Watch This BEFORE Lifting and Modifying Your Truck!

In the front, the lower strut bushing also takes a sagging permanent set. Whatever change happens at the strut assembly, multiply by 2.2. That's the change at the hub flange.

 

I know the ostrich-brand leaf packs sag into a "W" shape in Tacomas within a year. Sad to hear their coil springs are equally bad, as I bought a set of 2895Es...

 

After 8 years of ownership I have yet to experience any handling issues with my stock 4Runner and I have owned much faster and sportier vehicles than it. I’ve also yet to see any soccer moms drive off the road in a corner due to their 4Runners handling. Some of these guys here are overly dramatic.

 

I haven’t noticed any sag either.

 

They are dramatic because they want to find a reason to justify their purchase instead of admitting they did the lift and wheels because they thought it looks cool and are scared to be called a mall crawler on the internet by some unknown person.

 

I think the issue with people modding 4Runners and Tacomas is that most people are chasing aesthetics. I'd say that generally speaking you have three categories of 4Runner/Tacoma owners:

The first category, and probably the smallest one, is guys that will actually push their vehicle to its limits and beyond. They'll modify their trucks with all the highest end upgrades because they'll actually put them to use. They know what they need and they understand the compromises each mod makes.

The second category is guys that will still put the vehicle to use, but not as extremely as the ones in category one. They either leave the vehicle stock, or make upgrades where needed. They won't keep stock shocks, but they also won't put on a full King set up because they know they don't need it.

The third category is the guys that mod their vehicle for the sake of modding it. They'll generally start threads that go like "Just got my first 4Runner, what mod should I do first?" They'll usually put -150 offset wheels and a 6 inch spacer lift on because it looks cool. Then they'll wire up every extra aftermarket light they possibly can.

It goes without saying that the people with problems manifesting are usually the guys in the 3rd category. Around where I live I see a butt ton of Jeeps that look like they crashed through an Autozone clearance bin. I'm all for people spending money however they want. But I never really understood the draw to bolt cheap Temu looking "upgrades" to an otherwise solid vehicle, whether it's a 4Runner, Tacoma, or Jeep. As far as aesthetics go, I think something that's made with function as a priority naturally becomes aesthetically pleasing on its own.

 

You forgot the 4th, and largest category of owners which are those who will not modify theirs at all.

 

If Toyota can't even get the main springs to last more than a year without sagging out of spec, can you imagine them trying to build durable turbo motors?

 

Yeah I was mainly referring to just people that do mods, but yeah most will be left stock

 

I've for the most part been in the 2nd category. I am not stingy if I decide to change shocks where I will pay for maybe not a full on king set up for road use, but I try to go mid tier at the very least. But unlike some others who swear by stock just out of abundance of caution, I grew up tuning offroad suspension on motor cycles and trucks so I already know a few trade off that is just recently been possible to mitigate with electronically controlled valve/damping adjustment on the fly, but that is still $$$$ today and still requires users to understand how the variables interact with each other.

Those who buy a "baja grade" shock-arm-lift kits are most of the time wasting their money since they are not using it the way they are designed. When Carli or King or whoever is reputable in the offroad game build a kit, they are not building it for the guy who wants Town Car level ride on city streets, every mm of travel and every cc of fluid is valuable in preventing bottoming on high speed G-outs and avoid packing on successive high speed hits.

 

Gotcha.

The 3rd category is probably the second largest. The thing is, some folks in that category will drop $5K on Kings or Fox, or whatever high end brand comes in their favorite color.

I probably fall in the second. I'm pretty hard on mine. But, I also realize that I don't need reservoir shocks for my use. I'm currently running OME MT64's and quite happy with them.

 

Good call on the reservoir shocks. The extra volume is great for sustained high speed (not vehicle speed but bump g force curve) operations but on the street, we will never get the fluid up to even operating temperature unless we are driving on surfaces like California highways that are chronically under-maintained(with gas tax siphoned off to pay for other things).

 

Haha! Even though I off-road fairly regularly, I think the best test of the MT64's so far was HWY 24 in Tennessee, east of Nashville, on the way back from Florida this spring.

 

I have seen raptors bottoming out on 680 and 101 that people take to get to the richest part of the world around Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Los Altos.

 

Sometimes I'm genuinely shocked at how bad the roads are in some areas. I just think how brutal it must be in a sedan or anything remotely sporty.

 

Don't forget Blackhawk and Danville.

