20 deg RTI Ramp Fun with my '97 4Runner and SS Lift System 7.1

[RR DIFF LOCK]

So I had a chance to use Brian's RTI ramp today and it provided a great opportunity for some photos of the truck's articulation.

First up, Brian flexed his fully-built 2nd gen. After he showed off, you can bet that I wouldn't even come close to that kind of flex. Oh well...

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270018.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270019.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270020.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270021.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270022.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270023.jpg

And here's me...

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270024.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270025.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270026.jpg

I think I'm getting held up by the sway bar's current limitations...

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270027.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270028.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270029.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270030.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270031.jpg

On the compressed side, my rear bump stop is just barely touching, but yet my hanging wheel is completely off the ground. Sway bar limitations or rear FZJ80 'cruiser shock limitations?

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270032.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270033.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270035.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp/P4270038.jpg

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I also noticed that the fronts were never fully compressed. There was still a good 1.0" between the bumpstop and the components up front. Is this a limitation of the front shock? Or am I overlooking something else? Just looking to get the "most" out of this great suspension set-up for my relatively stock 4Runner. Thanks.

[MTL_4runner]

Undo the rear sway bar and you should eb able to tell if the rear shocks or swaybar links are holding you up.
My bet is on the sway bar links, but I guess we'll find out when you do.

[Marc P]

I think you should trade your buddy...he has a sweet 2nd gen!!

Remove the sway bar links...it will go further

[ecchamberlin]

It is my opinion that the limited up travel on the Tundra front coils is just a byproduct of the heavier rating of the springs since they were designed for a muh heavier vehicle. I have noticed this among all the Tundra lifts I have seen.

Don't want to start a this is better than that issue but it is a charactoristic of this coil on our rigs.

[Marc P]

Steve is semi-right about the IFS hoding you back...but a properly set up 3rd gen should do better

Here is eechamberlin and Robt2k...they still have IFS and both can get more flex than what you have

http://sdairsoft.tripod.com/ss913.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/ecchamberlin/mebackwardsrti3P1010271.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/ecchamberlin/merti2P1010266.jpg

[ecchamberlin]

The rear sway bar is not holding you back, it will bend and it will bend very easily.


This, I fully agree with. The rear sway bar does not limit rear axle travel at all.

[ecchamberlin]

Steve nobody is attacking you. You sell useful products. The guy wants to know what would allow him to get the most out of his IFS rig and why hes not flexing like he seems to think it would. Not asking if he should Solid axle swap his 3rd gen.

This is not helping this guy out at all.

What you have will allow you to do a ton of wheeling as is. If you wheel it a lot and find you can go the places you want to go then great. If you are not able to go where you want to with what you have then there are obviously other options out there.

[Elton]

just ditch the rear sway bar

[bamachem]

the rear sway bar can hold you back, as your pics show. however, it also appears that you're not getting as much flex as you'd hoped out of the fronts. there's several reasons for that.

the first is that the setup you have is new, using new coils. it will be a little stiffer until you get out on the trails and flex them a little. they'll loosen up some and then you'll have some more travel up front. it's the nature of using a new coil as opposed to a used one.

second, you don't have near as much weight up front as most people who run the tundra coils. with added weight, you'll compress the fronts more, for a more balanced travel when compared to your rears.

third, 4runners - especially mostly-stock ones - aren't ramp-champs. seriously, it's not and it never will be. you have ~250 #/in coils in the back and once you compress the tundras less than 2", you're in the 500#/in range for the coil rate on them. in short, your front coils are TWICE as stiff as your rears. that's because of the weight of the engine up front, but even taking that into consideration, you'll never have a balanced attack on a ramp. it's just the nature of the beast and the price you pay for IFS and a good street ride that the coils provide.

[RR DIFF LOCK]

Thanks Andy - that was all good info and makes sense. I can certainly accept the reasoning behind the inability to fully compress the front suspension...as shown here (pics taken with front as high as possible on the RTI ramp):

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay8.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay7.jpg

Here's some updated shots we took of my 2nd attack on the RTI ramp. This was a week later and now running with 285s. Having marked the ramp with masking tape at the point of my previous best attempt, we decided to see what it would do now. Oh and we tried a few things, like first disconnecting the rear sway bar endlink on the driver's side - which resulted in another 5-6 inches higher on the ramp. Then we unbolted the rear shock on that same side and literally crawled another 8-10 inches further before the rear tire began to lift off the ground. The driveshaft rotated out and away from the gas tank, but had we tried these "tests" on the other side, we probably would've had contact with the gas tank (NOT GOOD!). And by the way, you probably wouldn't do something silly like disconnecting your rear shock out on the trail, but we just wanted to determine the "limitations" that were holding me up and in what order they occured. This probably isn't a major "breakthrough" for most of you, but thought it would help clear some questions. A few guys had said the sway bar wasn't holding me back... I beg to differ. Seems like sway bar extension brackets would help me a little more.

Driver's side sway bar endlink disconnected...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay5.jpg

Opposing side's bump stop makes better contact...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay1.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay2.jpg

Driver's side rear Landcruiser shock - lower eye bolt disconnected...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay6.jpg
Lots of slack in the OME 890 coil...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay4.jpg
...enough to remove it entirely
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay3.jpg

And pics of the whole thing...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay10.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay9.jpg

Had I been wearing rear mud flaps, they would've been eaten for lunch:
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay11.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/Scott_AZ/RTI%20Ramp%20II/RampDay12.jpg