Ironman Foam Cell Pro vs OME BP-51

[82SC]

So help me out fellas...
17LC200 will be a overland mild offroader
I've looked at Kings and have pretty much excluded them due the price and I really don't think I'll be using them to their potential

OME very popular here and some of the initial issues seem to have been worked out.
$3600 (they have 10% off) so $3300
Front and rear shocks and springs + OME UCA's

2008-2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series KDSS OME Suspension Lift Kit,Heavy Load,w/UCA & BP51 Struts

WHEELER'S OFF-ROAD

wheelersoffroad.com

Ironman also has good reputation. (I really wish they didn't make everything that neon hulk green)
$2865 + Recovery boards (green......) about a $200 value
Front and rear shocks and springs + UCA + Panhandle and torsion bar struts
No adjustability though
$2219 for stage 2 without the panhandle and adjustable torsion bar struts.

2" Foam Cell Pro Suspension Lift Kit for Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Serie

Designed for and used by the US Military, Foam Cell Pro suspension systems require less maintenance than other performance suspensions and are rebuildable by design. The Foam Cell Pro suspension lift kits are the strongest and most reliable and will serve you for a lifetime. Built for...

ironman4x4america.com

Really leaning toward the Ironman FCP.s....
its about a $1000.00 difference including the recovery boards

Search hasn't yielded a ton of Ironman FCP on 200 reviews

 

[82SC]

Oh and I do plan to do airbag man helper bags in the rear when it’s fully loaded and towing a small patriot camper.

 

[psnyman]

Oh and I do plan to do airbag man helper bags in the rear when it’s fully loaded and towing a small patriot camper.

I have the Ironman Stage 1 kit on my 200 with SPC UCA since their UCA wasn’t released until Dec 2020. I love the FCP, everything I need. The springs are a bit trickier since there aren’t a lot of people to benchmark off. What I suggest is going conservative since my lift height is more than I wanted in the rear. In the front I have the Constant load 110-220 for my bumper and winch, in the rear I have the Performance Plus 200-800 for my rear bar with swing out plus double Jerry can and a 24g LRA tank. If your planning on airbags I would go less than what you think you need. I got a good deal since I managed to get the SPC UCA and the Ironman kit on sale so very good bag for the buck. Good luck!

 

[catastrofe]

I didn’t need or want the adjustability of the BP-51s, so I went with the FCP 1” comfort lift and SPC UCAs. Very happy with that decision.

 

[Tex68w]

Love my FCP kit on my GX but unfortunately you can't get around the Green springs, I preferred it when they still had the yellow springs but they've since discontinued those. You can't use any other springs that I am aware of due to the much larger ID of their shocks/struts. FCP's perform extremely well and are a great value.

 

[82SC]

Thanks for the replies.
Yeah. IM suggested getting them repowder coated which I might do if I get them.
Any real need at get the stage 3?
One past thread mentioned something about the adjustable trailing arms were helpful.

Even the icons that seem to love making an infinite number of stages only change the rear trailing arms. But theirs are billet.

Even though I’m one of these guys that will go down the rabbit hole and research things to death and try to find the best of the best. For what I’m planning to do with my car and the cost difference the IM kit is looking better and better....

 

[molanginaeda]

I’m running Ironman4x4 FCP 2” lift kit. Adding stage 3 upgrade to my setup soon.
Been running the setup for about a year. It’s been running and performed well on trail.

 

[reddog90]

I'm running their stage 1 kit with SPC UCAs as well, no other stages available when I ordered. I got performance springs front and rear and netted more than 2", probably because I don't have anything else on the truck yet. No complaints so far. I think my ride will be better once I add drawers, sliders and a rack, but I was expecting that. I didn't think I needed the adjustability of BP51s or similar.

 

[RT Cruiser]

Currently my decision for a new suspension is on Dobinsons, Tough Dog and OME

I'm very curious about Tough Dog but like many other vendors it's a wait to have a response.

What is the performance difference of the Ironman nitro gas shocks and the foam?

Do any of you regret not getting adjustable shocks or another brand?

 

[Tex68w]

Foam Cell Pro's use an actual foam sleeve within the shock body and the OD is much larger than their gas shocks. My understanding is that the foam technology combined with the 3" shock bodies help to dissipate heat better and without an external or piggy back reservoir and therefor are more difficult to overheat. I have been pretty happy with mine over the past year plus, my only complaint is that they are a tad harsh on square edge hits at lower speeds. This could be improved if they had low speed compression and rebound adjustments. They are exceptionally smooth at higher speeds.

I have a buddy with the Dobinson's MRR's and I am very impressed with those. If I had it to do over again I'd likely go that route but they are over $1K more so there's a lot to consider there. For under $2K I think that the FCP's are the best bang for your buck.

 

[82SC]

Waiting on my shipment

I’ve settled on Ironman fcp stage 3
Firestone helper coil springs air bags.

I’m just waiting for order to ship.

 

[catastrofe]

Waiting on my shipment

I’ve settled on Ironman fcp stage 3
Firestone helper coil springs air bags.

I’m just waiting for order to ship.

I have the FCP with 1" Comfort Lift Springs, SPC UCAs, and AirbagMan air bags. The ride is much firmer than stock without being harsh (unless I have too much pressure in the bags and no weight in the back). I did get close to 2" of lift which was surprising. You won't be disappointed.

