100 Series long travel kit

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Exactly, who is doing any of that?
One guy did a DIY coilover brace monstrosity thing that was horrific. The few others are just doing coil over swap and copying the LCA. No change in suspension kinematics what so ever.

Once you get to the bottom of the rabbit hole you realize it’s easier and cheaper to get a 80 or a 200. It’s why my 100 is gone.
yeah i get that, if i had it my way i would have an 80, but right now i’m 17 and this is my first car, anything that is permanent scares my dad as he is the one with the title. everything on my build is oem+ but as a kid that loves engineering and figuring stuff out, i try to push the limits (35’s that don’t rub even when full lock turning on bump stops).
 
Hello, i ordered some Dobinson's parts and they're starting to arrive ,and i thought i would say what i ordered here so if anyone wants to replicate it they can. I ordered the normal long travel front shocks for the 100 series (MRA59-A786), their diff drop, torsion bars, and upper control arms. I really didn't want to mess with the front and mismatch shocks from other vehicles because of the added stress of our 35's and a worry for reliability. On the rear i ordered the (MRA59-A687) but after looking at the specs and comparing it to the (MRA59-A685), they both have the same minimum shock length (my biggest worry) but the (MRA59-A685) is 728mm at maximum length and the (MRA59-A687) is 674mm fully extended. I am on ahc now and have been tricking the rear sensor to move all fluid out of the shocks in low mode so i can measure the minimum shock length we need before the internals of the shock hit and when on bump stops the shock is 17.5" long and the (MRA59-A687) 16.5". both of the Dobinson's shocks are 420mm when fully compressed but after measuring for myself it will compress to 390mm or 15.3". for springs ive calculated that Dobinson's 80 series +440lb constant load springs will work great for a moderate build (roof rack, bigger spare tire, ect...) i ended up gong with the dual rate springs too. (C97-145VT) are the springs, they are 3.5" lift with no extra weight (100 series is heavier than 80 series) 3" with 440lb load, and 2.5" lift with 750lb load. i dont have a free weeekend to intall untill the 25th but i will update you guys when im done installing. View attachment 3249897
I'm curious how the rear suspension works with those shocks.
What wheels and tires are those? And what sizes? I’m usually not into aftermarket wheels but damn that looks good.
Yep, not a big fan of aftermarket wheels, but 17" wheels would be nice, and those aren't bad.
It looks great, but the extended Dobinson's shocks aren't a long travel set up.
Agreed, "extended" =/= "long travel"
Yup, not long travel. Rear end will be great, but still have them short LCA's and torsion bars up front and zero down travel....
Front can be "optimized" a bit, but yes no "long travel" or even "mid travel" really.
No one makes a long travel kit for the 100.
Agreed, and likely nobody ever will.
long travel is long travel, front or rear its more droop.
Extended =/= "long travel"
A little extra travel isn't long travel.


Cool, the rear end flexes, but the front still has torsion bars and zero down travel.
Agreed.

A little "down travel" (2-2.25") can be added to the front suspension. No, it's not long travel, but if you don't "lift it too far" or "go overboard on torsion bar diameter", you can make minor improvements.


ok, so are dobinsons 100 series front mrr "long travel" shocks not long travel?
Nope. I've seen them advertised as "extended travel", but never as "long travel".

No, they are not. They want you to feel warm and fuzzy about it, meanwhile your full droop and full bump are never changed. Droop is limited by CV bind. Unless you change the suspension kinematics, you aren't gaining anything.

Doesn't mean those MRR's don't feel great... but to call it long travel makes us look like a bunch of dentists

Maybe the difference is "minor", at ~2.25" or so, but in my experience, shock extension is the first limit, upper ball joint is the second, UCA hitting the mount is the third, CV axle limits are much further down the list.

Agreed, still not "long travel"
yeah, so the dobinsons front long travel are not monotube so they have a larger delta (minumum to maximum size) so you are gaining, were doing a diff drop and thats to correct cv angle so we can droop more, then because the tires will tuck into the wheel well to the same point as stock we are gaining travel.
But, it is my understanding that Dobinsons IMS/MRA/MRR are monotube.


