Just bought a GX460 and we need some suspension help (1 Viewer)

[Lexacruiser]

After lurking in the shadows and consuming all the info I could my wife and I made a leap and purchased our 2017 GX460 last week. It is black on black with 40k miles. I have an SSO roof rack coming, blue ridge overland panels, better brakes because they are pretty mushy, and an MTS module. I want to run 33 inch tires on it. We are pretty set on the SCS BR6 wheels but I still am not set on which suspension to pick. I want coilovers with external reservoirs. The rig will mostly pull DD duties and I want the best ride quality on and off road as possible. We will not be adding anything too heavy like bumpers. I may do an aux tank because 300 mile range is too little. I have read reviews on the Dobinson MRR, the king 2.5 kit from filthy, and the new aluma shocks from toytec. I am leaning toward the king kit because the few posts I have read are very positive. I do not want Icon. I have ridden in a few trucks with them and they all rode terrible. I would love some help and advice from owners who have these systems. I have ridden in a few OME lifted trucks and they rode great but all the reviews I have read for the GX460 were negative. We are looking forward to getting out on the trails and setting up camp. We live in Northern CA now but we are moving to Austin TX very soon! Our dogs love the car!

 

[TX GX460]

Congratulations on the purchase! I see you posted the same question on GXOR and have gotten a number of responses.

I don't know as much about the Toytech, but you can't go wrong with either the Dobinsons MRA or the Kings and will be happy with either choice. I say MRA (3-way adjustable) because they are currently not selling the non-adjustable MRRs. You will definitely pay more for Kings (especially if you go for adjustable remote reservoirs with the Kings), but on the plus side you will be buying from a U.S. company for U.S. made products. Longevity should be the same for both between rebuilds (40-50k). So I think it will come down to price and priority preferences.

 

[r2m]

Congrats on the your new toyota, er... I mean Lexus! Just be sure not to go with mud terrains if you want a quiet ride at 33 inches.
All terrains, especially BFG's would be the best bet, IMHO...
And stay with a medium weight spring if you're not planning on a lot of steel armor.

 

[TX GX460]

All good points from r2m. If you do the aux tank from LRA, you will want to factor that weight in as well. When we installed the 24 gallon tank on our 200 series we upgraded the springs at the same time to compensate. Very happy with the product and the extra range (especially the peace of mind that goes with it). We typically run the main down to about 1/4 tank, refill from aux, then gas up. That way we never have less than a full tank of range available. I will put some info about the tank on my build page, since they have similar tanks for the GX.

 

[r2m]

After lurking in the shadows and consuming all the info I could my wife and I made a leap and purchased our 2017 GX460 last week. It is black on black with 40k miles. I have an SSO roof rack coming, blue ridge overland panels, better brakes because they are pretty mushy, and an MTS module. I want to run 33 inch tires on it. We are pretty set on the SCS BR6 wheels but I still am not set on which suspension to pick. I want coilovers with external reservoirs. The rig will mostly pull DD duties and I want the best ride quality on and off road as possible. We will not be adding anything too heavy like bumpers. I may do an aux tank because 300 mile range is too little. I have read reviews on the Dobinson MRR, the king 2.5 kit from filthy, and the new aluma shocks from toytec. I am leaning toward the king kit because the few posts I have read are very positive. I do not want Icon. I have ridden in a few trucks with them and they all rode terrible. I would love some help and advice from owners who have these systems. I have ridden in a few OME lifted trucks and they rode great but all the reviews I have read for the GX460 were negative. We are looking forward to getting out on the trails and setting up camp. We live in Northern CA now but we are moving to Austin TX very soon! Our dogs love the car!

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View attachment 2331324

I forgot to mention another point in my last post, unless something has changed in the last 6 months, you will not be able to have an aux fuel tank in CA.
There is no one presently that makes one that is CARB compliant for California. Other states, no problem, but not in CA...
The biggest waste of my time is standing at a fuel pump.
If there was an aux fuel tank or even a larger replacement for the stock, I'd have already done it.
But, like you, I live in a stupid state.
And don't ask, "Why don't you move?"
Answer, there's no other state in the union that has the surf, ski and off roading that California has...
It's a love/hate relationship. and more times hate than love...

 

[Armed in Utah]

Congrats !

How do you get those big dogs in the back.....a ramp of some sort ?

Or just pick 'em up ?

 

[Lexacruiser]

Congratulations on the purchase! I see you posted the same question on GXOR and have gotten a number of responses.

I don't know as much about the Toytech, but you can't go wrong with either the Dobinsons MRA or the Kings and will be happy with either choice. I say MRA (3-way adjustable) because they are currently not selling the non-adjustable MRRs. You will definitely pay more for Kings (especially if you go for adjustable remote reservoirs with the Kings), but on the plus side you will be buying from a U.S. company for U.S. made products. Longevity should be the same for both between rebuilds (40-50k). So I think it will come down to price and priority preferences.

