Another Suspension thread. Koni, Tough Dog or Ironman?

[JM63]

Hi everyone,

For a while now, I've been the owner of an HDJ100. My plan for the vehicle is fairly minimalist: 33" tires, a winch, a drawer setup, and maybe eventually a steel rear bumper.

Currently, I have AHC, which I love for its height adjustment capability. Unfortunately, the damping quality is, to put it mildly, poor—on soft settings, the car wobbles and bottoms out, and on hard settings, it drives like a wheelbarrow.

I'm slowly considering changing the suspension and am a bit torn about my options. I’m looking primarily for good damping, pothole absorption, and comfort—something like the KW V3 on the street, where the suspension is fairly stiff but absorbs everything beautifully. Definitely not something like the old Volvo XC70, where the car sways like a boat but you feel every bump anyway.

The Land Cruiser is exclusively for overlanding, but unfortunately because of where I live, 90% of the time it's used on asphalt to get to some nice off-road paths, so I don't need massive lifts etc. I just want good suspension performance.

Unfortunately, there's not much info on shocks for the J100 on YouTube, but I’ve read a bit on forums and am considering these three options:

• Koni Raid (I had the chance to drive a J100 with these shocks and was very impressed). They are rebuildable and have rebound adjustment (though it's somewhat inconvenient).
• Tough Dog Ralph up front + adjustable at the rear (many good reviews, good access to adjustment, but unfortunately only compression, not rebound. Price-wise, they're almost identical to Koni).
• Ironman FCP (a big plus here is the option to buy the entire stage 3 kit, which seems quite attractive compared to the other two, but it lacks adjustment and there are some reviews mentioning they’re too stiff. Another downside is the lack of an Ironman importer in my country).

The LC is the third vehicle in my garage, and I only drive it up to 10,000 miles a year, so durability is a benefit but not the most critical feature. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

 

[Bisho]

Don’t forget option 4. Replace the AHC globes for less than any of the other options, and get your smooth ride back.

The other options also require new coil springs and torsion bars.

If you can get them, I love my Tough Dogs. The ride is smooth and they are great off road. I have 100k miles on mine, so I know the time is coming to replace them, but there is no longer a distributor in the US.

 

[Trapper50cal]

I don't know about availability in Poland but I would add Fox, Old Man Emu, Dobinsons and Bilstein to that list of shock sellers.

 

[willyroo]

Don’t forget option 4. Replace the AHC globes for less than any of the other options, and get your smooth ride back.

Having had a 2" lifted LC100 with Ironman FCP, and now an LX470 with AHC, strongly recommend this. A full flush then a globe replacement, then a full check and you'll have much happiness.

However if you choose to replace (and break some hearts here on 'mud), my n=1 is that the FCP with good steel was firm but not harsh.

 

[MongooseGA]

Another vote, from someone with a completely built aftermarket suspension, to keep AHC if at all possible. Nothing in your proposed list will ride nearly as nice as a well sorted AHC system.

 

[Rhetoric]

 

[JM63]

Everyone suggesting keeping the AHC is something I wasn't expecting.
It seems to me that my AHC is working properly (although I don’t have a new one to compare it to). At very slow speeds with the soft setting off-road, it performs well, and on the highway, stiffening clearly improves stability. The only thing that bothers me is the lack of performance during more dynamic driving over bumps—there’s a feeling that something might break soon.
But if so many people suggest sticking with AHC, maybe I’ll have to find someone nearby who can service this suspension and see if there really is a difference.

I don't know about availability in Poland but I would add Fox, Old Man Emu, Dobinsons and Bilstein to that list of shock sellers.

I’ve read some unhappy reviews about OME Nitro—apparently, it really compromises comfort, and BP51 is out of range.
FOX, on the other hand, has quite a few negative reviews regarding reliability. I also considered Dobinson, but it seems that TD or Koni might be better than the basic Dobinson model, and the higher-end ones are getting a bit pricey for a vehicle that’s used only occasionally. My experience with Bilstein has been average—I’ve had 4 sets of different models in road/sport cars, and each had issues even within a year, so...

 

[Moparsncruisers]

I'm running a tough dog full setup on my '06 100, I think the ride quality is good and the adjustments on the rear shocks are definitely noticeable! Firm for street use and a few clicks to soft for off road!

 

[Rhetoric]

I'm running a tough dog full setup on my '06 100, I think the ride quality is good and the adjustments on the rear shocks are definitely noticeable! Firm for street use and a few clicks to soft for off road!

I turn my AHC dial a few clicks on the fly for this…

OP: You wont break the AHC. The shocks are hydraulic rams and good for probably a million miles of use or more.

You probably just need to go through all the rubber bushings on your truck… as many of us are doing since this is an aging platform.

Get Techstream, check your pressures. Check accumulator globe health. Read, read, read.

 

[Jerzywerzy5]

Sounds like you need to replace the AHC fluid. It’s similar to flushing brake fluid but it takes less time. Mine didn’t ride well when got it and I thought about replacing the suspension too until I did some research. I replaced the fluid about 6 years ago and it still rides great.

