This is a great instruction review , thank you , I don’t even have a sienna yet but I love re-watching this to prepare for when I lift my future rig :) thanks man
Thanks for this - you worked on my 1999 4runner (put in a new steering wheel I found on Ebay) which I sold a year ago, and am looking for the trail car to replace it - landed on Sienna Minivan, saw the lift pics and immediately visualized a minivan on a rutty road in the northwest, and found this video. Glad to see you are still doing cool stuff and once I find a Sienna I'll swing by if you're up for putting in another Journeys set.
you probably dont care at all but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost my login password. I love any tricks you can give me
@Kayden Maximiliano thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
I have a 2016 FWD Sienna. My car is about 50,000 miles and is in excellent condition. Fitted this lift kit, changed wheel tires and cost a lot of money. However, my steering wheel wobbled so much that I couldn't shake it even though I took a lot of money to do the 2nd wheel balance for the 2nd alignment. I've been calling Journeys Offroad, but it's safe for 10 out of 100 to do this. They also say something that can be done if the mission is bad. That is not at all. I think I should sell the experiment. The kit is 700$ and the installation cost is also 300$ or more. I've spent over $2,000 now and have to pull the kit off again. For months I lived in pain and hell.
It's very unlikely that the lift kit alone will make a steering wheel wobble. You have different problems. You need to find a good mechanic to help you.
@@TheCohesiveGarage Too much lift can change they angle of the strut which can make it hard to align. You can get those alignment bolt kits to help but this much lift changes the whole telemetry of the front suppension.
@@ganzhomanh8137 this lift kit has made my otherwise excellent vehicle,completely un drivable.ive had three sets of axles put in.After talking with journeys off road several times and getting the exact axles they recommended i still dont dare drive it very far.the last set of axles left me broke down in bfe and cost hundereds to tow.I have not even put 1000 miles on it yet.DONT put this lift on it will destroy your vehicle!!! Its cost me thousands and i still need to remove it.I may still try a cradle drop solution or accually cut an inch out of the lift in hopes of making it opperable but ive spent more than the van is even worth and theres no way i could sell it the way it drives now....PISSED
I know this is an older video but hopefully this will help some people if they see it. The Journeys kit is of good quality and well engineered for the most part. In fact, it's not that different from most high lift mobility van lifts for the the Sienna. The real issue is that 3.5 inches of lift is simply too much especially for vans that already have tens of thousand or a hundred plus thousand miles on them. Most mobility vans are built on new stock and everything wears in at the same time. Still, they are not the vehicles anyone would choose if they had another choice. A stock Tacoma or 4 Runner has roughly 3.8 inches of droop travel which can be increased to a fairly safe 4.3 inches with an extended travel strut if the sway bar is either disconnected or the end links are extended. I can't find any information on Sienna droop specs but I highly doubt it will exceed a Tacoma or 4 Runner. Even if it were equal that only gives 3.8 inches of droop to borrow from for your 3.5 inches of lift leaving you a mere .3 inches of remaining droop travel. That makes for a harsh ride and choppy handling over rough terrain. It also takes the permanent static or resting position of the suspension to near it's old full droop limit. With a spacer lift allowing a new starting position for the shock to extend from the new maximum droop becomes limited by either the sway bar tension or binding of suspension components. If the end links are too long it's your ball joints or CV axles that are going to become the new droop limit. A 2" lift allows for the same tire size to be fitted as a 3.5" lift with 1.5" of droop travel remaining allow for a more normal ride and handling and less wear on suspension components. My guess is Journeys saw what was being done with mobility vans and thought, hey, if they can do it we can do it but the use cases are very different and the senior living facility where I work got rid of the last of their high lift Sienna's a month ago because they were tired of the increased maintenance and complaints from residents about vibration and a harsh ride. To me the ride around town wasn't truly harsh but compare it to a mid lift or no lift model even with helper springs and the difference was night and day. Again, this is not to crap on Journeys kit quality it's just a warning that you should never max out your suspension down travel for a daily driver no matter who makes the kit.