My real struggle was buying from an AUS company that may take a Long time to rebuild vs King that is USA and can be rebuilt quickly. Im glad we think the Dobinsons will last 40 or 50k. I can't seem to find anyone with a lot of miles on them. Thank You!

 

[Lexacruiser]

Congrats !

How do you get those big dogs in the back.....a ramp of some sort ?

Or just pick 'em up ?

We have a telescoping ramp and arm muscles. lol. The mastiff is 150 lbs and takes some patience

 

[Lexacruiser]

All good points from r2m. If you do the aux tank from LRA, you will want to factor that weight in as well. When we installed the 24 gallon tank on our 200 series we upgraded the springs at the same time to compensate. Very happy with the product and the extra range (especially the peace of mind that goes with it). We typically run the main down to about 1/4 tank, refill from aux, then gas up. That way we never have less than a full tank of range available. I will put some info about the tank on my build page, since they have similar tanks for the GX.
View attachment 2332013

Thank you for the brain food! I must say I did read your build before even purchasing! I came from the track car building community so I'm no stranger to tools and mechanical work. I did consider the added weight of the tank. Any idea on how much extra weight you are carrying around on average with the tank and extra fuel? The piece of mind is really what I want. 300 miles average is not enough.

 

[TX GX460]

My real struggle was buying from an AUS company that may take a Long time to rebuild vs King that is USA and can be rebuilt quickly. Im glad we think the Dobinsons will last 40 or 50k. I can't seem to find anyone with a lot of miles on them. Thank You!

I have almost 50k on mine and am thinking of doing a preventative rebuild. Dobinsons USA keeps the rebuild kits in stock, so you shouldn't have to wait for parts from Australia. You can contact Kyle Fogle at Treaty Oak Offroad or another Dobinsons dealer to find out more about it. Because they are relatively new to the U.S. and few people have put on the miles necessary to need a rebuild, not many rebuilds have occurred. I know of only one GX that has done a rebuild so far with the MRRs. Like me, it was preventative only and at about 50k miles. From what I have experienced and seen, longevity does not seem to be an issue with them.

 

[Lexacruiser]

I forgot to mention another point in my last post, unless something has changed in the last 6 months, you will not be able to have an aux fuel tank in CA.
There is no one presently that makes one that is CARB compliant for California. Other states, no problem, but not in CA...
The biggest waste of my time is standing at a fuel pump.
If there was an aux fuel tank or even a larger replacement for the stock, I'd have already done it.
But, like you, I live in a stupid state.
And don't ask, "Why don't you move?"
Answer, there's no other state in the union that has the surf, ski and off roading that California has...
It's a love/hate relationship. and more times hate than love...

We are in the process of selling our house now and we will be moving to Austin TX very soon so no worries! But I know what you mean. I had had 3 modified track cars in CA and I'm over the CARB dodging. It takes the fun out of engine swaps and big turbo builds.

 

[Lexacruiser]

I have almost 50k on mine and am thinking of doing a preventative rebuild. Dobinsons USA keeps the rebuild kits in stock, so you shouldn't have to wait for parts from Australia. You can contact Kyle Fogle at Treaty Oak Offroad or another Dobinsons dealer to find out more about it. Because they are relatively new to the U.S. and few people have put on the miles necessary to need a rebuild, not many rebuilds have occurred. I know of only one GX that has done a rebuild so far with the MRRs. Like me, it was preventative only and at about 50k miles. From what I have experienced and seen, longevity does not seem to be an issue with them.

Thats great news! you may have just saved me a grand over the kings!

 

[TX GX460]

Thank you for the brain food! I must say I did read your build before even purchasing! I came from the track car building community so I'm no stranger to tools and mechanical work. I did consider the added weight of the tank. Any idea on how much extra weight you are carrying around on average with the tank and extra fuel? The piece of mind is really what I want. 300 miles average is not enough.

The 33 gallon tank assembly is about 100 lbs, and 33 gallons of gas right at 200 lbs, so in total you are adding 300 lbs with a full tank.

 

[Lexacruiser]

The 33 gallon tank assembly is about 100 lbs, and 33 gallons of gas right at 200 lbs, so in total you are adding 300 lbs with a full tank.

Do you run into any problems if you keep it less than half full? I may only fill it all for trips and just keep an extra ten gallons on average to help with weight and MPG's

 

[TX GX460]

Do you run into any problems if you keep it less than half full? I may only fill it all for trips and just keep an extra ten gallons on average to help with weight and MPG's

No, that should work fine. You don't want to run it dry because that can burn out the transfer pump over time, but less than half full shouldn't be a problem at all.