bottoming out!

[JWOD]

I have A 2000 limited 4-runner with 232000K on it & brand new shocks on the rear and it bottoms out on relatively small bumps , I noticed that the bump stop is only 2" approx. away from the axle. I also owned a 96 4-runner SR5 with more KMS on it & it sat a little higher and did not bottom out.....is there 2 different types of springs in regards to height & stiffness?

[fourwd1]

It's quite possible the spring rate could vary by year and model. The LTD could have a softer rate for a better ride, which could make it fatigue sooner.

[kball]

96-98 had pretty similar height coils. Some 99-00's got the highest stock coils. Then the firestone SUV rollover thing happened and so the 01-02 got the lowest coils.

It's common for the coils to sag with age which I'm sure is why you are bottoming out. Replace the springs with stock coils or for a small lift go with 99 coils.

There's a pic on the net somewhere that showed all the years of coils together but I couldn't find it. Here's one that shows some of them.

http://www.sonoransteel.com/includes...ront_coils.pdf

[fourwd1]

Originally Posted by kball

96-98 had pretty similar height coils. Some 99-00's got the highest stock coils. Then the firestone SUV rollover thing happened and so the 01-02 got the lowest coils.

Are you talking about the spring rate of the coils or the actual "unloaded" height measurement of the coils ?

[kball]

Originally Posted by fourwd1

Are you talking about the spring rate of the coils or the actual "unloaded" height measurement of the coils ?

I'm talking about the unloaded ride height and as you can see from the link in my previous post the actual coil height is different. I don't know if they changed the payload capacity of the 3rd gens over the years or not.

[changedsoul]

I t=think I have a similar issue only Mine is a 2000 4Runner with 160K Miles, and my spring dampening thing inside the actual coil spring is only about 1" to 1.5" from the axle. I dont notice it bottom out much unless I go over speed bumps or there are larger than normal bumps in road. Not speed bumps as in launching over them, but just the simple slow moving over them when the rear goes up and then back down, it bottoms out.

What would be typical height? The truck itself doesnt look to be sagging, but then again 1" higher might make a huge ride difference but not look all that different.

Is there a spec for where it should be riding with no load? So I can know if this is normal, or if I need to replace the springs?

[dee44]

Just a thought.

Check the body mounts.

I thought my 98 was bottoming out but it turned out to be one of the body mounts just in front of the rear axle.

Also a very inexpensive way to improve ride hieght that I used because I tow a boat is air bags in the springs. Mine are made by Firestone and cost about $80. had them for a year no problems.

http://www.suspensionconnection.com/...con/4135T.html