2-2.5" AHC Lift Using King Coils & Shock Spacers
- Thread starter DirtDawg
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Components Installed:
KING KTRS-79 Coils (sourced from eBay seller sparesbox_auto)
AHC Shock Spacers (sourced here: AHC Spacers - Possible Group buy)
2 x front sway bar links
2 x rear sway bar links
2 x rear sway bar bushings
Is there a specific reason to do the links and bushings? were they just worn out, or is it necessary? Has anyone tried the aftermarket arms to limit rubbing on the front shock dust cover?
thanks guys, awesome thread and info here.
KING KTRS-79 Coils (sourced from eBay seller sparesbox_auto)
AHC Shock Spacers (sourced here: AHC Spacers - Possible Group buy)
2 x front sway bar links
2 x rear sway bar links
2 x rear sway bar bushings
Is there a specific reason to do the links and bushings? were they just worn out, or is it necessary? Has anyone tried the aftermarket arms to limit rubbing on the front shock dust cover?
thanks guys, awesome thread and info here.
Extended sway bar links help reestablish the geometry of the suspension.
Thanks, and where does one go looking for these and how to install them?
trdcorolla
SILVER Star
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Forgot to mention - I solved the AHC spacer/cv axle interference prior to a moab trip last month:
I did this right before driving 2200 miles from Melbourne to Moab, then camping and wheeling sunday through thursday, then driving home. Worked out good. I still get slight contact between the strut and upper control arm but barely, and the extended rear endlinks seem to have solved the swaybar/strut contact problem too. Only thing left that I can think us is to get some extended brake lines, but I was able to bend the brackets enough that it isn't a problem either.
I did this right before driving 2200 miles from Melbourne to Moab, then camping and wheeling sunday through thursday, then driving home. Worked out good. I still get slight contact between the strut and upper control arm but barely, and the extended rear endlinks seem to have solved the swaybar/strut contact problem too. Only thing left that I can think us is to get some extended brake lines, but I was able to bend the brackets enough that it isn't a problem either.
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Is this a modified bracket from japan or did you make your own and weld it on? Is the rear welded also?
Great addition to the mod, thanks for posting your results
Modified japan4x4 bracket. I cut off the lower portion that fits to the outside of the OEM bracket and welded the inner portion on to the top of the OEM piece. I also added a bolt with the the bracket spacer/standoff to the lower hole to help avoid squishing out the weld point. Since this worked pretty good, I'll like end up buying my own new control arms and doing a better job welding on a small extension before installing in the 100.
I have not YET welded on the rear brackets but I fully intend to. The sideways strain it puts on the bushings isn't great. Just...lacking in free time lately!
That’s awesome. What other mods have you done for the lift and how much lift do you think you got?
extended sway bar links? New sway bushings? Arms? Sensor lift with modified brackets?
thanks!
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I've added extended sway bar links from @TRAIL TAILOR on the front and rear, adjustable rear lower links, trimmed the front height sensors to add a little more lift over the max OEM length. For the rear sensor, I just...bent it. No need to build a new bracket, just bend the thing up a little bit if you're not at the height you want to be.
I honestly have no idea what height the lift is total. I added 33" tires as well as King Springs and poly spacers to the rear, plus the AHC brackets and cranked the T-bars to max, plus a platform and gear to the back and a 12k hidden winch to the front, and rock sliders. I'd guess around 1.5" but it's a total guess, might be more or less than that. My pressures are set at the low end of hte spec - around 6.5 front and 5.9 rear. I'm often towing a trailer, so I like having the empty pressures at the low end so they're still in spec when the trailer is on the hitch.
I'm definitely going for the ideal overland vehicle, so I don't want an extreme lift. The front sway bar links are definitely a bit too long for my lift height but they're better than the stock ones were.
I honestly have no idea what height the lift is total. I added 33" tires as well as King Springs and poly spacers to the rear, plus the AHC brackets and cranked the T-bars to max, plus a platform and gear to the back and a 12k hidden winch to the front, and rock sliders. I'd guess around 1.5" but it's a total guess, might be more or less than that. My pressures are set at the low end of hte spec - around 6.5 front and 5.9 rear. I'm often towing a trailer, so I like having the empty pressures at the low end so they're still in spec when the trailer is on the hitch.
I'm definitely going for the ideal overland vehicle, so I don't want an extreme lift. The front sway bar links are definitely a bit too long for my lift height but they're better than the stock ones were.
I just put a set of these king coils in the classified section of anyone is interested. DM me.
