OK! I decided its time to jack up my 4runner. I am selling off a bunch of my old video games from my collection on ebay so i can buy some lift parts. I figure after my first round of sales i should have about $350. Then one more round should get me at least another $250. So all and all i should come up with around $600 to spend for now. And its time for my suspension questions. I have seen that about half of the people with 2nd gen runners buy lift packages(rancho, trailmaster, procomp), and the other half do home made set ups (torsion crank, fj80 coils, spacers). I have seen that the package deals come with many more parts than the home made set ups seem to use. That makes me wonder do the packages hold up better and keep the vehicle more reliable, or are the home made set ups holding up just as good and not doing damage to other parts of the vehicle. Just needing some input. I am getting excited already.

 

im depressed not one response and im wanting to start ordering my parts asap. is a cheapo homemade 2nd gen 4runner lift gonna hurt my rig at all or is a name brand lift kit a better way to go. ive never done any suspension work and know nothing about it really. i have read tons of the posts on this website. just need some first hand knowledge.

 

You haven't really stated what your goal is. Do you want 32" all terrains, 35" mudders, 44" Boggers? What type of driving will your rig see? Rocks, mud, trails, sand, highway? This info will help people recommend what's best for your situation, as different setups will be better for different types of driving.

 

i want it to be a daily driver so im aiming for a 33" all terrain tire for now, and later ill get mudders to swap on when i want to go wheeling. mainly mud, trails, road, and snow will be what ill be riding on. i hate the fact that nobody sells a 3" lift spring for the rear, i dont really want to do a spring spacer.

 

http://www.xtremeoff-road.com/produc...unner_kits.htm

Mike's a good man to deal with. You can't go wrong with him... just be sure to do your business over the phone with him. You can find it on the main page.

 

If you do a search for 2nd generation lift there's a very good thread on the subject. I'll try and give you a quick overview, for what you seem to have planned, the rear FJ80 cruiser coils is a great way to go, it appears to give about 3" of lift depending on whether you choose the short coils(3") or the long(different lengths on either side of FJ80 to compensate for gas tank weight). If you're going to be doing any wheeling you'll need the panhard drop(procomp makes one which can be ordered from 4Wheelparts.com) bracket to keep the driveline from hitting the gas tank with the greater articulation of the rear axle and you'll probably need longer brake lines in the back as well. For the front the Ball Joint spacers are a good way to go, you get 1.5" of lift and an increase in articulation from the front IFS system. This is a relatively low cost alternative to purchasing the Procomp or similar lift system for the 2nd generation and appears to work quite well for wheeling. I cant give a first hand account of the results(there are several testimonials here) but in a couple of weeks when I have mine installed I can say more. There are many choices out there depending on your budget and requirements. Hope this helps a little.

matt