New to the site and am getting some conflicting advice (1 Viewer)

[LCinCA]

Hi all. New to the site. Finally convinced my folks to sell me their 99" LC that they took me to elementary school in. Pumped to have it and excited to join the community and learn more.

I am wanting to do a 2.5" lift and a couple shops are telling me different things. One shop is telling me that OME 2.5" standard kit that runs around $1,000 might not work, and I would need to do a 1.5" or get a $2,500 Fox kit with a controller arm to get it up to 2.5".

Another shop says they can do a 2.5" in the front and 1.5" on the back with the standard OME setup with the $1,000 kit. I definitely want to do this right. But not sure I can swing $2,500 + Labor. I will mainly be using around town and to the beach, but will do some light off-roading every other month or so. I know many of you have done these lifts yourself and would really appreciate any thoughts or direction.

 

[trdcorolla]

I haven't lifted my 100 but there are several other brands you can also look at. I think around 1k for parts is probably the norm for 4 shocks, rear springs and torsion bars. The higher priced kits include a diff drop and upper control arms. There are even higher end shocks available. Those prices are parts only, labor varies from shop to shop. Are the shops you got quoted at normal off road shops or do you see other 100's there?

 

[geanes]

You can lift up to 2.5" without a diff drop or new UCAs. However, a diff drop is a very good idea to have to help out the CVs when going up that high. New UCAs should be able to gain back some of the caster you'll need for proper alignment. Plenty of folks here run 2-2.5" with factory UCAs and diff mount. IronMan Nitro kit might be the best kit for what you're describing. You're a day late though: the full kit (torsion bars, coils and 4 shocks) were $799 with free shipping all last week and up to yesterday. That would have been my recommended kit over the OME setup. Most kits are going to run $1000-1500. Labor on a simple suspension swap on an LC shouldn't take longer than 4 hours, tops.

 

[l3n0x]

I've heard bad reviews about the OME kit on the 100 series. Tough Dog adjustables on the other hand is popular.

I went with Ironman, because that's the one I could source here in the EU apart from the OME. It is high, higher than AHC high setting, but it is pretty firm and tight. Some like this, some not.. I'm happy, but still getting used to it after a week

If you decide to go Ironman, go for the Foam Cell Pro kit, because the Nitro kit is garbage.

 

[suprarx7nut]

My take: Forget the lift entirely. Get yourself some sliders and skids with new OEM shocks and 33" tires. If you're still feeling the itch to do more, go buy some bumpers and the 1.5" heavy springs out rear with a simple torsion adjustment up front. The 2.5" lift is overkill for most people's use - including those on trails every weekend.

The lift buys you very little function compared to a set of sliders. The lift also does NOT change what tires you can run.

 

[SocalLCruiser]

If you want to lift it for very little money, it's simple and can be done in an afternoon with average hand tools, a jack and jack stands.
Buy a set of OME springs, select the ones that fit what you are after for ride, ride height, expected weight you may be carrying, etc. Re-index the stock torsion bars and lift the front. Then take it straight to an alignment shop. The entire lift can be done for around $300 including alignment.

You may want to add aftermarket UCA's to get the alignment better. I did this after 6 months or so but only because I wanted to replace the ball joints. I figured I may as well do it while in there.

Here's mine:

Tundra 18"s with 295/70/18 (34.4") Nittos.

The job was simple. Almost free! Drives great!

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go. Welcome to the club!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

What supra said - use it as is and see what you need.

 

[ibrahim83]

Ome kit isn't bad, it's just that the shocks are trash.

 

[erse]

Definitely what @suprarx7nut and @Trunk Monkey state. You don't need to drop a pile of cash on the lift. It's un-necessary expense at this point for your intended use.

 

[LCinCA]

I haven't lifted my 100 but there are several other brands you can also look at. I think around 1k for parts is probably the norm for 4 shocks, rear springs and torsion bars. The higher priced kits include a diff drop and upper control arms. There are even higher end shocks available. Those prices are parts only, labor varies from shop to shop. Are the shops you got quoted at normal off road shops or do you see other 100's there?

I live in southern OC and one is a tire shop that also does lifts. Not much Cruiser experience and the other is Baja HQ. They are off-road specialists. But not Cruiser specialists.

 

[pjohnson]

I'll chime in with the others, leave it as is and drive it for a while. Your stated usage does not require a lift.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you need it.

 

[pjohnson]

And don't have anything but tires done at tire shop. It's like having the muffler guy rebuild your engine.

Go to someone who knows Land Cruisers.

 

[Cola]

Cheapest option with a great ride would be:

Rear spring spacers (or a set of OME 2860), all new OEM shocks (like 40 a pop online), and a few cranks of the front TBs. And some 285/75/16 AT tires.

Simple floor jack and some ratchets and you can do it in your driveway.

If you feel like you want a "proper lift" look to Ironman or Tough dog.

 

[Tower1]

Keep as is , it is a very capable vehicle without the lift bigger tires etc...

 

[VinylSeats]

I'm going to echo what @suprarx7nut said: forget the full expensive lift and instead look at some other valuable gear.

I drove my 99 TLC for two years stock before I did some recent work to raise the truck. From daily drives to work to camping in remote places, that time and use allowed me to better understand what I liked stock and what I wanted to change based on my use.

From my own experience, the most important purchase you can make is a good set of offroad tires. I went with 285/75/16 BFG KO2s. You can fit 285/75/16 on stock suspension and it looks great. This alone will give you about an inch lift.

There are many other great all terrain and mud options. I'm sure many mud members will agree with me that you should prioritize capable tires over the lift.

If you still want more height, replace the OEM rear coil springs with OME ones and slightly crank the front stock torsion bars. This will give you a 1.5" to 2" lift. You can then look into other suspension upgrades as you go if you decide you want to adjust the ride.

Drive it stock for a bit and determine what you really want to do based on your needs. You will be happy later on as you'll have more free cash to spend on other TLC items. Trust me: the projects and opportunity to spend money never stops.

 

[Roosevelt T]

Here's my opinion.... YMMV.

OME used to be THE SH!T around here, now they are the en vogue option to trash. The truth is obviously in the middle. Don't be scared of their lift, but yes there are other options in the price range you *might* like better.

Learn to DIY. These are easy things you want do to. Will take you less than a day. These vehicles (like any, IMO) are expensive if you plan on paying for labor for the rest of your life... As in, expensive enough that you shouldn't own one if you can't pay for shocks plus labor.


These might not be popular opinions, but that's what I think. Either way good luck and welcome to the board.

 

[LCinCA]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Really appreciate it. I am definitely going to get new tires. Looking at some 275/70/18 Method/K02s. Will that fit on the truck if I decide to wait on the lift and drive it for a while?

 

[l3n0x]

Are those not 16” rims in the first comment? I’d keep those if you plan offroad and spoon on some 285/75r16’s

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Really appreciate it. I am definitely going to get new tires. Looking at some 275/70/18 Method/K02s. Will that fit on the truck if I decide to wait on the lift and drive it for a while?

I can't vouch for wheel fitment, but assuming the offset is similar to factory, you should be fine.

I'm running 275/70/18 KO2 on Tundra wheels. With no lift at all, there was zero rubbing under any circumstance on or off road.

 

[LCinCA]

I can't vouch for wheel fitment, but assuming the offset is similar to factory, you should be fine.

I'm running 275/70/18 KO2 on Tundra wheels. With no lift at all, there was zero rubbing under any circumstance on or off road.

Thanks!