- Thread starter
- #241
Just ordered a set of opor sliders today....
Builds Wheel In Luxury -a GX470 build (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter The Great Him
- Start date
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yah baby!! they are great! Install.... well fun I guess!
My sliders should be back from paint this week so I can finally get them mounted!
- Thread starter
- #244
Stopped by some shop in Newburg today, was only gonna ask for directions, but ended up leaving with full arms and a bunch of steel and foam wrapping... Boy was I lost...
- Thread starter
- #245
IMG_20160922_080728872_HDR by Isaac Yocum, on Flickr
IMG_20160919_183150623 by Isaac Yocum, on Flickri also have swapped out the dual row light bar for a single row bar, i like it a lot better, as its a lot less noticeable, sleeker looking and more inline with where i want this build to go.
2016-09-25_07-04-09 by Isaac Yocum, on Flickr
2016-09-25_07-05-16 by Isaac Yocum, on Flickr
IMG_20160920_105854150 by Isaac Yocum, on Flickri had a suspension failure a few days ago and so i was forced to buy some new front coils overs. Mark at MetalTech really twised my arm with a set of the IronMan foam cell pros lol. no serisouly though, he took care of me and got a great deal on a set of coilovers. a big thanks to Catlin down at SSO for reaching out with the offer to help get the gx back up and running, i just needed it ASAP and couldnt afford to have it down for multiple days waiting for parts to arrive.
IMG_20160920_145900033 by Isaac Yocum, on Flickr
IMG_20160921_150134705_HDR by Isaac Yocum, on Flickri will be picking up a set of Maxtrax here this week for the GX as well, i actually won these in a raffle so im supper stoked.
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i'm curious to know what happened to cause that "suspension failure" 
- Thread starter
- #247
Google Bilstein strut failure... It's pretty common sadly. I won't own another Bilstein product, and will be dumping what I have.i'm curious to know what happened to cause that "suspension failure"
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If I recall, the issue is only when using strut spacers (is that what I see on top, in your pic?)
Basically, there's only room enough for stock length. That's why Bilstein lifts with spring pre-load (adj. lower perch)...same idea for coilovers.
If you make the whole assembly longer (using a strut spacer), and bottom out hard...something has to give (usually it's the lower end of the shock). As mentioned, there are a bunch of pics on the web of front Toyota shocks bent like that...and most are from people just running lift spacers, or "stacking" lifts (lower perch maxed out isn't tall enough, so they throw a spacer on top, too).
It's not a Bilstein problem - It's a strut spacer issue.
But I could be wrong here, just trying to add to the debate...not point fingers.
- Brian
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- Thread starter
- #249
Respectfully you are wrong.
I have seen Bilsteins fail and collapsed without spacers. And Bilsteins are not the only shocks/struts people put spacers on... But yet it is the vast majority of the failures dare I say 80% of them (at least that are reported). I have never jumped my truck or abused it, never bottomed out the suspension... So this notion that it's the spacers fault is just not true. I have had 7 Bilstein shocks fail, I have had collars rip off the body, I have had snap rigs fail and drop collars, I have had mounting eyes rip out of stems/rods, I have had seals blow... I think this boils down to Bilstein just builds crap, and won't stand behind their product -even with receipts they have refused to honor their warranties, their grounds for refusal, I have modified the vehicle... What are your shocks intended for!? Why do you have multiple adjustment points on them...
I have a friend who is running spacers on this stock 4runner struts and springs and jumps his truck regularly... He has bent axles, wheels and the frame, never damaged a strut... So I'm sure it's a spacer issue...
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- #250
Installed a set of CBI ditch light brackets yesterday. Had to modify them ever so slightly so that they would not contact the base of the windshield. Easy to do just took a grinder and noticed out and radiused part of the brackets. Then I installed a set of KC flex lights on the brackets. Love the look.
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- Thread starter
- #252
I'm very happy with it. Tomorrow the family and I will be running Barlow Trail out to Tygh Valley and then spending the rest of the weekend with her family in The Dalles. It will be the first real time out with it so I have high hopes.
I did manage to get the truck airborne last weekend over some railroad tracks, and it handled it very well. It was very smooth and controlled.
I really like how you cut the old running boards to fit the sliders, looks great. Those front Bilsteins, were they an OEM takeoff from an FJC?
Just had both my rear Bilsteins fail. Not even 2 years old - mall cruiser. Utter rubbish.
- Thread starter
- #255
Yes off a brand new rig and then put them on a 4runner for mock up for tire fitment and then an full Icon build, and then I put them on the GX after that. They had less than 30k miles guaranteed and I never abused or pushed the truck hard (as far as suspension cycling or hard hits). Should have never failed like that on a daily driver mild gravel roads. I mean. I still had the running boards on the thing for crying out loud lol
That is crazy and sad at the same time. I do like their 5100's and how they ride but if that is what is going to happen there are other options. I ran standard Ironman gas shocks on my old Gen3 Montero and was not impressed at all, everyone says the foam cells are much better though. What spring were you using on that failed strut?
After seeing a number of foam cell installs in action and installing a lot in a friends gx... If you have a budget install they really can't be beat
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- #258
The stock FJC spring. I understand what most of the guys are saying here about increasing the effective suspension travel distance by lifting the truck, but not actually increasing actual travel because i used a spacer... And they are 100% correct. But the flip side to that is that no one is seaming to even want to consider is, I didn't beat on the truck, I didn't push the truck. The hardest thing I might have done would of been hitting a manhole cover at 45mph around town. But if a strut can't take that then idk... Yeah I too used to like the ride of the 5100s but that was before I ran anything else like icon or fox or these new IronMans.
I am very impressed, and like I just said on par with Icon and Fox(the two shocks I have used) as far as comfort and ride quality. Not to mention they are built like a tank.
- Thread starter
- #259
So my correct front rotors showed up a couple days ago had to special order them from LCE as they don't stock slotted and drilled 5th gen rotors, but I got them so this weekend that's on the agenda. I just found out that my rears are dragging a bit. I don't know why but they seam to be get hot an awful lot and way to easy, so I'll probably get new rotors and calipers for the rear too. Also my maxtraxs came in and they are awesome. Can't wait to really use them in the snow, and to get a second set.
