80 series suspension options

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mike759

mike759

Joined
Oct 5, 2025
Threads
1
Messages
6
Location
Denver
Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and checking in from Colorado. I recently purchased a 94 FZJ80 with what looks to be original suspension. I'm looking for 2" lift options and was leaning towards Dobinsons, but also open to other suggestions. I'm finding Dobinsons' coil selection hard to navigate with all of the weight/height ratings and whatnot, so I may give them a call tomorrow as well. I'm currently on 33's and I have a set of sliders that I need to finish up, no additional constant weight aside from maybe towing a uhaul or snowmobile. Now for my questions:
What coils would give me about a 2" lift?
Is castor correction, adjustable panhard, new steering stabilizer, etc necessary?
Thanks!
 
mike759 said:
Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and checking in from Colorado. I recently purchased a 94 FZJ80 with what looks to be original suspension. I'm looking for 2" lift options and was leaning towards Dobinsons, but also open to other suggestions. I'm finding Dobinsons' coil selection hard to navigate with all of the weight/height ratings and whatnot, so I may give them a call tomorrow as well. I'm currently on 33's and I have a set of sliders that I need to finish up, no additional constant weight aside from maybe towing a uhaul or snowmobile. Now for my questions:
What coils would give me about a 2" lift?
Is castor correction, adjustable panhard, new steering stabilizer, etc necessary?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum.

Figure out how much front or rear weight you'll be adding. Let's say you add 100lbs up front, then choose 2" coils that suit 100lbs of added weight. You isolate out all the other options once you've got your weight worked out and desired lift height.

C59-220V or 222V up front and C59-223V rear coils are the most common setup to suit what you've detailed.

2" of lift front and rear should have coils, shocks, steering damper, and caster correction. Every 1" of lift you add, you lose about 1 degree of caster, so your steering won't be as good as it should be if you don't add that. I suggest the RB59-522K Dobinsons rubber bushings.

Our site breaks it down as simply as possible, here: https://exitoffroad.com/product/dobinsons-80-series-build-your-kit/
 
At 2", I just went $999 ironman setup. Springs, shocks, and caster correcting bushings. I then went with 3" long DeltaVS arms instead of the bushings.
How much lift you gain will be relative to how clapped out your springs are. I gained almost 4 inches. But it drives 1000x better. 35" Pat MT02s. I think I'm +100-200 lbs front spring and +200-600 rear. A Little stinkbug empty but a little under sprung with 7 people and snow gear.

I drove it a few months before I went with the DeltaVS arms. It drove better, except when it didn't, then it was sketchy. Caster went from -2 to +3 I believe with the arms. Now it drives fantastic. You shouldn't need anything other than caster correction at 2" but each rig is different and it probably depends on how worn your other bushings are or if they are all new.

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20 years ago I went with OME springs on my 94, heavy in front and medium in back, with offroad bumpers, a winch, sliders, and 33" tires. It's about a 2" lift, without the butt-up geometry.

I used offset bushings on the radius arms, partially correcting the change in caster. This config tracks very straight and I get great tire life.

For me, it was a good balance of off-road performance and on-road manners, and I've been very happy with it. I'm pretty sure I bought it all from Slee.

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I have Dobinson C59-220v up front and C59-269v in the rear with Fox 2.0 shocks. I netted out right at 2" over where it sat stock when I got it. I haven't done any other components other than new trailing arms very recently after bending one. I have sliders and a winch up front but no other added weight. I haven't checked to see if adding the winch lowered it any but I am running 315s (35s) without any significant rubbing but I do have bumpers and flares removed. It rides pretty good but does wander a bit. Not sure if I need some caster correction or rear panhard correction but plan to do both in the future. Like others mentioned, check the sticky on suspension components. Lots of great stuff there!
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I installed a Delta Vehicle System Rear Pandhard Lift Bracket after a 3 inch Dobinson lift. It did wonders (Day to Night) for the handling of the vehicle. Steers and rides awesome now. Doesn't wander anymore. Try it: You Will Not Be Disappointed.
 
It's hard to go wrong with the Dobinsons springs, but be aware that they tend to run a little taller than advertised. I was really happy with OME 850/860 springs, Fox 2.0 shocks, and 33" tires in the short time I've had them. I say "was" because I've since added a lot more weight than originally planned and have decided to go to 37" tires, so I'm about to replace them with taller springs and longer shocks. As for some of the other potential changes, I'd prioritize caster correction and then likely a spacer for the front swaybar, but wouldn't worry about the panhards or a steering stabilizer. You could always add them later, but they're not necessary at that lift height.
 
crikeymike said:
Welcome to the forum.

Figure out how much front or rear weight you'll be adding. Let's say you add 100lbs up front, then choose 2" coils that suit 100lbs of added weight. You isolate out all the other options once you've got your weight worked out and desired lift height.

C59-220V or 222V up front and C59-223V rear coils are the most common setup to suit what you've detailed.

2" of lift front and rear should have coils, shocks, steering damper, and caster correction. Every 1" of lift you add, you lose about 1 degree of caster, so your steering won't be as good as it should be if you don't add that. I suggest the RB59-522K Dobinsons rubber bushings.

Our site breaks it down as simply as possible, here: https://exitoffroad.com/product/dobinsons-80-series-build-your-kit/
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input! I'll read up on those part numbers and compare weights to what I have planned.
 
basalt51 said:
At 2", I just went $999 ironman setup. Springs, shocks, and caster correcting bushings. I then went with 3" long DeltaVS arms instead of the bushings.
How much lift you gain will be relative to how clapped out your springs are. I gained almost 4 inches. But it drives 1000x better. 35" Pat MT02s. I think I'm +100-200 lbs front spring and +200-600 rear. A Little stinkbug empty but a little under sprung with 7 people and snow gear.

I drove it a few months before I went with the DeltaVS arms. It drove better, except when it didn't, then it was sketchy. Caster went from -2 to +3 I believe with the arms. Now it drives fantastic. You shouldn't need anything other than caster correction at 2" but each rig is different and it probably depends on how worn your other bushings are or if they are all new.

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Click to expand...
I was also leaning towards that ironman kit just out of simplicity and glad to hear good things about it. I'll definitely keep it on the backburner
 
crikeymike said:
Welcome to the forum.

Figure out how much front or rear weight you'll be adding. Let's say you add 100lbs up front, then choose 2" coils that suit 100lbs of added weight. You isolate out all the other options once you've got your weight worked out and desired lift height.

C59-220V or 222V up front and C59-223V rear coils are the most common setup to suit what you've detailed.

2" of lift front and rear should have coils, shocks, steering damper, and caster correction. Every 1" of lift you add, you lose about 1 degree of caster, so your steering won't be as good as it should be if you don't add that. I suggest the RB59-522K Dobinsons rubber bushings.

Our site breaks it down as simply as possible, here: https://exitoffroad.com/product/dobinsons-80-series-build-your-kit/
Click to expand...
To follow up on this, is it bad to shoot higher on weight than lower? If I don’t add weight that the springs are equipped for will the ride be uncomfortably stiff?
 
2 inch fulcrum, best customer support, within the 24 hours of purchase they texted me about my specific model, year and weight it holds to ensure the best product id need
 
mike759 said:
To follow up on this, is it bad to shoot higher on weight than lower? If I don’t add weight that the springs are equipped for will the ride be uncomfortably stiff?
Click to expand...
If you choose coils that are stronger than your weight, you'll end up with more lift (they won't have the weight to compress them properly). On these variable rate coils we've been discussing, the ride is still fine on those even if empty, due to the light initial spring rate.
 
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