OME Lift on 5th Gen 4Runner: What else I need besides lift kit?

[Carolina4x4]

I am going with a 2" Old Man Emu lift on my 5th Gen (2013) 4runner Limited (not trail). This is to get some added clearance for a trip to South America and eventually Africa. My question for those of you who have experience with lift kits on 4Runners, is there anything I should have installed AT THE SAME TIME as the lift kit, to save on install and labor costs? I want to keep things simple and as stock as possible, but clearly it may be smart to use the lift opportunity to do some other stuff, too. Should I be thinking burlier control arms, for example? Pretty much a noob at this, so appreciate recommendations, thanks.

 

[teotwaki]

A few things to consider:

Look at the need to extend your rear bump stops to protect the rear shocks at full compression
How about looking at your front and rear brake lines when at the full extension of the suspension?
Upgrade your skid plates to 3/16" steel?
Rear control arms are thin wall steel tubes and can be bent.

 

[Carolina4x4]

Thanks, teotwaki. I will look into those items. Chris

 

[Chiefcrunchy]

Not highest priority, but Upper Control Arms. If you are lifting, a set of adjustable UCAs will give a little wiggle room to align properly depending on tire choice.

 

[Osprey!]

Choose your suspension carefully. I went a little too stiff on my 3rd gen OME setup, expecting to add bumpers and other weight later. Never did and the ride is a little rough.

 

[warhound]

Upper control arms! You'll need them to get your alignment back into spec after the lift. I'll also second what Osprey said about the stiffness, I went with the stiffest springs anticipating adding steel bumpers and drawers but for now it rides like there's no suspension at all in the rear. For the OME lift you shouldn't have any bump stop or brake line issues.

 

[teotwaki]

Upper control arems are not needed for 2.5" of lift or less. This was true for my 4th gen and is also true for my new 5th Gen. A good alignment tech can get it back to near-zero spec for Camber and Toe and less than 2 degrees off in Caster which is not a problem.

 

[warhound]

Upper control arems are not needed for 2.5" of lift or less. This was true for my 4th gen and is also true for my new 5th Gen. A good alignment tech can get it back to near-zero spec for Camber and Toe and less than 2 degrees off in Caster which is not a problem.

I just put on the 2.5" OME lift and it needed upper control arms, there's some variance from car to car. My camber and toe were okay without the control arms but my caster was 0.3 degrees at best. You'll be a lot happier with the ride if you can increase the caster more.

 

[Ryanmb21]

I rolled for 4 years without upper control arms and OME, then I got UCAs and an Icon lift. I much preferred the amount of Caster available with the new UCAs. If I were to do it again, I would have gotten UCAs from the start, although not technically required.

 

[Watt maker]

I would also recommend some aftermarket UCA's to help dial in your alignment. I've had good luck with SPC. I would also recommend some beefier rear control arms (at least the lower arms). I've had good luck with Rokmen LCA's for those.

 

[Carolina4x4]

Thanks, everyone. great tips!