Most lifts I see on here and facebook are like 2-3 inches on 100 series land cruisers, and if AHC can provide that along with giving a very comfortable ride, what is the rationale to switch over to aftermarket suspension? I'm a total noob here, so just wanted to get your guys' perspective. is it just more "rugged"?
Can someone explain to me why people get aftermarket suspension and lift when a well functioning AHC system can raise the car by 3 (?) inches? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Reconvened
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Well this will be a civil discussion I’m sure 
Here's one opinion...
Option 1 - AHC is busted due to rusty parts. So, why spend more money on trying to fix it? (This was my situation)
Option 2 - As much as AHC is an awesome system, it does have some limitations if people are looking to hit moderate to more difficult trails
Option 3 - Owner has $$ to spend on mall crawlers
Option 1 - AHC is busted due to rusty parts. So, why spend more money on trying to fix it? (This was my situation)
Option 2 - As much as AHC is an awesome system, it does have some limitations if people are looking to hit moderate to more difficult trails
Option 3 - Owner has $$ to spend on mall crawlers
Mike6158
Random Pixel Generator
Option 3.5 - LC doesn't have AHC
Last edited:
BullElk
SILVER Star
Reasons include but not limited to….
Honest ignorance of the AHC system, the gripping fear of said ignorance and same fear of the honest ignorance of when AHC may go out and leave said honestly ignorant LXer In low in a place not wanting low.
Honest ignorance of the AHC system, the gripping fear of said ignorance and same fear of the honest ignorance of when AHC may go out and leave said honestly ignorant LXer In low in a place not wanting low.
- Thread starter
- #6
Here's one opinion...
Option 1 - AHC is busted due to rusty parts. So, why spend more money on trying to fix it? (This was my situation)
Option 2 - As much as AHC is an awesome system, it does have some limitations if people are looking to hit moderate to more difficult trails
Option 3 - Owner has $$ to spend on mall crawlers
What are the limitations of AHC compared to a dedicated aftermarket suspension? I have been off road on blue/green trails several times with AHC, and I still found it very comfortable while providing enough of a lift. 3 inches is quite a bit, and AHC can deliver that.
as stated above, AHC does have limits, including capacity limits. Add armor, roof rack, full gear, and passengers, and you're probably close to it or past it. When its capacity is exceeded, it will automatically bottom out. Probably don't want to test its limits or have that happen off trail. Mine only bottomed out once, on the way home from Lowes .
EDIT: My plan is to start using our LX offroad more often now that me and wife are empty-nesters. In this capacity it'll be more like fire roads and eastern Sierra back roads day trips. I'm planning on keeping the AHC because I absolutely love how the LX rides on our on-highway road trips and I feel confident it'll do just fine on our day trips described above. I do want to get a set of dedicated tires for offroad, and maybe a mild set of low profile sliders tho. Slippery slope...lol...
.EDIT: My plan is to start using our LX offroad more often now that me and wife are empty-nesters. In this capacity it'll be more like fire roads and eastern Sierra back roads day trips. I'm planning on keeping the AHC because I absolutely love how the LX rides on our on-highway road trips and I feel confident it'll do just fine on our day trips described above. I do want to get a set of dedicated tires for offroad, and maybe a mild set of low profile sliders tho. Slippery slope...lol...
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #8
as stated above, AHC does have limits, including capacity limits. Add armor, roof rack, full gear, and passengers, and you're probably close to it or past it. When its capacity is exceeded, it will automatically bottom out. Probably don't want to test its limits or have that happen off trail. Mine only bottomed out once, on the way home from Lowes
So is weight the only drawback of AHC off road? I haven't been over the weight capacity yet and I have a roof rack, camping gear, and passengers inside.
Not exactly. The spring component of the AHC system is the exact same functionality of a traditional system. Add weight to a LC and you'll face the same issue, needing to increase spring force. Both systems rectify the issue with new springs.as stated above, AHC does have limits, including capacity limits. Add armor, roof rack, full gear, and passengers, and you're probably close to it or past it. When its capacity is exceeded, it will automatically bottom out. Probably don't want to test its limits or have that happen off trail. Mine only bottomed out once, on the way home from Lowes
The first time that I added a considerable amount of weight on the back of my LX, and was pulling an empty trailer, the AHC decided that enough was enough and let go on a rusty spot. So, the decision to gut the AHC and go to a conventional suspension was easy to make.
I'd be out of my lane attempting to answer. I use my built '04 4Runner for the real offroading. Our LX has thus far been a family road trip car. Looking forward to the future responses and learning more, tho.
JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
Mostly ignorance. @suprarx7nut and @kreiten and others are armored up and loaded heavy with AHC without issue. And @kreiten ran the damn Rubicon with AHC.
I don’t have AHC but Ive yet see any limitations to the system that somehow make it less capable than the corresponding traditional suspension system. If anything, I think AHC is probably more capable, but it does have more potential failure points, which can be costly to repair.
My mistake at the time: Listening to Texasoil tell me his accumulators were better than factory accumulators. Gave him about $1.5K over time on replacements for replacements. Finally, I fussed him out and threw in the towel and threw away a bucket of blue accumulators.
