2012 GX460 Suspension Kits and Upgrades

[newbie460]

FCPs will do that - and when they do need a rebuild, it can be done without special tools since the shocks don't rely on pressurized gas. Based on how my FCPs have performed for 40K, I estimate the lifespan of a set between rebuilds will be 60-80K. Most other aftermarket shocks use pressurized gas and need to be sent off for rebuilds. Being able to DIY the rebuild is personally why I picked the FCPs.

Sounds good, definitely leaning towards Ironman FCP at this point. Seems to be a good mix of serviceability, long life right out of the box, height adjustment, and not too many options to be overwhelming. Especially if they have some increased articulation as well. Thank you everyone for all the information )

 

[Cold Iron]

Interesting, thank you. I have unfortunately heard of many failures occurring with Bilsteins, specifically the 5100. I am glad that they work well for you though - perhaps it is just a matter of them being an incredibly common replacement for OEM hardware -> more users, more failures. Who knows

A lot of my friends run 5100's and I've never heard of any failures or any other Bilstein's for that matter. In fact Lexus offers a lift kit for the 460 and it uses the 5100's. GX Bilstein Lift Kit Shocks and Struts They wouldn't use them if they had a high failure rate, I wouldn't rule them out.

My 13 Tacoma Baja T|X came from the factory with 6112's on the front and 1.5" of lift. 10 years and 90K miles later they were still fine. Leaf packs on the rear not so much as is common and replaced them with Old Man Emu medium packs.

As someone that spent 20 years working with propulsion machinery on ships I feel if you have to rebuild a shock it is because of a failure. No other way to put it, it failed to do its job and I want them to go closer to 100K+ then replacement is fine. I prefer to not have failures of any type, just because you can rebuild doesn't mean I want to HAVE to. For the last 30 years have been building highly available computer systems in the medical field where failure is not an option so that may be a bit more ingrained in me than most.

Suspensions are a compromise how many days do you spend off road? How fast on those washboards and potholes? If on switchbacks where you can't go over 30 mph then it is different than 50+ mph where a tighter suspension smooths the rough ride out. But is rougher in slower situations.

My 19 Lux factory suspension is the best riding of any vehicle that I've ever owned and all I've owned since the 70's is 4x4's. I tow 2.5K pounds regularly and carried half a ton of lead shot in the back for shotgun shell reloading for 100 miles with no problems. And spend 6 weeks off road in the Sunset Country of Canada and the North Shore of Lake Superior on pretty rough 2 tracks each Fall. It is perfect for me, for now. But at ~100K miles I expect that I will be looking at suspension options same as you. To replace the factory suspension is crazy expensive and will have to see what is available when I get to that point. But if I don't stay with factory it will be along the lines of this and Bilstein's.



I'm running 265/70r17 AT3W's on TRD Pro wheels with stock suspension. Went with a straight line cut on the front personal preference but it needed to be done either way.

Wouldn't change a thing. Well except for that stupid rear door that should lift up instead LOL. Especially when towing, it is a PITA.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Bilstein has been making 2" monotube dampers for offroaders for at least 4 decades.

They have some serious cred, they are a massive oem supplier as well. They are that ubiquitous you will hear about a lot of failures. There is so many of them out there and they are known for being one of the more reliable options, for folks who can get by with a 2" monotube.

Also it's important to take driving style into account with any suspension failure. All too often it's driver error or driver being more aggressive than the vehicle's engineering allows for. Almost all of my failures on my GX wouldn't have happened if I stayed on concrete.

 

[ericm979]

Bilstein has been making 2" monotube dampers for offroaders for at least 4 decades.

They have some serious cred, they are a massive oem supplier as well. They are that ubiquitous you will hear about a lot of failures. There is so many of them out there and they are known for being one of the more reliable options, for folks who can get by with a 2" monotube.

Also it's important to take driving style into account with any suspension failure. All too often it's driver error or driver being more aggressive than the vehicle's engineering allows for. Almost all of my failures on my GX wouldn't have happened if I stayed on concrete.

