I have an 06 Sequoia Limited 4x4.....bone stock w/ factory 265/65/17's..... , ultimately...I want to fit 285/70/17 on it and would prefer to use my stock 17" wheels for the time being.....it will mostly be street driven, but I want bigger / meaty tires and a wider stance to help with stability.
I have some questions, I think I want to put on some coilovers to lift the front end.....I have the factory air suspension in the back....what do I too lift the back?
Also, I was wondering if I could get away with just the coilovers to start and maybe adding some Spidertrax 1.25" wheel adapters to be able to fit the 285/70/17's on my stock wheels and then doing the UCA's down the road....
What are the best coilovers for the front? I have been looking at SAW / Camburg and ICON. Money is a factor and I do like the red coils on the SAW units..... ICON needs to offer the red coils as well, red and black coilovers would looks sweet too.
I did see that ICON offers a longer travel version that would work with some new Camburg / Total Chaos Upper Control Arms. I was wondering if anyone has used this setup on their Sequoia?
Are the Camburg Coilovers made by SAW and are they the same as the SAW 2.5 Coilovers?
I was looking at the ICON 5-8625 EXTENDED TRAVEL COILOVERS TO PROVIDE MORE PERFORMANCE WITH THE CAMBURG AND TOTAL CHAOS UPPER CONTROL ARMS from wheelers and some other places....and was wondering if there are any problems with using the extended travel shocks with the Camburg / TC UCA's on a sequoia?
Which Upper Control Arms are better for the Sequoia? The Camburgs or the Total Chaos? again....money is a factor. I do remember reading here in the suspension forum that someone said the Camburgs had more travel or provided better angles or had more room for the ball joint movement or something like that....is that true? If so, the Camburgs sound like they might be a better choice considering the price as well.
I read about the Dif drop, it sounds like it is needed, what other items and tools are needed to get the job done?
How do you guys lift the rear with the factory air suspension? Are shocks still used in the rear of the truck? Can coil spacers be used in the rear?
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc.....greatly appreciated.
Wow, that was loaded but it sounds like you've done your homework. My Sequoia thankfully didn't come with the rear airbags, so I was able to purchase the rear Downey 2" springs before they closed their doors. I'm just wondering if your Sequoia had the adjustable rear shocks as well? I know on the Lexus version FJ100 they did the funky rear shocks that made it difficult to lift them. Slee Offroad has still been able to lift them by removing the factory adjustable set-up in place of some Old Man Emu shocks and heavy duty coils. In fact, I am contemplating purchasing a set of rear 2" lift OME springs since they are able to handle the heavy load and the Downey's I have are a bit mushy. The shocks also look like they will fit, and handle better than the Bilstien's I put on the rear. I've not done it, and I don't know anyone else who has...but if it works it would be a nice set up for the rear.
For the front of the Sequoia, you are on the right track. I do like the adjustable coil-over much better than the spacer kit. It handles great, and looks good to. I also like the red kit too, and i don't think you can go wrong with any of the kits you are looking at. Some people have mentioned the Icon kit being pretty heavy duty, but I prefer that over mushy any day. I too am also looking at the upper control arms, and I think the Camburg is just as good performance wise however I do like the Total Chaos system since it doesn't sound like it will corrode due to salt with the zinc coated parts. You may have to do some more reading from the guys who are running them to be sure. Definitely do the diff drop as your boots will be flinging grease before too long. Also, you may want to do some additional CV clamps just to tighten them up from flinging grease when hot. Mine started to do that on long road trips, and it's better now.
As for the tires, I ran a Toyo Open Country AT 285/70/17 on my Tundra with the front adjusted about 2.5'' and didn't have any problems with the stock 17" wheel. If you cranked it lock to lock, I could get it to barely touch the frame and rub a pea sized polish mark. Not enough to worry about. So, I wouldn't worry about a wheel spacer at all. If you want better handling, I would do the Total Chaos rack & pinion bushings and some poly sway bar bushings (keep them lubed or they will squeak). Just keep in mind when you do change over to the 285, your power seems to suffer due to the overall tire diameter. The shift points will be different, and it will feel a little more gutless off the line. I would highly consider a 4:56 gear for future modification to help restore the drivability.
Other than that, you should be good to go. I hope I helped answer some questions. Please drop a line if you would like some more details. Post some pics when you get it done!
I don't think my sequoia has any shocks in the back. It looks like it is just the air bag system...Too cold out now to go crawl under it.....I wonder if the 2" spacer kit can be installed under it?
I still haven't made up my mind which coilover's to go with. I wonder how much additional travel the extended travel ICON's provide vs. the SAW or Camburgs? I think I will need to call and speak with the folks at either Wheelers or ICON and try and determine which coilovers to order...and try and get an idea of what I can do to lift the rear of the sequoia....
Great to know I should be able to get away with the stock wheels.
Does the 1" in added size going from a 265 to a 285 really kill the power that much? I didn't think I would need to re-gear the truck with the 285's
Maybe I will need to re-think this and stick with the 265's if the 285's will kill the low end and warrant a re-gear..
I do still want to do the coilovers and lift the truck, was hoping to fill up more of the wheelwell though..
I guess I will need to research this more.....
Love to hear from some more people that have lifted their sequoias.
