar and got the OEM rubber for that, too.
Bilstein's I think generate the best ride quality when driving on surface roads. Along with decent tires.
Lastly, when i first got the 4R I had changed all the fluids with fairly generic gear oil. I later got Red Line gear oil for both diffs, trans, and transfer. It really made them quieter. Tbh, I don't see why it would matter, but it did.
Never heard of General Spring, but that doesn’t mean anything.
one thing I do know, if you take something off to replace it with something you hope is better, don’t throw anything away. Clean up the part you removed and store it away until you’re certain.
I believe in using the best quality parts (which is almost always oem) at the best possible price. I buy almost everything online, either from a dealer with an internet site, or something like Amayama.com
Amayama often has the best prices, but every now and then a USA dealer website will surprise me. What I like best about Amayama, besides having diagrams, is they'll post shipping cost as you load the cart. So if something spikes shipping a lot you know which part did it. Before you go to their site I'd recommend grabbing the model number off the plate on the firewall, you'll need it. Production date is on the plate in the driver's door jam.
I have 2 cents to chip in on the suspension questions. Mine had larger torsion bars on it when i got it. It was incredibly stiff. i wanted to get back to what i knew the factory ride felt like. I swapped them for stockers with a ball joint lift. Much better. Unless you have a big heavy front bumper and winch, you don’t want larger torsion bars. On the rear, it has what i think are OME 2” lift springs. They are stiff. Stiffer moreso with the soft top on. Put more people in it for better ride. Acceleration and braking will suffer 😁
On my #2 4runner, i’ve added helper “zuk mod” 100lb/in coil springs to the rear to level it out. Bought them on ebay for about $100. They are quick and easy to install, but the ride is stiff. If you go this route, don’t go any stiffer than 100lb. These will probably be just right with adults in the back seat and a soft top. Zuk mod
I have 2 cents to chip in on the suspension questions. Mine had larger torsion bars on it when i got it. It was incredibly stiff. i wanted to get back to what i knew the factory ride felt like. I swapped them for stockers with a ball joint lift. Much better. Unless you have a big heavy front bumper and winch, you don’t want larger torsion bars. On the rear, it has what i think are OME 2” lift springs. They are stiff. Stiffer moreso with the soft top on. Put more people in it for better ride. Acceleration and braking will suffer 😁
On my #2 4runner, i’ve added helper “zuk mod” 100lb/in coil springs to the rear to level it out. Bought them on ebay for about $100. They are quick and easy to install, but the ride is stiff. If you go this route, don’t go any stiffer than 100lb. These will probably be just right with adults in the back seat and a soft top. Zuk mod
Yea PO added a killer stereo system and put 2 10" subs in the rear with the custom red panels to fit them.
I decided to go with good old Toyota OEM Shackeles, front pins and bushings.
I had good luck with the no-cut Zuk with 150lbs Black Magic springs from EBay, however it rides very stiff and I can feel the bumps a lot. Debated on going OME for the longest time but decided to bite the bullet after A LOT of research and Chevy 63"s sound like the right choice for maintaining my 2" lift and also getting the softest ride possible.
Stock and mint FTW, too!
Just do the Zuk Mod. Did mine in 2012 and truck has taken me to more beautiful and wild places than many over-accessorized, overly-technologized trucks. I have now handed it down to my daughter and am hoping she could hand it down to my grand kids someday
Apr 23, 2024 | 06:42 AM
