Anyone use magnetic Luft Meister shocks for replacement adjustable OE shocks? (1 Viewer)

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Has anyone tried the LUFTMEISTER 48510-60190 Magnetic Front Shock absorber,
48530-69535 Magnetic Rear shock absorber for GX460 showing on Amazon?
I see some have used these for the 470 and now they look available for the 460.

I might try it with a spacer up front and airbag trick. Maintain all the features with a small lift for occasional trails.

Any experiences?
One reviewer on Amazon said they were KYB branded when received
 
This is the only thread on mud about this? Insane. You'd think it would be a more popular talking point as they are half the price of the OEM replacements and likely easier than swapping over to coils.

I'm looking at GX460's and trying to see if buying a premium with air suspension could possibly not-suck in the long term.
 
This is the only thread on mud about this? Insane. You'd think it would be a more popular talking point as they are half the price of the OEM replacements and likely easier than swapping over to coils.

I'm looking at GX460's and trying to see if buying a premium with air suspension could possibly not-suck in the long term.
Air bags are fine so far. I went with bilstein 5100. If I could have the marshmallow soft ride at soft, then 5100 for approx middle and a stiffer but well mannered sport I'd do it. No body really knows though. In changing my fronts they were dead, the rears only had a little life, which explains why the only normal setting seemed to be on stiff. Interested to see if factory fresh was actually noticeable
 
Most folks on here remove the factory suspension as one of the first mods. While the Luftmeister shocks are cheaper than OEM, they are very similar in price to good aftermarket lift shocks (a pair of Ironman Foam Cell Pros is $300), and lift shocks are much better for towing/off-road/rough roads than even brand new OEM shocks will ever be. If you are wanting to do more than highway cruising with an occasional trail for your GX, the money on the OEM replacements would probably be better put towards a mild lift with proper off-road shocks.
 
I'd agree. Definitely was the right choice when I had an '05 sequoia with bags that failed. (I used land cruiser shocks/springs and called it a day for under $150. And lifted the front by 1.75)

I just figured that the GX crowd must have debated their options a bit harder since this could happen to cars with less than 100k/5yrs. And I hoped that there was at least one other non-OEM option / an OE provider selling direct like Aisin does for water pumps.

If the air system provided any comfort/performance benefit, it would be great to slap in an extended set of reliable airbags and extended shocks, and then rework the position sensors for 1.5-2 inches of lift. I hear the airbag setup is ideal for towing/heavy loads and just expected more conversation about it.

Maybe the ride just isn't worth it like some would say that AHC on a 100/200 is.
 
I'd agree. Definitely was the right choice when I had an '05 sequoia with bags that failed. (I used land cruiser shocks/springs and called it a day for under $150. And lifted the front by 1.75)

I just figured that the GX crowd must have debated their options a bit harder since this could happen to cars with less than 100k/5yrs. And I hoped that there was at least one other non-OEM option / an OE provider selling direct like Aisin does for water pumps.

If the air system provided any comfort/performance benefit, it would be great to slap in an extended set of reliable airbags and extended shocks, and then rework the position sensors for 1.5-2 inches of lift. I hear the airbag setup is ideal for towing/heavy loads and just expected more conversation about it.

Maybe the ride just isn't worth it like some would say that AHC on a 100/200 is.
I have a set of extended Airbagman's on the way. Supposed to ship this month. I wheel pretty hard when I go, but I don't go often so I figured extended airbags are the way. Still deciding on spacer lift up front or full shock replacement. Getting my sliders ordered soon and have skids waiting to be installed.

Have been debating aftermarket shocks ~$1500 max or just save the $$ and go to a higher end shock with manual adjusters next year. I enjoy the stock feel and, to be honest, other than lift the aftermarket shocks really don't offer much to me and I can keep the 3 mag settings anyways. Most aftermarket shocks are extremely stiff, so unless you are adding bumpers and a ton of weight you won't need that added dampening. Hell, for $500 I might just upgrade mine with these since I'm at 117,000 anyways with most life in MI/OH they could use a revamp.
 
I'm curious how much of a difference there is when new between the 3 settings, I bought my 2010 with 120k miles on it and likely the original shocks, and there is only a tiny difference between Sport and Comfort, mostly notice it on rythmic bumps like freeway expansion joints.
 