Yeah, since it looks like yours has replaced the rear shock...it does sound like you may have the optional rear AHC (automatic height control) which came on the Lexus GX and LX470. You could also get this as an option for the Land Cruiser where the shocks are replaced with hydraulic units that can raise or lower the vehicle to help compensate for any additional weight added to the vehicle up to a certain point. From what I've read, the Old Man Emu rear spring kit is not applicable to the AHC system. I know they have been removed before, but I am unaware of anyone who has tried to do a spacer for the coil as it may mess with the height adjustability of the shock?? You may have to remove it, or just leave it until it breaks. The guys over at Slee Off-road may be a good resource.
However, you can still level up the front end with the coil-over. As for the additional travel, you may have to talk with them to make sure about the travel. It seems like you have to have the aftermarket control arms to benefit with the extra 1" of droop, and it may have been on the camburg web site that I read it? Check out the Total Chaos web site too. If you really want travel, they offer a long travel kit and longer axles...for big bucks.
I do agree with you about the look of the 285 vs the 265. I was fine on my 05' VVTi tundra with the 285's, but it was something on the back of my mind every time I drove it. The drive was a little different, but you may be okay with it. It could be personal preference. With my 02' Sequoia it seems heavier and doesn't have the extra ponies that your VVTi motor has..so I have stuck with the 265's to retain the low-end power. Gears are on my list, but not a priority yet. To have a shop do it, you could be looking at around $1600 parts and labor.
Yes, it does have the AHC system you mentioned, I forgot what it was called. I will try and call Wheelers or maybe some other shops and see what the recommend for lifting the rear. I will goggle Slee Off-road and see what they recommend too, Thanks!
I would rather not remove the system thats back there if possible, it would be great if I can just add a spacer underneath the existing ACH system...
I looked at those long travel kits, they look sweet....but out of my price range for a daily driver / family hauler..
I was just thinking the ICONs with the extra travel may be nice if I do the UCA's right away....Not sure if they will put additional stress on the CV boots etc...
The 285/70/17 Goodyear Duratrac's I am thinking about getting are only 1.1" bigger in diameter than the 265/70/17 so I am hoping they would work Ok.
I was just looking online for the 285 tires and i seems like a lot of places are out of stock on them
I just installed a set of Light Racing coilovers on my 04 limited Sequoia. They are branded Light Racing made by Donahoe/Icon. They are set at 2" lift from the factory but ended up lifting around 2.5". Looks like it will need the DD kit as the inner boots on my half shafts have started slinging grease after about 50 miles. I have the standard coil rear suspension and regular shocks. Looking for a 1" spacer and shock set up for the rear as the front is a little higher than level now. any suggestions? Also I am running the 20" wheels that come on the tundra texas edition with hubcentric spidertrax spacers. with 275/55/20 zeons it still rubs slightly at full lock under compression. Will be purchasing the Camburg or TC upper control arms soon.
The only option of rear shock you have is: Stock, maybe some KYB's or other Stock type replacement... or Bilistein HD's which I'm not happy with at all (way to soft with the lifted Downey springs). For extended length, you can do Doestech but they are a very soft shock. The other nice option which I haven't tried yet, but have plans to...is the Old Man Emu N101* | Firm | 24.0" | 14.2". This OME shock is for the FJ100, but has similar length and extension and is built to handle the weight. Daystar makes the spacer, and I think you can get them from Wheelers too. For rear springs, you might be able to fit a set of OME866 2'' lift springs designed for the FJ100 as well but they too also have similar weight and height. I need to try it, but if they don't fit to my liking it's a big restocking fee and back to the drawing board. Good luck, and post some pics.
I looked into the light racing shocks, I didn't see any listed for Tundra or Sequoia on their website. I will probably just get the ICON 5-8625 extended travel version.
Still trying to decide on the control arms, as I don't know which ones are better.
Not really sure what else I need, I think I will need the Diff drop. I spoke to one of the guys at Wheelers and he said no one really makes a lift for the rear 3 way factory suspension I have
I don't know if I can fit the 285's back there without a lift...I will need to make sure they fit in the front and the front may be higher than the rear without a lift on the back......
Really sucks that there isn't a lift for the rear of the truck. I really don't want to remove the factory setup either....
I'm pretty sure you can still fit a 285 in the rear without a lift. The good thing about a tire shop, is they'll be happy to throw them on and you can drive around the parking lot to see if it will rub. Have a bunch of the guys get in the back and see if it hits anything.
As for the upper control arms, I wouldn't worry to much about it. It's not going to be too detrimental with or without them. If I had the money, I would buy the Total Chaos just for the zinc coated parts since I live in a highly salted winter state. The Camburg's I've heard are great, and handle just as good and cost less. For me it's more aesthetic.
However, don't get to bummed about the rear lift just yet. Just because nobody makes it doesn't mean it can't be done. Your only limiting factor is the special hydraulic shock. You can still get a spring or spring spacer. I'm sure a local lift shop may be able to come up with a solution or make a spacer for the upper or lower portion of the shock. Like I mentioned before, I would highly recommend talking to the guys over at Slee Offroad about their experience removing the AHC system on the Land Cruiser FJ100 and what might be involved. What state do you live in?
06 Sequoia Coilover Lift and 285 tire fitment
, ultimately...I want to fit 285/70/17 on it and would prefer to use my stock 17" wheels for the time being.....it will mostly be street driven, but I want bigger / meaty tires and a wider stance to help with stability.
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