Lift kit for 4Runner doing mild off roading

[alexdnick]

So I have a Colorado and have never looked at or researched 4Runner parts before.

This is for my sisters boyfriend who wants to get into overlanding and 4x4ing.

He wants to get 33’s and I’m sure he’d want to keep a somewhat normal feeling on his suspension because he’ll be driving probably 90% roads.

Is this kit okay for those things?

 

[WrightRunner]

So I have a Colorado and have never looked at or researched 4Runner parts before.

This is for my sisters boyfriend who wants to get into overlanding and 4x4ing.

He wants to get 33’s and I’m sure he’d want to keep a somewhat normal feeling on his suspension because he’ll be driving probably 90% roads.

Is this kit okay for those things?

So you get what you pay for. OME $ 900 vs ICON $ 4000 - $7000. There is no comparison. I know people who have had both. They say if they would have known what the difference was like they would have never purchased the OME setup!

 

[Boort]

So I have a Colorado and have never looked at or researched 4Runner parts before.
This is for my sisters boyfriend who wants to get into overlanding and 4x4ing.
He wants to get 33’s and I’m sure he’d want to keep a somewhat normal feeling on his suspension because he’ll be driving probably 90% roads.

Might depend a bit on which generation of 4runner he has. on my 4th gen I went with the OME BP51 setup which is between the one you linked and the Icon/Fox setups. Adds Ability to be rebuilt, remote res and ride tune-ability. The ride on this setup is as good or better than the stock Xreas setup on the highway, amazing on forest service roads, and damn good offroad. (I don't do much rock crawling but like to get off the beaten path.)
Some tips I learned on what to consider:

• Before ordering the springs you will want to know if he is planning on adding offroad bumpers, winch, Heavy skid plates, etc and how he plans to load it out for camping. That way you can select the correct springs to carry the weight.
• Join T4r.org and checkout the forum section for the year 4 Runner he has. They have lots of sticky threads there discussing lift options and tire fitment. The kit you linked is for a 5th Gen so I'd start here if the year is correct: vBulletin3 Forum
  vBulletin3 Forum (Informative write-up by "1engineer" one of the moderators over there. That nets out a lot of advice specific to the 5th Gen 4runners in one place.)
• 33's are doable but take more work to fit (on most Gens) than 32's I went with BFG KO2 275/70/17.
• Some makes of 33's may fit while others will rub. Trial and error here
• Rim offset also makes a difference in getting the right clearance. (Wheel Offset Calculator is a good way to visualize the difference between 2 sets of rims)
• I can't recommend a Toyota offroad shop in your neck of the woods, but the team at Slee Offroad (Sleeoffroad.com - Toyota SUV Off-Road Outfitters) in Golden Colorado know Toyotas and what it takes to build them out. Ben was very helpful in pointing me in the right directions for my needs. They stock a number of different OME kit options for the 5th Gen.

Boort

 

[alexdnick]

Might depend a bit on which generation of 4runner he has. on my 4th gen I went with the OME BP51 setup which is between the one you linked and the Icon/Fox setups. Adds Ability to be rebuilt, remote res and ride tune-ability. The ride on this setup is as good or better than the stock Xreas setup on the highway, amazing on forest service roads, and damn good offroad. (I don't do much rock crawling but like to get off the beaten path.)
Some tips I learned on what to consider:

• Before ordering the springs you will want to know if he is planning on adding offroad bumpers, winch, Heavy skid plates, etc and how he plans to load it out for camping. That way you can select the correct springs to carry the weight.
• Join T4r.org and checkout the forum section for the year 4 Runner he has. They have lots of sticky threads there discussing lift options and tire fitment. The kit you linked is for a 5th Gen so I'd start here if the year is correct: vBulletin3 Forum
  vBulletin3 Forum (Informative write-up by "1engineer" one of the moderators over there. That nets out a lot of advice specific to the 5th Gen 4runners in one place.)
• 33's are doable but take more work to fit (on most Gens) than 32's I went with BFG KO2 275/70/17.
• Some makes of 33's may fit while others will rub. Trial and error here
• Rim offset also makes a difference in getting the right clearance. (Wheel Offset Calculator is a good way to visualize the difference between 2 sets of rims)
• I can't recommend a Toyota offroad shop in your neck of the woods, but the team at Slee Offroad (Sleeoffroad.com - Toyota SUV Off-Road Outfitters) in Golden Colorado know Toyotas and what it takes to build them out. Ben was very helpful in pointing me in the right directions for my needs. They stock a number of different OME kit options for the 5th Gen.

