Why does everyone like the "lowered" s-runner look?

I have had my '01 s-runner for about 2 months and love it. However, the last thing I would consider doing is lowering it. Maybe its just my personal preferance, but I think mine will look much better when I get new wheels and bigger tires. I am going to put either 15x8 or 16x8 wheels with larger tires to fill up the enormous space in the wheel wells. I am looking at eagle style 101 wheels which is a chrome truck style wheel that is offset 33mm. I also think that by doing the "deeper" wheels it will give the truck a more intimidating look from the front and rear (right now the tires are too far inside the wheel wells). The extra width will hopefully help with traction when taking off as well as appearance. I will definately post some pictures within the next month when I have this done (or as soon as I sell my Z-28 and motorcycle)

Dus-runner
2001 s-runner
k&n fipk
trd exhaust
trd headers
throddle body spacer
trd supercharger
trd lsd

It's all personal preference. IMO, not only does it look better, but it improves handling.

almost (key word here) anything looks better lowered and it does improve handling and decrease body roll. It also gets rid of the fender gap. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

unless your a 4x4, lowered is the only way to go, stock height is way too high and that big fat fender gap is just ugly - the more slammed the better!

just personal preference.. i actually didn't want to lower my srunner for awhile... but now, i think i'm much more willing to do it... especially since i heard the ride didn't get to weird...

yup it's all personal preference...and i couldn't imagine a raised s-runner (i dunno, jes a thought)

raised.....hummm never thought of that ...
but mine's going to sit frame as soon as i get home ...i know it kinda kills the whole race suspension ...but i gotta be close to the earth ...

It's okay bro, I'm not into the lowered thing either. Part of the reason I fell in love with the '01+ 2WD Tacomas was because they finally put some respectably sized tires on them. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I had contemplated buying an S and throwing some 31s on there but at the cost of the truck, lift, gears, and tires it was as expensive as a 4WD. So I went with my cheapo 4-banger. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif

i personally like being as close to hell as possible!!!!!!
a lowered s-runner only makes it look that much more aggressive...........but that is the beauty of this site....
we are all the same..........but soooooo much different???!!!!
if we all liked our trucks looking all the same, we would be a bunch of honda fags.......

Well after seeing more and more lowered S's on this site it's sorta grown on me. The S-runner body kit with just a couple inches of lower simply makes the truck look alot cooler. And IMO the truck doesnt nessecarily have to be a low rider It can still look like a sport truck as long as you dont lay it to the ground. But it really depends on the look your going after I definitly could imagine an S looking great with stock height and some nice 18s with an negative offset that pushed the rims toward the fenders more.

I had an SR and didn't buy it ever thinking I'd lower it. However, I was kinda pissed when I found out that what Toyota calls a lowered suspension is simply a tire with a lower profile. Yeah, thanks Toyota. Plus, if you look at the SR pic in their brochure, the black one with the body kit on the track, it IS LOWERED. How come Toyota lowered it for the pretty pic, but not for real life? So anyway, that kinda bothered me. So I ended up lowering it anyway. I really enjoyed the lowered stance after I dropped mine. Actually I enjoyed the look of the 2/3 better than when I went to 3/4. I liked the sport look more on the SR, since that's what it is marketed for. Handling with an SR will never get better than it is at stock height in my opinion. Change out to poly bushings and better rubber and you'll get the best of the best. Stock shocks and suspension components are a great match. Lowering, even with the ball joint flip, does change suspension geometery slightly by placing the sway bars at different angles, etc., but nothing compared with changing coils or leaves - yuck. Anyway, sorry for the little rant.

I am 100% in favor of lowering an SR if that's your thing, it was mine and I enjoyed the many conversations and looks I got from it. To me, a large part of what makes a sport truck is its stance.

I AGREE, ITS A PERSONAL PREFERENCE.....THE LOWER, THE BETTER http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clapping.gif

.....THE LOWER, THE BETTER http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clapping.gif


<font color="purple">exactly http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif </font>

For me, I was looking for a sporty truck, kinda like the Lightning, but I wanted an extra cab, and couldn't affort to spend that much. The first pictures I saw of the S-Runner were the previously mentioned picture of the black one with the body kit, lowered, and that just looked perfect!

When I finally bought the truck, I was a little dissapointed with it, especially since I was coming from a '90 Mazda that had been lowered a bit. The biggest reason I see now to lowering it is because of the huge gap between tire and fender. I still haven't lowered it, but I'm getting closer. Big problem is I only want to go about 2 inches, not the 3 that the b/j flip gives. I'm just not that much of a fan of tucking the front, still like to see a little room there. Personal preference, right? http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm sure everyone will agree that for handling purposes, you can't get any better than the the stock suspension on the S. Every S owners dilemma is really how to get rid of some of that wheel gap on a stock S. Only two options to solve this problem...lower the S or get bigger wheels.
If you prefer the former, the DJM 3/3 or 3/4 kit IMO is the best solution as it allows keeping the stock S springs and shocks. Unless you have the TRD body kit there is really nothing to worry about with this amount of drop. With the TRD body kit, you will scrape the front valance alot but not enough to do any real damage to the kit, just take it slow on bumps and driveways. You will also rub the stock tires a little but so what, you'll be upgrading those wheels and tires anyways and when you do upgrade, 245/45/17 or 245/40/18 will tuck perfect providing you have around a 42mm offset for 7.5" wheel and about 45mm for 8" wheel.
Now if you prefer the latter, getting bigger tires, IMO you'll run into gearing problems. The stock S has about 5" of wheel gap. Assuming you want to get rid of half of that, you'll be getting a wheel and tire combo that is 5" in diameter taller than the stock wheel and tire on the S. You're top speed will be higher but your acceleration just went to shiz. To each his own, but make sure you do your homework before you start buying things.
http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/draggin.gif
http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/draggin.gif
Lower is better...just my 2 cents.

The more i spend on this site, the more i want to lower my taco. i can't stand the huge gap and the rear being higher than the front. too bad my parents think that a truck is never ment to be lowered otherwise i'd have the DJM 3/4 kit.

hey srunnerdad.... just wondering, how much does your suspensions suffer with the drop? do u really notice the difference?

Big problem is I only want to go about 2 inches, not the 3 that the b/j flip gives



you can lower it 2 inches in the front using chassis tech spindle relocators, or maybe by just flipping the bottom ball joint only, not sure about the latter

The DJM kit does not change the ride quality of the S...you are keeping all your stock suspension components except for the upper control arms in the front. If anything handling is improved due to the truck's center of gravity being lowered. When are you going to install that kit, Dave. Let me know, maybe I can help. You'll need to get someone else with the right tools though.

will do... u going down to the meet on sunday? gotta take a look at your srunner... hope the kit is working out well for u...

Has anyone used the Chassis Tech spindle relocator? I looked at the picture of the parts, looks like it completely replaces the existing balljoint bracket, but goes on top of the control arm just like in the flip. Is it just thinner, so it doesn't raise the spindle as high?

If that's the case, I just might have to get that and some 3" blocks. Man, it seems like I'm spending more and more money on this truck, when 4 months ago I wasn't thinking about doing any changes at all. I guess that's what accidents do, they open you up for all sorts of changes. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

FYI, mi Taco came with 15x10 &amp; 265/50-15 Sumitomo's.. and stock suspension. They stick out a bit over an inch or so &amp; the gap on rear is still there. These rims have only 4 inch backspace.. am pondering changing to a larger backspace 10" on the front, which would bring the tires back inside the wheelwell, and 12" on the rear with wider rubber.

Photo's available soon at www.anotherclub.com (http://www.anotherclub.com) under Chapters, then Honduras..

Jayguy, those AIM spindle relocaters aren't worth the cash at all. They're just too expensive, and not worth it because you can get the same flip off your stock balljoints. I would just go nvest in like 20 bucks of bolts and nuts and do it yourself on your stock parts, instead of the ridiculous 150 bucks or whatever they want for them now. Trust me, live and learn in my case. What a rip.

yeah but i think he just wants 2inches up front...but they do basically the same thing as flipping the lower balljoint but it looks alot stronger, its about 3/4" thick...i got them before i knew about flipping the balljoints or i wouldve just dropped it 3 in the front....live and learn i guess

hey 96xtra2by2RZ5SpdInHonduras, you need to get Jeff to edit your name. its screwing up the looks of the forum posts.

I could probably get some made someplace too, as long as I had a tracing or example to go by, then I could get them whatever thickness I wanted, as long as they were still plenty strong.

Just to let you know, the ball joint flip is the same thing as the spindle relocator AND it only gives about 2.5 - 2.75" drop. Not a big deal, its close to 3", but if you're wanting a 2" drop, this is close enough. If you don't like the idea of doing your own creative drop with your own bolts, get the DJM or similar spindle relocator kit, but do not change your coils, trust me. I do recommend the b/j flip using your own hardware, because you learn a whole lot about your truck, know its done right, and save a bundle of $. I am not one to offer many recommendations, especially when it comes to potentially dangerous mods, such as suspensions, however if you do it right, the b/j flip is an easy, effective way to drop a Taco a few inches.