So I finally lowered my Sienna. I took out the aluminum lift puck. Got new KYB Highlander completely assembled struts. Swapped out the Highlander mounting brackets with Sienna mounting brackets. You'll need a spring compressor to do this. Reinstalled. Had my local suspension buddy install new OEM cv axles and aligned it. Bottom line I lost an 1 1/4" of lift but still have 9" clearance in the front. Not as "cool" looking as before.... The low speed wobble I was having was gone even before installing the new cv axles. I effectively have 2" of lift in the front with the Highlander strut and 1" taller tires (General Grabber ATx 225/75). This is low hanging fruit if you're looking to lift your Sienna. Van drives so much better and I feel like I can take a long road trip in it again.
This seems like the way to go! I've been researching this kit because I want to make a minivan camper but 3.5 in seems too stressful on cvs. Not worth the lower reliability/fixing cost. All the installs of the journey kit I've seen are so recent I think we will see people having issues eventually... Coincidentally I read what you said on sienna forums and it seems like you've had the most lifted miles. Not worth the reliability risk on a road trip vehicle.
Thank you for your post... I've been sitting back and watching for a while now to see how this lift kit holds up... It seems like every time I research it people have too many problems... You just shared a great idea!!! You should do a TH-cam video on what you did... A lot of people don't read these comments... I read all the comments cuz many times the comments are more informative than the original video I'm watching...🤣
how has this modification now that its been on for over a year? Any out of the ordinary wear out components? What are your rear driveline support bearings look like? How are your front CV axles?
I just did the front (also did tie rods and ball joints) and I noticed a dollop of grease plopped out of the inner CV when I had to move the van about 20feet. Did you notice leaking after the install? Also when doing the rear could you leave the rear axle in the hub? Great video, thanks.
@@라이프이즈투굿 You might get away with a 225/70/16 but that would be tight. If you ever use chains you might not be able to get them on. The 75's I'm running are 29" tall. A 225/70 is only .6" smaller so less a half inch at the strut. A 215/70 is a full inch shorter might be as tall as you could go without rubbing the strut. Those size tires usually have to be special ordered in an offroad type tire. They'll probably ding you a hefty restock if they're to big.
Previous videos that I watched about this kit is that you did had to get longer brake lines... I'm currently trying to figure out which brake system I should get... Who the heck has this answer cuz I can't find it on TH-cam... I remember back in the day is when this kit first came out it was suggested to upgrade your brakes to high temp brakes... Anyone have any idea which ones or anyone using breaks that are working awesome for you...lol
I just got this kit. Very excited! How long did this take? I don’t quit understand the the rest dig part. Did you disconnect the drive shaft and the axles to do this ?
@@TheCohesiveGarage no, not with any modifications, just a general complaint in the toyota community for this era of vehicle, it's warrantied if under 100,000 or 6 years but mine happened well beyond that.
It wont be fun. Finagling the rear end and loading the springs will be hairy. Maybe with 2 or more floor jacks and high lift stands, but where there is will there is a way.
I had this put in my 09 Sienna. It looks great but the car pulls to the left. It's been aligned three times , all bushings are in good shape and all other components are new. Any thoughts?
Did your mechanic put in an alignment camber bolt? If he didn't get one. With that high of a lift you lose a lot room for adjustment from the stock height. I added them to both sides when I did my first lift because it was so hard to align. Good luck.
I installed it on the 2016 FWD model. There is a shaking of the steering wheel between 15 and 40 miles on departure I've seen both alignment and balance, but to no avail. What is the problem?
Try moving your front wheels to the back ( tire rotation) if the shaking is gone its the tires. If the shaking is still there you may have an axle that has an issue. raising the vehicle may have made the axle show its hardships.