Boort

Thanks for the info. Yes it is a 5th gen, 2014. I am pretty knowledgeable able wheels tires so I think I’m good in figuring that part out, I worked at a tire shop for awhile.

I believe for right now, he won’t be adding any bumpers/skids. Maybe rock rails and MAYBE skids. But he doesn’t know a ton about this thing but since I know a little about suspension and that the most common are OME, Dobinsons, ToyTech, I can help him a bit.

I’ll check out that forum bulletin and read up on it.

And just a question about your 32’s. Other than for the fact that you would be able to say you have 33’s, have you ever considered upsizing to 33’s? Such as have you ever been on the trail and gotten into something you felt like that extra inch would have been a big help?

 

[Billiebob]

check the SVO thread...

 

[Wanderlost]

We have some experience with building out the 4Runner and FJ Cruiser platforms.
If it's going to be a daily driver, mostly road miles, don't waste money on Icon, King, or Fox. In fact, those will likely produce a ride that he won't like on the street.
The ones you mention, OME, Dobinsons, ToyTech, are a fantastic place to start researching. Our preference is ToyTec.
Definitely stay away from spacer lifts. They WILL eventually bend a shock or two even when not offroading. A deep pothole is all it takes.
Tell him if he needs some help or direction to get in touch with us through our YouTube Channel.

 

[alexdnick]

We have some experience with building out the 4Runner and FJ Cruiser platforms.
If it's going to be a daily driver, mostly road miles, don't waste money on Icon, King, or Fox. In fact, those will likely produce a ride that he won't like on the street.
The ones you mention, OME, Dobinsons, ToyTech, are a fantastic place to start researching. Our preference is ToyTec.
Definitely stay away from spacer lifts. They WILL eventually bend a shock or two even when not offroading. A deep pothole is all it takes.
Tell him if he needs some help or direction to get in touch with us through our YouTube Channel.

Awesome I’ll tell him if he needs anything Wanderlost is the place to go on YT.

 

[Boort]

Thanks for the info. Yes it is a 5th gen, 2014. I am pretty knowledgeable able wheels tires so I think I’m good in figuring that part out, I worked at a tire shop for awhile.

I believe for right now, he won’t be adding any bumpers/skids. Maybe rock rails and MAYBE skids. But he doesn’t know a ton about this thing but since I know a little about suspension and that the most common are OME, Dobinsons, ToyTech, I can help him a bit.

I’ll check out that forum bulletin and read up on it.

And just a question about your 32’s. Other than for the fact that you would be able to say you have 33’s, have you ever considered upsizing to 33’s? Such as have you ever been on the trail and gotten into something you felt like that extra inch would have been a big help?

With mine I went with stock skids and RCI sliders to protect the lower sils, trying to conserve weight for gear and towing the trailer.

If he is not a DIY'er I strongly recommend finding a shop that will do the full mod in house. A buddy on the CO front range who updated his Tacoma with the Toytech kit and went to the place(s) they said to get it installed and aligned, ended up in about a year of finger pointing between the 3 companies as to who's problem it was when the ride was dangerously incorrect and would not stay in adjustment. He eventually got it resolved but not w/o a lot of hassle. This was one of the big reasons that I had Slee do my upgrade, most of the other shops I talked to were planning to send the alignment or other upgrade out or were familiar with Jeeps and only did Toyota's as a sideline.

To answer your question: I've been wheeling 31x10.5 R15's on my stock Tacoma for over 20 years with no problems, All around Colorado, Wy, Ut, Mt, and where ever else I've wandered. Went to 32's on the 4runner only because I was doing the lift since as stock it sat lower than the Tacoma and 32's filled the wheel-wells nicely w/o getting me into more trouble dealing with a Body Mount Chop, hammering here and there, etc. :D

Looks like @Wanderlost has chimed in, as mentioned they have an awesome YT channel with a lot of detailed upgrades for the 4Runner and FJ.

Boort