I don't have a problem doing the work myself. Just wondering if the bracket from Chassis tech was shorter than the stock bracket, to give it less of a drop than a standard flip. I would imagine it would have to be different somehow, otherwise there would be no reason to buy their brackets.

I'll crawl under my truck this weekend (need to rotate the tires and check the brakes anyway) and get some measurements from the stock pieces, then call Chassis Tech and find out the dimensions on their stuff.

im not sure if its shorter, youll have to check on that.. but i think the reason it only drops you 2 inches is because you only flip the lower b/j...most of the time when people flip the ball joints with stock parts, they flip top and bottom...but ive heard before that its not safe to flip just the lower b/j with stock parts because its not strong enough and could break due to the added stress....heres a pic of my dirty truck dropped 2" in the front on stocks

Thanks for the pic. Your truck actually looks cleaner than mine. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
I understood that the reason the top was flipped also was so the camber would be a little closer to normal. That' s the whole reason DJM includes a new control arm, it's longer for camber adjustments.

Anyway, I'll look at the stock setup tonight when I get home.

ive heard on here that if you only flip one then it puts stress on the other one and it eventually snaps, and chaos ensues.

i think its safe to flip only the lower with the spindle relocator...ive had mine lowered for over a year with no problems and i live on a really rough dirt road

...and i couldn't imagine a raised s-runner (i dunno, jes a thought)




Well, actually you can stop dreaming cause some CT members already have raised S-runners.http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

Yeah Iv''e heard they are raising S-runners too. I think it's kind of a bummer. These trucks are limited edition only 200 a month were ever made. The s means street runner not prerunner. If you want a prerunner just sell the s and go buy a prerunner you'll have money left over to fix it up after. Makes no sense at all. I have my truck lowered(acceptable for an S) and it looks pretty cool. I will probably be redoing the lowering job with somthing more effective and safer though. The original owner lowered it and he did not put much thought into it. The truck looks tough lowered it has a three inch drop from what I can figure. Here's the pic from the dealer that sold it to me. It shows the lowering quite well.

http://www.customtacos.com/gallery2/data/500/2883picture_005.jpg

...The s means street runner not prerunner. If you want a prerunner just sell the s and go buy a prerunner you'll have money left over to fix it up after. Makes no sense at all. ...



The sense comes when you consider the "S" to mean "Stick". Toyota, in their infinite(-simal) wisdom, only offers a 2WD-6cyl-***manual*** combo in this one model. If you need this combo + a tall profile, it's more economical (and straightforward) to raise an SR than to try an auto-to-manual conversion on a PR (or, for that matter, a 4WD to 2WD conversion on a 4X4).

When it came time to phase in a new sibling to my '93 (same combo), it was either SR or somebody else's product. Toyota came damned close to losing me after 20-some years and 3 trucks.

Back to the original subject... One of the reasons I preferred my '93 to Tacos for so many years was its (stock) lower profile / center of gravity. My brand new SR is fine, but I still find myself wondering how I ended up perched so high. Personally, I wouldn't want mine any higher. Now that I've put the first thousand miles on the new S-beast, I find myself daydreaming about sitting / balancing lower like the '93....

sence you have a pre-taco version of an S-runner, that reminds me.

it's kinda weird, cuz my dad has a 1990 pre-taco extra cab, 5 speed stick, V6 2WD (pre-taco version of an S-runner) and that truck cost him, brand new, a totaly of $13,000 out the door (in 1990)

to get the same truck in 2004 you have to get an S-runner to get everything my dad's truck had, and it will cost you close to $23,000 out the door

$10,000 more, for the newer version of the same truck with a better handling suspension. kinda odd

$10,000 more, for the newer version of the same truck with a better handling suspension. kinda odd




I'm not sure, but is the older V6 manuals tuned the same as the S as well?? That could be something else that's different. http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

well, the pre-taco had the 3.0ltr V6 (fastest stock motor in the pre-taco) the S-runner has the 3.4ltr V6(fastest stock motor in the current tacoma)
but even if you want to say that the improved V6 is the reason, that means ur paying $10,000 more for a better handling suspension, and 40HP more (to the crank)

well, the pre-taco had the 3.0ltr V6 (fastest stock motor in the pre-taco) the S-runner has the 3.4ltr V6(fastest stock motor in the current tacoma)
but even if you want to say that the improved V6 is the reason, that means ur paying $10,000 more for a better handling suspension, and 40HP more (to the crank)

Inflation has a bit to do with it too. Wait another 10 years and see what the same vehicle will cost new.

yea, Inflation played a big roll, but thats still a lot, the truck almost doubled in price.

look at the market. What competes with the tacoma? what's the price of their stuff? toyota charges what it does because people will pay it.

look at the market. What competes with the tacoma? what's the price of their stuff? toyota charges what it does because people will pay it.

