Alright. Until I actually make some modifications and what not, this should be my last thread.

I should start with-- I know next to NOTHING about shocks. I am a bit biased towards Bilstein, as both of my Bimmers use these, and I love them.

I am more than content with my stock ride height on my 1987 SR5 4Runner. I just want to replace my 22 year old shocks. I am curious what will fit, not make my ride rough, and not require any cutting or anything. Price really is not an issue. I have my eye on the Rancho RS9000X's, I just really have no idea if they will even work.

Enlighten me with your knowledge and opinions, please.

Alex

 

our 88 4runner has monroe's on it....,my 92 truck has some sort of garage-guy no-name blu ones on it.

always liked the look of the blisteins though...are the rs9000's the adjustable ones or not?

on the same kinda note, i have seen the dreaded rear sag, but this one doesn't have it......so i want to know how many leaf springs should i have and how would i know if that's already been taken care of. i'm saying that because if your's has it , probably would be a good time totake care of it when changing shocks while you are in the neighborhood.

as far as shocks go, i had RANCHO 5000's on my truck for years and like i said the 4runner has monroes. one of my ranchos rusted out and snapped one day though(thought i was on fire because the oil went all over my muffler). but based on that our weather and your weather are probably equally lousy in the winter with road salt and all, probably anything will rust.

 

Thanks for your input. Yes, the 9000's are the adjustable ones.

I do not notice any sag right now... I could be crazy though. I won't see my Runner for another month or so, so I will have to check.

What all does changing shocks entail? Is it as easy as un-bolt that, replace with this?

 

i gonna have to say yes......never did it myself, but the over-priced mechanic that did it actually didn't kill me when he did it, so i'm gonna say it must be simple.

when he charged me $60 to put on an a/c belt, i stopped going to him.

i do have a better mechanic now though.

what's the advantage of the adjustable??? i've found my tres have more to do with the ride than anything. running stocks gves me a punishing ride but 31's are soooooo much better.....obviously it's a more cushioned ride.

why won't you see it for a month???

 

I am away from home for work.

I really have no idea of the advantage. I know NOTHING about these things. They were just the most expensive/nicest looking. Figured they were the best, haha.

Alex

 

one thing i just thought of....since we both have similar weather, all you stuff is probably just as rusted in place as my stuff is.....might not be something to dig into by yourself.

 

Just as a thought for you to ponder.....
what are you doing to be doing with the 4runner? i.e. Don't put smooth riding michelins on a rock crawler you're going to bash. If you're going to replace your shocks, don't think about looks, think of function. Try looking at old man emu or anyone else who deals primarily with toyota, I don't have them on my truck but I haven't heard anything bad about them.

 

Bilstein are awesome shocks for Yotas; they are a simple bolt-on with two bolts/nuts each shock. Spray the hell outta the old ones with PB Blaster a couple of days beforehand so you can get them off! you'll need locking pliers to hold the front shock shafts while you remove the top nut.

 

I'll chime in with a plug for the Monroe Synsatracs (spelling?). They are OEM replacements for most of our rigs, the price is great from Napa and they ride like a dream.

This reminds me that I need to replace the ones on my 4runner.........


edit: Linky--> http://www.napaonline.com/masterpage...=7&SubCatId=10

 

For a DD mall crawler etc just go buy some OEM replacements at your local auto parts store.

If money is truly no issue just go to the dealr and let them put you on some.

 

My 4Runner will just be used for driving up to the mountain to snowboard, beach to surf, and the occasional trip down a trail or logging road.

With that said, I don't want to take it to the dealer, because I am trying to steer away from that. I want to try and learn how to do these sort of things myself. I just don't know what would be best for me.

I am by no means going to go up Pikes Peak with this thing, just replacing 20 year old parts with more functional pieces.

TNRabbit, do you know which Bilsteins I would need?

Junkers88, so far you've given me nothing but good information, however, The only Monroe shocks I am seeing on NAPA are for the front, and with my bias to Bilstein, I think I will go that route. Thank you, though.

Alex

 

F4-B46-1139-H0 Front
F4-B46-1140-H0 Rear
from here pg 22
http://www.bilsteinus.com/305bilstei...ationguide.pdf

Yes, you can do this.

 

BLKNBLU,

Thanks a lot. That really helps a ton. You're the man.

Alex

 

I just did a build on my rig and have a set of Rancho RS5000's for a stock height first gen Runner availalbe. You can have them for $20 each, they have 5k miles on them.

Easy to replace, just unbolt and bolt them in. As said above, spray them a few days before with some type of penetrant to make the hardware removal easier.

Mike

 

Mike,

Thanks for the offer, but I have already ordered the Bilsteins.

Take care,
Alex

 

Mike,

Thanks for the offer, but I have already ordered the Bilsteins.

Take care,
Alex

 

In that guide, when they say "lifted suspension only" odes that mean already lifted or to be lifted?