GX Newb suspension questions

[WhiteH2O]

I just picked up a silver '06 GX470 this past Saturday, and I'm looking for a little input on some suspension. I have spent hours reading the forums, and I think I have it figured out, but I could have easily missed something important.

I would like a bit of a lift (ideally around 2"). I won't be doing any rock crawling, just rough roads, snow, and sand. From what I have read, I am liking the idea of keeping the air bags in back and stock springs in front (until something happens to prompt a replacement) and put Bilstein 5100s front and rear (186711 front and 187174 rear). Would there be a good reason to do front coils at the same time as the struts?

From what I understand, this should get a better ride for the time being, and give me the ability to upgrade front coils if they go bad or I get a big bumper/winch combo, and upgrade to coils in the back if I have any issues with the air bags.

Any really good reason to go with OME instead of the Bilsteins? They look like a little more $$, but I'm not sure I would get the benefit that the additional cost would justify.

Am I on the right track? Should this should give me what I am looking for? Thoughts? Recommendations? Should I click "checkout" on Amazon?

 

[WhiteH2O]

Well, since I couldn't get any input from anyone, I went ahead and ordered the 5100s for the front and did the airbag trick in the back. Struts should be here today so I can match the front to the lift that I have already done to the rear. I also emailed Slee about a lift, but they waited 8 days to reply (I had already ordered the 5100s by then).

I have also debadged the rear, plasi-dipped any remaining chrome black, Plasti-dipped the wheels black, installed new pads and rotors on the front, put on some 265/70/17 DuraTracs, and got a bike rack for the back hitch. I have some vinyl on order to de-wood trim the interior also.

Future plans include bumper, winch, rack, snorkel, and an offroad trailer for camping. Despite nobody answering my question, this site has still been a huge help in starting my build.

Yep, that front needs a lift to match the rear!



Earlier that same day, before I painted the wheels and the chrome thingie above the licence plate in back.

 

[470reasons]

Looking Good! You HAVE been busy.
The black wheels do give your truck a more bad@ss attitude.

 

[IanB]

Looks good, any pics of the rear? I also have a silver GX and plastidipped my grille black, but I haven't done the chrome strip on the back yet.

 

[WhiteH2O]

Here is the rear, not a great picture, but it shows the black strip. I found it to be really easy to tape it off (I used blue painter's tape) but I had troubles when taking the tape off without pealing the paint off the strip for the first bit. The paint likes to stick to the tape, so when you pull off the tape, it wants to take the paint with it. I have a few spots on the top left of the strip that show a tiny bit of chrome below for about 1/16" or so. I found that you can scribe it carefully with a razor to break the seal between the paint on the tape and the paint on the strip. That worked a lot better. Of course, it comes off really easily if you don't like it.



And now I have my new Bilstein 5100s, but my back (of my body, not the GX) is jacked up and I can't put them in yet! I am a little torn between the highest setting and second highest, I would like to match the rear, but I don't want it to be higher than the rear. Are the height adjustments with the packaging for each of the four heights pretty close to real life?

 

[sledge916]

that looks really good, I would like to trade my 335i for one of these GX I think
Seth

 

[shane4x4]

Looking good!

 

[sledge916]

I just traded my 335i for a silver 2007 GX with KDSS, will start the madness soon. I like how yours turned out.

Seth

 

[sledge916]

Can you post pictures and how you like the 5100's?
Thanks
Seth

 

[WhiteH2O]

Hey Seth, welcome to the GX club!

I will try to get some good pictures with the 5100s up front soon.

I tried to install the 5100s at the highest lift setting, but when I was jacking the lower control arm back into place to bolt it back together, it was so high that I was jacking the entire corner of the vehicle into the air via the lower control arm before it was up high enough to get the bolts in. I lowered it back to the second from the top setting, and it worked great. Installing the first strut took a little under an hour (including getting it up on jackstands) and the second one took just about 20 minutes since I had a method by that time. It was doing this that I found out that I need a higher floor jack and higher jackstands. Many pieces of wood were used as spacers.

My old struts were shot; I compressed them and they are still compressed a week later. The ride on the new 5100s are certainly more stiff, but I like how it handles better. It isn't quite as much of a "luxury ride" anymore, but I didn't get it for that reason so I am still happy with them. It definately rides more like a truck than a luxury SUV now.

All in all, I am sure spending more money would get a better ride, but I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money. With the airbag trick in the back and the 5100s in front, I am less than $250 into the lift. When I've had it for a while, and airbag parts start going bad, I will install springs in back and possibly upgrading the entire suspension at some point, but for what I was trying to accomplish, it worked great.

I did decide that next time I get new tires, I will be getting 285s instead of the 265s that I got this time. There is room for the bigger size with the lift in.

 

[jtun3d]

Hey I got a question about this I was planning to get a gx460 but funds right now aren't where they should be so I plan on the gx470 and I was wondering should I be scared of the AHS? I don't plan on rock crawling but I do plan on going through mud snow and some really rough roads. Also If I do op to get rid of the AHS how much would it be to take out and make the vehicle run? thanks guys in advance