Nobody knew back then what they know now. If they did (around 2007), they kept it a secret, lol
I've been conventional for a long time, but nothing can replace the buttery smooth ride of a functioning AHC.
I have 2 cans of unopened fluid if anyone needs them...
Nobody knew back then what they know now. If they did (around 2007), they kept it a secret, lol
I've been conventional for a long time, but nothing can replace the buttery smooth ride of a functioning AHC.
I have 2 cans of unopened fluid if anyone needs them...
In two words: ignorance and fear.
Here's one opinion...
Option 1 - AHC is busted due to rusty parts. So, why spend more money on trying to fix it? (This was my situation)
Option 2 - As much as AHC is an awesome system, it does have some limitations if people are looking to hit moderate to more difficult trails
Option 3 - Owner has $$ to spend on mall crawlers
1. Definitely agreed. Rust is a killer for a complex hydraulic system.
2. Disagree. Many of us are rocking AHC on moderate and even difficult trails. Just recently we've got a guy that's done Rubicon multiple times on AHC. There's nothing about AHC that makes it less capable than any standard lifts.
3. Yeah. I think many AHC conversions are driven by a desire to "mod" for the sake of "modding."
No real limitations, but it adds complexity which scares some people.
AHC does not have capacity limits when you account for spring changes. If you add weight, you must change springs - just like a conventional suspension.as stated above, AHC does have limits, including capacity limits. Add armor, roof rack, full gear, and passengers, and you're probably close to it or past it. When its capacity is exceeded, it will automatically bottom out. Probably don't want to test its limits or have that happen off trail. Mine only bottomed out once, on the way home from Lowes
EDIT: My plan is to start using our LX offroad more often now that me and wife are empty-nesters. In this capacity it'll be more like fire roads and eastern Sierra back roads day trips. I'm planning on keeping the AHC because I absolutely love how the LX rides on our on-highway road trips and I feel confident it'll do just fine on our day trips described above. I do want to get a set of dedicated tires for offroad, and maybe a mild set of low profile sliders tho. Slippery slope...lol...
Incorrect. Weight is not a drawback of AHC. Weight additions must be adjusted for, same as with any conventional suspension.
Bingo. With AHC you get a sudden notice that you screwed up - because AHC is fantastic at masking improperly adjusted springs within it's adjustment range. Conventional is not self-correcting which makes it more obvious that your suspension is improperly adjusted.
Rust is a killer, but the weight is not a factor. Add weight, change springs. Done.
AHC is the ideal off-road suspension, IMO. Lifts suck on the highway. AHC gives you supreme comfort on and off road while allowing you to arrive to the trail at standard height and then bump up to a "lift" for the trail. Just take the time to adjust it properly and you'll love it.
Yup. AHC is not a limitation for a build unless you're getting real crazy with the build - IE @nukegoat. That represents something like .1% of people in the community. For everyone else, AHC has no real limitation in function for their use case. It's just a little more complicated and requires about two hours of maintenance every 5 years. That shouldn't scare people in a vehicle that's already quite complicated and has other unavoidably complex systems that can and will fail without warning - looking at you brake booster assembly. If AHC fails (almost always due to obvious rust or a total lack of pressure checks), it's inconvenient, but not nearly as bad as the brake booster failure which you have no control over. Or CV failure. Or starter failure. Or a list of other items people don't generally go out of their way to worry about.
Because pictures are fun, here's my fully armored/"built" LX with AHC. No impressive tough trail pics yet, but on easy/moderate stuff it's been great so far. AHC makes both highway and trail driving noticeably smoother for my wife who suffers from car sickness. The reduction in road harshness has meant we can do a liiiiittle more trail time in a trip than we could with my 99LC w/o AHC.
Armor up your rig and go have fun! AHC is fine.
- Thread starter
- #15
^thank you so much for that fantastic post @suprarx7nut What springs should I consider if I am going to armor up? I plan to add front and rear bumper, aluminum skid plates are on their way. I already have a roof rack and a bull bar and we go camping quite often so the truck is often loaded up with gear.
Really depends on how much weight you're dealing with. You may need to try a combo or two to see what's best. With my aluminium front and rear bumpers, steel sliders, aluminum skids, SS1 storage system and associated gear I like the king springs with 30mm spacers in the rear and original torsion bars up front. If you do steel bumpers you might want a stiffer rear spring and maybe stiffer torsion bars. Measuring pressures is step one. Google YotaMD AHC and you'll find a video i put together to walk you through it.
- Thread starter
- #17
Thank you!
Rear springs only?! This is music to my ears, but probably not my wife's.
What alum skids/bumpers are you using? I'm leaning towards light mods and maybe selling my '03 and '04 4Runners at some point as I don't need four 2UZFEs in my life.
That plastic "engine cover" has got to go first, then maybe low profile sliders.
Last edited:
Most people are dumb.
My main reason: the AHC system has a many components, motors, lines, fluid, ECUs, etc. If any one of those parts fails on me when I am in a remote place, i'm screwed. I ditched mine and haven't looked back.
I also sold off the old AHC parts off my truck and actually made back almost all of the money spent on the new suspension
I also sold off the old AHC parts off my truck and actually made back almost all of the money spent on the new suspension