Bilsteins gas filled mono tube shocks tend to have fairly stiff low speed (shock speed not vehicle speed) damping. I've put them on a number of vehicles and they tend to stiffen up the cornering and the ride. My personal feeling is that KDSS makes the GX corner fairly flat for a tall SUV and I don't want to compromise the ride to get it to corner flatter.

 

[Rednexus]

As someone that spent 20 years working with propulsion machinery on ships I feel if you have to rebuild a shock it is because of a failure. No other way to put it, it failed to do its job and I want them to go closer to 100K+ then replacement is fine. I prefer to not have failures of any type, just because you can rebuild doesn't mean I want to HAVE to. For the last 30 years have been building highly available computer systems in the medical field where failure is not an option so that may be a bit more ingrained in me than most.

The "rebuild" is basically just replacing the seals and shock fluid. A "service" is probably a better description. This is a pretty big departure from the throwaway OEM-style shocks, or most Bilstein shocks, which can't be DIY serviced and must be replaced when they eventually wear out. I personally prefer components that can be serviced at home and brought back to new function, as opposed to ones that aren't serviceable and need to be tossed and completely replaced when worn. Especially if the service interval for a rebuildable shock is essentially the same as the replacement interval for a throwaway shock.

For the FCP example, the shock itself is around $300 (for a single rear shock) as they are a large 2.8" diameter shock with a 0.125" thick steel body. They weigh several times that of a OEM shock or a OEM-style shock like a Bilstein. If you hold them side-by-side it's very clear how robust of a shock and more HD they are than the OEM/Bilstein non-serviceable shocks. The FCP rebuild seals are around $30-45, and the shock oil is around $25/qt. So it's inexpensive to rebuild....and the rebuilt shock should perform just like a brand-new $300 shock after a service.

I don't think a 100K rebuild cycle is out of the question for FCP shocks, but will update my build thread when they ultimately do need a rebuild.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Bilsteins gas filled mono tube shocks tend to have fairly stiff low speed (shock speed not vehicle speed) damping. I've put them on a number of vehicles and they tend to stiffen up the cornering and the ride. My personal feeling is that KDSS makes the GX corner fairly flat for a tall SUV and I don't want to compromise the ride to get it to corner flatter.

That's a totally valid point with Bilsteins. Digressive dampers are not for everyone.

 

[newbie460]

The "rebuild" is basically just replacing the seals and shock fluid. A "service" is probably a better description. This is a pretty big departure from the throwaway OEM-style shocks, or most Bilstein shocks, which can't be DIY serviced and must be replaced when they eventually wear out. I personally prefer components that can be serviced at home and brought back to new function, as opposed to ones that aren't serviceable and need to be tossed and completely replaced when worn. Especially if the service interval for a rebuildable shock is essentially the same as the replacement interval for a throwaway shock.

For the FCP example, the shock itself is around $300 (for a single rear shock) as they are a large 2.8" diameter shock with a 0.125" thick steel body. They weigh several times that of a OEM shock or a OEM-style shock like a Bilstein. If you hold them side-by-side it's very clear how robust of a shock and more HD they are than the OEM/Bilstein non-serviceable shocks. The FCP rebuild seals are around $30-45, and the shock oil is around $25/qt. So it's inexpensive to rebuild....and the rebuilt shock should perform just like a brand-new $300 shock after a service.

I don't think a 100K rebuild cycle is out of the question for FCP shocks, but will update my build thread when they ultimately do need a rebuild.

Yeah I think I'm pretty much set on Ironman FCP at this point, just gotta figure out what "stage" to go for, silly naming honestly they should just specify "this comes with a UCA".

 

[Cold Iron]

The "rebuild" is basically just replacing the seals and shock fluid. A "service" is probably a better description. This is a pretty big departure from the throwaway OEM-style shocks, or most Bilstein shocks, which can't be DIY serviced and must be replaced when they eventually wear out. I personally prefer components that can be serviced at home and brought back to new function, as opposed to ones that aren't serviceable and need to be tossed and completely replaced when worn. Especially if the service interval for a rebuildable shock is essentially the same as the replacement interval for a throwaway shock.

