lift options for my 05 GX

[Algx470sport]

Hi guys,

New here and excited to discuss the collective insight this forum can share. I bought an 05 gx470 Sport with 230k miles, 1 owner, well cared for and the price was right. It has the Atrac as well as the KDSS. The only "mod thus far is that I replaced the street tires with Wildpeaks AT 265/70/17. I've taken it wheeling and its an absolute beast, loving it!! Came from an 03 Rubi but needed more room for my activities/dogs

I wrestled with the idea of getting a lift (2 inch) something that wont require me to upgrade underpinnings... There's a shop here in southern cali and I spoke the the susp guy and he said for 1300 he'll convert the rear to coil using "the good kind", then add Bilsteins 5100 series shocks, and keep the existing front coils. Overall, he said I'd get a 2 inch lift and the truck would be level (its slightly higher in the back I assume for loads/towing).

What are your guy's thoughts? Am I better off tackling this myself or is it too complicated... I'm moderately mechanical but have a good buddy that will most likely help and he is a bit more mech savvy.

what is the best setup for a mild 2 inch lift?

I want soft suspension, I notice that a lot of guys run Baja style suspension like Kings or Icon, with stiffer coil and that is in my opinion completely wrong for crawling, seems like they get up-sold into baja suspension when they'll never do 40MPH whoops in their life.

I appreciate your input and value any suggestions/ shop recommendations you guys can provide here in Los Angeles area.

Thanks!!

Al

 

[Algx470sport]

Some pics of my truck ....

 

[Jstawgn]

I have same exact truck.
I did it myself. Its fairly easy to do.

Tough dog adjustable 2" lift

So I bought a set of tough dog adjustable kit from a group buy organized by Sherpa Off Road last August. https://www.sherpa-offroad.com/product-page/gx470-tough-dog-45mm-adjustable-dampening I receive the kit in September. Since this is an adjustable kit, I need a lot more time to get thing...

forum.ih8mud.com

King, fox, icon or elka might be better for high speed and long distance desert run that i would never encounter in the midwest. But this simple adjustable shock have been really good for my wide use.
No relation to Sherpa off road or trail tailor beside really satisfied customer.

 

[Algx470sport]

Nice!!! I'll look into that setup for sure. Yes, I think the main mistake people make is buying baja suspension for their slow/crawl needs. Shops push it, cuz they get to charge a pretty penny.

 

[Kyle Fogle]

i've got dobinsons options available for 2" lift with comfort valved rear shocks that have been INCREDIBLY popular since introducing the GX community to them a few years ago. Feel free to reach out with questions and we'll get a kit together for you.

treatyoakoffroad@gmail.com

 

[CarolinaGX]

I have Bilstein 5100's because there is no service interval and a lifetime warranty. I used Dobinson springs and I am happy with the ride, handling, and offroad performance. I am on the East Coast so I crawl, no whoops here . Suspension rides similarly to the factory on "Sport" setting.

 

[ADVFamilyHauler]

Hi guys,

New here and excited to discuss the collective insight this forum can share. I bought an 05 gx470 Sport with 230k miles, 1 owner, well cared for and the price was right. It has the Atrac as well as the KDSS. The only "mod thus far is that I replaced the street tires with Wildpeaks AT 265/70/17. I've taken it wheeling and its an absolute beast, loving it!! Came from an 03 Rubi but needed more room for my activities/dogs

I wrestled with the idea of getting a lift (2 inch) something that wont require me to upgrade underpinnings... There's a shop here in southern cali and I spoke the the susp guy and he said for 1300 he'll convert the rear to coil using "the good kind", then add Bilsteins 5100 series shocks, and keep the existing front coils. Overall, he said I'd get a 2 inch lift and the truck would be level (its slightly higher in the back I assume for loads/towing).

What are your guy's thoughts? Am I better off tackling this myself or is it too complicated... I'm moderately mechanical but have a good buddy that will most likely help and he is a bit more mech savvy.

what is the best setup for a mild 2 inch lift?

I want soft suspension, I notice that a lot of guys run Baja style suspension like Kings or Icon, with stiffer coil and that is in my opinion completely wrong for crawling, seems like they get up-sold into baja suspension when they'll never do 40MPH whoops in their life.

I appreciate your input and value any suggestions/ shop recommendations you guys can provide here in Los Angeles area.

Thanks!!

Al

I had billy 5100’s on my Tacoma. I would never recommend them to anyone. They are absolute crap. Stock springs are way too soft for off-roading. Everytime I came off a rock the skid plate slammed into rocks underneath the vehicle. I then won a set of Toytec coilovers at a raffle rocked them for a long time but they weren’t anything special for $900 coilovers. Once I bought the GX I immediately ordered Kings with external reservoirs. They are leaps and bounds better than the $900 Toytec coilovers. Yeah they cost more than everything else but they are totally worth it in my mind. Also my shock guy in Colorado recommended them. He didn’t make any money off of me going with the Kings. If you are on a budget I would go with ome or dobinson. Stay away from billy 5100’s.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

First, congrats on getting a kdss model. I think kdss is great for mild builds.

