All the reviews I post below are my opinions after driving Land Cruisers for the past 15 years. I do not work for the following companies or have any affiliation. I'm just a "normal" guy who like thing just right. My wife thinks I'm obsessive.
Our Land Cruiser rarely (if ever) goes off road. After 2.5 years my wife got a new truck and I took her 2011 Land Cruiser to replace my beloved 1999 100. Essentially it will be my everyday truck. We use it to go Skiing in the winter in upstate NY and VT so a comfortable, controlled ride has always been my main focus.
All shocks were tested with Michelin MS2 275-65-18 on stock 18" wheels.
Stock Tokico shock: In my opinion these shocks are totally inadequate for the 200 US Land Cruiser. There is not nearly enough damping to control the travel of the suspension even over the smallest bumps. I felt there was a vibration from the front suspension and the rear hopped over things like highway expansion joints. The side to side sway was not controlled by the shocks and tended to lean quite a bit in turns. It did not have the solid Land Cruiser feel that my 100 had. NOTE: The vibration in the front end was later discovered to be a loose bolt in the front swaybar system but that took 2 years and me basically rebuilding the front suspension to find. Toyota dealer said, "that's normal for a Land Cruiser"
Bilstein Shocks: I ordered the Bilsteins because they worked so well on the 100 as MANY mud members already know. The shocks have adjustable spring perches in the front so you're able to raise the front end about 1.5 inches to level the truck out. I set them to the highest level. The front end rattled but now I know it was the loose bolt in the sway bar so let's concentrate on ride and handling. The handling certainly improved. The side to side sway was virtually eliminated but at the cost of comfort. At the time this was my wife's truck and she wanted it to ride like her beloved 100, soft and comfortable. If it were my truck I would have liked it as it felt more BMWish (is that a word). Anyone that was owned Bilsteins knows that they do improve the ride but make it stiff over low speed, small bumps. On the highway it was fantastic and they really soaked up the large highway dips in the road. BUT the wife said, "I don't like them" so the search for something better ensued. (I still have these and will sell at a deep discount)
Radflo: I contacted Mike and Glenn at Radflo last fall in search for the ultimate comfortable shock for highway cruising after reading great feedback and talking to a bunch of member by PM. We agreed on the 2.5 without the extended shaft and no reservoirs to keep the shocks simple. They were immediately more comfortable than the Bilsteins (for $2100 they should be!). They soaked up everything you could throw at them as good as the Bilsteins but lacked the edginess inherent to the Bilsteins. Mike at Radflo said I could expect 1.5 inch raise over stock but even at it's lowest setting in the front there is more. Sorry, I didn't take measurements but this is where the fun began. Wife said, "The truck is too high. I have to use the side step to get in and out of the truck." UGH. Not happy wife, not happy life. Mike and Glenn were great. They agreed to take them back to see what they could do and to also change out the shock oil to a synthetic since I'm in a cold environment. I had read about this in an Icon Thread but forgotten to request it from Radflo. My Plan was to install the stock shocks back on while the Radflos were "fixed" (if they could do anything) and swap them back ASAP since my wife's new truck was coming in soon.
Koni 90 Raid Shocks: I ordered the Tundra Brake Upgrade From Brian Jowett last fall also. We had many conversations about 200s since he had just bought one for his wife too. I told him about what had happened to the Radflos and he offered to "loan" me a set of his shocks to try instead of using the stock shocks that I already knew I didn't like (while the Radflos were getting fixed). What I found accidentally was nirvana. Very little is known in the US about Koni 90 Raid shocks. Google turned up almost nothing so I might be the first in the country to install on a 200 (
I was first with the Bilsteins too). The only reliable info I found was a expedition company in Australia. First, these things are massive and are very heavy compared to the stocks and Bilsteins. They have rubber bushings as opposed to the spherical end links of the Radflos. I'm not saying this is good or bad or better or worse but I was after ultimate comfort and control. They have adjustable rebound so at the suggestion of Brian Jowett I set them just above the softest settings, 25% soft to be exact. The rear have 3 turns of adjustment so I set them to .75 turns off softest and the front have 2 turns of adjustment so I set them to .50 turn. Upon installation I immediately noticed that they're not as high as the Radflos and just a little higher than stock. They are oil filled dampers not gas charged so they will not raise the truck because of gas pressure. Going from the Radflos to the Konis was not dramatic but they are very different. The Konis soak up the large highway dips very well but the rebound is much softer making them more comfortable than any of the other shocks. This is not really a fair comparison because the Radflos have 600lb springs on them not stock softer toyota springs.
I just got back from my first long trip with the shocks on and the whole family noticed and they are happier with the softer ride. The Konis control side to side sway extremely well, control roll really well, soak up large bumps but more importantly soak up the small bumps too making the ride much more comfortable. Remember my ultimate goal from comfort and control. When I drive in an SUV I want a plush ride but NOT floaty 1970s Cadillac ride. For now, I am choosing the Konis as my favorite shocks for MY purpose. You're probably surprised.
My next mod is to add airbags to the rear end to add a little more support when we pack the truck for our ski weekends or I tow the boat. The Bilsteins and the Radflos gave that little extra lift because they are pressurized.
Another note is I got Toyota to replace the KDSS main valve assembly last fall because the shutter valves were frozen (check our valves and keep they free of rust) They were not happy but I could not calibrate the system after installing the Radflos. This may or may not have played a factor with the stocks shocks and Bilsteins. The truck sat level. BUT between the loose bolt and the frozen KDSS system I think something was wrong that the original dealer screwed with. (my truck was a dealer demo). I know a lot more about this truck now than most toyota techs.
Everyone's opinion of what the perfect ride is is going to be different because your ultimate goal is different. I don't need more clearance, this would only increase the center of gravity. I'm not bashing Bilstein or Radflo. They're both great shocks with different audiences and budgets. Now that my wife has gotten her new truck (2014 Gl350 Bluetec) and the 200 is mine I might decide to put the Radflos back on but spending a day under the truck is never fun and I have some offers for the 4 week old Radflos. I'm going to continue to evaluating the Konis in everyday driving and get together with my buddy who has the Radlfos on his 2010 200 so we can do "the Pepsi Challenge." He off roads his truck so he wants the lift and the extra support of the heavier springs.
We all drive Land Cruisers for different reasons. I choose Land Cruisers for their reliability, dependability, awesome resale value, and the under the radar luxury. My neighbors have no clue what a LC costs and that's the way I like it. The M5 looks like a 5 series, can't really hide the GL the same way.
I have not been happy with my new Land Cruiser for 2.5 years. I tried the dealer route but they were no help. Brian Jowett and I have had a number of conversations about inherent chassis vibrations and the truth is you can chase your own tail trying to figure things out. I wish there were more Land Cruisers in my area so I could test other setups but the truth is they are extremely rare in the NE. I got lucky with this setup and I finally enjoy driving my Land Cruiser. Thanks for reading about my experiences.
Wink 