He reached max mod potential on his 100 and upgraded to a superior 80 series. As you have or are finding out, suspension travel gains are nominal on the 100 series no matter how you slice it. The torsion bar setup is the primary limiter and there’s no getting around it without tens of thousands of dollars, which, at that point, just ditch the IFS altogether or buy a different vehicle. It’s not worth the time or money to try to “long-travel” the 100 series. It is a path to nowhere other than lost time and empty pockets…
Having owned both, calling the 80 superior would depend on your use case.

I disagree that the format of the spring is the primary limiter. I've owned a number of Porsche vehicles with torsion bars (1979 930, 1985 944, & 1981 911), that while some of their engineering seemed archaic, the performance with archaic technology seemed pretty damn good (as long as you never wanted to brake, or lift off throttle, in a corner).

Yes, I've probably spent an inordinate amount of money tuning a (actually more than one) 100 series suspension, and it was probably a waste of time and money, but it did make me happier.


Eh.

"Longer" but not necessarily "long".
Yep.

When you get wider upper AND lower control arms.
And even then, an un-nameless one, around here, claimed to see a total of 10.5" of travel. Woohoo! (I'm seeing ~9.75" with my bastardized stock suspension).

I'd say you'd need to actually improve the angles the CV can operate at and go from there. Barring that, a slightly longer shock leaves you with the same limits and beyond that, potentially more risk to your originally designed CVs.

Similar to a real long travel conversion, nobody makes a bolt- on remote mount turbo kit for our trucks either. But we're not our here running turbonadors in our intake saying it's the same thing.
Longer CVs, maybe. but angles, not necessarily...

A slightly longer shock has its limits, but I don't think CV is the first issue that you'll run into. I'll be the first to scream, running extended (front) shocks on all three of mine.

Ideally, you'd gain travel by pushing the front wheels outward. Extending UCA/LCA & CV axles, and gaining travel by putting them at the end of a "longer lever".


You don’t need to be sorry. And yes, that’s what we’ve been saying.

Torsion bars were by far the worst thing to happen to the 100.



80 folks been doing this. Who is doing anything extreme with a 100?
I'm still somewhat confused about the torsion bar hate. I get that you can't do progressive torsion bars, but the bigger issue that I see, is relatively "lightweight vehicles" going to 32mm torsion bars (no uptravel), lift it 2.5" (no downtravel), and throw on some really stiff shocks (OME), then wonder why it "rides like s***".
 
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Having owned both, calling the 80 superior would depend on your use case.
*His 80* is superior.
I've owned a number of Porsche vehicles with torsion bars (1979 930, 1985 944, & 1981 911), that while some of their engineering seemed archaic, the performance with archaic technology seemed pretty damn good (as long as you never wanted to brake, or lift off throttle, in a corner).
And you lifted those sports cars and made them long-travel? Not sure what relevance those vehicles have to “long-traveling” a 100 series. I don’t think I’ve ever claimed that the ride of the 100 series with torsion bars was bad - I find it rather comfortable. However, I did say that the torsion bar design is without doubt the primary limiter to long-traveling a 100 series. I don’t think anyone can debate that had the 100 been produced with a coilover design instead, then a long-travel setup would’ve been produced by Total Chaos or some other company 10-15 years ago…It doesn’t matter what component first limits travel on the 100, whether the shocks, CVs, or controls arms, what matters is that the design using torsion bars is thus far the barrier to long-travel a 100.
 
Exactly, who is doing any of that?
. No change in suspension kinematics what so ever. No one is moving shock mounts in the rear, at least not that I’ve seen…

To be fair, this just isn't true. But I couldn't say how involved the guys I know with relocated shock mounts are on social media or forums. Don't forget, there's a ton of activity that happens offline because that's where the activity happens.

I'm curious how the rear suspension works with those shocks.

Yep, not a big fan of aftermarket wheels, but 17" wheels would be nice, and those aren't bad.

Agreed, "extended" =/= "long travel"

Front can be "optimized" a bit, but yes no "long travel" or even "mid travel" really.

Agreed, and likely nobody ever will.

