millerad1651

906s are good for towing. I have them, and have towed a decent size pontoon a few times, with no sag. As long as the weight on the trailer is distributed evenly, and all the weight isnt ont the toungue, you should be good to go.

LifeOnABoard

I still feel like the ride quality is floaty but much better over rough terrain. Some days I think the rake is fine but with a full tank of gas I'd like to put the 10mm trim packers in. Life is hard, thankfully, riding in my 4runner is not.

tripz

where can you get the rear spacers (10 mm trim packers)?

I did the swap myself w the 99 coils all around and Bilstein HDs, feels soft in the front under braking to be honest, but ride is smooth and soft

The rear needs leveling as it sags more than the front after the upgrade

poleclimber63

If you still have the truck how has your setup lasted? Did you end up changing the fronts again? An update would be great.

PS. I ended up putting my suspension upgrade aside as I had an engine failure and invested in a JDM engine and some Tundra brakes. After our last road trip at Easter, it REALLY is time to deal with the suspension!! I know its been 3.5 yrs since my questions, but my truck isn't a DD and it only gets driven for fun--- Winter and towing to the lake...

LifeOnABoard

Hi, I sold the Runner this winter. A co-worker gave me a good deal on his Impreza so I let it go. Was one of the saddest days to see it leave. It had 175k on it and as far as I know was on the original timing belt. It also had an un-visibile coolant leak so it just made sense to let someone else deal with the upcoming service.

The suspension held up fairly well. I think the shocks were getting soft, though. The front springs settled and always gave it a forward rake. If I had to do it again, I would. I did have to replace the front left axle but that's it. Most reliable vehicle ever. I'm more of a car guy, though. But spent 6 years and 100,000 miles in the 4Runner. Glad I did. The Impreza is in the shop right now getting paint. The Corrado is my current daily. After a long hiatus, I got the Corrado running and it became difficult for me to jump in the truck and drive such a tall, slow and lofty thing.

poleclimber63

wow, thanks for responding. Sad to see another 4runner depart a long term owner, but its gone to a good home, I hope! Thanks for the info, I feel more confident about purchasing 906's and along with them, some Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks. Now for the front...

Subaru's are really popular here in the Canadian Okanagan (few hours West of the Rockies), due to the Winter performance! That Impreza should do well, considering all the storms that have hit the East coast, the last 2 yrs!
A few years back, my wife and I drove to the East coast and up from NY visiting all stops in New England, including Bar Harbour, through Portland then up into the mountains and into Quebec---we loved Maine! Are you in the Portland area? By your pics, looks like a beautiful setting!

LifeOnABoard

Hi again. Thanks for the kind words. After responding I thought about it some more. Since the setup started to feel soft again, I think I would get some OME springs for the front and put the trim packers on the rear to ensure it looks balanced. The Moog springs in the front so cheaply made and the top of the spring isn't trimmed at an angle so it digs into the bushing.

Also, the +1 Goodyear Duratracs are a fairly stiff tire, improved the handling quite a bit. I'd recommend them to anyone who thinks their suspension is feeling soft.

I do live in the greater Portland metro, outskirts of Scarborough, actually. It is really nice here but the winters can drag on for way too long. That's cool you got to drive through!

The Subaru is a really fun car. It offers the on-road traction of the 4Runner and the zippiness of the VW. I'm going use it exclusively as I pursue a Master's degree.

Good luck with your truck!

poleclimber63

Thanks again for the advice! I was doubtful about replacing stock front springs and your experiences, I think has nudged me in the direction I was leaning anyways---- replacing the fronts with 880's. The 906's I bought are used, 18mos./10K miles on them--- the old owner moved up to a full lift>3". These springs have probably been broken it so the trim packers maybe required to level the truck---- again, thanks for your first hand experiences! I just put 2 sets of tires on last year so it maybe a while before the opportunity comes to try new ones.


In the future my Wife and I want to see more of the East. As my brother moved to Metro Toronto (Oakville actually) last year, this may be a starting point. After seeing the awful Winter storm Toronto has experienced the last few days, I totally see that the Winters can probably feel long... I'm originally from Vancouver where we have warm Summers and rain the rest of the year--- with maybe a window of 2 weeks where we may get some slush! Where I am, we get 4 seasons: great Spring --green and warm with some showers, 4-5 months of warm to hot Summer weather, nice Fall---some warm sunny days and cooler evenings, enough to become accustomed to colder weather in preparation for an awesome Winter with a reasonable amount of powder snow (awesome skiing).

Good luck on your pursuit of a Masters!