This may be a bit of a newbie question; forgive me if I'm in the wrong forum. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

I didn't like the sagging rear end of my truck, so I decided to even things out the cheapest way I could think of: cranking the front torsion bars and actually lowering the front end until it was even with the rear.

Now, the truck looks great, but I've noticed that it feels like it's got no give at all in the suspension. I mean, when I hit even small parking lot speed bumps, it's like BAM and the CD player skips and everything. Am I harming the truck? Should I crank the front back up again? Is there anything I can crank up in the back? Any other (hopefully cheap)(cheaper) suggestions for the age-old problem of the sagging rear?

Ted
'94 4Runner 3VZE 5-Speed
'91 Camry 3VZFE Automatic

If you look at the front suspension, you have only so many inches of up and down travel. The torsion bars set where in that range of travel your front suspension sits. Cranking the bars to lower the front end moves things closer to the upper bump stop. This means hitting a small bump will cause the suspension to bottom out, causing the rough ride. One cheap thing to try is trim back the upper bump stop to get a little extra up travel.

For the rear, you have a number of options:

For coil springs:
Coil Spring spacers or new, longer coil springs would give some added lift. Or some folks even add air bags inside the rear coils for adjustable lift.

For leaf springs:
Add-a-leaf spring, either purchased or junkyard spring pack would help give the rear slift block is another option, between the axle and spring. A longer spring shackle can also give some rear lift.

Add-a-leafs? Dosent he need new coils or coil spacers?

Oops, didn't see it was a 2nd gen (or perhaps that was added later), but yes coil spring spacers would be a low cost option. Or new coils for the back if the sagging is due to carrying extra weight.

Don't you mean the lower bumpstops? Lowering the front of the truck would bring the A-arms higher, which means they would be coming into contact with the lower bumpstops.

You can easily inspect to see how much travel you have with the t-bars cranked down. Just take a peak under your truck and see how much space there is between the lower A-arm and the bump stops.

Whatever bumpstop is getting too close and hitting when you lower the front suspension. I forget how the IFS bumpstops are set up, I was assuming the uptravel bumpstop was on top, but if it is on the bottom, then trim that one.

Thanks for all the response. It sounds like I could be damaging the front end of my truck by constantly bottoming out the front suspension, so I guess I better crank the torsion bars back up near where they were.

For the back, I have coil springs, so I guess either the spacers or new springs. Obviously the spacers would be cheaper, but is there any disadvantage there?

And hey, 4Mudder, how long have you been in Japan? I was in the Tokyo area for almost 10 years. I didn't drive at all during that time, but had a blast.

Ted 1994 4Runner 3VZE 5 Speed

PPS Any way I can find out the original length of my stock rear coil springs when the truck was new?

Ted 1994 4Runner 3VZE 5-Speed

Yeah crank it back up, I've seen lower control arms bend slightly from bottoming out too hard.

Yes, it is the lower bump stops you are hitting on, the upper ones limit the amount of droop.

The FSM may have specs on the normal free lenght of the rear coils.

I hear you guys got some rain out there in AZ. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ho yeah, big rain, though nothing compared to Crescent City or Mississippi. The Santa Cruz "River" in Tucson, which is normally a dry sand bed, was eleven feet deep and flowing at 17,000 cubic feet per second. Still, absolutely nothing compared to New Orleans now.

I cranked my torsion bars back up a bit, and it rides a lot better now. I think I'll give it a few more turns though, 'cause the front suspension still bottoms out on bigger bumps. My next project is going to be Downey heavy duty coils in the back... gotta save me some money first though...

Ted '94 4Runner 3VZE 5-Speed 31" BF Goodriches