I'm trying to decide if I should get a 4" lift on my 95 4runner or just upgrade the suspension to heavy duty (ie. emu,downey,etc.) and leave stock height. I've always had lifted vehicles but then had to upgrade many parts which costs money and for what? For satisfaction? I offroad partime and feel I can get away with stock and not worry about upgrading half the vehicle. I tow alot, I haul alot, and commute alot. There is also alot of stress on different parts of the vehicle when lifted, as we all know. Is it worth it for the look and agressiveness? Opinions are appreciated. I'm looking at the big picture and dont want to spend unneccessary money. I'm also thinking of gas money. Bigger tires means less miles per gallon.

 

if you arent going to do much offroading and dont want to sepdn the $ for looks.... jsut toss on bigger tires..... no need to lift it

 

i have 31s on there already. dont want to go higher than that without a lift...I think i'm just gonna go for the downey susp. already...my wift doenst know but i'm buying them this week. this is why i'm trying to make my decision now...

 

on my 92 Runner i just got 32" Dueler A/T's without any rubbing and without any mods and i left my suspension stock except for RSX9000 shocks and i offroad every weeked and i have no trouble what so ever. If you lift it that high your going to be a lot more top heavy and have a tendancy to lean and roll a lot more. If you have 32's on you'll have enough clearance to do most of anything hopefully you take off the running boards cuz that helps.

 

32s will rubb if you wheel if no other mods are made.....

 

great info...thx

 

The way I see it, a lift makes a truck harder to sell and the combonation of a lift and tires can drain the power and gas milage significantly. On top of this is the origonal cost of the lift and tires. Just doesn't add up for me. Sure my truck would look that much cooler and it would be a little more fun off road but how practical is that? I am vary happy with my downey hd coils.

 

I have 32" Roughrider At's on my runner with no other mods, the only place they rubbed was on the front valance. It was all bent so I took it off, and no more rubbing......

 

If you just do mild off roading, just put on some 31" muds, like a Truxxs M/T, then same up for a selectable rear locker and get a winch for the front. with those, you will be able to do a lot more than if you lifted, put on bigger tires, but didn't lock the rear or get a winch. Trust me, that's what I wish I had done.

 

It's your decision, but I'm very pleased with my Downey HDs, and if you're only doing mild to moderate off-roading the stock rig is very capable. I was leaning toward getting 32s, but had to ax myself "why?" Yes they would look cool, but the effective lift is only 1/2". Just get rid of that rear sag and I bet you'll be content. And have more $ in the bank.

 

i've left jeep and ford explorer driver slack-jawed with the capabilities of my mostly stock 93 4runner.

for the $ and functionality, i personally think the HD coils and premium shocks with 31" or 32" tires are the way to go. only other thing i plan to do is upgrade the torsion bars to 25mm, crank them a bit to even it out better, and switch to manual hubs.

"silly rabbit, lifts are for kids!" nah, it's all just personal preference, really.

 

oh yeah, my running boards are coming off, too... i'm just gonna replace them with step bars so my dogs at least have something to help them up and in...

 

I say upgrade the suspension. Lots of guys run lifts here, but lots of them wheel hard. I am definetly not a fan of people jacking up their rigs and then driving around town with them...some people dig it but IMO if you arent gonna use it dont get it.

 

My problem with the 4" lift is that it raises the height without really doing anything for your overall suspension preformance... Same flex just 4" higher, which can be bad in some situations...

I would recommend new shocks and bump stops, and heavy duty springs and torsion bars. You will end up with a completely different vehicle that has much better flex while sitting around 3" higher than stock anyway. If you add in a 1" body lift you will be able to clear 33" tires, and then you'll be ready to rock!

I'd say I've speant around $500 on my total lift (not including tires and rims, duh) and I'm quite sure it outperforms the Rancho or ProComp 4" lifts...

I have my eye on a Total Chaos Caddy system for my front end, a guy I know may be selling his soon to upgrade to something better, then things could get VERY interesting.

 

I'd say leave it stock. It sounds like your truck is plenty capable for the kind of offroading you do. Is it worth it just for the looks? Only you can answer that, but for my part I'd say no.

That's why I haven't jumped on the modding bandwagon. If I did, I would spend money on tires and lockers before I got a lift.

 

great advice everyone....thanks....i'm buying the downey hd coils this week and buying lockers before the fall....