OEM suspension question

[asn007]

Hello members, I have a '92 FJ80 with 135k miles. It's rolling a little more than I like in the corners. I'm thinking about just replacing with OEM shocks but should I change the springs out along with the shocks? Not sure if springs wear out/ sag. Don't want to replace any unnecessary parts but will do so if it is best to replace both at the same time.

Also, will changing out the worn shocks and springs give a slight lift to the truck? Wouldn't mind a little lift due to the 285's I just put on currently.

Please comment on ride quality after changing out worn shocks/springs. I never driven a new FJ80 and got the truck recently.

Your experience/input is greatly appreciated, TIA

 

[jlg32281]

Replacing 20 yr old parts can only be an improvement.

 

[retrofive]

Yep. ^

Not sure of the cost of OEM stuff TBH. OME makes a stock shock and spring. Not a bad replacement IMO.

 

[vkasm1]

stock springs are to soft go after market do a search and you will find diffrent brands from stock height and up

 

[CruiserJack]

Man-A-Fre 3" Old Man Emu springs and shocks with steering stabilizer and caster correction 750.00. At this price you would not be paying much more than OEM and would definitely improve your ride.

 

[IdahoDoug]

I'll be posting a thread on replacing my springs and shocks with fresh Toyota parts in a month or two, and strongly feel this is an excellent combination for offroading and particularly to have a topheavy SUV that will handle an emergency evasive maneuver without rolling. Any spring/shock set will feel better than what you have, so it is difficult to purchase something like this and wonder what the new stock setup would have been like rather than an aftermarket set. I can tell you that I used to develop vehicles for Lexus/Toyota and that when the 80 was new it exhibited nothing less than astonishing road manners, and utter composure offroad as well. Carelessly flick the wheel into a parking lot and the body would lean little and feel totally in control with no abrupt movements even with a cup of coffee in one hand. Offroad, drop the front wheels off a 1 foot ledge and it would land with a beautifully damped motion that made the vehicle feel like it was a 4 inch ledge and display no secondary bounce. If you're looking for handling, ride and vehicle dynamics that showcase what hundreds of millions of development dollars by one of the world's premier automakers can accomplish with their top model, look no further than a set of fresh factory springs and shocks.

Most people on this forum have 150,000 miles or more on their vehicles and never felt what they were like new. I can tell you the day, the passenger and exactly where I drove my first prototype 80 and who I called (auto engineer bro in law) to share my astonishment at what the LandCruiser team had accomplished with this new model.

There are a couple excellent aftermarket kits designed to extend the offroad ability of the 80 and I specifically think of OME because of their commitment to testing and custom tuning. But for the total package and especially on road safety the original spring and shock combo is the one to consider.

Suspension tuning is far and away the most challenging and difficult aspect of vehicle development to me, because of the sheer number of road variables it has to deal with. Getting it even close to right is an accomplishment, but the 80 was a standout - we even got compliments from our competitors. I've had 3 new 80s over the years and experienced the gradual decline, too. It's been slower because of the quality in the springs and shocks, but is inevitable over a decade or two. You'll see a small lift depending on how your vehicle has been used over the last couple decades as fresh springs replace a bit of sag.

DougM

 

[CruiserJack]

Wow Doug! Great explanation.

 

[asn007]

I'll be posting a thread on replacing my springs and shocks with fresh Toyota parts in a month or two, and strongly feel this is an excellent combination for offroading and particularly to have a topheavy SUV that will handle an emergency evasive maneuver without rolling. Any spring/shock set will feel better than what you have, so it is difficult to purchase something like this and wonder what the new stock setup would have been like rather than an aftermarket set. I can tell you that I used to develop vehicles for Lexus/Toyota and that when the 80 was new it exhibited nothing less than astonishing road manners, and utter composure offroad as well. Carelessly flick the wheel into a parking lot and the body would lean little and feel totally in control with no abrupt movements even with a cup of coffee in one hand. Offroad, drop the front wheels off a 1 foot ledge and it would land with a beautifully damped motion that made the vehicle feel like it was a 4 inch ledge and display no secondary bounce. If you're looking for handling, ride and vehicle dynamics that showcase what hundreds of millions of development dollars by one of the world's premier automakers can accomplish with their top model, look no further than a set of fresh factory springs and shocks.

Most people on this forum have 150,000 miles or more on their vehicles and never felt what they were like new. I can tell you the day, the passenger and exactly where I drove my first prototype 80 and who I called (auto engineer bro in law) to share my astonishment at what the LandCruiser team had accomplished with this new model.

There are a couple excellent aftermarket kits designed to extend the offroad ability of the 80 and I specifically think of OME because of their commitment to testing and custom tuning. But for the total package and especially on road safety the original spring and shock combo is the one to consider.

Suspension tuning is far and away the most challenging and difficult aspect of vehicle development to me, because of the sheer number of road variables it has to deal with. Getting it even close to right is an accomplishment, but the 80 was a standout - we even got compliments from our competitors. I've had 3 new 80s over the years and experienced the gradual decline, too. It's been slower because of the quality in the springs and shocks, but is inevitable over a decade or two. You'll see a small lift depending on how your vehicle has been used over the last couple decades as fresh springs replace a bit of sag.

DougM

Thank you very much Doug to take the time out and answer my question so completely! I'm wary of lifting the truck due to the top heavy/roll over nature of the beast, and it sounds like the OEM suspension will more than suffice in the performance category.

I'll be calling CDan for the price quote and get ready to order me some fresh OEM springs & shocks. I'll be waiting for your DIY tutorial so please don't take too long ! Can't wait to drive the tank and post a review after.

btw, here's the height of the tank currently on 135k suspension:

A little taller and improved cornering performance and I will be one happy camper

 

[khoi911]

There are a couple excellent aftermarket kits designed to extend the offroad ability of the 80 and I specifically think of OME because of their commitment to testing and custom tuning. But for the total package and especially on road safety the original spring and shock combo is the one to consider.


DougM

Would anyone know the pricing on the OEM shocks and springs?

Asn007 ... I would imagine running 285s would already put you outside of the OEM original designed suspension.

 

[94SRUNNER]

Call CDan at American Toyota (1-800-432-6668) for prices with the Mud discount.

 

[94SRUNNER]

Doug....Thanks for the great write-up and I look forward to your upcoming suspension thread!

 

[asn007]

Would anyone know the pricing on the OEM shocks and springs?

Asn007 ... I would imagine running 285s would already put you outside of the OEM original designed suspension.

Yeah, the wheels are bigger than the stock 31". Should I go with a different year's suspension to accomodate the bigger tires? I think the later models have 265's which are a bit closer to what I have. Regardless, I want to stick with OEM as I'm sure it'll feel like a sports car afterwards....ok, not quite but you get the point

 

[option13]

I'll be posting a thread on replacing my springs and shocks with fresh Toyota parts in a month or two,

I'll be looking for that thread!!

 

[IdahoDoug]

ASN,

As noted on the driver's door sticker, your stock tires should be 275/70-16. All 93-97 80s spec'd that size in the US. I think that equates to 32" and change.

Don't you guys go buy out the stock of springs and shocks from Dan, or I'm coming to your neighborhood with some tools and a jack.....

As for replacing them, you'll find it laughably easy to do. Once the shocks are dismounted, the suspension will sag hanging from a floor jack, then a little pushing from the factory jack and they'll practically fall out. Probably adds 45 minutes to changing the shocks.

DougM

 

[jlm43]

What would be a better OEM coil, Landcruiser or LX450? My LX has 168k miles and I am considering some new coils and shocks. I think new OEM coils and some 1" spacers would fit my need nicely without spending to much. I would like to do a FOR 3" lift but that is a couple years down the road. 1" to 2" for now would be great if the price is right. It is my DD for another year or two. Does anyone have any idea how much lift a new set of coils would give? I realize that it depends on the truck, just wondering if anyone has done it and noticed a difference in height.

 

[Nay]

I am going to counter Doug's explanation just a little bit by agreeing with him

The 80 is an exceptional vehicle in the suspension department given it's size and weight. This is precisely why it is so easy to upgrade to an quality aftermarket suspension without messing anything up, if in fact that is what you want to do.

The spring rate and shock design/valving are important factors, but the underlying suspension design is what allows you to vary spring rates and types along with shock type and valving to tune the vehicle for your usage.

Coil spring technology has come a very long way since the late 80's when the FZJ80 was developed. The same is fundamentally true of shock technology.

You are not changing the suspension engineering when you adjust spring rate and shock valving, as long as you stay within the factory designed linkage geometry, i.e. you don't lift it too much.

Having said this, your only other stock height option is OME, and I don't think much of how their shocks and springs are tuned for the 80 having had quite a different experience with OME on a different rig.

You could simply go to an aftermarket shock like Bilstein at this point if your coils are not showing signs of failure. Shocks only have a top performance life of around 20K miles and most of the degradation you feel over time is not the coils if they are high quality (coils are a single wind spring that has no friction tension to create wear), but rather the loss of proper damping as well as the deterioration of linkage bushings.

Good luck with it - I'm always impressed when somebody actually wants to keep it stock

 

[asn007]

ASN,

As noted on the driver's door sticker, your stock tires should be 275/70-16. All 93-97 80s spec'd that size in the US. I think that equates to 32" and change.

Don't you guys go buy out the stock of springs and shocks from Dan, or I'm coming to your neighborhood with some tools and a jack.....

As for replacing them, you'll find it laughably easy to do. Once the shocks are dismounted, the suspension will sag hanging from a floor jack, then a little pushing from the factory jack and they'll practically fall out. Probably adds 45 minutes to changing the shocks.

DougM

I left CDan a message, he's off to Moab, going to get myself a fresh set when he's back

 

[asn007]

I am going to counter Doug's explanation just a little bit by agreeing with him

The 80 is an exceptional vehicle in the suspension department given it's size and weight. This is precisely why it is so easy to upgrade to an quality aftermarket suspension without messing anything up, if in fact that is what you want to do.

The spring rate and shock design/valving are important factors, but the underlying suspension design is what allows you to vary spring rates and types along with shock type and valving to tune the vehicle for your usage.

Coil spring technology has come a very long way since the late 80's when the FZJ80 was developed. The same is fundamentally true of shock technology.

You are not changing the suspension engineering when you adjust spring rate and shock valving, as long as you stay within the factory designed linkage geometry, i.e. you don't lift it too much.

Having said this, your only other stock height option is OME, and I don't think much of how their shocks and springs are tuned for the 80 having had quite a different experience with OME on a different rig.

You could simply go to an aftermarket shock like Bilstein at this point if your coils are not showing signs of failure. Shocks only have a top performance life of around 20K miles and most of the degradation you feel over time is not the coils if they are high quality (coils are a single wind spring that has no friction tension to create wear), but rather the loss of proper damping as well as the deterioration of linkage bushings.

Good luck with it - I'm always impressed when somebody actually wants to keep it stock

Thanks Nay, yeah, I figure Toyota must of spent $$$ on R&D and it's going to be pretty difficult to do better going aftermarket.

Most of the time OEM is less expensive & proven performance/reliability. Unless an aftermarket company can prove their parts are better thru quantitative data, then I'd rather go with what the manufacturer's engineered.

This is probably going to be one component that I will really FEEL the improvement right away, especially after driving on shocks that have 135k on it

 

[jamie_scotland]

Just fitted a set of OEM front springs and shocks. I've ordered the rear ones but they're on back order so may have to wait a while. Should probably have waited and fitted them all at once but had a spare few hours...

Slight lift over the original springs but nothing too dramatic. The new shocks were different to what was already on the truck so PO must have fitted something aftermarket.

Didn't expect too much but just been for a drive and I'm truly amazed. Despite the rear remaining unchanged the truck has been transformed. There's little roll even with excessive cornering speeds, the steering feels better and the ride is firmer but more comfortable at the same time.

I'll post again when I finally get the rears done but unless you need the extra height from aftermarket, OEM is definitely the way to go.

Jamie

 

[asn007]

I just got off the phone with CDan, he informed me the OEM springs for the '92 FJ80 are no longer available/ manufactured. The OEM shocks are. I can either go with OEM FJ80 shocks & aftermarket springs, or OEM shocks & springs from a '95 & up FJZ80.

Would like to replace both on my truck but not sure if using shocks & springs from an FJZ80 on a FJ80 will cause any installation/performance problems.

Any thoughts/suggestions? TIA