Rick13

OK, more of the the rear is a no-brainer in my opinion, but I'm not sold on the front just yet (but I'll try it this summer):

Just placed my order today. Really nice folks and I like the thought of supporting a shop that is actually supporting our vehicle. As with others, I'll post up my take on the benefits of the install.

I didn't have the need to relocate the breather tubes, but I did exactly what was previously suggested. Took the breather off the front diff and walked it in to the local O'Reilly's. We walked to the back and matched it up to a similar diameter tube (of compatible composition) that was about 5" longer. So $4 and 10 minutes later I was good to go.

Yeah, I'm not sure about the 3" lift coil from Old Man Emu...at least not for the R50. I will have my AC 2" rear lift coils up for sale soon though!!! Yeah I know... and

I wouldn't get our hopes up on this one. It was my understanding that the European version of the 4Runner had exactly the same stock suspension spec's as that in North America. I don't have any of my original notes from my research, but I believe the 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, and 4th Gen all had coils that were smaller in ID/OD than we require. I think the ID was something around 4.25" or even a little smaller. I'm NOT trying to be a Debbie-Downer about this, I truly hope that nenook has found something revolutionary.

No joke. Congratulations...

What year Surf (IIRC it's a 4 Runner in the states) did you pull them from? Thanks!!!

Actually, I thought they were the same - wider on the body side than on the axle. I know that my Rancho 9000's fit at the axle but needed the body-side mounts to be "persuaded" (compressed) a little to make a tight fit on the shock. Haven't measured, but maybe I can when I install the rear components next weekend.

Sorry, late on the draw on this one. Good find on the links. I'm also planning on welding my rear spacers, just hadn't done it yet. I put blue locktite on all bolts when installing and torqued them beyond belief, but I'm worried about the lateral stresses. I'm probably going to order the Jackson "missing link" also... Any ways, this was more of an FYI post...sorry if it clutters.

Yep, I did the same - ES9000's. I just made sure the Extended/Compressed lengths looked appropriate and I know several people that run these and love them. $32 each at 4 Wheel Parts in Denver - sweet deal. My recommendation (and I am no expert) is to find a shock you like/can afford and then research the lengths to make sure it fits your particular application. I think a good guess for a SFD that is NOT "stacked" on a 2" coil spring lift would be a shock that doesn't extend more than 26-27". I'm not sure about compression length, but maybe something around 15". Again, just a guess for your application of a 4" SFD only.

If I get a new bumper, I'll probably go local/custom, BUT, I think that looks really good. Seriously, very nice.

Sweet.

I went with the Yellow Top based on my Jeeper friends at work that swore by them. They all run winches. I've also heard the Die Hard Platinums are identical to Odysey in case you've looked that direction.

Yeah, this is why we shouldn't have this topic and confused it with what to do with a SFD. My original post was only concerning what I ran with a 2" AC lift - 3.75" bs rims with 31" AT's (even though I think a 32" tire of a certain diameter/width would also work fine). That's pretty simple. The next question I responded to was concerning plans for a SFD. After the I installed the SFD I decided to run the same backspaced rims as before but with the larger 33" tires, BUT it took a TON of research and 1 test fitment to confirm it could be done. I also mentioned in that post that I'd be very concerned about going beyond 3.75" bs because of the turning arc (and rubbing) and tucking during rear flex. I was NOT suggesting running 33's with the 3.75" bs rim with only the 2" lift. I know you did it quite successfully Andrew, but I just have no experience with that so I don't even want to comment on it. Again, these are two separate topics combined in to one post (which might help someone who plans to transition from an 2" coil lift to the SFD), but otherwise I'm affraid it will only confuse those who have no plans to go SFD nor have they been researching this stuff for the past 24 months...I realized it a page of posts ago that I should have PM'd my responses, it would have been cleaner. My apologies.

