Install & Review- OME lift on '03 Toyota 4Runner

[Greg]

My wife's 2003 Toyota 4Runner needed some serious help in the suspension department. It worked well on mild dirt roads, but lacked ground clearance for more difficult travel. It also sagged a bit in the rear when loaded up with gear for a long weekend... something needed to be done.

After some research and checking out the information on the Cruiser Outfitters website, I ordered a 2" Heavy Duty Old Man Emu system from Kurt. I opted for the heavy-duty kit with 885 springs in the front and 895 spring in the rear. These springs are intended for V8-equipped and/or vehicles with heavy aftermarket bumpers and carrying heavier loads. Being that our 4Runner is a V8 and it will see weekend trail duty loaded up with gear, we chose the heavier springs. Eventually it would be nice to have a ARB bumper and winch on the front and maybe an aftermarket bumper w/ swingout tire carrier on the rear, so that is an option as well.

The suspension came quickly and the price and customer service were top notch, thanks Kurt! The parts sat in the garage for a few months, until I had a chance to steal the 4Runner from my wife. That's a hard thing to do, she loves that Toyota.

Here's some pics with the stock suspension. Tires are 265/70/17 BFG AT's, which rubbed just a tad since they were taller than stock.-

 

[Greg]

That was my first IFS suspension install and it was actually quite easy. I put the vehicle on 4 jack stands, under the frame, and let the weight off the suspension. The first matter of business was to unbolt the running boards. They usually got in the way and the added clearance under the rocker was a welcomed addition. Rock sliders may take their place in the future, depending on me convincing the wife that she needs them.

I started on the front first, since it was more involved than the rear. I unbolted the lower A-arm from the knuckle and removed the sway-bar at the knuckle. Then un-bolted the lower shock/spring assembly and the 3 upper bolts that hold the shock/spring assembly in place. From there it was a matter of wrangling the shock/spring out while keeping the other parts out of the way.

I did have to deal with the factory XREAS plumbing which was a bit of a headache. XREAS is Toyotas hydraulic sport suspension design. Basically all 4 shocks are linked together in a 'X' pattern. When you are cornering hard the shock that is compressing will send fluid to the shock in the opposite corner, making the vehicle more stable. Ok... I ended up with hydraulic fluid splattered in a few spots. Oh well!

The most difficult part about the install is compressing the new coil springs onto the new shock. In addition, you need to re-use the upper plate from the original suspension. I opted to let a local shop deal with the hassle since they had the equipment and experience with this stuff. I dropped off the new and old parts off at Safari Ltd in Grand Junction, CO and for a measly $50, they took care of the dis-assembly and reassembly of my new parts.

While they were dealing with the press, I left the parts there and headed back home to knock out the rear suspension. It was very easy, un-bolt the rear anti-sway bar, un-bolt the shocks and the rear springs pop out. Throw the new, beefier rear springs in, compress the suspension slightly and bolt on the new OME shocks. Lastly, bolt the anti-sway bar back into place and the back is done!

Here's some pics of the progress at this point.-

 

[Greg]

I got the front spring/shock assembly back from Safari Ltd the following morning and went to town. It was very easy to put together, almost easier than taking it apart. That's pretty rare! I'd say it took just over an hour to get the front spring/shocks back into place, then bolt up the knuckle and re-install the anti-sway bar. I tightened the lug nuts and realized that I was a bit too excited... forgot to take pictures of the installed front suspension before putting on the tires! I really wanted to see how this thing looked and drove with the new suspension!!

I pulled it out into the street, took some measurements and pics for comparison. I gained 2.5" of lift in the front and 3.5" in the rear. It looks much better, like it should have came this way from the factory. It was a real lowrider with the stock suspension, not much of a 4x4. Here's pics-

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Looks killer Great!

Can't wait to see it out on the trail. With a weekends worth of gear in the back it should handle just nicely down a dirt road at 75 mph.

The XREAS is a mess to deal with, I'm yet to find a way that doesn't leave a mess. Even worse is the new AHC system on the newer Land Cruisers, basically a computerized ride height control system You can either disable it and risk messing up periphreal items or do a computer hack and trick the computer into thinking it always needs to be full height. Vehicles are getting to the point where we can't do as much to them. Remember the day you could grab the distributor and time the motor with your bare hands and not a laptop

 

[LT.]