Extended =/= "long travel"

Agreed.

A little "down travel" (2-2.25") can be added to the front suspension. No, it's not long travel, but if you don't "lift it too far" or "go overboard on torsion bar diameter", you can make minor improvements.



Nope. I've seen them advertised as "extended travel", but never as "long travel".



Maybe the difference is "minor", at ~2.25" or so, but in my experience, shock extension is the first limit, upper ball joint is the second, UCA hitting the mount is the third, CV axle limits are much further down the list.

Agreed, still not "long travel"

But, it is my understanding that Dobinsons IMS/MRA/MRR are monotube.



Having owned both, calling the 80 superior would depend on your use case.

I disagree that the format of the spring is the primary limiter. I've owned a number of Porsche vehicles with torsion bars (1979 930, 1985 944, & 1981 911), that while some of their engineering seemed archaic, the performance with archaic technology seemed pretty damn good (as long as you never wanted to brake, or lift off throttle, in a corner).

Yes, I've probably spent an inordinate amount of money tuning a (actually more than one) 100 series suspension, and it was probably a waste of time and money, but it did make me happier.



Yep.


And even then, an un-nameless one, around here, claimed to see a total of 10.5" of travel. Woohoo! (I'm seeing ~9.75" with my bastardized stock suspension).


Longer CVs, maybe. but angles, not necessarily...

A slightly longer shock has its limits, but I don't think CV is the first issue that you'll run into. I'll be the first to scream, running extended (front) shocks on all three of mine.

Ideally, you'd gain travel by pushing the front wheels outward. Extending UCA/LCA & CV axles, and gaining travel by putting them at the end of a "longer lever".



I'm still somewhat confused about the torsion bar hate. I get that you can't do progressive torsion bars, but the bigger issue that I see, is relatively "lightweight vehicles" going to 32mm torsion bars (no uptravel), lift it 2.5" (no downtravel), and throw on some really stiff shocks (OME), then wonder why it "rides like s***".
I think you and I might be the only guys in this thread actually running the MRAs on all 4 corners already 😉

And I agree- the TB setup in the old air cool-eds was brilliant for their purposes. I had a 3.0 swapped '77 and it was a very, very happy little car to throw around.
 
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To be fair, this just isn't true. But I couldn't say how involved the guys I know with relocated shock mounts are on social media or forums. Don't forget, there's a ton of activity that happens offline because that's where the activity happens.


I think you and I might be the only guys in this thread actually running the MRAs on all 4 corners already 😉

And I agree- the TB setup in the old air cool-eds was brilliant for their purposes. I had a 3.0 swapped '77 and it was a very, very happy little car to throw around.

Do you know of an actual example of someone relocating their rear shock mounts in a 100? NOT as a 3 link + SAS build? I not saying it isn't possible, I am saying it makes no sense to do outside of a 3link build. But, I've been wrong before...

Having owned both, calling the 80 superior would depend on your use case.

I disagree that the format of the spring is the primary limiter. I've owned a number of Porsche vehicles with torsion bars (1979 930, 1985 944, & 1981 911), that while some of their engineering seemed archaic, the performance with archaic technology seemed pretty damn good (as long as you never wanted to brake, or lift off throttle, in a corner).

I'm still somewhat confused about the torsion bar hate. I get that you can't do progressive torsion bars, but the bigger issue that I see, is relatively "lightweight vehicles" going to 32mm torsion bars (no uptravel), lift it 2.5" (no downtravel), and throw on some really stiff shocks (OME), then wonder why it "rides like s***".

For me, in every application other than driving up a hill at 80mph, my 80 is superior to my 100. Granted, I wish my 80 had arm rests and cupholders...... that part does actually really suck.... :frown:

It's possible on paper to design a functional torsion bar system (our factory 100's ride great!)... but once you lift and start dealing with varying levels of additional weight, a very small market, and old school tech the big teams aren't using... it's a limiting factor, no one is going to make that many tbar diameters, for this few 100 series that want to really dial in their setup. Progressive coils make a big difference offroad.... really helps with the small bump compliance.

From a strictly manufacturing standpoint, no machining of splines definitely makes coils easier to source.