 

[4Beast]

I’ve read some unhappy reviews about OME Nitro—apparently, it really compromises comfort, and BP51 is out of range.
FOX, on the other hand, has quite a few negative reviews regarding reliability. I also considered Dobinson, but it seems that TD or Koni might be better than the basic Dobinson model, and the higher-end ones are getting a bit pricey for a vehicle that’s used only occasionally. My experience with Bilstein has been average—I’ve had 4 sets of different models in road/sport cars, and each had issues even within a year, so...

The basic OME ride very harshly, it's true. I like the Dobinsons IMS, they are beefy, but a bit more compliant on road. Probably not nearly as cushy as the well sorted AHC though, but they aren't crazy money. Bilstein has the 5160 reservoir shocks, but I think they are a step down from the IMS, even though they have the reservoirs.

 

[JM63]

So I'll consider Dobinsons IMS as well.

But let's clear one thing with AHC- I'm not happy with how it handles the high speed compressions- potholes, mild bumps etc. Low speed/ body control is fine.
So new globes and fluid will fix that and it's gonna be better than let's say on Koni or Tough Dog?

 

[Bisho]

So I'll consider Dobinsons IMS as well.

But let's clear one thing with AHC- I'm not happy with how it handles the high speed compressions- potholes, mild bumps etc. Low speed/ body control is fine.
So new globes and fluid will fix that and it's gonna be better than let's say on Koni or Tough Dog?

Yes, it should.

 

[MongooseGA]

So I'll consider Dobinsons IMS as well.

But let's clear one thing with AHC- I'm not happy with how it handles the high speed compressions- potholes, mild bumps etc. Low speed/ body control is fine.
So new globes and fluid will fix that and it's gonna be better than let's say on Koni or Tough Dog?

I'll tell you a secret that cost me several years and many many thousands of dollars to figure out-

The 100, in any form, does not handle small harsh bumps well. I have replaced literally every single bushing, suspension component, etc trying to rectify the shuddering that occurs over tar snakes and small pavement cracks.

My truck currently has the top of the line alphabet soup version of the Dobinson's. The dampening for the *whole truck* is quite good. Mine floats down the road and feels great. But the nature of the TB IFS means the front end will feel sort of crashy over small imperfections that aren't big enough to cycle the shocks.

The Dobinson's are probably the best you can get short of custom King's. I've ridden on the OME Emu, they're terrible. I wore through a set of the top end Tough Dogs, the Dobinson's are better and significantly more adjustable.

Being on this side of my build, with again, EVERYTHING built, I'd keep the AHC if doing it again. If higher level handling is desired, I would consider swapping your original sway bars with one from a Cruiser. The LX has thinner bars. You can also replace the globes with units that will provide a firmer feel across the range. Once the system is set up in good shape though, it cannot be beat. I kick myself on the rare occasion I get to ride in a properly sorted AHC truck.

 

[MongooseGA]

So I'll consider Dobinsons IMS as well.

But let's clear one thing with AHC- I'm not happy with how it handles the high speed compressions- potholes, mild bumps etc. Low speed/ body control is fine.
So new globes and fluid will fix that and it's gonna be better than let's say on Koni or Tough Dog?

To expand: a well riding truck will require ALL of the following to be in shape, regardless of shock system:

Upper and lower control arm bushings
Upper and lower ball joints
Sway bar bushings and end links
Upper and lower trailing arm bushings
All 3 diff bushings
Good drive shaft u-joints
Depending on your mileage, also likely engine and trans mounts. There is no mount for the transfer case.

If you put a great set of shocks on a truck in need of all/ some/ any of the above, it will suffer. But if you have all of the above checked, the truck with AHC will be better than anything else as far as ride quality.

One of my other cars is a 1991 560SEL. It has rear hydraulics almost identical to AHC. I fought to keep that system in place and I'm so glad for it. It's a magic carpet.

 

[JM63]

Thanks, that's a quality feedback I've been looking for.
Are there any more differences between LX and LC AHC besides torsion bars? (I have a Toyota)

 

[Bisho]

Thanks, that's a quality feedback I've been looking for.
Are there any more differences between LX and LC AHC besides torsion bars? (I have a Toyota)

The AHCs are identical. He meant between AHC and non-AHC.

 

[MongooseGA]

Thanks, that's a quality feedback I've been looking for.
Are there any more differences between LX and LC AHC besides torsion bars? (I have a Toyota)

Like @Bisho said, the AHC trucks will all be identical. Between an LX (AHC) and non-AHC Cruiser, the Cruiser will have stronger factory T-bars and sway bars.

 

[Jerzywerzy5]

So I'll consider Dobinsons IMS as well.

But let's clear one thing with AHC- I'm not happy with how it handles the high speed compressions- potholes, mild bumps etc. Low speed/ body control is fine.
So new globes and fluid will fix that and it's gonna be better than let's say on Koni or Tough Dog?

Change the AHC fluid first, you likely don’t need globes. It’s cheap, easy, and will likely fix your complaints. If it hasn’t been serviced in a while it will feel like brand new suspension.

 

[JM63]

Thanks a lot!