Its CV axle shake from too much angle. Need to drop the subframe to compensate. I lifted my Dodge Grand Caravan awd and it suffered from the same thing.
@@TheCohesiveGarage every single car that gets lifted develops a cv axle shake between 20-40mph with extreme cv angles. What makes the Toyota cvs different? You didn’t drop the subframe to delete angle
@@goclunker It's a fact that there was no CV shake. It might later but there is no problem now. Just like my Subaru... I lifted it even more than this and for the last two years its been just fine. Not every CV joint is made the same. On some you need to drop the subframe but that's not a rule. OEM and aftermarket axles are not the same. In my experience, shaft length and wheel alignment is important to prevent bind . But people spread misinformation based on their experience like they are rules or facts. RESULTS MAY VARY.
@@ganzhomanh8137 I'm planning on sourcing OEM axles when need be. Or rebooting used Originals, But even if I had a little wobble It's not the end of the world like ppl make it out to be.
This lift is too high! 3.5" puts too much angle stress on your CV axles. I know. I was the original Sienna mini van lifter. I'm in the process of lowering my Sienna by an inch to help with CV axle wear. This kit will cost you $$$$. And if you throw 3rd party junk CV axles when yours wear out you'll hate yourself.
Your absolutely right!This kit has ruined my van and cost me thousands.Its still going to cost me hundreds more to resolve the issue.It also cost me hundreds for a tow bill hotel room and missed days at work.I talk with Journeys and get nothing but"Im sorry,that sucks"
@@junior17medval Dropped the van a year ago and I've had NO issues with my new toyota cv axles. This the way to go. Highlander struts with Sienna mounting brackets. You will get some groans because the mounting brackets don't mate up but it's not a deal breaker like the lift pucks. Cheers take the low hanging fruit.
![fellow fellow - พรุ่งนี้ไม่มีใครรู้ feat. INK WARUNTORN [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP6JyjYx_W0/mqdefault.jpg)
This is a great instruction review , thank you , I don’t even have a sienna yet but I love re-watching this to prepare for when I lift my future rig :) thanks man
Just picked up a 2020 Sienna AWD for my wife. It’s a great compliment to my lifted 03 Sequoia. Now to start working her for the lift on her van :-)
Thanks for this - you worked on my 1999 4runner (put in a new steering wheel I found on Ebay) which I sold a year ago, and am looking for the trail car to replace it - landed on Sienna Minivan, saw the lift pics and immediately visualized a minivan on a rutty road in the northwest, and found this video. Glad to see you are still doing cool stuff and once I find a Sienna I'll swing by if you're up for putting in another Journeys set.
AWESOME! let's do it!
Trying to convince my wife to do a journey 3” on our new 2022 sienna XLE AWD.
I just convinced my wife and she said, I quote, “do whatever you want.”
I have a 2012 limited
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video about this kit. Thanks.
you probably dont care at all but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account??
I was dumb lost my login password. I love any tricks you can give me
@Conor Zayden instablaster :)
@Kayden Maximiliano thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Kayden Maximiliano It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much you saved my account!
@Conor Zayden happy to help :D
I have a 2016 FWD Sienna. My car is about 50,000 miles and is in excellent condition. Fitted this lift kit, changed wheel tires and cost a lot of money. However, my steering wheel wobbled so much that I couldn't shake it even though I took a lot of money to do the 2nd wheel balance for the 2nd alignment. I've been calling Journeys Offroad, but it's safe for 10 out of 100 to do this. They also say something that can be done if the mission is bad. That is not at all. I think I should sell the experiment. The kit is 700$ and the installation cost is also 300$ or more. I've spent over $2,000 now and have to pull the kit off again. For months I lived in pain and hell.
It's very unlikely that the lift kit alone will make a steering wheel wobble. You have different problems. You need to find a good mechanic to help you.