If there were already coil buckets or coilover mounts and no need for a splined detail on the LCA, there would be mid and long travel kits for these rigs.
 
Do you know of an actual example of someone relocating their rear shock mounts in a 100? NOT as a 3 link + SAS build? I not saying it isn't possible, I am saying it makes no sense to do outside of a 3link build. But, I've been wrong before...



For me, in every application other than driving up a hill at 80mph, my 80 is superior to my 100. Granted, I wish my 80 had arm rests and cupholders...... that part does actually really suck.... :frown:

It's possible on paper to design a functional torsion bar system (our factory 100's ride great!)... but once you lift and start dealing with varying levels of additional weight, a very small market, and old school tech the big teams aren't using... it's a limiting factor, no one is going to make that many tbar diameters, for this few 100 series that want to really dial in their setup. Progressive coils make a big difference offroad.... really helps with the small bump compliance.

From a strictly manufacturing standpoint, no machining of splines definitely makes coils easier to source.

If there were already coil buckets or coilover mounts and no need for a splined detail on the LCA, there would be mid and long travel kits for these rigs.
look at @tiny200 on instagram he’s on 40s and ahc on a lx570. @out_venturing also did it on his 100 series.
 
Do you know of an actual example of someone relocating their rear shock mounts in a 100? NOT as a 3 link + SAS build? I not saying it isn't possible, I am saying it makes no sense to do outside of a 3link build. But, I've been wrong before...
I do, actually. This is not my truck.

IMG_20230216_230054.webp

IMG_20230216_230056.webp

For me, in every application other than driving up a hill at 80mph, my 80 is superior to my 100. Granted, I wish my 80 had arm rests and cupholders...... that part does actually really suck.... :frown:
I can see this making sense, but only if you only ever drive trails.
 
I do, actually. This is not my truck.

View attachment 3250353
View attachment 3250354

I can see this making sense, but only if you only ever drive trails.
Well, I stand corrected guys. I will still say... all that rear flex and still hardly any up front doesn't make much sense to me. but. it's been done!

I drive to the trails, and around town when I feel like it... it's slow, but so are the 100's. It's all relative, if I ever do a 6BT swap in my 80, it'd be a different story.

Still going to drop this picture right here though :popcorn:
maxresdefault.jpg


look at @tiny200 on instagram he’s on 40s and ahc on a lx570. @out_venturing also did it on his 100 series.
Idk what @MTKID s 570 has to do with this? His front suspension actually flexes :flipoff2:
 
Well, I stand corrected guys. I will still say... all that rear flex and still hardly any up front doesn't make much sense to me. but. it's been done!

I drive to the trails, and around town when I feel like it... it's slow, but so are the 100's. It's all relative, if I ever do a 6BT swap in my 80, it'd be a different story.

Still going to drop this picture right here though :popcorn:
maxresdefault.jpg



Idk what @MTKID s 570 has to do with this? His front suspension actually flexes
tiny_the_200 has moved his rear shock mounts. and yeah that 80 is cool but it has $7000 in suspension with all superior engineering stuff.
 
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@Calvinswartz idk why the brand or price of the parts makes a difference. Most LT kits are $10k when you include shocks and axles... even more if you need glass fenders.

Is this one better? Here's Phil's with factory radius arms and I believe the shorter shocks...
img_6834-jpg.1960910
 
Well, I stand corrected guys. I will still say... all that rear flex and still hardly any up front doesn't make much sense to me. but. it's been done!

I drive to the trails, and around town when I feel like it... it's slow, but so are the 100's. It's all relative, if I ever do a 6BT swap in my 80, it'd be a different story.

Still going to drop this picture right here though :popcorn:
maxresdefault.jpg



Idk what @MTKID s 570 has to do with this? His front suspension actually flexes :flipoff2:
I didn’t do the rear shock mount move on my 100 but I did use a tall soft rear coil from an 80 and longish adjustable Tough Dog shocks on the back of my 100 and it seemed to do just fine having quite a bit more droop/flex than the front. You can kinda see the droop of the back end at the beginning of this vid…



Ultimately, matching things F&R would be ideal, but we all try to make improvements with whatever we start with. The front of my 100 unloaded over bumps and ledges pretty badly.

