Dobinsons Lift Experiences (vs OME/Ironman) (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jan 14, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
72
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
Well, either Im terrible with the search function, or there arent a whole lot yall running the Dobinsons lift setup and posting about it lol... Ive got a 2009, stock suspension on 275/70/18.... Looking to go with one of the "basic" options and havent been able to find too much information/reviews on the Dobinsons. Ive seen the extensive OME/Ironman/Tough Dog threads, and have only seen the Dobinsons mentioned a couple of times... So....

Anyone running one? Im looking pretty hard at the 50mm/2in Front and 40mm/1.5in Rear setup with some UCAs. Obviously Im also cross shopping the comparable Ironman Nitro Gas/OME (2702 w/ 2721)setups. For me, longevity and reliability are key. I wont be asking too terribly much out of the suspension performance wise. Im really trying to stiffen up my stock ride, while adding a little ground clearance. Im located in the south, so most of my offroad travel includes deep/swampy mud. I travel fairly light, and am not planning on adding any bumpers in the mean time. I dont have a need or desire to "upgrade" over these more basic offerings, and honestly dont feel like Id go wrong with any of them. I know OME has a reputation of being almost "too harsh", but I a definitely trying to get away from the stock ride.

Any LC 200 Dobinsons owners out there? Id be interested in hearing some thoughts and looking at some pictures.
 
Installed Dobinsons IMS with C59-540 coils in front and Tough Dog 20 mm coils in back last week. Waiting on things to settle before I take new measurements. So far so good, no trail use yet.
 
I can only comment on the Dobinsons UCAs. I have them, and like them a lot. They are very well made, good quality workmanship, fit and finish. They come very well packed in custom cutout foam lined boxes, and arrived undamaged. I opted to have them pressed in by the vendor, since I don't have a hydraulic press anymore. i got mine through member @crikeymike at Exit Offroad out of Florida. They allowed me to get my alignment dialed in perfectly with my lift (mild King 2.5 setup). I like that they have OEM style rubber bushings and replaceable OEM style triple 5 made in Japan ball joints, rather than urethane and other styles of ball joints less suited to durability in my driving conditions. I would highly recommend them. Maybe drop Mike a PM or give him a call to see if he can connect you with other folks that have run the Dobinsons 200 suspension?

20AD4247-1386-497E-B425-2E3E45DDA83A.jpeg

9525E320-9893-4FF9-88E5-E14755DE091D.jpeg
 
I can snap some pictures later, preferably after I clean it up some. It snowed in Oklahoma and my black cruiser now looks grey.
 
Suspension and UCA Installation (Dobinson’s/SPC in my case, but the lessons likely apply to others.)

Here is the link to my install post for my Dobinsons lift. I went with SPC UCAs. I have been very happy with the lift, it improved the ride significantly since I always felt that the stock suspension floated around a bit. Looking to put a front bumper on early next year so we'll see how it does with more weight up front. (I went with the heavy springs on the front in anticipation of the bumper.) Haven't had a chance to take it offroad since the options to do so here are limited.
 
Vader, I checked out your thread, outstanding write up. Did you go with the 50mm lift for both the front and the rear? I know Dobinsons has a couple different height options.

Despite only seeing a couple examples so far, Im thinking of going with the 50mm (2in) Front and 40mm (1.5in) Rear to take out just a bit of my stock rake.

Im genuinely surprised that Dobinsons doesnt have a bigger following here. They seem to be mentioned in almost every single suspension thread as a solid option, yet it seems most people are going different directions.
 
Vader, I checked out your thread, outstanding write up. Did you go with the 50mm lift for both the front and the rear? I know Dobinsons has a couple different height options.

Despite only seeing a couple examples so far, Im thinking of going with the 50mm (2in) Front and 40mm (1.5in) Rear to take out just a bit of my stock rake.

Im genuinely surprised that Dobinsons doesnt have a bigger following here. They seem to be mentioned in almost every single suspension thread as a solid option, yet it seems most people are going different directions.

Thanks! I went with the 2" lift all around, with heavy springs up front and medium in the rear. I have always hated leveling kits on trucks, once they settle in they always seem to me to sit a bit front high. Plus I like having the stock "give" in the rear if I load it down with whatever I toss in the back. I have been surprised at the lack of love Dobinson's gets too since I expect most folks are like me and want a bit more clearance, but don't really need the benefits of adjustable/reservoir shocks, and some of the other bells and whistles out there, etc. I suspect some of it simply results from the wider availability of OME, longer time for market penetration, etc. With that said, I think OME does provide a wider range of spring types and rates so for some that ability to finely tune it likely has appeal.
 
Definitely makes sense, I didnt even consider the wider range of spring weights in the OME lineup. I dont need the bells and whistles either, just trying to get a bit more ground clearance for my purpose. Depending on whether or not I can get Dobinsons rather quickly I may just go that route and give them a shot. Ive got no experience with OME or Ironman either, so no brand loyalty bias for me to fight lol.
 
