Leveling kits

Hey guys. Hoping someone here will have experience with this, good or bad, and is willing to shed some light on the Pros and cons of installing a leveling kit. I own a 2019 4R ORP, stock except for the tires. I bought the car used and it came with 265s which I have replaced with 275 Ko2s. Nothing else has been changed. I was wondering about investing in a leveling kit next. Not sure what the exact height difference is at the moment because we have quite a bit of snow and ice on the ground, so getting an accurate measurement isn't easy till I can get the car washed and have it measured in the wash bay. My guess is about 2 inches. That being said, I heard once you get 2 inches of lift, of any kind, other issues start to arise, like the coils being too close to the UCA, and added wear on the CV joints, and ball joints on the UCA, to name just a few. Has anyone experienced any of these?

I'm sure some people are going to say, "don't bother with the leveling kit and just go with a proper lift kit". If this is you, ok, now tell me why, and tell me something other than the suspension travel. I've already looks into that.

I'm liking the cost of the leveling kit vs the full suspension lift. I know the ride quality will take a bit of a hit, and I know the travel will too. Not a huge concern for the type of off-roading I plan of doing. I'm not looking to do extreme trails or rock crawling. However, if I need to start replacing the whole IFS system piece by piece....you know where this is going.

So, hopefully you guys can shed some light on this. TIA for any info you can throw my way.

 

Leveling kits are not a bad thing if you dont expect them to be an "upgrade" to the suspension. They are far from that. They do exactly what the name implies... They level it out. Kits like the Rough Country, Westcot and others are perfectly fine to use IF YOU USE THEM AS THEY ARE INTENDED! That wasnt for you, but for all those that dont understand and will tell you what you said in your original post.
If you get a kit that goes on top of the upper mount, they are a little easier to install and will not change your ride quality. Others that go between spring and upper or lower perch require disassembly of the shock to install. They "may" add a little stiffness to the ride quality, but I haven't heard many complain about it.

I put a 2F/1R spacer lift on my '16 to warm the wife up to a lifted runner. It worked as I am now deciding what Im going to buy as far as a full on suspension set up.

 

Thanks for the input. Did you find any issue after the install like those I mentioned earlier?

 

Nothing noticeable. Have not seen and added wear on any component, cvs still look good, no leaks, no squeeks. Had a friend put it on the alignment rack after and everything was still in the green, but there was some places that should be adjusted. I plan on doing that after my full kit install.

Does your ORP have the Fox set up or standard?

 

Standard

 

Here’s my story regarding spacer lifts,

https://www.4runners.com/threads/shock’ing-discovery.26659/

 

My son is a Cornfed dealer, he can answer any questions you have about spacers. He installs their kits as well as sells them if you live in the Charlotte NC area. DM him on here @2016 4Runner SR5 or text or call him at 631-202-8245.

 

Slopemaster, This is exactly what I was afraid would happen. Not exactly sure how much you lifted tho. In the back you mentioned a 1 inch spacer at first, but later you mentioned 3/2 spacers. Does that mean 3 up front and 2 in the back? I wasn't planning on adding a spacer in the back at all, just a couple inches (or whatever is needed) in the front to level it out. I appreciate the info big time. Confirmed my suspicions.

 

It was a 3/2 Readylift kit. The truck rode and drove fine with the spacer lift. The problem was with the 2” lift in the back, every time I drove over a rock or curb the rear shocks would bang because they were topping out. I discovered that I only had 1” of down travel in the back.

With the 3” lift in the front (1.5” spacer) the front would over extend causing the UCA to impact the coil springs.

Personally, I would leave the back alone and maybe go no more than a 1/4” spacer in the front.

Whatever you decide, jack up a corner and see what you get. From my research, the Wescott spring perch spacer seems like the way to go short of a full coil/shock upgrade.

Good luck

 

I appreciate your input. Very informative. Thank you very much

 

We did the leveling kit when we first had our 4Runner. It is like post #2 stated, it is by NO means an upgrade for the suspension. We did a RevTek kit , a 3/2, it worked o.k., no ill effects, and we took it off-road a dozen times, limitations for sure, now we are getting set to get a 'real' lift.

 

I’m not looking to increase performance or add a ton of clearance. Part of this is due to budget, but I hate how the 4Runner looks with its back end up higher. All I want to to is level it out. I know it’s not a suspense upgrade

 

It sounds like the Cornfed 1" levelling spacer would be just what you need.