My 200 is my first vehicle with AHC and I’m just trying to maximize it as much as possible. With my size tire it makes sense to try to get more droop since I can only go so far up with these tires. And it drives great around town or on fast mountain passes. I don’t hold back one bit 🤙🏼
 
@Calvinswartz idk why the brand or price of the parts makes a difference. Most LT kits are $10k when you include shocks and axles... even more if you need glass fenders.

Is this one better? Here's Phil's with factory radius arms and I believe the shorter shocks...
img_6834-jpg.1960910
i still don't know what you're arguing, it seems like everything you've said gets combatted with what i say. comparing 80 to 100 is like apples to oranges. 80s are really cool if you're into rock crawling but with my interests being more into extreme reliabilty and more of the overlanding part a 100 is just better, my land cruiser is going to flex 75% of those 80s and honestly i couldnt care less, f youre so into ifs long travel maybe you should look at 4 runners. there is a reason no one makes long travel kits for 100 series and its becasue of the demographic, 100 series owners that are looking to keep their rigs for a while are into mor mellow offroading and not stuff that you would take a solid front axel car on.
 
I didn’t do the rear shock mount move on my 100 but I did use a tall soft rear coil from an 80 and longish adjustable Tough Dog shocks on the back of my 100 and it seemed to do just fine having quite a bit more droop/flex than the front. You can kinda see the droop of the back end at the beginning of this vid…



Ultimately, matching things F&R would be ideal, but we all try to make improvements with whatever we start with. The front of my 100 unloaded over bumps and ledges pretty badly.

My 200 is my first vehicle with AHC and I’m just trying to maximize it as much as possible. With my size tire it makes sense to try to get more droop since I can only go so far up with these tires. And it drives great around town or on fast mountain passes. I don’t hold back one bit 🤙🏼

Don’t you have an awesome golden retriever too? Am I remembering right?
 
I didn’t do the rear shock mount move on my 100 but I did use a tall soft rear coil from an 80 and longish adjustable Tough Dog shocks on the back of my 100 and it seemed to do just fine having quite a bit more droop/flex than the front. You can kinda see the droop of the back end at the beginning of this vid…



Ultimately, matching things F&R would be ideal, but we all try to make improvements with whatever we start with. The front of my 100 unloaded over bumps and ledges pretty badly.

My 200 is my first vehicle with AHC and I’m just trying to maximize it as much as possible. With my size tire it makes sense to try to get more droop since I can only go so far up with these tires. And it drives great around town or on fast mountain passes. I don’t hold back one bit 🤙🏼

great point, its refreshing to hear a like minded person in this thread, unlike someone ive been talking to.
 
Don’t you have an awesome golden retriever too? Am I remembering right?
🤔 no. Taken my dogs on trips in the past but no trail dogs currently.
 
And you lifted those sports cars and made them long-travel? Not sure what relevance those vehicles have to “long-traveling” a 100 series. I don’t think I’ve ever claimed that the ride of the 100 series with torsion bars was bad - I find it rather comfortable. However, I did say that the torsion bar design is without doubt the primary limiter to long-traveling a 100 series. I don’t think anyone can debate that had the 100 been produced with a coilover design instead, then a long-travel setup would’ve been produced by Total Chaos or some other company 10-15 years ago…It doesn’t matter what component first limits travel on the 100, whether the shocks, CVs, or controls arms, what matters is that the design using torsion bars is thus far the barrier to long-travel a 100.

I still argue that if they'd simply used a coil on a shock, and reinforced the shock mount, It would still be a ghost town for long travel kits. The small (US) production numbers, and the fact of not sharing much of anything, with any other Toyota/Lexus vehicle's front suspension, makes it hard to justify the engineering cost, considering the limited potential market.

I don't disagree that the design is flawed. I disagree with the premise that the only thing wrong with the 100 series IFS is the format of the spring.

