5th Gen 4Runner Leveling Kits & Spacer Lift Kits

If you want to eliminate the forward rake and level your 4Runner without a huge investment, consider a spacer leveling kit. This is a budget-friendly option to get rid of the front-end slant without spending close to $1000 on a suspension lift.

Before choosing a leveling kit, it’s important to understand the different types available, their costs, and the pros and cons of a leveling kit versus a suspension kit.

Types of leveling kits

For the 4Runner, you typically have two different types of leveling kits.

1. Front Strut Extensions (shims and spacers)

These extensions (spacers) sit on top of your coilover (front struts). With a spacer on top of your factory coilover struts, you can add anywhere from 1″ of height up to 3″ of height. This is standard on most spacer kits for the 5th Gen.

At 3″ of height, you may want to look into a differential drop kit (diff drop) as this may help the alignment of your CV axle, put less stress on your CV boots and hopefully protect your CV joints. Some leveling kits come with a diff drop.

Once you get to 3.5″ and higher, you should probably upgrade your UCAs (upper control arms) but very few leveling kits, if any will reach heights of 3.5″.

If you don’t want to reach heights of 2″+ you have the option of running strut shims. Shims give you the ability to add in minor increments. For example, an Ekstrom Design Strut Shim measures .5″ but after you install it, it provides a full 1″ of lift. Shims are a great way to level out of the front of your 4Runner without sacrificing ride quality.

2. REAR Coil Spacers

This is just like strut extensions, except the spacer in the rear is placed on top of your spring. On top of your rear spring, you have a spring seat. Most coil spring spacers will sit directly on top of this coil spring seat.

The benefit of a rear coil spacer is that you can keep the OEM quality ride while giving the 4Runner a better overall stance and slight clearance when needed. This is what most spacer kit suppliers say, but that is heavily debated.

Shim Front Leveling Kit

One .25″ shim will give you .5″ of lift. Stacking two .25″ shims on top of each other will give you a full 1″ of lift. Depending on tire size on other variables between 1″ and 1.5″ will provide a perfectly level ride height. Typically 1″ of lift is perfectly level. 

• Supreme Suspensions Shim Front Leveling Kit (.5″ – 1″): Check Price

Spacer Front Leveling Kit

One 1.25″ spacer will provide 2.5″ of lift. Pair this front spacer with a 1″ rear spring or 1″ rear spacer to level the back out. 

• Spacer Front Leveling Kit (2.5″): Check Price

Spacer Front & Rear Levling Kit

• ProComp Spacer Leveling Lift Kit (3″ front/ 2″ rear): Check Price
• Supreme Spacer Leveling Kit (3″ front/ 2″ rear): Check Price

Limited Leveling Kit

• 1.5″ Spacer = Exactly Level: Check Price
• 2.0″ Spacer = 1/8″ Higher in the front: Check Price

What we purchased

We looked at many leveling kits out there for our second 4Runner (non off-road use) and decided that the Pro Comp Nitro kit was the best option for something quick. At less than $400, the Pro Comp kit was everything that my girl wanted for her set-up. We wanted a lift without spending a bunch of money on coilovers, UCAs, and springs. This kit was the best option for her needs because it came with everything packed in one box; front and rear spacers as well as the differential drop.

We explored many other options in the suspension department and leveling kits. Seeing how this 4Runner will see very little off-road (maybe, the occasional easy tag-along adventure), we didn’t need anything robust or overpriced for this application. Another option comparable would be a Ready Lift or Supreme Suspensions. It really comes down to personal preference on what you want.

We wanted to spend money on a suspension system, but we also could not justify spending over $1000 or close to on a mid-level suspension system like Bilstein or OME. If I was going to buy a suspension (coilovers, rear springs, and UCAs), I would like to do it right and buy ICON, KING, FOX, OME BP-51 or a Toytec Boss.

If you have the money, buy aftermarket coilovers (shocks and springs) and avoid a spacer lift. Spacer lifts are going to give you cheap lift results but provide no improvement in ride quality.

Pro Comp Suspension 65210K

They call it a “suspension” leveling kit, but to be considered a true suspension kit, you’d need to swap in new coilovers, UCAs, and rear springs. With this kit, it works as advertised and the install is fairly simple. It provides 3″ of lift in the front and 2″ in the rear.

By adding this kit, you can fit 33″ tires, but only smaller 33″ sizes. I wouldn’t recommend going for larger 33″ tires with this spacer kit. Smaller 33″ tires, such as 285/70R17 (32.7″), will fit, while 285/75R17 (33.8″) tires may not work as easily. Essentially, the kit lets you run tires bigger than the stock 265/70R17 (31.6″) with plenty of room to avoid major rubbing on anything around 32.5″.

With this kit, 275/70R17 will fit without any issues. However, with 285/70R17 (32.7″), trimming will be necessary. Here’s an example of 285/70R17 trimming.

For anything close to a large 33″ (285/75R17s – 33.8″), you’ll likely need to trim your fender liners, do a body mount chop (BMC), trim your body, and make other modifications.

This is one of the largest spacer leveling kits available for the 4Runner. If you need more lift than this, you should consider upgrading to a full suspension system.

Toytec, Daystar, Revtec Supreme Suspensions, and other Spacer Kits

A common leveling kit combination is the Toytec 2.5″ leveling kit in the front and the Daystar 1.5″ lift in the rear. This is what the dealership uses to level out 4Runners on the lot, and it’s what we got when we bought our 2014 with KDSS. If you’re looking for something comfortable, affordable, and easy to install, these spacers are a great option.

Supreme Suspensions is another similar full leveling lift kit, like the ProComp. With so many similar options, it can be tough to choose but at the end of the day they’re all just spacers and have a similar effect on ride quality and performance.

Ride Quality

It’s important to remember that everyone’s goals are different, so take all advice with a grain of salt. The ride will feel different depending on whether you have an SR5 with stock shocks, a Trail or Off-Road with KDSS, or a Limited Edition with XREAS.

Our experience has been with an SR5 and a Trail Edition with KDSS, and I’ll break down the differences.

SR5

With the ProComp kit installed on the SR5 without KDSS, I did notice some sacrifice in ride quality, especially body roll. On the stock SR5, you can already feel body roll, nose dive, and slight steering shake, which is normal. After installing the ProComp kit, I felt more body roll, especially when backing out of the driveway, dropping off a curb, and on winding roads. Braking and nose dive stayed the same.

If you’re installing a spacer kit on an SR5, be aware that you might notice more body roll. An upgraded suspension is the best way to improve both on-road handling and off-road performance.

KDSS

I noticed a big difference in ride quality between the SR5 and the 2014 Trail with KDSS with a spacer installed. KDSS offers better ride quality than an SR5, even with a leveling kit. KDSS provides a more stable on-road experience.