Lifted to Perfection

An Elka Suspension mod made the grade for this Toyota 4Runner

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Words and photos by Peter Boyer

Like its predecessors, the 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner TRD is a formidable off-road vehicle just in stock trim, right from the dealer’s lot. So why is the suspension commonly one of the first mods among many off-roaders?

Manufacturers design and build vehicles that appeal to a global customer base, and the OEM suspension on new 4Runners is a compromise for the masses, yet it may not perfectly fulfill all the specific needs for all 4Runner owners. Fortunately, a vast aftermarket exists for Toyota 4X4 vehicles, which include several options for modifying 4Runners. But therein lays the conundrum – with so many options, which one will look and work the best for specific needs and applications?

To determine the answer, I purposefully left out the lowest cost option – spacers. A spacer degrades the performance of the stock suspension in order to achieve one purpose – to raise the vehicle by inserting what amounts to a fat shim at one end of the spring to raise the suspension by the thickness of the spacer.

Inexpensive, sure, but since I was interested in improving other characteristics of my 4Runner suspension, as well as achieving a mild lift, I avoided any levelling or lift kits based solely on spacers. I'm not against spacers (as you will see later), as they have an important function, but they not a sole method of lifting a vehicle.

So, what are my needs? To clarify them, I grouped them into three categories:

Aesthetics

Toyota 4X4s looks best with some amount of higher ground clearance. This is perhaps reflected from their heritage in the first models and the modern 4Runners are no exception. As 4Runners became larger and less truck-like, they seemed to evolve with a lower profile with each generation. The current 5th Gen 4Runner may have the most off-road capabilities yet from Toyota, except for the top of the line TRD Pro. The proportions were greatly improved with some extra, even modest, height. By comparison, the Pro adds 1” of lift to its aftermarket-style front suspension and retains the stock rear springs, thus gaining an almost level, robust stance. This is similar to the type of modest profile I wanted for my rig.

Performance

Stock (non-TRD Pros) 4Runners come with a distinct forward rake – the rear on mine was 2” higher than the front. This characteristic, along with a relatively soft suspension, forced the vehicle to occasionally “nose dive” during sudden braking. This was something I wanted to correct. Since I like to wheel alone and wanted an extra piece of mind, I added an aluminum front bumper and a Warn Evo Vr 10s winch for a total weight gain of 102 lbs on the front end. I also increased weight with a steel rear bumper with recovery points, and a steel cargo rack. As you add accessories, weight really adds up, until you need to increase the load carrying capacity of the suspension to retain stability, and ground clearance.

One of the biggest reasons to lift a vehicle is to accommodate a larger wheel size, which also increases ground clearance. 4Runners look great with 33” tires, however, I elected to retain the stock tire size to maintain stock gearing, mileage, and avoid body modifications that are necessary on 5th Gens to prevent tire rubbing issues.

My 4Runner came with an optional high tech stabilizer system called KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System), and as I looked at the suspension packages available, I wanted to have one specifically designed with the KDSS system in mind, if at all possible.

Quality

I bought my 4Runner new and I wanted to make sure that whatever I did to it was an improvement over OEM. A 4Runner represents tremendous high-speed drivability and off road capability and I didn’t want to lose that. Also, I live outside the Greater Toronto Area in a snow belt, the components needed to be tough enough to withstand the common winter slurry of salt and sand. I wanted a suspension system that was made from high quality materials, was well engineered, while representing good value that could stand up to Canadian driving conditions.

After researching the major manufacturers, I came across Elka – a Canadian manufacturer of premium suspensions mostly known for its racing prowess and custom suspensions for ATVs, snow machines and Spyder motorcycles. Elka has broadened its market presence with select truck suspensions, including 4Runners and Tacomas.

Their most popular aftermarket suspension kit is for the Tacoma. After speaking with Elka’s technical representatives, I easily concluded this was exactly what I was looking for. I ordered their 2.5 IFP coilover for the KDSS, set at the factory default of 1 ½” with matching rear shocks. Using the TRD Pro as my reference point, I wanted to be sure that the extra ½” that I was gaining over the TRD Pro wouldn’t result in a front-high stance. I considered a longer rear spring, however the various aftermarket rear spring options available to me offered at least 1” of lift and significant rate increases, which I was afraid would result in a high rear, ungainly look for the modest lift I was trying to achieve.

As a result, I opted for a ½” spacer that was installed on the conical bump stop in the centre of the rear spring. I used a Cornfed spacer, which fits almost invisibly at the top of the rear spring. I think the results are perfect, with an almost imperceptible positive rake.

I topped off the suspension modifications with a JBA upper control arm, just to be well within specification for proper wheel alignment, and to ensure good clearance with those big front shocks at full droop.

This suspension is a premium solution that performs spectacularly and is extremely beefy, strong and comfortable. It provides just the modest amount of lift I wanted and I think it’s slightly better than a TRD Pro, and well within the specifications for the KDSS stabilizer system.

The Elka uses a 700 lb/inch spring on the front coilover and when combined with the compression and rebound characteristics that their engineers programmed into the 2.5 IFP shocks, the ride is smooth and predictable. The extra weight my 4Runner carries is unnoticeable and the nose diving when braking is eliminated. It’s extremely stable at high speeds for travelling on highways to the trail and the ride height looks great. It was a little expensive, but well worth it in the end. Overall, it was a huge improvement to my 4Runner.