Second, suspensions are complicated to dial in to your specific needs for weight, height, comfort, price, and brand preference.

There are a few things you need to take into account like the 2.0” vs 2.5” diameter shocks, the lbs/in of the front and rear springs to meet you weight and comfort needs.

There’s a generic primer that describes some of these things you need to watch out for and hopefully help you make a good decision on your suspension.

GX470 Primer for the Ideal Mild-Build for Under $3000

You just got your GX470 and want to do a mild build to improve looks and off-road capability. You want to stand out over the mall cruisers and soccer moms, but want to keep costs under control. This primer doesn't consider any other repairs or basic maintenance your GX470 needs. First, lets...

forum.ih8mud.com

I have my theoretical perfect setup in mind, but I haven’t installed it and I won’t know how good it is until I actually install it.

 

[Cooperd0g]

First, congrats on getting a kdss model. I think kdss is great for mild builds.

Second, suspensions are complicated to dial in to your specific needs for weight, height, comfort, price, and brand preference.

There are a few things you need to take into account like the 2.0” vs 2.5” diameter shocks, the lbs/in of the front and rear springs to meet you weight and comfort needs.

There’s a generic primer that describes some of these things you need to watch out for and hopefully help you make a good decision on your suspension.

GX470 Primer for the Ideal Mild-Build for Under $3000

You just got your GX470 and want to do a mild build to improve looks and off-road capability. You want to stand out over the mall cruisers and soccer moms, but want to keep costs under control. This primer doesn't consider any other repairs or basic maintenance your GX470 needs. First, lets...

forum.ih8mud.com

I have my theoretical perfect setup in mind, but I haven’t installed it and I won’t know how good it is until I actually install it.

Now I’m curious what your theoretical perfect KDSS mild build set up is ... do tell!

 

[CarolinaGX]

I had billy 5100’s on my Tacoma. I would never recommend them to anyone. They are absolute crap. Stock springs are way too soft for off-roading. Everytime I came off a rock the skid plate slammed into rocks underneath the vehicle. .... Stay away from billy 5100’s.

Suspensions are systems and not single items. Springs are a major part of the system and responsible for holding the weight/load of the vehicle. Too much spring rate and the vehicle will ride harshly and allow very little movement. Too little spring rate and the vehicle will sway and dive/squat all over the place. The shocks are responsible for controlling the movement. Too little damping from the shock and the wheel bounces after hitting something. Too much damping and the suspension isn't allowed to move quickly enough throughout its range. The springs and shocks should be selected as a system and each component should not be bashed for improper setup.

That said, the 5100's are very mild upgrade from the stock shock with similar damping to the stock shocks on "Sport" setting. They are inexpensive to boot. I do not recommend the Eibach springs with the 5100's if you plan on adding a winch and bumper as their height and spring rate are not well suited for this (I am living with it currently).

My suggestion is think through your build as best you can. The suspension should really be one of the last major things you do as all the other mods' (bumpers, winch, tent, drawers, etc.) change the weight and load rating you need to accomplish your desired build.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

My theoretical best suspension is only for me and my needs. I’m price sensitive. I don’t wheel the rubicon, but do go on medium difficult trails. I don’t have much weight in front other than skid plates and apex recovery points. I do load up lightly in the rear when going camping, but I take out the 2nd and 3rd rows.

I want the lift to be about 2” and have a level stance in terms of front and rear height.

Front:

• 2.5” diameter shocks no remote reservoir. I think the 2” diameter shocks are too thin for the weight of the GX470 v8.
• 650 lbs/in springs. Might ride a little harsh compared to the 600 lbs/in, but I want something a little more stiff to better handle the emergency braking situations without diving too much.

I haven’t researched prices recently, but I would look for a good value like Bilstein 6112s, or Radflo, or Fox.

Rear:

• MT conversion kit
• Maybe a 10mm spacer in drivers side to fix Toyota lean
• Toyota spring isolators
• Dobinson variable Springs C59-675V
• Rear shocks to match brand and valving of front shocks, so either Bilstein 5160s, Radflo, or Fox

 

[GXO]

I'm at the other end...click my bills for detail. $12k suspensions are cool though

 

[ADVFamilyHauler]

I'm at the other end...click my bills for detail. $12k suspensions are cool though

I just need to talk the wife into another GX without KDSS so I can long travel it. Loving the way the KDSS performs with a 3/2 lift. Perfect setup for a daily driver that will see some trail time.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Mine would be somewhat similar I think. I have KDSS and don’t do anything crazy, but medium difficulty would be nice. No big bumpers, but maybe a hidden hitch up front eventually. I will have second row seats with kids and a drawer system with a dog in the back. Plus I tow a small trailer and would like the ability to hitch haul a dirt bike so I like the air suspension.