It's everyone, not only Toyota. I found it rediculous when a dealership in Costa Mesa had a new Eddie Bauer Expedition on dubs for over $50k. I'll be damn if I can justify someone paying that kind of money on a domestic piece of sh!t.

...my dad has a 1990 pre-taco extra cab, 5 speed stick, V6 2WD (pre-taco version of an S-runner) and that truck cost him, brand new, a total of $13,000 out the door (in 1990) .... to get the same truck in 2004 you have to get an S-runner to get everything my dad's truck had, and it will cost you close to $23,000 out the door...



I know all too well what you mean, but to be fair there's a bit more to it than that... If I recall correctly, my '93 (DLX - not the top SR5 model) with V6 / XC / 5M stickered at about $15K. The add-ons included in this price were air conditioning, sliding rear window, vent windows, and metallic paint. 11 years later a basic sticker of just under $22K got me these same features (minus the vent windows) plus:

- AM/FM/cassette/CD with 6 speakers ('93 had AM/FM with 2 small speakers)
- 3.4 liters instead of 3.0
- 'Premium' adjustable buckets with center console ('93 had the 60/40 bench)
- The SR alloy wheels with fat(-ter) Bridgestones ('93 had steel wheels with basic skinny Bridgies)
- The Tokico setup ('93 had just basic shocks I later switched out to air shocks)
- Air bags
- Power windows
- Inside-adjustable side rearview mirrors
- Nicer interior paneling with more storage cubbyholes
- (2) 12V DC outlets in addition to the cigarette lighter
- Digital clock
- Remote keyless entry
- Swaybar(?)
- 4 - count 'em, four! - cup holders I couldn't care less about
- Stratospheric gear ratios... ;-)
- ABS
- Side impact door beams (?)

What I lost from '93 to '04:

- The dumbass Toyota 'swoosh' side decals (Good riddance!)
- 1.X gallon's worth of fuel tank capacity ('93: ~17 gal; '04: 15.8 per the brochure)
- Oil pressure gauge (damn it!)
- Voltmeter (darn it!)
- Locking fuel filler door
- Vent ('wing') windows (it's a smoker thang...)
- A noticeable amount of 'lowness' in seating position
- Robust slotted metal slats holding up my tailgate (as opposed to dinky cables)

With the exception of the decals, I'd have loved to retain the above features in my new SR. Anyway... I just wanted to illustrate there's something gained for the additional cost beyond just inflationary pain...

look at the market. What competes with the tacoma? what's the price of their stuff? toyota charges what it does because people will pay it.

It's everyone, not only Toyota. I found it rediculous when a dealership in Costa Mesa had a new Eddie Bauer Expedition on dubs for over $50k. I'll be damn if I can justify someone paying that kind of money on a domestic piece of sh!t.


Two thumbs up 4 u bro http://www.CustomTacos.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have had my '01 s-runner for about 2 months and love it. However, the last thing I would consider doing is lowering it. Maybe its just my personal preferance, but I think mine will look much better when I get new wheels and bigger tires. I am going to put either 15x8 or 16x8 wheels with larger tires to fill up the enormous space in the wheel wells. I am looking at eagle style 101 wheels which is a chrome truck style wheel that is offset 33mm. I also think that by doing the "deeper" wheels it will give the truck a more intimidating look from the front and rear (right now the tires are too far inside the wheel wells). The extra width will hopefully help with traction when taking off as well as appearance. I will definately post some pictures within the next month when I have this done (or as soon as I sell my Z-28 and motorcycle)

Dus-runner
2001 s-runner
k&amp;n fipk
trd exhaust
trd headers
throddle body spacer
trd supercharger
trd lsd

dude, go with some 18x8s in the front and 18x9s in the back with 40mm of offset. it will kind of give you the look you are talking about and still give you the tire height you want. and lower it 4/5. that will help get ride of the wheel to fender gap. to me, that is the number one reason to lower a vehical besides gaining better handleing. in my opinion, its wheel fitment that makes a vehicle look good not how low it is. but on a tacoma, its atleast a 4/5 drop that gets you to the wheel to fender fitment you need for it to look good.