@@TheCohesiveGarage Too much lift can change they angle of the strut which can make it hard to align. You can get those alignment bolt kits to help but this much lift changes the whole telemetry of the front suppension.
@@ganzhomanh8137 this lift kit has made my otherwise excellent vehicle,completely un drivable.ive had three sets of axles put in.After talking with journeys off road several times and getting the exact axles they recommended i still dont dare drive it very far.the last set of axles left me broke down in bfe and cost hundereds to tow.I have not even put 1000 miles on it yet.DONT put this lift on it will destroy your vehicle!!! Its cost me thousands and i still need to remove it.I may still try a cradle drop solution or accually cut an inch out of the lift in hopes of making it opperable but ive spent more than the van is even worth and theres no way i could sell it the way it drives now....PISSED
@@kevinlee6233 Hi Kevin. What year is your van?
@@tony7044 2009.
I know this is an older video but hopefully this will help some people if they see it. The Journeys kit is of good quality and well engineered for the most part. In fact, it's not that different from most high lift mobility van lifts for the the Sienna. The real issue is that 3.5 inches of lift is simply too much especially for vans that already have tens of thousand or a hundred plus thousand miles on them. Most mobility vans are built on new stock and everything wears in at the same time. Still, they are not the vehicles anyone would choose if they had another choice.
A stock Tacoma or 4 Runner has roughly 3.8 inches of droop travel which can be increased to a fairly safe 4.3 inches with an extended travel strut if the sway bar is either disconnected or the end links are extended. I can't find any information on Sienna droop specs but I highly doubt it will exceed a Tacoma or 4 Runner. Even if it were equal that only gives 3.8 inches of droop to borrow from for your 3.5 inches of lift leaving you a mere .3 inches of remaining droop travel. That makes for a harsh ride and choppy handling over rough terrain. It also takes the permanent static or resting position of the suspension to near it's old full droop limit. With a spacer lift allowing a new starting position for the shock to extend from the new maximum droop becomes limited by either the sway bar tension or binding of suspension components. If the end links are too long it's your ball joints or CV axles that are going to become the new droop limit. A 2" lift allows for the same tire size to be fitted as a 3.5" lift with 1.5" of droop travel remaining allow for a more normal ride and handling and less wear on suspension components.
My guess is Journeys saw what was being done with mobility vans and thought, hey, if they can do it we can do it but the use cases are very different and the senior living facility where I work got rid of the last of their high lift Sienna's a month ago because they were tired of the increased maintenance and complaints from residents about vibration and a harsh ride. To me the ride around town wasn't truly harsh but compare it to a mid lift or no lift model even with helper springs and the difference was night and day. Again, this is not to crap on Journeys kit quality it's just a warning that you should never max out your suspension down travel for a daily driver no matter who makes the kit.
I can agree with this. Personally, I would go with 2.5 inches of lift in the front and 3.5 in the back.
Glad to see you making videos again
So I finally lowered my Sienna. I took out the aluminum lift puck. Got new KYB Highlander completely assembled struts. Swapped out the Highlander mounting brackets with Sienna mounting brackets. You'll need a spring compressor to do this. Reinstalled. Had my local suspension buddy install new OEM cv axles and aligned it.
Bottom line I lost an 1 1/4" of lift but still have 9" clearance in the front. Not as "cool" looking as before.... The low speed wobble I was having was gone even before installing the new cv axles. I effectively have 2" of lift in the front with the Highlander strut and 1" taller tires (General Grabber ATx 225/75). This is low hanging fruit if you're looking to lift your Sienna.
Van drives so much better and I feel like I can take a long road trip in it again.
This seems like the way to go! I've been researching this kit because I want to make a minivan camper but 3.5 in seems too stressful on cvs. Not worth the lower reliability/fixing cost.
All the installs of the journey kit I've seen are so recent I think we will see people having issues eventually...
Coincidentally I read what you said on sienna forums and it seems like you've had the most lifted miles.
Not worth the reliability risk on a road trip vehicle.
