OME lift.. what front shocks to use?

[da9guy]

sorry if this is a stupid question but are you guys saying that even with the 1.5 inch lift you can use stock struts and shocks? i was under the impression that with taller springs youd need taller shocks/struts im about to order my lift kit next week and if i can use factory sized shocks then i might order some beilstien shocks instead of the OME kit. can somebody steer me in the right direction with this?

[BikerJay]

Originally Posted by da9guy

sorry if this is a stupid question but are you guys saying that even with the 1.5 inch lift you can use stock struts and shocks? i was under the impression that with taller springs youd need taller shocks/struts im about to order my lift kit next week and if i can use factory sized shocks then i might order some beilstien shocks instead of the OME kit. can somebody steer me in the right direction with this?

This is certainly not a stupid question the lengthy answer I am giving should show that.

You can use factory shocks and I am right now. The limiting factor in down travel on my suspension seems to be the anti sway link which I will not be removing.

The ARB old man emu shocks might increase suspension travel about 1/2 inch.

The ARB kit iis designed to help with load handling, it does not nor does it claim to increase the Gross Vehicle weight rating. For other vehicles like the toyota tacoma they sell medium heavy and extra heavy springs.
In addition to load handling it helps handling in general (probably because of increased spring rate) and of course ground clearance is huge for vehicles like our Ravs.

I have just the rear springs and put a lot miles on mine with a heavy load. Under load the performance difference is night and day, no more bottoming out excessive lean ect.

That said better shocks that offer additional damping would help me a ton. Plus better valving will help on top of that. I am weighting for my stock struts/shocks to go out and will be doing the ARB front springs and KYB2gr struts and ARB rear shocks unless I find the HD billstein shocks for less $. The billstein HD is technically not for 4.2 generation Ravs but rear shocks from 4.1 to 4.2 are interchangeable.

The best strut up front would probably be to find a strut from one of the years the Rav came with a rebuildable cartridge type strut rather than the sealed unit. Billstein makes a cartridge for the rebuildable. It may be possible to modify the sealed strut to take a cartridge.

The lift up front is accomplished by increasing the spring rate causing less pre load and resulting in more up travel and less down travel in the front suspension. A large part of the improvement it probably from the stiffer springs providing tighter handling.

If you are replacing the rear springs while you are at it the factory sway links could probably stand to be replaced and probably have a bunch of play in them. Mine were totally shot.

[da9guy]

The best strut up front would probably be to find a strut from one of the years the Rav came with a rebuildable cartridge type strut rather than the sealed unit. Billstein makes a cartridge for the rebuildable. It may be possible to modify the sealed strut to take a cartridge.




this leads me to another question that even my local toyota dealer and napa parts store cannot answer..... how the heck do i tell if i have serviceable struts up front or not? this is rather important for me to know when ordering parts and this knowledge will save me some time/money thanks in advance.

edit: im sure its something i can check visually, or was it certain years only that had sealed struts? mine is a 1996 swb 2 door 4x4 if that matters

[da9guy]

If you are replacing the rear springs while you are at it the factory sway links could probably stand to be replaced and probably have a bunch of play in them. Mine were totally shot.[/QUOTE]



is there rear sway bar links on the rav? all i see for the rear are control arms upper and lower with ball joints when i look online at napa