New To Leveling/Lifting!

Hey guys, this forum helped me before and I’m back for more info and advice! I’m wanting to level my ‘17 4x4 SR5. I’ve been doing some reading here and other sites to try to research but have some individual questions I can’t find exact answers to and hope y’all can give me some pointers! P.S. I’m very new to cars mods and apologize in advance for probably butchering the lingo and not fully understanding. Anyway here it goes.

I’m just wanting to level my T4R. At first the front spacer seemed perfect but then I read it causes a lot of strain on coils and can mess up your suspension over time. I plan on having my 4Runner for a long time so not sure I want to do this although I do zero to very little off-roading. Then I read more into this bilsteins 5100s. They seem great but pricier all around but I can go for it. My questions.

1. I’m not looking for a high lift. Probably just a 0.75” spacer in front for a 1.5” lift. Is it true about it being bad for truck overall? Even if I plan on doing very little off roading? Again I don’t want to do harm

2. With the bilsteins. I understand they are shocks but will they not cause the same tension on the coils that harm the vechile over time or will they come with the coils that fit it? Pardon my ignorance

3. I’ve read where some people say it’s best for a 1.75” bilstein on front and 1” spacer on the back with the bilstein. Will the spacer not cause the same damage as referred to when spacing the front??

4. If I do only bilsteins all the way around with no spacer in back my understanding is that 1.75” is level but any weight in back will cause a negative rake. But I have a 4x4 and a 30-40 lbs bull bar on the front. With so much weight in front I’m afraid if I just go with a 0.85” it won’t be enough for the aesthetic I’m looking for. Is this a valid concern or should I still just go .85”?

Any info will be appreciated. Thanks so much guys!

 

I'm not sure on the lift #s.

But I'm 100% against spacers. Just think a coil is meant to compress so much during normal travel. You are reducing this 24/7 with the spacer. A bunch of other crap but I would never recommend a spacer.

 

A spacer is the cheapest way to lift your truck. It will work, but will essentially extend your shocks so that they ride in an area of their travel that will give you a harsher, more uncomfortable ride. With mostly street driving and light offroading, you will be fine with a spacer, but I still do not recommend it.

The proper way to lift your truck would be to do it with longer coils. It will give you the best ride and performance both on and offroad. Get some 1.5" lift coils and the proper front shocks from Dobinsons. It will probably be roughly $500 which is a great value for proper suspension components that will last you a very long time. No need to do anything to the rear end right now unless you wanted to get a pair of shocks. You can do that later if you want.

The 1.5" lift in front will get you very close to being level but it will also give you enough room to put some weight in the back without going nose high.

I wouldn't worry about the weight of your bull bar. That's not enough weight to factor into the lift equation.

You could also go the Eibach adjustable strut option with your stock coils and set it to 1.6". This is better than a spacer, but it still makes you ride in an area of the shock that is not ideal. I personally have these on my truck and love them, but I will be adding a Dobinson coil to do the lift for me eventually.

Check these options:

https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/pro...rings-for-toyota-4x4-trucks-and-suvs-c59-296/

https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/pro...j-cruiser-2010-and-4runner-2010-2019-gs59700/

https://eibach.com/us/i-8910-pro-truck-sport-shock-ride-height-adjustable-single-front.html

 

This is great info. Thank you for replying and will look into all of these options.

Quick question. People say the bilsteins make the ride “stiffer” what exactly does that mean. With an upgrade in shock I thought they would give a smoother ride on the road?

 

Shocks have different valving schedules to them. That translates to how the shock will feel through its travel. Bilstein is notorious for having shocks that are valved firmer for our trucks and hence, will ride a bit stiffer. Some people like it and others don't.

Trust me when I tell you that the Eibachs I posted above are the exact same thing as the Bilstein 5100's, but with softer valving. They are much more comfortable on the street, even when you place the coils on a higher notch, like the 1.6" setting. It will feel a bit firmer than your stock shocks ride, but will not be jarring or stiff like some experience with Bilsteins. It's a very nice, positive feel.

Ultimately I think the Eibachs are a great choice and I love mine, but going the Dobinson route would be the best choice for the money you spend. If you don't like the yellow/teal color scheme of the Dobinsons, you can get any of their stuff black, red, or teal instead.