This seems like a great middle ground solution. I bet the rake actually looks "cool" too.
@@TheCohesiveGarage Any 6 month updates?
Thank you for your post...
I've been sitting back and watching for a while now to see how this lift kit holds up...
It seems like every time I research it people have too many problems...
You just shared a great idea!!!
You should do a TH-cam video on what you did...
A lot of people don't read these comments...
I read all the comments cuz many times the comments are more informative than the original video I'm watching...🤣
Has this affected the wear of cv joints or any other drivetrain parts?
Cool video are there any updates?
how has this modification now that its been on for over a year?
Any out of the ordinary wear out components?
What are your rear driveline support bearings look like?
How are your front CV axles?
1yr later ... No Answer !!!
Very informative, thank you! What about the front drive shaft angle? It seems to impose more stress on those?
Yes, its a compromise.
I just did the front (also did tie rods and ball joints) and I noticed a dollop of grease plopped out of the inner CV when I had to move the van about 20feet. Did you notice leaking after the install?
Also when doing the rear could you leave the rear axle in the hub?
Great video, thanks.
great video. Are you gonna put big tires on it?
You can't with the standard Sienna front strut. You could put a slightly taller tire but then you couldn't put chains on.......so there's that.
@@ganzhomanh8137 Hi. How big tires do you think it can go with original strut
@@라이프이즈투굿 You might get away with a 225/70/16 but that would be tight. If you ever use chains you might not be able to get them on. The 75's I'm running are 29" tall. A 225/70 is only .6" smaller so less a half inch at the strut. A 215/70 is a full inch shorter might be as tall as you could go without rubbing the strut. Those size tires usually have to be special ordered in an offroad type tire. They'll probably ding you a hefty restock if they're to big.
did you say the front brakes lines didn't need to be changed?
i have an 04 sienna awd, getting the kit! would love to see another video after you drove it! thanks
Previous videos that I watched about this kit is that you did had to get longer brake lines...
I'm currently trying to figure out which brake system I should get...
Who the heck has this answer cuz I can't find it on TH-cam...
I remember back in the day is when this kit first came out it was suggested to upgrade your brakes to high temp brakes...
Anyone have any idea which ones or anyone using breaks that are working awesome for you...lol
Did you know anything about 2008 Honda odyssey lift kit, if please info me please.. thanks alot
Nicely done!..How safe does it feel when cornering?
Thanks! It's not bad at all. It changed very little. Just a bit higher center of gravity. Easy to get used to.
I wonder if you have to beef up before we'll all wheel drive system
I just got this kit. Very excited! How long did this take? I don’t quit understand the the rest dig part. Did you disconnect the drive shaft and the axles to do this ?
Congrats! It took a solid 6+ hours. Yes, I removed the Diff and the axles.
I also have a 2004 Sienna, I was wondering if you had the issue with the driver door jam weld? Was hoping you had a solution for that too!
Like when you go with bigger tires? I did not increase tire diameter but fold it over with a hammer would be my guess.
@@TheCohesiveGarage no, not with any modifications, just a general complaint in the toyota community for this era of vehicle, it's warrantied if under 100,000 or 6 years but mine happened well beyond that.
Could this e done in a garage with floor jack and stands? Thinking of doing this on a 2013 Sienna for camping.
It wont be fun. Finagling the rear end and loading the springs will be hairy. Maybe with 2 or more floor jacks and high lift stands, but where there is will there is a way.
Check out a diy auto repair shop near you where you can rent a high lift jack + all the tools. I am in the same situation with you.
I wonder if they have it for my dodge gran caravan
Which kyb shock was that? Did this client experience the steering wobble that other people below commented about?
Those are the standard kyb replacement shocks. Nope. The van had no vibrations when it left my shop.
How much to buy sway bar link after 20k miles drive on this lift ?