Yeah, I've read that thread which is why I researched tires so thoroughly before purchase (mine are just under 11.5" wide section width). No matter what a person chooses, I'd suggest a test fit prior to purchase. I had one test fit and found it to be well worth it.

Nice. Those were a bit more expensive than mine (from 4 Wheel Parts also) but I think they look a lot better!

Funny, I just put my spacers up for sale on Craigslist here in Denver. They are from ezaccessory.com and I got them with tax/delivery for $94 (U.S.). I believe they make 1, 1.25, and 1.5 inch spacers (technically called an adapter, but they don't really adapt anything). They really seem like a quality product, but I just don't need them with my current rims/tires. Just wanted to post up about them, I think they'd work well for you...and no, I'm not marketing mine (they should be sold this Saturday to a very interested buyer), just thought I'd post up about the spacer that you might be looking at. BTW, I think we use 12 x 1.5 inch thread studs.

Yes to both.

Oh yeah, after all that rambling... I actually ended up ordering the bolt-on coil perch adapter from Krypton Fab (Shift220). I have the ES9000 rear shocks (Manuf #929500). I ordered/received the WJ 4" lift coils. I still need the longer brake line and figure something out regarding the PHD bar bracket. I'll post up once I get it all installed. Plan on taking photos and making a new topic for it. Uh oh, my apologies...

My best answer? It depends. Personally, my biggest concern was that 3.75" bs wasn't going to be enough to clear the lower coil seat with a typical 33" (285/75/16). My current tires (GY DuraTracs) have a section width of just under 11.5" and a tread width of just under 9" so this picture of my current setup might give you an idea of what you can fit with other 33's: I thought that Mickey T made a rim that had 3.25" but I couldn't find it with a quick web search just now...oh well. I think other people have added longer studs and put a true spacer in. Others have "adapter" spacers (that don't adapt anything, just push the wheel out). My bigger concern with a less backspaced rim than 3.75" would be rubbing from the increase in arc and also (and very importantly) not being able to tuck them out back. So, long story long, the 3.75" may actually be the best bet for our rigs, not sure, just my experience. I really like that it only sticks out just enough that you can view your tire position and gives it a nice stance.

Well, I've had the Rancho struts for 3.5 years and 40K miles. I've abused them beyond belief and they were wonderful. They were wonderful until 3 weeks ago when I blew one up doing something stupid - seal went bad and leaked all over the wheel well. I'm going with the KYB GR2's only because I want to see for myself the difference. I'll probably generate a brand new post because I might be the only person who had the Rancho's for so long and then switched to KYB's. I will freely admit though that I drove my friends R50 with the KYB GR2's and it seemed "smoother"...but maybe that's because he has and ARB sahara bar with a winch to help keep the front end feel settled and not so firm. Good luck.

I have yet to install them, but I purchased the Pro Comp ES9000. I have 2 Jeeper friends that swore by this same shock and I couldn't argue with the price with my 25% discount coupon from 4 Wheel Parts a few weeks ago - seriously, they were practically "cheap". They were for a 2000 F250 (Manufacturer #929500) so I just made sure the extended/compressed length were desireable - 29.8" extended and compressed is 17.3". Should equate to some decent flex without much limitation. I'll update once installed/tested - about 3-4 weeks from now.

I like how simple/clean it looks. With lights and a winch that will be a slick/functional setup. Very nice...makes me wish I had skills.

No problem. I think a lot of us have done things differently than eachother, but we all talk the same game, so you could probably get quite a few differing opinions on lifts, rims/spacers, tires... Finding what works for you and your situation based on all our opinions/experiences has been interesting and fun for me over the past few years. Good luck. But one more thing, if I could go back in time I would have gone with 3.25" backspace rims (like a Mickey Thompson II) instead of my 3.75" backspace Pro Comp steelies. That makes it quite a bit easier to go to 33"+ in the future...I had to select my 33" tire based on section/tread width and not just what tire I like best (mostly because I don't like spacers/adapters). Yet another opinion based on my personal experiences...