There’s nothing on the market that I’m aware of that will be more than an inch or so longer than stock that will still fit in the factory location. I ran the Toytec stock replacement 5100’s with factory bumps and then the FJ/ 4th gen with extended bumpstops. They had longer travel and were beefier overall but the extended bumps negated part of the extra travel. They were good with a longer coil spring like the Toytec Superflex I run or a LC coil.
I agree that getting something higher end will perfrom much better for the fast stuff, especially bumping up to a 2.5” diameter. I think in the rocks the added performance is a wash because you’re not really expecting much out of whatever shock is there. The rear shock has a pretty easy job to do with crawling speeds so even a budget shock will do just fine. The problem really is the bumped length if you leave them angled in at the stock upper mounting location. You just can’t get a much longer shock in there without it being a little longer compressed.
You might be able to run an outboard pin/ stem style mount that will still clear the tires (in a 2.0” diameter) without spacers or higher offset wheels. TEQ Customs offers one but it doesn’t really look like they’ll accommodate a longer compressed length shock. Maybe you could mount it a little higher than the frame rail by that extra 1/2”-1” or whatever’s needed. You could definitely make something a little taller than the TEQ mount if you have the tools and some plate steel. It’s a pretty simple design.
96-02 3rd Gen 4Runner OEM+ Outboard Shock Mount V2 In collaboration with Curtis Cross, the OEM+ Outboard Shock Mount (OSM) is designed to move the shock mounting location outside of the frame. Unlike any other kit on the market, this one is specifically designed to utilize your OEM pin-top style...
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