Hands down, some of the best modifications I’ve made to the 4runner since I’ve owned it is upgrading the suspension and going through the install of an Icon Suspension setup. Off road the truck did commendably well with the stock shocks/springs, but there is a huge opportunity for improvement.
After driving the truck for 6 months, and after several off-road trips with the stock suspension, I was ready to take the leap into the aftermarket suspension world, which was exciting, but also a little scary at the time (almost new truck, under warranty, and I’m going to start swapping parts!?)
I’ve taken somewhat of an evolutionary approach to my suspension, starting with a “standard” setup and as my needs have increased, swapped in different parts to better meet my needs. I started out with an Icon Vehicle Dynamics Setup, with 2.5” remote reservoir extended-travel coilovers up front, and Icon 2” lift coils and 2” diameter shocks in the back. This setup was pricey relative to other 4runner lift options, including Old Man Emu, Toytec, and Bilsteins 5100s.
Icon Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers and 2.0 Rear Shocks
Because I wanted the extended travel coilovers, and because I wanted to achieve factory-spec alignment specs with the lift I also opted for aftermarket upper control arms. I chose the Camburg uni-ball replacement upper control arms. The teflon-lined uni-ball bushing is stronger and has a larger range of motion than the factory ball joint. HOWEVER, uni-balls are race-truck parts, prone to squeaking, and have a shorter lifespan (typically) than the factory ball joint. The Camburgs also have I believe +2 degrees of positive caster built-in, which helps to get the truck back to factory alignment specs after lifting.
Truck in Maine (Summer 2011) with my First Icon Suspension Setup
I ran and loved this setup for about 2 years; when I first lifted the truck the only other modifications I had done were adding rock sliders (Shrockworks), a roof rack (Bajarack), and larger 285/70/17 tires (done at the same time as the lift). Over the next two years, as I got more and more into offroading a self-sustained “expedition” travel I added many other modifications that added weight (Shrockworks front bumper and skid plates, ARB rear storage, dual Sears Die hard AGM batteries in the engine bay, and warn winch) and I also continually pushed the limits of the truck offroad.
By about the summer of 2012 I was pushing the limits of the extremely nice, but “standard” Icon suspension setup. The 2” diameter rear mono-tube shocks were not keeping up with the front 2.5” diameter remote-reservoir coilovers, and the front coilovers with the standard 650-lb springs were not maintaining 2.5-3” of lift and had a hard time controlling the 4runner front end that weighed ~300 lbs more than stock).
Over the past year I’ve upgraded from my very solid initial setup to something that offers much more performance while still maintaining daily drive-ability (in my opinion, your opinion may vary…). In July of 2012, I managed to blow a seal on the “standard” rear shocks on a long distance run on the White Rim Trail. Icon being the standup company that they are, gave me a discount on some upgraded rear shocks. I chose to go for the highest-end option Icon offers for the 4runner; their “Omega” double-bypass shocks (Check out this Video on the Omegas). These shocks are 2.5” in diameter and have independently adjustable compression and rebound. The adjustability come from bypass tubes located outside of the main shock body, and allow shock oil the bypass the primary shock body valves for middle-of-the-shock travel. What this does is allows the shock to maintain a pretty stiff “bump zone” at the upper end of travel and allows the user to tune the “ride zone” to their needs.
I installed the Omega rear shocks in September 2012 and they have been performing flawlessly since.
Blown 2.0 rear (left) replaced with noticeably beefier 2.5” diameter Omega Bypasses
However, upgrading the rear suspension highlighted room for improvement in the front. On spirited trail sectioned the rear remained planted and performed really well, while even at low (~5-10mph) speeds I was bottoming the front end on washes and dips in the trail. My original plan was to do some basic “no regrets” work to the front end, including having the coilovers rebuilt, as well as adding 700lb springs (versus the 650lb springs I was running). Right about the time I was deciding to rebuild, Icon rolled out some impressive upgrades for the 4runner front end, including compression adjustment for front coilovers (available as an add-on during rebuild), as well as, get this, a SECONDARY SHOCK SYSTEM that would allow me to run a set of Omegas up front behind the coilovers. I was sold (and my wallet started begging for mercy…). (check out Icon’s video featuring the S2 system). The system includes a lower control arm skid that integrates a secondary shock mount as well as an upper shock hoop that mounts to the factory shock tower as well as the frame rail. The kit is almost entirely bolt on, but does require a bit of welding to add another tab to the lower control arm.
Over the winter I ponied up and sent in the coilovers to get rebuilt, and at the same time ordered Icon’s S2 secondary shock system. At the same time, I also opted to spring for some front-end reinforcement from Total Chaos Fabrication. Total Chaos builds race/trophy truck suspension and structural parts and also makes some pretty trick weld-on pieces to reinforce the front end of a 4runner. I went for shock tower reinforcements, beefy replacement lower cam tabs, and spindle gussets. Check out Total Chaos Here.
4runner Under the Knife having Total Chaos Gussets Installed
After ordering it all, it took a looong time to get all the parts, and then it took about a weeks worth of fabrication and installation (shout out to High Tech Auto and Truck in Chantilly, VA!). In the end, the way the suspension handles now is probably as good as it can possibly get without destroying the ability to daily drive the truck (which I still do!). Specifically, the truck feels much more planted and controlled than it did before, is very difficult to bottom out, and has better on-road handling characteristics to boot.
Here is the Finished Icon S2 Secondary Bypass Shock System
Is it over the top? Yes. Did I spend too much money on it? Yeah probably? Does it really transform the truck’s handling and make it truly a one-size fits all machine? Damn near close!
Damn, that is looking pretty impressive. I think you can fit a few more in there, though.