Definitely makes sense, I didnt even consider the wider range of spring weights in the OME lineup. I dont need the bells and whistles either, just trying to get a bit more ground clearance for my purpose. Depending on whether or not I can get Dobinsons rather quickly I may just go that route and give them a shot. Ive got no experience with OME or Ironman either, so no brand loyalty bias for me to fight lol.

I have a set of very lightly used Dobinson lift components ( less than 500 miles) if you’re interested. I had it on my 2016 200 but went back to stock height for a couple of reasons, none having to do with the performance of the kit. I decided I preferred stock height due to a chronic ankle issue, and for better geometry when towing my boat. I liked the handling and look of the lift a lot when I had it on, but it just wasn’t the right call for most of my use. Let me know if you’d like to talk.

Parts List:
Dobinsons 2" Lift Land Cruiser
C59-542 COIL SPRINGS PAIR (50mm lift 0-110lbs of accessories)
GS59-688 GAS STRUT Heavy Duty
SC59-006 STRUT TOP PLATE - TOYOTA 200 SERIES with Front Struts Pre-Assembled
C59-545 COIL SPRINGS PAIR (50mm lift 0 lbs of accessories)
GS59-682 GAS SHOCK ABSORBER Heavy Duty
 
I have the full basic Dobinson lift.
542 front coils (2” of lift). Accurate right after, since settled quite a bit.
545 rear coils (2” of lift). I got 3”. dropped down rear springs.
535 rear coils (1.25” of lift). I got 2.25”

‘Much prefer the ride over stock. Bummed that I ended up with more rake than stock.
 
Yeah I definitely do not need more rake than stock.. I wonder how common that is.

Did you happen to swap UCAs too, or just rocking the stock ones?
 
Yeah I definitely do not need more rake than stock.. I wonder how common that is.

Did you happen to swap UCAs too, or just rocking the stock ones?
I switched to SPC UCA's.

I should make it clear I don't know s*** about suspension. I don't know why I have so much rake.

Rake-
Pre lift Driver side 1" Passenger side 1.5"
Immediately post lift with 545 springs Driver side 2.25" Passenger side 2.125"
Post lift with 535's and settling Driver side 2.5" Passenger side 2.5"

I was hoping to end up with 1" of rake all around post lift. Which would allow me to fit in the garage. As it currently sits, I start to hit at the rear of my roof rack.
Not sure where to go from here.
 
I know that @19LC200 runs a Dobinsons setup and is happy with them.

I have similar goals for my future lifted setup, and one thing that has me heavily considering Dobinsons is that all their components seem to be designed with an "OEM" mindset. Their UCA's are the only ones besides Blackhawk to not require greasing, while also using OEM-style bushings and Sankei 555 ball joints and non-adjustable fixed caster - seems like a lot less maintenance and points for failure. From the GX and 4Runner Dobinsons users I've talked to, I frequently hear comments about the ride being less harsh than Old Man Emu.

From being around all kinds of aftermarket scenes, often times "high performance" components just do not offer the longevity and durability of OEM, especially Toyota OEM. I'm very curious to how Old Man Emu and Ironman longevity, ride, and spring sag over time compare to Dobinsons.
 
Did you go 2in for front and back?

Im seeing that they offer 1in/1.5in/2in for the front and rear. Looks like you have a decent bit of rake still, so thinking maybe only going 1 or 1.5in the back would help lessen that.
 
I run Dobinsons also. Pretty comparable to OME, honestly. I'm happy with them, though I do wish I'd opted for an adjustable shock. The ride is a little harsh unloaded but not bad.

I don't have any good side shots or unloaded shots, unfortunately. Apparently I only take pics of my truck while at camp.

IMG_0050.jpeg


IMG_0075.jpeg


IMG_0332.jpeg
 
Did you go 2in for front and back?

Im seeing that they offer 1in/1.5in/2in for the front and rear. Looks like you have a decent bit of rake still, so thinking maybe only going 1 or 1.5in the back would help lessen that.
Yes, I would recommend doing 1.5 in the back, and 2 in the front. I did 2 on both front and back - currently much more rake than I prefer. They do settle a little over time (I've heard about .5). I'm fine with the way it sits now, but will likely end up getting front spacers eventually - to get the more level look. That said, I do like some rake as I believe it's better in general for driving.
 
Yes, I would recommend doing 1.5 in the back, and 2 in the front. I did 2 on both front and back - currently much more rake than I prefer. They do settle a little over time (I've heard about .5). I'm fine with the way it sits now, but will likely end up getting front spacers eventually - to get the more level look. That said, I do like some rake as I believe it's better in general for driving.
OK- maybe this is a dumb question, but are the Dobinson strut cap bolts long enough to put OEM spacers on top of them to help level? Specifically p/n 43136-60020?
I suppose my going assumption is that the bolts are the same length as the stock OEM ones, but would love it if someone could verify. This seems like a good solution if it works.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom