2-2.5" AHC Lift Using King Coils & Shock Spacers

[dubyahard]

I went through a similar progression. DirtDawg was a huge help in going through my sensor lift. I maxed out the sensor sliders for about 1-1.5 inches lift. i sourced the ahc shock spacers from Japan 4x4 and King springs from ebay. After an alignment my ride was great. The king springs greatly improved the ride quality. A little firm but sporty how I like it. Unfortunately, my globes were already failing at almost 200k miles and I developed a fluid leak so i decided not to go down the rabbit hole of ahc repairs and opted for a 1.5 in tough dog kit (rear springs and torsion bars) w/ 41mm foam cells all around from @reevesci . The ahc lift rode great with the King springs and I enjoyed retaining the function of the ahc system but, after moving to the tough dog setup, Ive been very happy with the ride quality. My LX is otherwise stock with no bumpers, drawers, or heavy accessories. I definitely recommend working with Jason @reevesci. Great customer service and the tough dog foam cells are smooth and soak up rough roads nicely but still sporty not spongy.

How long did you ride on the king spring/sensor lift? I’m doing this in a week or so.
I think if I ran into the same issue, I’d replace my globes. I like the system and prefer to keep it. Now if I add one drawer and a fridge I may be changing my mind. But that will be a while. I’d welcome your thoughts.
-Will

 

[BNuts]

How long did you ride on the king spring/sensor lift? I’m doing this in a week or so.
I think if I ran into the same issue, I’d replace my globes. I like the system and prefer to keep it. Now if I add one drawer and a fridge I may be changing my mind. But that will be a while. I’d welcome your thoughts.
-Will

I rode the sensor lift for a little over half a year. Im a "spirited" driver and the king springs with the sensor lift (after an alignment) felt sporty to me with my stock weight truck. Im a fan of AHC. After going to standard suspension I do miss the active leveling when taking corners and the luxury of going up a couple inches when rock crawling and lowering a couple inches for grandma to get in/out. If I had the budget, I would invest in a complete refresh of the AHC components and ride the sensor life for life. Aside from those few luxuries, Im happy with the stance and ride of the Tough Dog setup so far and my wallet can sleep a little easier at night. Basically a similar experience DirtDawg had.

 

[dubyahard]

I rode the sensor lift for a little over half a year. Im a "spirited" driver and the king springs with the sensor lift (after an alignment) felt sporty to me with my stock weight truck. Im a fan of AHC. After going to standard suspension I do miss the active leveling when taking corners and the luxury of going up a couple inches when rock crawling and lowering a couple inches for grandma to get in/out. If I had the budget, I would invest in a complete refresh of the AHC components and ride the sensor life for life. Aside from those few luxuries, Im happy with the stance and ride of the Tough Dog setup so far and my wallet can sleep a little easier at night. Basically a similar experience DirtDawg had.

Great. Thanks for the input. Fortunately, my system seems good. Pressures are a little high but with some torsion bar turns and the Kings, I think I'll be able to get it in the sweet spot. My graduation marks test around 9 or 10 marks. The PO replaced the front and rear shock absorbers in January 2015 with 140,000 miles on the clock. I'm around 183k now. I rekon a flush or new globes will be in the cards depending on how the pressures look after I mess with the torsion bars/springs.
I do like being able to lower and raise the truck as needed. It makes daily driving easier for sure.

 

[FxFormat]

Sitting on the can this morning digging up this thread getting ready to do this. Thanks dirtdawg for the write up.

 

[Omgzilla757]

I'm brand new here and recently purchased a 05 LX470. I finally got away from diesel trucks and have always been amazed at these vehicles. I plan on doing this lift and have the shock spacers in route from Japan. My graduations marked at 10. I flushed the AHC and double checked each bleeder one more time. The first drive after I could feel an immediate difference in the handling and the height changes seemed smoother, more even, and a little faster. I have the techstream purchased and probably should have tested the pressures prior to purchasing the mounts. If I were to replace the TBs would it be ok to purchase the OME ones or should I buy factory ones? Do aftermarket TBs offer more height adjustment or just rating? I plan on doing bumpers and a roof rack eventually and want to prepare as best as I can for the additional weight. Ill swap to sliders if my factory steps get too damaged.

 

[Joe Bob]

I'm brand new here and recently purchased a 05 LX470. I finally got away from diesel trucks and have always been amazed at these vehicles. I plan on doing this lift and have the shock spacers in route from Japan. My graduations marked at 10. I flushed the AHC and double checked each bleeder one more time. The first drive after I could feel an immediate difference in the handling and the height changes seemed smoother, more even, and a little faster. I have the techstream purchased and probably should have tested the pressures prior to purchasing the mounts. If I were to replace the TBs would it be ok to purchase the OME ones or should I buy factory ones? Do aftermarket TBs offer more height adjustment or just rating? I plan on doing bumpers and a roof rack eventually and want to prepare as best as I can for the additional weight. Ill swap to sliders if my factory steps get too damaged.

If u r gonna wheel, you might want to consider sliders first before the bumpers. Those slide steps won't offer any protection and if you fall into a rock you might find yourself unable to open your door!

