Picked up my new '96 T100 SR5 4x4 5 speed w/ 124k miles. Shocks look to be factory Toyota and they are completly shot, causing a pojo stick ride down the highway. I'm tempted by the Rancho RS9000 w/ remote control but I've read that nothing is better than Bilsteins. Where is the best (cheapest) place to order a set of Bilsteins?

I've read about 2" lift spindles for the front of T100's, where can I buy them? I want a 2" lift to fit some 285's on factory 16" wheels, I plan to use add-a-leaves on the rear. I'm trying to avoid a body lift. Can I just crank the front torsion bars to get 1.5-2 inches? They are way too soft as is and could use a stiffer ride already.

Sorry for all the questions but I need to get new shocks soon and wants to get the mild lift at the same time.

Thanks a lot!

I think those Rancho RS9000 shocks w/ remote control look pretty bad ass personally.

go bilstein 5100, i always bought rancho but went bilstein, never go back to ranchos every again...get a set of 5100s...youll need to convert the post to an eyelet for the top shock mount though.

If you have a 2WD, the only way to raise the front of your truck is with Downey Offroad upper control arms (DON'T use Fabtech's upper control arms) and cranking the torsion bars for 2-3" of lift and add a lift block in the rear to even it up. If you crank in 2-3" of lift, get an alignment done. You can cranking in 1/2" to 3/4" with the stock T-bars and control arms, but even with that, it's better to get a good set of aftermarket T-bars. Replace the stock T-bars with a set of 25mm Sway-away bars, they are great and hold the lift prefectly. To crank the T-bars, simple raise the front of your truck enough to get your front tires off the ground and turn the adjustment bolt at the end of the T-bars. As I recall, two full turns should raise it about 1/2". Mark your bolts to make sure you turn each side the same. There's a tech article somewhere on here to explain how to do it, but it pretty simple. There's no spindle lift for the 2WD. You probably read that Total Chao has a spindle lift for the 2WD T100--they do not. In the mid-90's Procomp made one but discontinue it. I wish I got a set of spindles back then. Spindle lifts are nice, no compromise on the ride quality after the lift. If you don't want to go with a suspension lift, you can always go with a body lift. The kit is only about $125.00 but the labor to install the kit will hurt you, probably $400-$500 conservatively.

since your talking about a 4wd you can clear 285s with a 1.5" ball joint spacer from SDORI.com or my favorite source 4crawler.com...

The spacer is inserted between the upper control arm and the ball joint, it requires a little trimming but all this is explained her... Linky

As far as the rear goes stay away from blocks, they cause a bit of axle wrap, add a leaf is too stiff, shackles arent a bad idea. Ill be installing a set of OffroadSolutions shackles in 2 weeks which ill be posting with information on the install, in addition ill also be installing a deaver 3 leaf add a leaf system that should provide a more tolerable spring rate with 1.5" of lift (these are designed for the tundra) the dimensions are however exactly the same.

Thanks for the info guys.

I ordered a set of Pro-Comp stock height ES9000 shocks for $130 shipped! My stock torsion bars and rear leaf springs are way too soft, like cadillac pojo stick too soft. I'm going to mount the Pro-comp shocks and see how the ride stiffens up.

I plan to install the 1.5 ball joint spacer and a rear add-a-leaf to stiffen the ride and decrease rear sag when loaded down. Anyone have a brand of add-a-leaf to recommend? Found some Trail Master AAL's for $65 shipped.

I assume that the stock length shocks will work with the AAL and the BJ Spacer as the stock shocks have tons of droop when you put it on a lift, enough to allow enough droop with a 2" lift I would think.

I then plan to get some 16" wheels w/ 285/75/16, some manual hubs, I'll be done for a while.

you should be okay...ive got a superlift AAL in the rear now...but it is way too stiff. Im getting the deaver triple pack for $175 from wheeler's offroad with u-bolts which should be worth every cent over a single thick AAL. the bed of my truck is empty most of the year so the superlift add a leaf wasnt working for my light load.

If the new shocks stiffen up the rear suspension, I will likely use extended shackles to lift the rear instead of an AAL. I'll have to at least look at those triple AAL, I'm sure they are much nicer to drive on with an empty bed.

for a little less Rancho makes a 2 leaf AAL system available at Offroad solutions, however they dont come with u-bolts, im not a big fan of reusing them. Wheeler's sells the deaver triple with your choice of u-bolt sizes...6.75 and 7.75" after removing my AAL and 2" blocks i figured the 7.75" will be about 3/4" too long but didnt want to risk it with 6.75" bolts.

Anybody with stock rear spring setup know the stock length???

Stock rear Ubolts are 6.75" on a 97