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117 Posts
Have been reading and asking questions on other threads. Thanks to MtClimber and Expo-Tundra for their help as well as Kevin71. My apology for butting into your lift thread. I look forward to hearing how yours works out.
I eventually came around to the idea of a minor lift to a 14 Sequoia SR5 4x4. I really disliked the loose, sloppy handling of the Sequoia from the beginning…. Probably because I was coming from an 06 with an Icon lift and Load Range E TA KO’s. I wanted a little lift and better handling, but not a $5k lift with its resulting CV boot, axle and tire wear issues. Totally loved that truck though and drove it for ten years. Really not interested in as much hard core offroading/challenges any more. Just want to be to get to remote places down forest tracks and desert mining roads.
LIFT INSTALL FAIL:
So today, as soon as I saw the truck when I went to pick it up, I knew something was wrong. The front was way higher than it should have been and much higher than the rear. I had given them the 1" Blitz Auto spacers from eBay for the rear and they had ordered the 5100's all around. I suspected immediately that the mechanic put the front shocks on the highest setting instead of the lowest setting. This was such a concern for me, that I printed them the installation diagram and circled the lower (.87) setting on the paper... The service adviser was skeptical, but took the paper and went to ask the tech - he came back shaking his head - his guy confirmed that he put it on the highest setting because that is what he thought was correct.
Two interesting things:
It looks pretty good and it rides great! Some of my concerns were ride harshness/quality and alignment at the maximum 5100 lift setting. Not an issue at all. The ride home was great. Alignment felt great and there was no harshness, just solid, clean response to large and small bumps. There might be a little more transmission of small road imperfections, but nothing significant to me. The overall effect is great with great steering response and flat cornering.
Could not be happier with the 5100's, but the shop has agreed to remove the fronts, change the setting and redo the four-wheel alignment at their cost. I have used these guys before and they stand behind their work.
For the record, the front wheel well at the max shock height setting is at 38.5 - the expected increase of 2.5 higher than the 36 inch starting point. The rear is at 37.5ish... which gives me a reverse rake of about an inch higher in the front. In order to have the back a little higher than the front for towing, I am having them put them put the front on the lower (.87) setting as planned. That should give me about a half to three quarters of an inch rake from front to back. I think this lift is partly just restoring factory lift/rake.
Currently running P275 65 r18 Michelin LTX AT2. Quiet and competent, but not available in M+S or 3PMS (snowflake). Will probably end up going with Geolandar G015 in the Load Range E LT275 70 r18 when the Michelins wear out. That extra inch of tire diameter will give another half inch of lift where it matters most - under the differential.
Before pic and a pic at the shop attached. Both front and rear wheel wells are at about 36" and you can see there is no rake at all.
In the shop pic, you can see lots of air above the front tires.
Will post some pics later in the week of the final profile.
Also attached pics of the ebay spacer
I eventually came around to the idea of a minor lift to a 14 Sequoia SR5 4x4. I really disliked the loose, sloppy handling of the Sequoia from the beginning…. Probably because I was coming from an 06 with an Icon lift and Load Range E TA KO’s. I wanted a little lift and better handling, but not a $5k lift with its resulting CV boot, axle and tire wear issues. Totally loved that truck though and drove it for ten years. Really not interested in as much hard core offroading/challenges any more. Just want to be to get to remote places down forest tracks and desert mining roads.
LIFT INSTALL FAIL:
So today, as soon as I saw the truck when I went to pick it up, I knew something was wrong. The front was way higher than it should have been and much higher than the rear. I had given them the 1" Blitz Auto spacers from eBay for the rear and they had ordered the 5100's all around. I suspected immediately that the mechanic put the front shocks on the highest setting instead of the lowest setting. This was such a concern for me, that I printed them the installation diagram and circled the lower (.87) setting on the paper... The service adviser was skeptical, but took the paper and went to ask the tech - he came back shaking his head - his guy confirmed that he put it on the highest setting because that is what he thought was correct.
Two interesting things:
It looks pretty good and it rides great! Some of my concerns were ride harshness/quality and alignment at the maximum 5100 lift setting. Not an issue at all. The ride home was great. Alignment felt great and there was no harshness, just solid, clean response to large and small bumps. There might be a little more transmission of small road imperfections, but nothing significant to me. The overall effect is great with great steering response and flat cornering.
Could not be happier with the 5100's, but the shop has agreed to remove the fronts, change the setting and redo the four-wheel alignment at their cost. I have used these guys before and they stand behind their work.
For the record, the front wheel well at the max shock height setting is at 38.5 - the expected increase of 2.5 higher than the 36 inch starting point. The rear is at 37.5ish... which gives me a reverse rake of about an inch higher in the front. In order to have the back a little higher than the front for towing, I am having them put them put the front on the lower (.87) setting as planned. That should give me about a half to three quarters of an inch rake from front to back. I think this lift is partly just restoring factory lift/rake.
Currently running P275 65 r18 Michelin LTX AT2. Quiet and competent, but not available in M+S or 3PMS (snowflake). Will probably end up going with Geolandar G015 in the Load Range E LT275 70 r18 when the Michelins wear out. That extra inch of tire diameter will give another half inch of lift where it matters most - under the differential.
Before pic and a pic at the shop attached. Both front and rear wheel wells are at about 36" and you can see there is no rake at all.
In the shop pic, you can see lots of air above the front tires.
Will post some pics later in the week of the final profile.
Also attached pics of the ebay spacer
hwell: 