I had this put in my 09 Sienna. It looks great but the car pulls to the left. It's been aligned three times , all bushings are in good shape and all other components are new. Any thoughts?
Did your mechanic put in an alignment camber bolt? If he didn't get one. With that high of a lift you lose a lot room for adjustment from the stock height. I added them to both sides when I did my first lift because it was so hard to align. Good luck.
Link to the Instagram for more pictures?
Nice, thanks for the video!
I installed it on the 2016 FWD model. There is a shaking of the steering wheel between 15 and 40 miles on departure I've seen both alignment and balance, but to no avail. What is the problem?
Try moving your front wheels to the back ( tire rotation) if the shaking is gone its the tires. If the shaking is still there you may have an axle that has an issue. raising the vehicle may have made the axle show its hardships.
The Cohesive Garage Thank you 👍
Its CV axle shake from too much angle. Need to drop the subframe to compensate. I lifted my Dodge Grand Caravan awd and it suffered from the same thing.
How is the ride? Rough?
Its largely how it was. Leans a bit more and has a better turning radius.
Does any one have recommendations for lifting a 1999 sienna?
Same kit fits. 2004-2022
hi how to buy this kit, where??
www.journeysoffroad.com/
How bad is the cv axle shake at that angle?
There was no shaking whatsoever after install.
@@TheCohesiveGarage every single car that gets lifted develops a cv axle shake between 20-40mph with extreme cv angles. What makes the Toyota cvs different? You didn’t drop the subframe to delete angle
@@goclunker It's a fact that there was no CV shake. It might later but there is no problem now. Just like my Subaru... I lifted it even more than this and for the last two years its been just fine. Not every CV joint is made the same. On some you need to drop the subframe but that's not a rule. OEM and aftermarket axles are not the same. In my experience, shaft length and wheel alignment is important to prevent bind . But people spread misinformation based on their experience like they are rules or facts. RESULTS MAY VARY.
@@TheCohesiveGarage After your OEM CV axles wear out and you put on 3rd party replacements getting ready for the low speed wobble.
@@ganzhomanh8137 I'm planning on sourcing OEM axles when need be. Or rebooting used Originals, But even if I had a little wobble It's not the end of the world like ppl make it out to be.
I want to see it
You didn't show the car tho.... 😒
Put a sleeve in where the bolt is where you do not like how it squeezes together
That's what I'm sayin
This lift is too high! 3.5" puts too much angle stress on your CV axles. I know. I was the original Sienna mini van lifter. I'm in the process of lowering my Sienna by an inch to help with CV axle wear. This kit will
cost you $$$$. And if you throw 3rd party junk CV axles when yours wear out you'll hate yourself.
Your absolutely right!This kit has ruined my van and cost me thousands.Its still going to cost me hundreds more to resolve the issue.It also cost me hundreds for a tow bill hotel room and missed days at work.I talk with Journeys and get nothing but"Im sorry,that sucks"
Did you ever lower you van? Did it help with the cv axles?
Do you have any advice on other options of raising the van only a couple inches instead...
@@junior17medval Dropped the van a year ago and I've had NO issues with my new toyota cv axles. This the way to go. Highlander struts with Sienna mounting brackets. You will get some groans because the mounting brackets don't mate up but it's not a deal breaker like the lift pucks. Cheers take the low hanging fruit.
@@ganzhomanh8137are you saying to NOT buy this kit? Simply use highlander parts and not lift the van so high? Please explain. I appreciate it
Going to buy this just picked up a 2008 sienna awd le 202k for 1200 with a slipping trans
Mines at 211,500 starting yo slip too. Worth fixing tho. If you look into them theres a ton of them that go over 300k. Good luck bro.
Thank you, looks not very strong.
Dude!! That awful music. Had to click away....Why?????
Nice creepy background music.
Is the angle working of the transmissions sufering with this lift?
The question we all wanna know! 3.5 in has to stress the CVs. If not, it's a great kit!