ADAPTABLE SUSPENSION

Eibach Load-Leveling System Grows With Your Build

- RYAN GIBBONS

While some would argue adding a lift and bigger tires are the way to get a build started, it all depends on what you’re looking to get out of your rig. If you’re going for a true rock crawler, an overlander, or just looking to add flare, where you start can vary significantly. Over the course of a build, it’s not uncommon to go back a step or two or change something out for a second time. You can have the best plan in the world for your build, but when a really great product hits the market, you might have to deviate from that plan a bit. Or, your build plan changes and you’re wanting more out of your vehicle. It goes without saying, all of this can be costly and return policies on used equipment are virtually nonexistent.

On our fifth-generation 4Runner, we’re now at that stage in the build where we need to go back to the drawing board with the suspension. Initially, we went with Dobinsons comfort-rated springs in the front and a 250-pound load rating with the rear springs. What was once planned to just be a camping/ fire road vehicle morphed into an overland build. Significant weight was added to both the front and rear with steel bumpers, a winch, rock sliders, a steel drawer system, recovery accessories, and, on occasion, a rooftop tent.

So, our current suspension setup just wasn’t cutting it anymore and the ride was becoming less comfortable by the day. In search of a new rear setup (since that’s where a bulk of the weight was added), we stumbled upon Eibach’s new Load-Leveling System. Designed for Toyotas with a solid-axle coil spring suspension, the Load-Leveling System offers three different load ratings, with varying heights depending on the weight: