I would leave it as is. The OME stuff is a bit stiffer than OEM but in a good way.
From OME 2.5" to OEM + Spacers - best solution for DD?
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #22
Seems like it all comes down to preference. I would characterize my ride on the way to work as "uncomfortable" and "harsh" -- whereas others may be OK with it (my other car is a GMC Acadia, so comparing it to a softer ride).
I have no weight on the truck and plan to keep it that way (even 3rd rows removed) so keeping it the way it is isn't really an option for me.
- Thread starter
- #23
Figuring out what parts I actually need is quite an exercise! I received a somewhat similar list to you, but didn't have the 02170's on it (from Boulder Toyota). I may need to call another store in the morning for a 3rd opinion?? Or maybe I order from the same store as @Captramrod01 and see if they will honor sending the necessary additional hardware?
What's interesting is that 90948-02173 shows that it does not fit the 2003 LC (only one that does) and appears to be the same part as 90948-02184.
Very confused
Figuring out what parts I actually need is quite an exercise! I received a somewhat similar list to you, but didn't have the 02170's on it (from Boulder Toyota). I may need to call another store in the morning for a 3rd opinion?? Or maybe I order from the same store as @Captramrod01 and see if they will honor sending the necessary additional hardware?
What's interesting is that 90948-02173 shows that it does not fit the 2003 LC (only one that does) and appears to be the same part as 90948-02184.
Very confused
Here's a little bit of additional information I received from Kyle @ Toyota South Atlanta: The pre March 1999 Land Cruiser takes 6x 90948-02173 while the post March 1999 takes 2x 90948-02184 and 4x 90948-02173. It probably doesn't apply to you, but you may want to keep those particular parts in mind as you continue your inquiries with other parts departments. All the other parts are the same.
- Thread starter
- #25
Thanks for this additional info @Pahizzl -- definitely helpful given I've received a few different answers thus far. You put OEM Toyota shocks on your LX, right? So I assume that you have a pretty good feel for what is needed to get it done. Will try Kyle in the morning.
I'm in the middle of the suspension conversion process (one rear upper shock bolt to remove) so I wouldn't say I have a good feel yet, but yes I will end up having the OEM Toyota shocks on. One thing I haven't had a chance to do is figure out the order of the retainers since part numbers aren't specified in the FSM...makes it a little difficult for us LX guys that don't have an old LC shock to compare it to. I'll try to document it once I figure it out.
- Thread starter
- #27
Will be interested to see what you learn @Pahizzl -- thanks for your insight thus far. I am scheduled to head in on April 4th to get everything switched on my truck (865 springs, OEM shocks). The guy doing the work has a 99 LC, so I'm hoping he'll have some insight as to the correct order for all of the retainers and, if so, I'll come back to document as well.
I was able to get a fairly consistent answer from a few dealers on the shock parts necessary FWIW:
Just to throw it out there as an option...........I have OME t bars, 860's and no aftermarket weight. Ive even removed the 3rd row.
After much research on here I went with the Fox 2.0 Performance Series IFP. The reviews seemed like they would be a softer shock, combined with a little stiffer spring in the back and new (stiffer?) OME Tb's up front.
I really like the results I got from them. Ride is much more controlled, not too stiff at all. All in I think they were less than $500.
Sorry to muddy the waters but thought it could be another option.
I swapped my GF's LX from AHC to LC parts, you'll need the shocks with appropriate bushing retainers, LC springs, and LC torsion bars. You're in Colorado, call Slee and buy take off parts. If I remember correctly I was out the door with torsion bars and rear springs for around $240. These are parts taken off of LCs going to OME setups. The offer still stands to take my LC out for a spin. Pic below, stock LC bars and springs, turned up in front and slee 30mm in the rear. Stock shocks (new).
Okay, I got my suspension swap done this past weekend and the shock retainer order was pretty easy to figure out once I had an old front and rear shock out. Pictures are rear shock retainers (left) and the front shock retainers (right).
Just comparing the size of the rubber bushings that come with the front and rear shocks, you will realize that the front shocks require the 8 larger retainers. The rear shocks require the 8 smaller retainers. From here, you can almost match them up directly with the stock LX retainers. However, the LX retainers do not have circular openings like the LC retainers (at least mine didn't). The top-most and bottom-most retainers for each shock will be flat. If you look at the picture, you'll see that some of the retainers are "cupped" to maintain their position with the truck's shock mounting surfaces. Anyway, here's the retainer order from top to bottom for my pre-March 1999 LX470 (your mileage may vary). I also included where the bushings and shock mounts are located once assembled (for the learning impaired like myself):
REAR:
90948-02173
BUSHING
90948-02173
SHOCK MOUNT
90948-02170
BUSHING
90948-02173
FRONT:
90948-02174
BUSHING
90948-02176
SHOCK MOUNT
90948-02182
BUSHING
90948-02174
90948-02174
BUSHING
90948-02176
SHOCK MOUNT
90948-02182
BUSHING
90948-02174
I will take a wild guess and assume that the post-March 1999 100-series trucks require the additional cupped retainer (this would be part number 90948-02184) for the rear shock that attaches to the top of the shock mount (hope that makes sense). Everything else should be similar.
- Thread starter
- #32
@Pahizzl This is super helpful, thank you very much!!! I am scheduled for early next week, so I'm going to review against my parts once they arrive and share with my installer next week.
So the ever important question is, how is the ride with the new shocks?
I've only owned my LX for a month or so before I replaced the AHC. I would liken the new setup to something in-between "comfort" and "sport". It feels like a normal truck...not much to brag about really. It doesn't soak up noise from road abnormalities as well, but it's a good trade-off as brake nosedive and turn-in isn't nearly as bad as it used to be (on AHC "normal"). I would probably attribute some of the "discomfort" to the increased spring rate of the 865s and the beefier stock LC torsion bars, but that's being critical.
I don't know if anything out there can replicate the comfort of an AHC suspension, but the consensus says that if you want the absolute softest ride, OEM LC is the way to go.
I successfully installed the fronts on my LX. Im trying to figure out how to stack the retainers for the rear. Where does 02184 go in the stack i noticed its opening is larger than the other retainers. I have two of them one for each side I suppose.
Coming from OME shocks I already feel like im driving on a cloud I cant wait to figure out the rears and get a nice ride quality back.
Did you figure the order out?
I was working on mine and just realized the rear that were on aren't stock so I now need to find the retainers for the oem shocks.
I just checked the diagrams on parts website and havent had any issues.