Hey all,
Update to this thread. The 4Runner has decided to have a head gasket give out; I've been tracking down coolant consumption the last few months and ended up changing out the usual suspects (rad, waterpump), but I finally took it into a shop to confirm what I was dreading. Truck still runs quite well, no engine lights, smoke, or loss of power but hydrocarbons are in the coolant. Either way, the upcoming costs to fix the head gasket effectively decimated my ability to go higher end on suspension. I settled on a dobinsons setup from Exit Offroad where Mike was very helpful and easy to deal with.
I ended up with GS59-220 shocks paired with C59-302 springs on the front end. GS59-701 shocks and C59-327 springs in the rear. Overall impression is pretty good, with a big improvement in stability and vehicle control. I must admit the rear springs are quite stiff, with only ~200lbs of added weight there is a definite jolt when hitting any square edge bumps on the road. This was expected by me, although I was told it will drive well with added weight. We've gone one quick camping trip under our belts with the new setup and the suspension does settle in with additional weight, though still not what I would consider 'plush', the overall feel is pretty similar to a 3/4T or 1T truck without much weight. Offroad control is significantly improved, don't have nearly as much kick from the rear end as the old setup and it is quite comfortable through potholes even at street tire pressures. I have the Icon 3" overland springs to try out, I don't really want to go that tall but I'd like to see how the variable rate differs from the fixed rate on those Dobinsons coils. I got the springs as BOTH of the Icon 2" springs were broken, ICON was great to deal with warranty wise and allowed me to pay the difference to upgrade to the overland springs.
I do think dobinsons is a great way to go on a budget but I'm almost certain I'll go high end next, I seem to be picky enough to justify the costs. Bilsteins treated us well at stock weight, but rapidly became overwhelmed with added height and weight.
@4runningFJ thanks for the feedback, that toytec setup is built by Elka and I'm almost certain I'll end up going that route next time around. artic4x4trd, looks like your going to beat me to the Elka Setup after all!!