I guess I don’t fully buy into:
A79C2599-8C31-4ACC-831C-9B23A9AB95B9.webp


No, no lifted long travel Porsche 911 trophy trucks in my past, and I'm not aware of anyone else that has done one either, but I really haven't been looking. I am aware that a number of people seem to like the old 911 rally cars...


russellbuilt-911-safari-sportsman-1.jpg



For me, in every application other than driving up a hill at 80mph, my 80 is superior to my 100. Granted, I wish my 80 had arm rests and cupholders...... that part does actually really suck.... :frown:

It's possible on paper to design a functional torsion bar system (our factory 100's ride great!)... but once you lift and start dealing with varying levels of additional weight, a very small market, and old school tech the big teams aren't using... it's a limiting factor, no one is going to make that many tbar diameters, for this few 100 series that want to really dial in their setup. Progressive coils make a big difference offroad.... really helps with the small bump compliance.

From a strictly manufacturing standpoint, no machining of splines definitely makes coils easier to source.

If there were already coil buckets or coilover mounts and no need for a splined detail on the LCA, there would be mid and long travel kits for these rigs.

Off road, no doubt I prefer my old 80 series. I wouldn't call the 80 series a "great" rockcrawler due to its size, and overhangs, the solid axles makes lifts above 2" fairly trivial, which also makes tires above 33" fairly easy. It's still basically a work truck with leather, and carpet, that Toyota sold as a "luxury SUV".

If I drive 1500 miles of highway, to do trails (that any stock Land Cruiser could do) in Colorado, I'd really prefer a 100 or 200 series.

I agree that the lifting of the IFS, varying additional weight levels, small market, and not sharing components are limiting factors. Even of the stuff that is available, basic suspension kits for a 100 series, each manufacturer offers a number of rear coils (because they're pretty much the same as the 80 series coils), but I can't think of one that offers more than (1) torsion bar in "petrol length", and (1) torsion bar in "diesel length". Is this because a torsion bar is so hard to manufacture, or because of the other limitations of the 100 series IFS design, and the limited market, "why bother"?
 
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I still argue that if they'd simply used a coil on a shock, and reinforced the shock mount, It would still be a ghost town for long travel kits. The small (US) production numbers, and the fact of not sharing much of anything, with any other Toyota/Lexus vehicle's front suspension, makes it hard to justify the engineering cost, considering the limited potential market.

I don't disagree that the design is flawed. I disagree with the premise that the only thing wrong with the 100 series IFS is the format of the spring.

No, no lifted long travel Porsche 911 trophy trucks in my past, and I'm not aware of anyone else that has done one either, but I really haven't been looking. I am aware that a number of people seem to like the old 911 rally cars...


russellbuilt-911-safari-sportsman-1.jpg





Off road, no doubt I prefer my old 80 series. I wouldn't call the 80 series a "great" rockcrawler due to its size, and overhangs, the solid axles makes lifts above 2" fairly trivial, which also makes tires above 33" fairly easy. It's still basically a work truck with leather, and carpet, that Toyota sold as a "luxury SUV".

If I drive 1500 miles of highway, to do trails (that any stock Land Cruiser could do) in Colorado, I'd really prefer a 100 or 200 series.

I agree that the lifting of the IFS, varying additional weight levels, small market, and not sharing components are limiting factors. Even of the stuff that is available, basic suspension kits for a 100 series, each manufacturer offers a number of rear coils (because they're pretty much the same as the 80 series coils), but I can't think of one that offers (1) torsion bar in "petrol length", and (1) torsion bar in "diesel length". Is this because a torsion bar is so hard to manufacture, or because of the other limitations of the 100 series IFS design, and the limited market, "why bother"?
if im understanding the last part correctly, dobinsons makes deisel and petrol specific torsion bars with a heavy duty petrol version too.
 
if im understanding the last part correctly, dobinsons makes deisel and petrol specific torsion bars with a heavy duty petrol version too.

Their Australian catalog, only shows one "short" V8 petrol bar, and one "long" diesel/1fz bar (just like everyone else).

1676611902555.webp


Which isn't to say that vendors over here don't sell "medium" suspension kits, and manly "heavy" suspension kits. Often the only difference between the two is the rear coil spring rate.
 
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