Decent riding and budget friendly rear coils and front coil overs

[MajesticNerd]

Hello, this has probably been asked 100 times but not really getting anywhere searching so thought I'd ask.

I'm a few months into owning an '03 GX470 all stock riding on TRD Wheels with 265 70 17s. So stock with a little lipstick . The plan was to do some light offroading and dragging a trailer out to the desert from time to time. I sort of like having the bags out back for towing, so replaced one of the bags that was leaking and both shocks with Luft Meister OEM style shocks.

That's all cool, but now we're digging the way this thing (even stock) eats up rocky roads that we keep pushing it harder and harder. Today made a couple bad choices and things got way gnarlier than I planned and I blew out one of the rear bags and the whole back end bottomed out. Finally managed to get out of trouble and got home riding bottomed out the whole way, so that was sweet.

That's a long way of saying I think it's time to bite the bullet and start upgrading as it's clear we want to do more with this thing. I don't have a ton of money and while I'm ready to give up adjustable height, I really do still want this thing to ride decent on the road and on washboards which we spend a lot of time on. So really appreciate any advice on budget friendly ways to improve capabilities / reliability while letting this thing eat up washboards.

• Rear airbag delete / coil spring. These range wildly from around $100 for kits on Amazon / ebay to many hundreds more. Are any of the cheap springs good and is a lot of that difference the mounting hardware? Maybe a small lift of 1-2"
• Front Coilovers - Not even sure where to start here. I've seen tons of stuff and read countless reviews and commentary but most everything seems very pricey and seems like most COs tend to ride pretty stiff. I'm OK with a firm ride, but really want something that will cruise over washboards and small bumps while still being able to navigate some more aggressive trails. Not full on rock crawling but more than just dirt roads. Looking to level the ride out.

For bonus points, after the rear bag blew, the brake, ABS, VSC TRAC and VSC OFF dash lights stayed and are still on. Not sure if that's all related to the blown bag or if I broke something else. And finally of all things my sun roof started rattling after my less than graceful exit from the trouble that blew the airbag. Seems to not be sealing well, like I can push up on it when closed and it moves up a bit. Not sure if I broke something up there but not looking forward to trying to service that. Appreciate any thoughts on those issues as well.

Thanks for any advice or thoughts on this stuff

 

[HomersCanyonero]

1. Conversion kit. Under $100 is probably used or missing the Toyota rubber isolators. The isolators are like $180 new from Toyota or get aftermarket ones for cheaper or used 4Runner ones from a junk yard. You need a rubber piece in between the rear coil and the frame to prevent metal on metal contact. So, a brand new coil conversion kit is now closer to $300 including the rubber isolators, tax, shipping (not coils).

2. Shocks and springs: Look at the lower priced Dobinson's at ExitOffroad.com. Owner is a supporter here on IH8MUD. I think those might fit your needs. They seem to be not as stiff as Bilstein 5100s or Eibach. If I was looking for an entry level setup, I would go with the Dobinson's but that's just me. They sell the shocks and coils and conversion kit. If you want to move to the next level from Dobinson, upgrade to their IMS shocks.

I have Bilstein 6112s up front and ICON long travel in the rear with progressive rate Dobinson 675V rear coils. But this is a little more expensive than the entry-level setup. I like my setup, but if I had to start all over...I would give the Dobinson IMS a try for a low cost alternative.

In the end, the more you want to play...the more you have to pay! LOL

 

[aquilon]

Dobinson IMS is what I have and what I'd get again... lower priced? Maybe Eibach.

 

[MajesticNerd]

Perfect, thanks for the info. I got a set of used top isolators for $40 from ebay and have some springs and the Icon lower isolator / mount on the way. All in, it'll be about $200, just hoping the springs aren't garbage but they are cheap enough that I'll replace them when I can. Having more travel in the back would be good as that last ride in this thing had it searching for the ground more than once.

I'll wait to see how it sits before dealing with the front end so I can see how much lift I need up there. Someone around here has a set of what he claims are low mileage 6112s for a few hundred so I might look at doing that if they look solid.

 

[jiggletits]

The cheapo ebay springs actually lower the rear from what I have seen. Don’t use those. I just threw a set in the trash. Find OE FJ springs.