For the FCP example, the shock itself is around $300 (for a single rear shock) as they are a large 2.8" diameter shock with a 0.125" thick steel body. They weigh several times that of a OEM shock or a OEM-style shock like a Bilstein. If you hold them side-by-side it's very clear how robust of a shock and more HD they are than the OEM/Bilstein non-serviceable shocks. The FCP rebuild seals are around $30-45, and the shock oil is around $25/qt. So it's inexpensive to rebuild....and the rebuilt shock should perform just like a brand-new $300 shock after a service.

I don't think a 100K rebuild cycle is out of the question for FCP shocks, but will update my build thread when they ultimately do need a rebuild.

If they last 100K that would be more than good enough! I'm hoping that the factory suspension last 120K at 90K will be doing a full waterside replacement.

After 10 years\100K here suspension parts are up there with exhaust manifolds and systems. Rusted and snapping bolts. So they will be need to be replaced and that is spraying the underside and exposed parts in the Fall. But know exactly what you mean, when they came out with sealed bearings my first thought was you have to be chitting me. Now they are everywhere and seems like on everything :-(

 

[bladewerk]

for a budget build, can not beat ProShock, mine rides SO good and David installed the kit out the door for under $1000

https://proshocksuspension.com/producto/2-5-inch-lift-kit-11/

 

[newbie460]

Hello again,
Update to the thread/build. I decided to go with the Fox Factory Series 2.5 Rear Shocks with a custom tune from AccuTune. Still undecided as to what setup to run in the front, mainly because there are so many UCA options out there, but will likely end up with the Fox 2.5 Coilovers up front, or something comparable from King or Icon, with 1 inch of lift to level the car out.

 

[Rednexus]

JBA upper control arms will look nice with the silver ICON shocks, since they are red. They are also USA-made, not terribly expensive, and use off-the-shelf bushings and ball joints so you can service them in the future.

I'd recommend them if you are piecing a lift together as opposed to buying a complete bundled kit.

 

[Ohio Nori]

I have the Fox PES 2.5 front and rear, tuned by AccuTune with Icon delta joint UCAs and Icon overland rear springs. I’m at 2.5” up front, 1” rear. It’s a little nose high, but I have some weight to add up front that should level it out.

 

[newbie460]

Hello again - thought I would update as the build is progressing. The Fox Factory 2.5 w/ res. have been installed in the rear, and they feel amazing. Not sure if that's just because the shocks on it had 140k miles or because these shocks really are that great but I love them so far. The car no longer "shudders" for lack of better word when whacking potholes and feels very stable. I have decided to go with SPC UCA's and the Fox 2.5's up front, I just need to figure out exactly how much lift is needed in the front end to level the vehicle out. I do plan on putting a bumper on this eventually so I don't mind if it sits a little nose high for a while. I feel like 1.75 inch lift in the front paired with no lift in the rear should be a good starting point... If anyone knows the exact front lift amount needed to level these 1st gen GX460's please let me know Cheers!

 

[Hiluxforever]

I did 1.75 up front and 1.5 in back. It still flexs nice, no kdss lean. I can stuff every corner on a trail with 33s, hence why i am so eager to move up to gain a touch more clearance for my trucks fat ass.

 

[r2m]

Hello again - thought I would update as the build is progressing. The Fox Factory 2.5 w/ res. have been installed in the rear, and they feel amazing. Not sure if that's just because the shocks on it had 140k miles or because these shocks really are that great but I love them so far. The car no longer "shudders" for lack of better word when whacking potholes and feels very stable. I have decided to go with SPC UCA's and the Fox 2.5's up front, I just need to figure out exactly how much lift is needed in the front end to level the vehicle out. I do plan on putting a bumper on this eventually so I don't mind if it sits a little nose high for a while. I feel like 1.75 inch lift in the front paired with no lift in the rear should be a good starting point... If anyone knows the exact front lift amount needed to level these 1st gen GX460's please let me know Cheers!

Not totally sure, but your front coil overs should be adjustable and if you have a shop install them, they will level out the suspension, or as you mentioned, if you ask them, they'll leave a little lift in the front.