Since this earlier post, I've revisited my suspension configuration a little. I was having pretty drastic toe-in under heavy throttle application. Eventually with some help from the forums, I realized my front AHC pressures were rather low out of spec - I think spec is 6.9 +/- .5 mpa, and I was at 5.6. I un-cranked my t-bars to get the pressures up to around 6.5 mpa and it's much happier now. Way less squat under heavy throttle and no longer feels like a madman when I punch it.
I know that pressure was right when I first adjusted everything. I even have screen shots from way back when, so it could've been some air working out of the system or something. Whatever the cause, it's much better now.
One thing to keep in mind is when you add extra droop (aka AHC brackets), you introduce pretty severe bump steer at the end of travel. We threw my 100 on the lift and measured 3 inches of toe in in the last 1.5 inches of droop or so. Just something to be aware of.
I know that pressure was right when I first adjusted everything. I even have screen shots from way back when, so it could've been some air working out of the system or something. Whatever the cause, it's much better now.
One thing to keep in mind is when you add extra droop (aka AHC brackets), you introduce pretty severe bump steer at the end of travel. We threw my 100 on the lift and measured 3 inches of toe in in the last 1.5 inches of droop or so. Just something to be aware of.
hoser
SILVER Star
@krispykritter I noticed that too on a friend's 100 with front drop brackets and the reason why I never installed them. Custom front shock mounts that allow just 1" of added droop would be the hot ticket. You can see the "toe-in," in this pic when weight is transferred to the rear and the front lifts up a bit.
You might ask, "what's up with the yellow coiled hose?" It was a trail fix. The compressor for the ARB lockers went south. The fix was inflating the spare tire to 100 psi and running a hose to the compressor manifold. Worked like a charm!
You might ask, "what's up with the yellow coiled hose?" It was a trail fix. The compressor for the ARB lockers went south. The fix was inflating the spare tire to 100 psi and running a hose to the compressor manifold. Worked like a charm!
That's an awesome trail fix! Good idea!
Yeah that's very obvious toe in. I don't mind it on the trail, not such a big deal, but if you get on that on road, it's hazardous. My extreme pitchiness was putting me into that part of the travel and it was not ideal.
My current setup is only about an extra inch of droop I believe, but it still exhibits extreme toe in at max droop. Might not be much that can be done for a reasonable cost.
hoser
SILVER Star
His rear driveshaft got pretzeled on that trail. We were able to straighten it with a Hi-lift and straps, then weld box wrenches around the driveshaft as a fix. We removed the rear driveshaft for the trip home and if you've ever run your 100 in FWD, there is a lot of front end lift when accelerating. That's where the toe-in can get crazy!
I might revisit the front AHC brackets and install some adjustable limiting straps. This would also eliminate the front end noise when the shocks top out.
Also, on topic of suspension geometry.... Russian Fabbed drop brackets and stuff!...
I might revisit the front AHC brackets and install some adjustable limiting straps. This would also eliminate the front end noise when the shocks top out.
Also, on topic of suspension geometry.... Russian Fabbed drop brackets and stuff!...
I'm gearing up to do an AHC lift on my 2000 LX. I just ordered shock spacers from Japan4x4, and I'm planning to order the King springs and new UCAs (not sure the brand yet).
The previous owner put on steel bumpers front/back with a beefy roof rack and rock sliders, and it has a swing-away spare with jerry cans on the back. With all of the extra weight, the pressures are way out of spec. They over-cranked the TBs and didn't address the springs, so the pressures are 4.7 in the front and 8.1 in the back in N.
In H, the fender to the wheel center is 21.75" in the front and 22.5" in the back, and that's about where I'd like it in N when the lift is all said and done. The pressures in H are currently 7.3 in the front and 9.1 in the back, so I'm hoping that the King springs will bring those rear pressures down around 6.1ish if what I've read about those is correct.
All of my measurements are empty without all of the camping gear and 4 kids, so I contemplated just getting the 30mm spacers from Ironman right off the bat. I'm just not sure if that will even be enough relief to keep the pressures healthy when fully loaded. Has anyone done an AHC lift and incorporated airbags on the back?
Also, has anyone come up with a suspension limiting strap solution to address over droop? I was trying to figure out where a good place would be to mount such a thing, and so far I was looking at potentially incorporating a shorty from the bottom of the sway bar link to the bump stop mount point. That's if one will be needed for my scenario.
The previous owner put on steel bumpers front/back with a beefy roof rack and rock sliders, and it has a swing-away spare with jerry cans on the back. With all of the extra weight, the pressures are way out of spec. They over-cranked the TBs and didn't address the springs, so the pressures are 4.7 in the front and 8.1 in the back in N.