From my experience, I have never missed the OEM adjustable shocks after upgrading to Ironman Foam Cell Pros. They ride better and handle better in just about every circumstance. They are a bit more firm on the highway, but the reduction in body roll, nose dive while breaking, cornering ability, and overall vehicle control was well worth it. Off-road articulation is also improved, along with suspension travel. My GX also rides just fine with a few hundred pounds of camping gear in the back, and tows our 3,000# dry camper fine (when the weight distribution hitch is set up right). It certainly handles weight much better than it did stock.

I had wanted to go the extended airbag route, but stopped short due to not many people having experience with it, and some folks in AUS reporting leaks and other issues in the Airbag man extended bags. I have not looked back since doing the coil conversion with good shocks. It's certainly more reliable than airbags and handles my needs just fine.
 
Never heard of them. :meh:
 
I have a set of extended Airbagman's on the way. Supposed to ship this month. I wheel pretty hard when I go, but I don't go often so I figured extended airbags are the way. Still deciding on spacer lift up front or full shock replacement. Getting my sliders ordered soon and have skids waiting to be installed.

Have been debating aftermarket shocks ~$1500 max or just save the $$ and go to a higher end shock with manual adjusters next year. I enjoy the stock feel and, to be honest, other than lift the aftermarket shocks really don't offer much to me and I can keep the 3 mag settings anyways. Most aftermarket shocks are extremely stiff, so unless you are adding bumpers and a ton of weight you won't need that added dampening. Hell, for $500 I might just upgrade mine with these since I'm at 117,000 anyways with most life in MI/OH they could use a revamp.
Ive got front spacers never installed if you want to try them before dropping big $
 
Ive got front spacers never installed if you want to try them before dropping big $
Appreciate the generosity, but I need to figure out my path first. Spacers, refresh+spacers or Koni 82's is what is on my radar. Been eyeing the Koni's for a while as a nice budget item that should last a few years before I go all out on long travel or something of the sort. Koni's have manually adjustable rebound although a little more hands on than going to the trail and adjusting.
 
Op, did you end up trying the Luft Meister? I need to replace the rear AVS shocks on my 2010 GX 460, and I’m looking for shocks that will keep the stock height. Luft Meister, Suncore Industries, and AirSusFat all seem to be cheap alternatives to expensive oem shocks but I don’t know if any one of them is even worth trying.

On the other hand, I could go for non AVS replacements but I want to keep my stock ride height. I hate the idea of a lift now having done that to both my FZJ80 and 3rd gen 4Runner. Will never lift another vehicle.
 
In the total absence of any real world experience and some assumptions of "cheaper quality and not worth it" from vague posts I just din't pull the trigger. Also, there was the issue of the rears not being available and out of stock.
I got Bilstein 5100 instead. So no adjustable shocks now. In order to get the fronts out, and the rediculous allen key stripping situation, I had to cut the front tabs so unless I get some replacements I won't go back to adjustable any time soon. I like the concept and am still interested in experiencing the differences in 100% new adjustment qualities, because it was only a subtle difference on my 170k stocks. If they are truly magnetic then I don't think they'd go bad. The rears may be magnetic, but I think the fronts are oil with adjustable dampening, not magnetic so those could have been worn.

I'm still waiting on someone to do a full swap and see if the 3 levels are absolutely noticeable. On originals The only thing I noticed was 'slightly' less high frequency vibration coming through at Comfort vs Sport, no difference on large bumps or slalom.


Do tell, why so adamant about no lift?
 
I don’t drive much off road so any purported benefits of a lift are not relevant for my use case. For me, despite adding a diff drop to the 4Runner and adjustable panhard, and doing the caster correction on the FZJ80, neither car drove right on the highway or regular roads. Plus adding a diff drop kinda negates the higher ground clearance one gets from a lift. If I were to do a “lift” again, I’d simply fit the tallest tires that don’t rub on a stock suspension.
 
When I did my 3.5" suspension with UCA and everything, I asked about a diff drop because I did one on my old 100 series LC.
I was told that I really didn't need one on these 150 series Toyota's. He was referring to both the 5th gen 4R's and GX's.
To tell the truth, after almost 60k miles of most every kind of road (or lack of) I've never had an issue with boots, CV's or anything else.
 

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