I am less price sensitive than I am value sensitive. I want quality and am willing to pay for it, but I also believe in the idea of diminishing returns; for my goals you get to a point where the extra money is only buying capability I won’t use. If I had problems with air bags, I could see doing a progressive coil conversion and adding Air Lift or Firestone helper bags for those times I need the extra support.

I also like the stock ride quality and don’t want it to be super stiff after. So I’m thinking the Bilstein 6112 with 650lb springs up front and 5160s in the back vs something like an Icon Stage 2 or equivalent Fox or King set up. But are those systems that much better than the Bilstein? Like you said, hard to say until you have done it.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

Yeah, you need to get out on the trails to really see what you need.

Offroad my problems are traction and articulation. I spin wheels like no other and get stuck because articulation is very limited and no rear lockers.

So, my front Bilstein 6112s with 600 lbs/in have held up for two years while off-roading about 10 weekends in those two years. This is with my tricked oem rear airbags.

I think I need to figure out how to get better articulation and traction without spending a ton of money.

 

[Cooperd0g]

@HomersCanyonero do you have KDSS?

 

[HomersCanyonero]

I wish I did, but I don’t.

 

[Algx470sport]

First, congrats on getting a kdss model. I think kdss is great for mild builds.

Second, suspensions are complicated to dial in to your specific needs for weight, height, comfort, price, and brand preference.

There are a few things you need to take into account like the 2.0” vs 2.5” diameter shocks, the lbs/in of the front and rear springs to meet you weight and comfort needs.

There’s a generic primer that describes some of these things you need to watch out for and hopefully help you make a good decision on your suspension.

GX470 Primer for the Ideal Mild-Build for Under $3000

You just got your GX470 and want to do a mild build to improve looks and off-road capability. You want to stand out over the mall cruisers and soccer moms, but want to keep costs under control. This primer doesn't consider any other repairs or basic maintenance your GX470 needs. First, lets...

forum.ih8mud.com

I have my theoretical perfect setup in mind, but I haven’t installed it and I won’t know how good it is until I actually install it.

Thank for all the feedback, and Do tell what you are thinking would be the ideal setup like I said before, I cant go extreme because I don't want to sacrifice drivability, which is why I'm eyeing 2 inch lift only

 

[HomersCanyonero]

I did post my theoretical low cost setup in an earlier post, but let get back to your $1300 quote.

$1300 to upgrade your suspension including labor and parts sounds like an awesome deal. But, I don’t like certain things about your deal.

First, I would not re-use the old stock oem front coils. I’m sure they are sagging already. Maybe he’ll put them on a higher perch on the 5100 shocks, but they are still old sagging coils.

Front coils are NOT variable rate, so you have to pick the load rating that meets your weight needs. 650 lbs/in are my preferred ones because I run sliders, skid plates, and beefy recovery points. I run 600s now and I want a little more spring support for emergency braking situations and possibly disconnecting front sway bars.

Second, I just don’t like 5100s for the front on GX470 from what I’ve read. Especially if you have basic added weight like me for skids, sliders, and recovery points. And you offroad some medium trails.

5100s are 2.0” diameter bodies and have thinner bottom mounting rods than the 6112s. I just feel more comfortable and safe with the beefier rod on the 6112s and 2.5” diameter bodies. Note...I’ve never run 5100s so I’m just going by what I’ve read and researched on size of these shocks. I just happen to be a proponent of 2.5” diameter body and thicker bottom rods for shocks for the front.

Third, rear springs. Ever since my 80, I’ve been wanting variable rate rear springs to better handle my empty to loaded situations. Variable springs are supposed to ride better on a wider range of cargo loads.

Finally, since you have kdss, these basic suspension upgrades are probably good enough to make you a medium build. For us without kdss, we need to deal with other mods to increase articulation and traction.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

On a related topic, does anyone have the body diameter thickness of the Dobinson shocks? I sense that they have 2 different diameter bodies on shocks depending on model and price but I haven’t been able to confirm.

Some people are very happy with an all Dobinson setup, others run all OME basic or premium setups, others run radflos, Icon, Fox, toytec, King’s, etc, but I try not to post on the higher end systems because they are too expensive for my needs and wallet.

I tend to research on the mild to medium shocks and springs. Ive recently started looking at sway bar extension end links, rear lower and upper link upgrades, etc. Mostly because I want more articulation to improve traction on my non-kdss gx470.