In H, the fender to the wheel center is 21.75" in the front and 22.5" in the back, and that's about where I'd like it in N when the lift is all said and done. The pressures in H are currently 7.3 in the front and 9.1 in the back, so I'm hoping that the King springs will bring those rear pressures down around 6.1ish if what I've read about those is correct.
All of my measurements are empty without all of the camping gear and 4 kids, so I contemplated just getting the 30mm spacers from Ironman right off the bat. I'm just not sure if that will even be enough relief to keep the pressures healthy when fully loaded. Has anyone done an AHC lift and incorporated airbags on the back?
Also, has anyone come up with a suspension limiting strap solution to address over droop? I was trying to figure out where a good place would be to mount such a thing, and so far I was looking at potentially incorporating a shorty from the bottom of the sway bar link to the bump stop mount point. That's if one will be needed for my scenario.
I haven't switched to aftermarket UCAs yet, but the stock ones work okay at my lift height of 20.75F and 21.75R.
On the front, the UCAs contact the dust shield on full extension, and I get pretty wild bumpsteer in first gear if I floor it. I've checked over my AHC system and gone through several troubleshooting steps and everything checks out, but I still get nose lift of like 3 to 4 inches when I plant it.
On the rear, I have king springs and a 30mm spacer, and at the above height, that puts me right around 5.6 mpa on the rear. More height will equal more pressure. With the AHC spacers, the rear travel is such that the springs would fall out if you did major flexing without the 30mm spacers. As it is, when I put my truck on a lift, I can remove the springs by hand with a little persuasion.
You likely won't get the ride height you want with decent driving manners or decent pressures. I've lifted my LX as far as I could and still live with the handling characteristics and driveline vibration and whatnot.
For you, I'd start with the AHC blocks, king springs, and 30mm spacer, then set a 1 inch ish rake, then adjust height to get pressures in spec, then re-evaluate. It'll take lots of fiddling and adjusting to get it all where you want it. I've spent two years adjusting my suspension and it still drive worse than it did at stock height.
On the front, the UCAs contact the dust shield on full extension, and I get pretty wild bumpsteer in first gear if I floor it. I've checked over my AHC system and gone through several troubleshooting steps and everything checks out, but I still get nose lift of like 3 to 4 inches when I plant it.
On the rear, I have king springs and a 30mm spacer, and at the above height, that puts me right around 5.6 mpa on the rear. More height will equal more pressure. With the AHC spacers, the rear travel is such that the springs would fall out if you did major flexing without the 30mm spacers. As it is, when I put my truck on a lift, I can remove the springs by hand with a little persuasion.
You likely won't get the ride height you want with decent driving manners or decent pressures. I've lifted my LX as far as I could and still live with the handling characteristics and driveline vibration and whatnot.
For you, I'd start with the AHC blocks, king springs, and 30mm spacer, then set a 1 inch ish rake, then adjust height to get pressures in spec, then re-evaluate. It'll take lots of fiddling and adjusting to get it all where you want it. I've spent two years adjusting my suspension and it still drive worse than it did at stock height.
I recently adjusted the sensors (max without cutting) and then dialed in the pressures, etc using techstream and the process laid out by various folks in this forum. I forgot to take pre measurements, but it's sitting at 21" from the center of hub to fender on all 4 corners now...maybe ~1.25" assuming it was at 19.75" in the front. Perfect for 295/85/16s. I'm currently not running a rear bumper, so the stock springs have me within spec, but I'm building drawers this winter and will hopefully have a rear bumper by then, so I'll undoubtedly have to go with heavier springs and recalibrate it.
Thanks to everyone who has shared the info on this process.
Thanks to everyone who has shared the info on this process.
@DJCloz mentioned to me that the King coils probably wouldn't work on my truck with it loaded down heavy plus with all of the armor and in conjunction with an AHC lift. He suggested standard coils instead. Has anyone gone this route with a heavy/lifted AHC system? I've heard of people using 80 series coils, but not regular 100 series with AHC, so I'd love to hear more feedback along those lines if anyone has it.
The other thing that's been bouncing around my head is the possibility of using the Kings with spacers and airbags only for when it's loaded down. I've never used airbags before, so the idea of depending on them scares me a little.
The other thing that's been bouncing around my head is the possibility of using the Kings with spacers and airbags only for when it's loaded down. I've never used airbags before, so the idea of depending on them scares me a little.
Driveway pic.