 

[linuxgod]

So help me out fellas...
17LC200 will be a overland mild offroader
I've looked at Kings and have pretty much excluded them due the price and I really don't think I'll be using them to their potential

OME very popular here and some of the initial issues seem to have been worked out.
$3600 (they have 10% off) so $3300
Front and rear shocks and springs + OME UCA's

2008-2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series KDSS OME Suspension Lift Kit,Heavy Load,w/UCA & BP51 Struts

WHEELER'S OFF-ROAD

wheelersoffroad.com

Ironman also has good reputation. (I really wish they didn't make everything that neon hulk green)
$2865 + Recovery boards (green......) about a $200 value
Front and rear shocks and springs + UCA + Panhandle and torsion bar struts
No adjustability though
$2219 for stage 2 without the panhandle and adjustable torsion bar struts.

2" Foam Cell Pro Suspension Lift Kit for Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Serie

Designed for and used by the US Military, Foam Cell Pro suspension systems require less maintenance than other performance suspensions and are rebuildable by design. The Foam Cell Pro suspension lift kits are the strongest and most reliable and will serve you for a lifetime. Built for...

ironman4x4america.com

Really leaning toward the Ironman FCP.s....
its about a $1000.00 difference including the recovery boards

Search hasn't yielded a ton of Ironman FCP on 200 reviews

For a 2" lift, the panhard rod and associated rear arms aren't necessary. If you were going for a long travel suspension setup or trying to get 3-4" out of it I might change my opinion. Personally I'd go with the stage 2 - you can always add the panhard rod and adjustable rear arms later if you feel you need them.

I know @kreiten has an FCP lift and loves it. I have no experience with them. I like my TD setup and am happy I did it at the time. If I was considering spending $3k+ on a BP-51 setup I'd seriously look into King 2.5s though. Not saying either one is better or worse, just that I think the cost and performance would be comparable

If you want Tough Dog just call Jason at Trail Tailor. He's a one-man shop and sometimes gets pretty swamped and I think email inquiries are the last thing he focuses on. He may be out of stock though as I know shipping stuff from overseas has been unbelievably delayed for everyone

 

[RT Cruiser]

For a 2" lift, the panhard rod and associated rear arms aren't necessary. If you were going for a long travel suspension setup or trying to get 3-4" out of it I might change my opinion. Personally I'd go with the stage 2 - you can always add the panhard rod and adjustable rear arms later if you feel you need them.

I know @kreiten has an FCP lift and loves it. I have no experience with them. I like my TD setup and am happy I did it at the time. If I was considering spending $3k+ on a BP-51 setup I'd seriously look into King 2.5s though. Not saying either one is better or worse, just that I think the cost and performance would be comparable

If you want Tough Dog just call Jason at Trail Tailor. He's a one-man shop and sometimes gets pretty swamped and I think email inquiries are the last thing he focuses on. He may be out of stock though as I know shipping stuff from overseas has been unbelievably delayed for everyone

Good advice. I didn't Jason was a one-person operation. I've in such positions so I understand. I'll try to call him within a few days. Do you use your adjustable settings a lot or mostly when you're on a trail/towing/etc?

 

[Killacaviar]

Good advice. I didn't Jason was a one-person operation. I've in such positions so I understand. I'll try to call him within a few days. Do you use your adjustable settings a lot or mostly when you're on a trail/towing/etc?

For what it’s worth. I messaged Jason through mud, (seems to be the best way) had an invoice for my tough dogs within two hours and they arrived at my doorstep 6 days later (He is in Cali and I’m in PA). From purchase to install was 8 days.

I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago, really leaning towards FCP but wanted some adjustability. Tough dogs were the perfect choice and I couldn’t be happier. From Jason’s response time to suspensions
performance and lift height, it’s all I could ask for.

 

[82SC]

For a 2" lift, the panhard rod and associated rear arms aren't necessary. If you were going for a long travel suspension setup or trying to get 3-4" out of it I might change my opinion. Personally I'd go with the stage 2 - you can always add the panhard rod and adjustable rear arms later if you feel you need them.

I know @kreiten has an FCP lift and loves it. I have no experience with them. I like my TD setup and am happy I did it at the time. If I was considering spending $3k+ on a BP-51 setup I'd seriously look into King 2.5s though. Not saying either one is better or worse, just that I think the cost and performance would be comparable

If you want Tough Dog just call Jason at Trail Tailor. He's a one-man shop and sometimes gets pretty swamped and I think email inquiries are the last thing he focuses on. He may be out of stock though as I know shipping stuff from overseas has been unbelievably delayed for everyone

Agree with what you said

but for me the stage three wasn’t a crazy amount more especially with the sale.
I hear the ironman you get more then 2” so didn’t want to then regret not getting them. And realize I can’t get within spec with alignment.
can always keep the stage 3 components if I upgrade again or lift higher.

 

[lc2021he]

I didn’t need or want the adjustability of the BP-51s, so I went with the FCP 1” comfort lift and SPC UCAs. Very happy with that decision.

View attachment 2605797

View attachment 2605799

Good looking rig. This is the same lift I’m looking at. Any chance you have a couple of other pics? Would like to see a complete broad side view if not too much trouble. And how would you rate the ride around town just on a daily basis vs stock suspension? Thanks!!!

 

[catastrofe]

Good looking rig. This is the same lift I’m looking at. Any chance you have a couple of other pics? Would like to see a complete broad side view if not too much trouble. And how would you rate the ride around town just on a daily basis vs stock suspension? Thanks!!!

I’ll get a couple of additional pics next time I back out of my garage.

Around town compared to the stock suspension, the FCPs are firmer and feel more “planted” without any harshness. I’m very pleased.

 

[catastrofe]

Good looking rig. This is the same lift I’m looking at. Any chance you have a couple of other pics? Would like to see a complete broad side view if not too much trouble. And how would you rate the ride around town just on a daily basis vs stock suspension? Thanks!!!

As promised:

 

[lc2021he]

As promised:

View attachment 2692109

View attachment 2692110

Thanks! Looks great!