 

[DirtDawg]

I'm brand new here and recently purchased a 05 LX470. I finally got away from diesel trucks and have always been amazed at these vehicles. I plan on doing this lift and have the shock spacers in route from Japan. My graduations marked at 10. I flushed the AHC and double checked each bleeder one more time. The first drive after I could feel an immediate difference in the handling and the height changes seemed smoother, more even, and a little faster. I have the techstream purchased and probably should have tested the pressures prior to purchasing the mounts. If I were to replace the TBs would it be ok to purchase the OME ones or should I buy factory ones? Do aftermarket TBs offer more height adjustment or just rating? I plan on doing bumpers and a roof rack eventually and want to prepare as best as I can for the additional weight. Ill swap to sliders if my factory steps get too damaged.

Well so different TBs have different spring rates. Different spring rates affect the pressure curve differently, in turn affecting ride quality. Aftermarket TBs increase spring rate on a standard suspension making the ride more firm and increasing load capacity.

If you are going to run a ton of weight up front, you could probably do OEM LC TBs, but I would just stick with the OEM LX TBs. OME TBs will not work well with the system at all.

 

[Joe Bob]

Well so different TBs have different spring rates. Different spring rates affect the pressure curve differently, in turn affecting ride quality. Aftermarket TBs increase spring rate on a standard suspension making the ride more firm and increasing load capacity.

If you are going to run a ton of weight up front, you could probably do OEM LC TBs, but I would just stick with the OEM LX TBs. OME TBs will not work well with the system at all.

If you want to keep the upfront weight down you can check out the dissent bumpers too!

 

[winegamd]

Kavik also has a new aluminium bumper out that is around 35-40 lbs.

 

[BillZ260]

I've been running stock TB's with the sensor lift and a heavy version of 4x4Labs Bumper and winch for about 7K miles, no issues.

Although I did just pull the trigger on a Tough Dog set up, when I get it installed I'll offer up my spacers and springs on the Classifieds.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I've been running stock TB's with the sensor lift and a heavy version of 4x4Labs Bumper and winch for about 7K miles, no issues.

Although I did just pull the trigger on a Tough Dog set up, when I get it installed I'll offer up my spacers and springs on the Classifieds.

Ships today!

J

 

[menancyandsam]

Anybody around the Burbank, CA area that can help me do this sensor lift.
I have the shock spacers and king shocks but lack the skills & tools.
Happy to pay for your time.

 

[Knowbuddy]

Anybody around the Burbank, CA area that can help me do this sensor lift.
I have the shock spacers and king shocks but lack the skills & tools.
Happy to pay for your time.

the sensor lift is super easy. Hardest part will be the installation of the shock spacers and cranking the T Bars to get pressures within spec

 

[Omgzilla757]

Well so different TBs have different spring rates. Different spring rates affect the pressure curve differently, in turn affecting ride quality. Aftermarket TBs increase spring rate on a standard suspension making the ride more firm and increasing load capacity.

If you are going to run a ton of weight up front, you could probably do OEM LC TBs, but I would just stick with the OEM LX TBs. OME TBs will not work well with the system at all.

OK, I'll stick with the stocks ones. Thank you!

 

[queequeg]

Is there any other way to tune the rear pressure besides coil springs or spring spacers?

 

[DirtDawg]

Is there any other way to tune the rear pressure besides coil springs or spring spacers?

Lower the rear end using the sensor adjustments until pressure is set. But then you’d be low-riding.

 

[queequeg]

Okay, that's what I assumed, thanks.

 

[JJ_SC]

I have a couple of questions about this lift before I start. I just got techstream and brought my system back into spec after I've added weight (winch, skid plates, rear bumper). I have airbags in the back and tightened the torsion bars to get the pressures within the correct range. It rides a lot better now. Now that it's "normalized" I'd like to proceed with the lift.

Questions:

1) Do I need to add spacers for the rear springs or will the airbags be sufficient?

2) If I lift it about 2", can I get away with out the modified shock mounts in the front?

3) In an earlier thread from Hoser (I think) it mentioned adding AHC fluid after the lift is complete. Is that necessary? And if so, how come? After torsion bars are cranked and springs are lifted isn't the system working essentially as if it's stock?

Thanks for the wealth of info!

 

[hoser]

3) In reality, you won't need more AHC fluid but the fluid level will read low in the reservoir, granted you aren't using shock spacers. If you are using shock spacers, the fluid will read about the same.

 

[DirtDawg]

I have a couple of questions about this lift before I start. I just got techstream and brought my system back into spec after I've added weight (winch, skid plates, rear bumper). I have airbags in the back and tightened the torsion bars to get the pressures within the correct range. It rides a lot better now. Now that it's "normalized" I'd like to proceed with the lift.

Questions:

1) Do I need to add spacers for the rear springs or will the airbags be sufficient?

2) If I lift it about 2", can I get away with out the modified shock mounts in the front?

3) In an earlier thread from Hoser (I think) it mentioned adding AHC fluid after the lift is complete. Is that necessary? And if so, how come? After torsion bars are cranked and springs are lifted isn't the system working essentially as if it's stock?

Thanks for the wealth of info!

1) If lifting, I would add spacers or switch over to the king coils. I dont know if the airbags will be enough when lifted and I personally would not want to rely on them. There have been several occasions where airbags have failed and that would put the system into limp mode (riding bumpstops). I ran the king coils with spacers because I occasionally carry weight and didnt want to rely on airbags.

2) Yes. You can lift it up to like 3" without the spacers. The shock spacers arent NEEDED for the lift, but there recommended. If you plan on offroading with a lifted AHC setup, there is a possibility of topping out your shocks without the spacers. Simply put, they just return the travel range of the shock back to the stock range once lifted.

3) refer to @hoser comment