 

Is Cornfed spacers the go-to in the US? I live in central Alberta Canada. Not sure if these are cheaper or more expensive than what I can find here, but I might be willing to support a fellow forum member. Not looking for the cheapest but not the top of the line either

 

We ship all over the world. Shipping to Canada is not a problem. Is it the go to? After 24 years in business making Toyota truck spacers exclusively, I’d like to think so.

 

Here’s a couple of videos you may find of interest.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_68Hc8GtLko

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l1tTelhdEiM

 

Nothing says you have to use spacers to level out your '19 ORP. I went the route of using Eibach shocks, with the front clip set to .85, nothing in the back as far as lift (just the Eibach shocks) and I am very satisfied with the results. I have no issues with tires hitting control arms, lack of alignment, or any other problems. I thought the ride improved also. I don't know if you have KDSS or not, but I do, and still was able to install this myself with a little patience and the right tools. BTW, my tires are still the oem size - I have no desire to introduce any other variables to the performance of my 4R.

Plenty of people on here have gone the Eibach (also Bilstein 5100) route to level their 4R.

 

Careful. There is a whole bunch of people who even told me you don't need a lift to fit 33in tires. (in my case 285/70R17) but I had to get a lift. There is a whole thread people gave me all theories but not helped me to drive daily.

 

There’s way more bad info on the internet, including this thread, than there is good. Lots of people reposting what they’ve read with no real world experience. For a 285/70/17 generally speaking a 2/1 or 2.5/1.5 is idea. Wheel spec plays a big part in fitment as well. A wide wheel or negative offset causes a lot of rubbing issues. Especially under a limited with all the extra plastics.

 

I was the 2016 4runner new then the left driver side was dropping .. the passenger side was dropping ... sept 2016 I used the spring nut one driver side ... then the spring nut 2 of the spring on the lower spring area ....the 4 runner is the same left /right inches .. also the gas tank was the 1/2 of the gasoline .
now today my tires are rotated every year and the tires are the same wear .. I also did the toe adjustment .. the front axle joints are straight .
I was the money 20 bucks !2016 !

 

I've been doing a ton of research on the 5th gen 4Runner since I got mine a year ago, and even before buying it. The tires I have now, 275/70/r17 are the biggest I can get without a body mount chop. It's also the size I have. Not sure why the 285s were mentioned previously. My tires are also Ko2s, which I think fit differently than the Open Country's do. Pretty sure I could have fit 285 Ko2s with no or very little issues ON THE ROAD, but as soon as I hit the trails and put them through a series of flex situations, the issues would be massive. With the 275s, no rubbing anywhere. I'm using the OEM wheels because I know they work. No offset issues there. And also, I haven't mentioned this earlier, but I recently did the viper cut. Not because of potential issues down the road, but because I like the looks of it, and also it opens up the front of the tires for approach.

 

I appreciate your response here kmeeg, but there's a few things that bother me about your post. First off, I don't have 285s or the Open Country tires, or after market rims. Also, I don't put a whole lot of weight into photos of tire clearance when sitting on flat pavement. If you have a 1/2 inch of clearance in this situation, it doesn't mean you'll have that clearance on the trail. Yes, my front bumper has been trimmed (viper cut), but I haven't pushed my wheel forward or flattened my mud flap. One issue I'll bet you had though is hitting the body mount under flex. If you turned your wheel a bit more to the left in that photo you would have shown that. Yes, my 4R is my daily driver, but I bought it strictly for the purpose of hitting the trails. Over the years I plan on converting it to a full blown and geared overlanding rig. I'll eventually get the lift and all that, but I'm restricted by budget right now.

 

LoL, OK

 

The picture posted below is a 1” front only with a 275/70/17 In terms of a BMC, there’s no reason to ever do it. I run a 295/70/17 on a 2.5/2 kit with no BMC. It’s all about the proper wheel choice. I actually ran the same tire with a 1.5/1 kit with nothing more than the fender liner mod. The internet will tell you that’s impossible though.

 

1.5/1 with a 295/70/17 Wheels are FX Pro 17x8 with 0 offset which is the ideal spec under a 5th gen 4Runner. Like I’ve said before, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Take advice from people with experience.

 

Do you know if the reference to 1" front levelling kit is the spacer size or the resulting lift? Thanks.

 

I was the 2016 4runner the front springs ..coil spring booster nuts ....the driver side spring one nut ...the pass side 2 nuts ...
the bottom of that spring is the nut ... 7 years ago no issues ...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mr-Gaske...vg8T&athancid=124417752&athposb=0&athena=true

 

1” front lift used a 1/2” thick spacer on top of the coil over assembly. Call or text me at 631-202-8245 for more information or to order a kit.