First post on ih8mud, long-time lurker. I want to sincerely THANK YOU all for sharing your knowledge and experiences, which have been invaluable as I continue to recondition our GX.
We got our GX a couple of months ago. It's exactly what we wanted: 2005 with 141,000 miles, one-owner, no accidents, no nav, no KDSS, and the third row seat package. We really wanted a GX many years ago, but couldn't swing it. This one was $2400 below KBB, because it had issues.
The stock electronic suspension was sagging badly at the front, and the ride was harsh on all four corners. Bushings were/are significantly worn. Steering was sloppy. Brakes were bad, rotors warped to a dangerous extent. Little to no rust on the undercarriage, body's in good shape. Interior is great except for the seats, which are still very comfortable but the sun has destroyed the leather.
Trying to put as little money as possible into the vehicle yet keep it reliable. I wanted to replace the elec/air suspension with something rebuildable, had good experiences with running Fox on our FJ Cruiser, and so went with a similar setup. I also had to add wheel spacers, to fit the high-offset OEM wheels. Spidertrax sacers were 1/4 the price of new wheels. I'd rather have the wheels...but there are better places to put that money right now.
Here's what changed on the suspension and steering so far:
Front:
Fox 2.5 coilover shocks 883-02-025
ProForged sway bar links 113-10204 / 113-10127
Moog sway bar bushings K80820
Moog inner and outer tie rod ends EV80379 / ES80378
Rad Rubber splash guards (OEMs were missing or crumbling)
Rear:
Fox 2.0 shocks w/ reservoir 985-24-117
Eibach E30-82-073-01-02 springs
MetalTech coil spring conversion kit
Prado 120 rear upper spring isolators (eBay from UAE)
Total cost so far is just under $12k USD. For a vehicle this versatile, that's a good deal IMHO.
The resulting ride is relaxing and plush, and small bumps are barely felt. I read dozens of experiences with GX suspensions and its extra weight, and intentionally made it soft. There's plenty of body roll to let the driver know when they're pushing too hard, which is good because two of my kids will learn to drive in this thing. Our FJ Cruiser is already built, so we're keeping the GX mild with 1.5" of lift. Didn't want to go higher because of the additional parts (cost) required. Front feels nice and tight now, but the rear is still a bit sloppy, need to replace more bushings there.
Obviously, I could go much further with this build, but right now, the vehicle is the relaxed offroad-capable beach cruiser that we want. Fluids were changed, and we replaced some other minor parts, but I haven't yet. Then there are the speakers; at least 2 are blown and rattle louder than the music. I've gotta stop thinking about it for now.
Again, THANK YOU!
We got our GX a couple of months ago. It's exactly what we wanted: 2005 with 141,000 miles, one-owner, no accidents, no nav, no KDSS, and the third row seat package. We really wanted a GX many years ago, but couldn't swing it. This one was $2400 below KBB, because it had issues.
The stock electronic suspension was sagging badly at the front, and the ride was harsh on all four corners. Bushings were/are significantly worn. Steering was sloppy. Brakes were bad, rotors warped to a dangerous extent. Little to no rust on the undercarriage, body's in good shape. Interior is great except for the seats, which are still very comfortable but the sun has destroyed the leather.
Trying to put as little money as possible into the vehicle yet keep it reliable. I wanted to replace the elec/air suspension with something rebuildable, had good experiences with running Fox on our FJ Cruiser, and so went with a similar setup. I also had to add wheel spacers, to fit the high-offset OEM wheels. Spidertrax sacers were 1/4 the price of new wheels. I'd rather have the wheels...but there are better places to put that money right now.
Here's what changed on the suspension and steering so far:
Front:
Fox 2.5 coilover shocks 883-02-025
ProForged sway bar links 113-10204 / 113-10127
Moog sway bar bushings K80820
Moog inner and outer tie rod ends EV80379 / ES80378
Rad Rubber splash guards (OEMs were missing or crumbling)
Rear:
Fox 2.0 shocks w/ reservoir 985-24-117
Eibach E30-82-073-01-02 springs
MetalTech coil spring conversion kit
Prado 120 rear upper spring isolators (eBay from UAE)
Total cost so far is just under $12k USD. For a vehicle this versatile, that's a good deal IMHO.
The resulting ride is relaxing and plush, and small bumps are barely felt. I read dozens of experiences with GX suspensions and its extra weight, and intentionally made it soft. There's plenty of body roll to let the driver know when they're pushing too hard, which is good because two of my kids will learn to drive in this thing. Our FJ Cruiser is already built, so we're keeping the GX mild with 1.5" of lift. Didn't want to go higher because of the additional parts (cost) required. Front feels nice and tight now, but the rear is still a bit sloppy, need to replace more bushings there.
Obviously, I could go much further with this build, but right now, the vehicle is the relaxed offroad-capable beach cruiser that we want. Fluids were changed, and we replaced some other minor parts, but I haven't yet. Then there are the speakers; at least 2 are blown and rattle louder than the music. I've gotta stop thinking about it for now.
Again, THANK YOU!
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