A job well done! The Runner looks much better. I have always thought that the 4WD 4Runners always looked like a two wheel drive and the two wheel drives look like low riders to some degree. How does the wife like it?

LT.

 

[Greg]

I decided to take the 4Runner out to Rabbit Valley for a quick run down the highway and some mild dirt roads. The drive around town was noticeably more firm, but not in a bad way. The front suspension is dialed in very well, it soaks up bumps and rebounds quickly. The rear is a bit more firm and seems to want more weight in the back. Its not bad, but you do notice that it's not a stock suspension. Driving at higher speeds on the highway the firmer suspension is right at home. It's very stable and feels more predictable.

I turned onto the dirt, seeking some rough roads. The 4Runner and it's new suspension really shined at this point... I was moving pretty fast, throwing the 4Runner into corners and over bumps, seeing how it reacted. Amazing... it was so controlled, you could really push it around and it felt right at home. With the added height, driving at speed the suspension really soaked up those big bumps and small washes. More up-travel with a stiffer spring really helped it's offroad prowess.

After pitching it around on the gravel road I did manage to set off the vehicle stability control... a few times. It is weird that I liked a computer driving for me? The rear-end would start to washout and it would automatically brake the rear axle only and straighten out the vehicle. I'll be honest with you... having a peppy V8, full-time 4WD, a great suspension and some good tires, I started feeling like this 4Runner was part Trophy Truck. :greg: It has some serious potential!! Just don't tell the wife.

I found some rocks to pull up onto just to test out the flex. It's no rockcrawler, but then again, it isn't meant to be. The Toyota ALTRAC traction control did it's job and I managed to get up on the rock with 'open diffs'. Having the tires at 35 PSI didn't help the 'rockcrawling' either. :busted:

I found a few more bumpy roads to test out the suspension on and decided that I was quite pleased with the Old Man Emu suspension. In my opinion the recent Toyota independent front suspensions are very well-engineered system... adding an inexpensive OME suspension to one really brings out it's offroad capability. It's no coilover and air-bump system, but it's about perfect for our needs, being a daily-driver and weekend warrior.

I will update this as time goes on and we get more miles on the new suspension. In the mean time, here are a few pics from the first trail ride.

 

[Greg]

Looks killer Great!

Can't wait to see it out on the trail. With a weekends worth of gear in the back it should handle just nicely down a dirt road at 75 mph.

The XREAS is a mess to deal with, I'm yet to find a way that doesn't leave a mess. Even worse is the new AHC system on the newer Land Cruisers, basically a computerized ride height control system You can either disable it and risk messing up periphreal items or do a computer hack and trick the computer into thinking it always needs to be full height. Vehicles are getting to the point where we can't do as much to them. Remember the day you could grab the distributor and time the motor with your bare hands and not a laptop

Thanks Kurt! It will be perfect loaded up with gear, I'm not complaining about the ride with it empty, it's just different. I can't wait to drive it down in Baja, over some whoops. It's not as rough as the FJ80 empty, but that is intended for hauling LOTS of gear, 90% of the time.

The computer control stuff is hard to work around, that XREAS suspension was a odd one. I'm glad it's gone and with the new suspension, I haven't really noticed a difference. I do like some of the technological changes... ABS is nice on gravel roads, the vehicle stability control is damn cool and the ALTRAC traction control works. It's choppy, but it does the job.

A job well done! The Runner looks much better. I have always thought that the 4WD 4Runners always looked like a two wheel drive and the two wheel drives look like low riders to some degree. How does the wife like it?

LT.

Appreciate it LT! I also thought they looked pretty sad when they're stock. I guess the general public wants a 4x4 that looks, feels and rides like a 'car', so that's what they build. 4 Wheel Drive cars...

The wife loves it! She likes sitting up higher and having her 4Runner look like a real 4x4 now. She was the one that begged me to remove the running boards... gotta love a woman like that!

 

[sixb]

The running boards was the first thing to come off on our new 04 durango and for some reason i can't even sell them on ksl?

I am the family man who needs a good family 4wd completly stock. Our durango is very low to the ground and i wouldn't have it any other way for hauling my kids around town and with the all wheel drive is the bomb!

The 4runner looks great though and alot more capable.

 

[SAMI]

I saw a gold 4runner in my hood yesterday with the OME suspension and thought of you Greg. It looked great, as does yours since it's identical... But the silver is far better than the gold.

God bless OME!!

 

[Kris K]

Looks great!