Help....Replacement Shocks

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SeaHunt

SeaHunt

Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Threads
7
Messages
19
Location
CT
Stock 2013 cruiser riding on Toyo AT2s. I'm fine with the standard ride height, but not the "ride". It's fine on normal roads, but the ride on washboard, rutted, and pot-holed dirt roads (at speed), or broken pavement is poor. Specifically, the wheel-hop, where there is that brief sensation that the steering wheel is not connected to the wheels. I'm planning a trip that will be 120 miles round trip on bad dirt roads, so want to address prior.

On a related note, anyone know of a decent independent shop in SW CT? There is a dearth of LC shops around here, probably directly proportional to the lack of off-roading opportunities. Would love to find someone to do the shocks and upgrade the front brakes.

Thanks in advance
 
I got the same thing going on, pretty bad wheel hop, I got passed by a camry full of teenagers on a rough logging road... not kidding
 
Tell me you guys are kidding right? There is practically an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding aftermarket suspensions on this website... in order of cost and performance.

ARB - basic (http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/200_suspension.htm)
TJM -- (same as ARB but with addition of adjustable dampening)
Koni --- (maybe the same as TJM, maybe better)
Radflo ---- (sweet spot between price and performance)
Fox or Icon ----- (not sure if any better than Radflo)

If you go above a 2 inch lift in the front, make sure to get upper control arms (Icon, Total Choas, Slee, Etc.)

I've personally owned ARB, TJM and Radflo... I would stay away from the ARB's IMHO.
 
I would say I am qualified to give an opinion on this topic. I have installed and tested 4 sets of shocks. Stock, Bilsteins, Radflos and Koni Raids. Read Story HERE.

Brian Jowett is awesome. I bought the Koni Raids from him as well and the front brake upgrade. I'm In Westchester county NY. Come drive my truck. Also have a friend nearby with Radflos, you can meet up with him to. Our trucks are so different. Happy to keep the conversation going.
Anthony

shocks.jpg
 
I remember this being covered in lost of previous post, which I have read all of them, I also believe I remember someone saying the large brace that went under the truck to stiffen it was part of the solution(i'm not interested in doing that) My simple question is this arich, without lifting the truck will replacing the shocks/coilovers, solve part of the problem described above. i.e. wheel hop on washboard roads etc... thanks in advance! -Ken
 
kreiten said:
I remember this being covered in lost of previous post, which I have read all of them, I also believe I remember someone saying the large brace that went under the truck to stiffen it was part of the solution(i'm not interested in doing that) My simple question is this arich, without lifting the truck will replacing the shocks/coilovers, solve part of the problem described above. i.e. wheel hop on washboard roads etc... thanks in advance! -Ken
Click to expand...


Absolutely, the shocks that come with the LC200 are horrible. If you want to keep standard height, I would look at the TJM or Koni solution. TJM struts will be less expensive with nine (9) way dampening settings. I would then make sure to get the appropriate TJM stock height shocks.
 
Check out this guy in Australia HERE. He has put the Koni Raids through more extreme driving than anyone I know. The Raids are massive. Look at their size compared to the stock or Bilsteins.
The truck has an inherent vibration in the front end. I've now learned to live with it because nothing I've done has eliminated it. It might be the play in the KDSS system.
The Koni Raids did an awesome job of damping the chassis. Highway driving is now so comfortable and controlled.
 
Thanks everyone. I did read all the threads on this topic, and there is far less discussion around non-lifted 200s. It sounds like Koni is the way to go.

Anthony: who did you use to do your brake and shock install?

Thx
 
the fox 2.0 shocks have been working very well for me in the conditions you describe. perhaps consider them also?
 
Honestly I did most of it myself. But, I have a couple of great shops in the Westchester area that I use. One is in Thornwood, NY. Brian Reck at 4 Corners Auto did my brakes and does some of my maintenance. Super clean shop like an operating room. 914-741-2181. The other is my brother in law's shop in New Rochelle, Proformance Industries 914-760-2277. They concentrate on exotics, very meticulous. Ask for Mario.

Greenwich Toyota is also Excellent BUT you have to get JAROD to work on your truck. He's an ace. They sell and service a ton of LCs.

Get the Konis from Brian Jowett. I think he's the only one that has them in stock. They are rebound adjustable. I set mine to 25% from the softest and there is plenty of rebound control. The compression is not adjustable so they are stiff on the little bumps/broken road but soak up the big stuff like champs ( the opposite of the stock shocks). The Bistiens were good too but I thought a little too stiff all around.

Remember it's a 6,000 lb truck. It's hard to reach a balance and a compromise between on and off road. The offer stands to come down and drive my truck before dropping $1,000. I'm no expert but I think I have reached a nice balance with the shocks and brakes. I don't know what else you drive but a frame on body is going to have vibrations compared to a unibody. My Wife's GL350 Bluetec amazing vehicle for traveling on the HIGHWAY. Not a chance would I take it on washboard or rutted back roads.

There was a great article I read on an Australian website where they pitted the LC 200 vs the Range Rover vs the GL 350. The winner was the 200 because the other never made it to the starting line which was somewhere in the middle of the Australian desert. The 200 really is a beast.
 
I now have 5,000 miles on a set of Koni Raid bought from Jowett Performance installed with stock springs. Brian set them at his recommended setting prior to shipping and a very good tech at the local Toyota shop put them on.

My experiences have been very similar to those described by arich in his review and previous post in this thread. Body roll, dive and squat are much better controlled. There is a bit more road feel, but they soak up off-highway very effectively. They are monsters (70mm) built to last the life of the truck (also can be rebuilt if necessary). Control is improved.




...via IH8MUD app
 
Last edited:
Hey Seahunt. What did you end up using on the truck?
 
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