 

I have actually caught air on a stretch of I680 near San Jose, self styled "heart of the Silicon Valley" going 70 because some of the joints between a ground level stretch and overpass section became so off set that there is a 6-8 inch step down in height, and CalTrans just put some asphalt as a down ramp for when traffic is slow, and when the freeway is flowing at 70-80, everyone does a impression of that Ferrari from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ironically my 25 year old Camry does great because its springs are sagging after 220k miles so the step down is softer. But the other direction....Yikes. People get flattires and cracked rims all the time in the SF Bay Area especially when rain season comes and potholes form due to poorly paved top layer. RIP Hondas and BMWs.

 

the number 3 and 4 lanes northbound there are brutal. Even I can't excuse how CalTrans can just leave giant globs of asphalt in potholes then call it a wrap when the "repair" ends up being 4-5 inch tall bumps in the road.

 

#3 lane southbound is just as bad.

 

I was going to say that but I was trying to be nice.
Here in eastern MA there is pretty much nowhere to legally off-road but I see overland rigs all over lately. There are 4Runners parked at office buildings with rooftop tents, awnings, spare fuel cans, etc. It’s comical and all for show. I even saw a Porsche a few days ago with all of that overlanding stuff bolted to it. Why drive around with all that crap on the truck at all times?

 

I had a 3in ome lift,285/75/16,full skids and sliders on myb2014 taco from 10k miles and it went to 150k miles with no issues... till I got hit head on and it got totalled

 

Haha this video is funny because most of it is true. Most of us modify our cars for the looks and so we can enjoy it offroad a few times a year.

 

I run the roads, a lot. East to west, i80 south, San Diego to Miami, Vegas to Charlotte, and a lot down in Baja.
Arguably the roughest stretch of highway in the country is i-20 mile marker 2 to 19 in Louisiana. This is a stretch that will max your suspension out, in bump and droop. It is not uncommon to feel your front shocks top out and feel like your tires leaving the ground. If you are towing a trailer you WILL see air under the trailer tires in your rear view mirror constantly. I would rather run the whoop road at plaster city at 85mph in a 1 ton than run i-20 thru Shreveport.
Second would be i-40 between Flagstaff and Seligman. There is a stretch coming out of the mountains west bound that has a ton of springs in the road and they freeze and bust the road all up. It was super bad and is constantly patched, they paved it about 8 years ago but its all busted up again already.
Third would have to be jackson mississippi. The roads are build on a red clay that gets "mushy" and the road beds move under the pavement and the pavement gets all wavy. They spent a fortune rebuilding i20 between jackson and clinton years ago because it was a rollercoaster. The roads in town are terrible and the city doesnt have the money to fix any of it. Its not uncommon to have pot holes that are FEET deep.

AND to top the list, not in the US but in Baja the roads are absolute crap in places. They do spend a ton of money on the main highways but south of El Rosario you better have Load Range E tires and spare parts.

 

https://www.wlbt.com/2021/08/20/tomatoes-growing-long-untouched-jackson-pothole/




This one has been dubbed the "hell hole"
https://www.wapt.com/article/jackson-massive-sinkhole-dubbed-hell-hole-denver-street/64445996


https://www.the-sun.com/motors/11312522/pothole-mississippi-sinkhole-driver-pedestrian-safety/


https://www.wlbt.com/2018/12/05/huge-pothole-scaring-drivers-employees-3/


Oh here is a good one, this is at the Metrocenter mall in Jackson.



Not just once
https://www.wlbt.com/2022/08/29/three-students-aboard-jps-bus-when-it-gets-stuck-pothole/


Not just twice
https://www.wapt.com/article/school-bus-gets-stuck-in-pothole/2097113


Third times the charm?
https://www.wlbt.com/2019/05/09/school-bus-full-kids-stuck-giant-pothole-jackson/


Fourths?
https://www.wlbt.com/2018/10/29/jps-school-bus-stuck-sinkhole/


Maybe its the drive for five?
https://www.wapt.com/article/jackson-school-bus-mishap-blamed-on-crumbling-infrastructure/38872217


Sixth to make it stick?
https://www.wapt.com/article/jackson-school-bus-gets-stuck-in-sinkhole/1899875

 

That describes I680 near San Jose that I mentioned. as I said I know my 4R tires left the ground just by going 70.

Gas here is still 4.50-5.50 depending on the area so there is that too.

 

Are you guys trying to justify suspension lifts because of bad roads?

 

I just like my stuff to look cool
I like big wide tires and it requires some lift to allow me to run big wide tires
I also want a nice smooth ride too
And quiet.... It needs to be quiet, thats always a plus.

 

4Runners forum : "Don't buy anything other than stock parts. The Toyota engineers know what they are doing, TCCN says so!"
TCCN : "Don't lift your vehicle, there's no use for it!"
4runners forum : "TCCN's an idiot! Toyota doesn't know WTF they are doing!"

 

Big tires and quiet generally don’t go together.

 

Hahahaaa