Ordered new bumper and winch.... do I need stiffer suspension? (1 Viewer)

[flyfishnut]

Just ordered an M1 bumper and 10k lb Smitty winch - which will be here Monday.

I plan to put rails on it and perhaps a rack or basket of some type.

My question: Do I need to upgrade coils, etc due to weight?? Like just adding the Icon coils over the factory shocks to get the added support and a lift at the same time?

Vehicle Use: I don't plan on doing any rock crawling, but will be offroading at my hunt club as well as some "overland" off road stuff to camp etc.

Any recommendations for me (on a budget - my son is in college!)? Also something easy, as I'll be doing the work myself.

Thanks for any help

 

[1911]

Like my dear departed mom used to say, "you don't have to do anything but die and pay taxes", but the stock FJC suspension is pretty soft and prone to nosedive on hard braking anyway. It will be worse with a heavy bumper, winch, and etc. added. In my experience, you will be happier with a modest lift/upgraded suspension.

 

[flyfishnut]

Like my dear departed mom used to say, "you don't have to do anything but die and pay taxes", but the stock FJC suspension is pretty soft and prone to nosedive on hard braking anyway. It will be worse with a heavy bumper, winch, and etc. added. In my experience, you will be happier with a modest lift/upgraded suspension.

Thanks - suggestions??

 

[Mtbcoach]

Like my dear departed mom used to say, "you don't have to do anything but die and pay taxes", but the stock FJC suspension is pretty soft and prone to nosedive on hard braking anyway. It will be worse with a heavy bumper, winch, and etc. added. In my experience, you will be happier with a modest lift/upgraded suspension.

Thanks - suggestions??

I agree with Lee, suggestions? So much can depend open your end use. You'll get many opinions on spacer lifts, I'd stay away from them, can't go wrong with OME or Ironman kits. Yet, the best advice is to go with Icon adjustable coilovers, it's where I wound up after 3 sets of springs to get the ride height I wanted and performance I required...

 

[1911]

Thanks - suggestions??

I agree with Lee, suggestions? So much can depend open your end use. You'll get many opinions on spacer lifts, I'd stay away from them, can't go wrong with OME or Ironman kits. Yet, the best advice is to go with Icon adjustable coilovers, it's where I wound up after 3 sets of springs to get the ride height I wanted and performance I required...

Me too (ended up with Icon).

Flyfishnut, if you're on a budget then OME is great value for the money. I would go with the medium spring rate for your stated use. You'll get about 2.5-3" of lift and better handling, even with the extra weight of your winch and bumper.

If you have more to spend, the next tier up of lift kits from Icon, King, and etc. are way worth it - but the OME will likely do you just fine for what you're going to do with your truck.

 

[flyfishnut]

So, I'd rather invest in the Icon Coil over than cheap out and be pissed. What set up exactly? Can you paste a link? How hard is the instal?

 

[firensteel]

My 2 cents.
I added an ARB front bull bar and Smittybilt winch to my 2012 in 2012. That added +/- 180lb to the FJ. The front sagged 1 1/4 inch on stock suspension. I added Rough Country 2.25 inch spacers and it leveled the truck.I got that aligned and I lived with that until I was ready to change tires at 55k.
Just a month ago I switched to Walker Evans Racing front adjustable and rear 2 inch suspension and new BFG KM2's. That was a $4k upgrade but the Walker Evans suspension is night and day over the TTSE Bilstein/Toyota set-up from the factory both on the street and more obviously, off road.
I am glad I used the spacers for that period of time because that was inexpensive and I didn't want to jump too early without researching options.
Of course I didn't want to throw away tires with 500 miles on them either!! At 55k they were ready to go and so was the factory suspension.
I find these kind of mods go better when you can read other peoples history and take the time to research available products that meet your goals.
For my pics see "Newbie here from Sacramento" about early Sept, I posted a few pics on the upgrade.

 

[flyfishnut]

Me too (ended up with Icon).

Flyfishnut, if you're on a budget then OME is great value for the money. I would go with the medium spring rate for your stated use. You'll get about 2.5-3" of lift and better handling, even with the extra weight of your winch and bumper.

If you have more to spend, the next tier up of lift kits from Icon, King, and etc. are way worth it - but the OME will likely do you just fine for what you're going to do with your truck.

Thanks- are you talking about just a coil over spring or an entire shock/coil setup? Can you advise model#'s??

 

[1911]

Thanks- are you talking about just a coil over spring or an entire shock/coil setup? Can you advise model#'s??

If you go with an OME kit, the springs and shocks (both front and rear) are separate, and you need access to a spring compressor to install the front coils on the shocks.

If you go with Icon, King, or other coilovers, the front coils and shocks come pre-assembled.

My Icon coilovers are so old, they are actually "Donohoe" not Icon (Donohoe was the original owner of Icon, before he went to jail, long story), so not only do I not remember the part numbers, but they have almost certainly changed since then. If you want these, look up "Icon stage 1 lift kit" at ToyTec, DeMello, or MetalTech.

Likewise the OME kits; any OME dealer will have an FJC kit, and you just specify light, medium, or heavy spring rate. As per above, I would recommend "medium" for your application.

 

[lgrt]

My Icon coilovers are so old, they are actually "Donohoe"

Wow... you have had them a while... before the big blow up at Donohoe

 

[1911]

Wow... you have had them a while... before the big blow up at Donohoe

They are starting to squeak a lot now; probably need rebuilt.

 

[BMThiker]

@1911 If you rebuild the shocks/coilovers go ahead and get new shafts, if yours don't have the protective boots on them. The shafts get pitted and will tear up the new seals in a matter of months after they are rebuilt.

 

[David Otero]

Just ordered an M1 bumper and 10k lb Smitty winch - which will be here Monday.

I plan to put rails on it and perhaps a rack or basket of some type.

My question: Do I need to upgrade coils, etc due to weight?? Like just adding the Icon coils over the factory shocks to get the added support and a lift at the same time?

Vehicle Use: I don't plan on doing any rock crawling, but will be offroading at my hunt club as well as some "overland" off road stuff to camp etc.

Any recommendations for me (on a budget - my son is in college!)? Also something easy, as I'll be doing the work myself.

Thanks for any help

Yes, you would need stronger springs up front. We offer different options for height and spring rates. We also offer our struts and coils assembled in house.

Here is our catalog page for the FJ Cruiser. If you have any questions, just let me know.

FJ Cruiser (11/2006 to 11/2010 (USA) 1-2011 on (AUST)) - GSJ15

 

[1911]

@1911 If you rebuild the shocks/coilovers go ahead and get new shafts, if yours don't have the protective boots on them. The shafts get pitted and will tear up the new seals in a matter of months after they are rebuilt.

Thanks for the tip Rick. They do not have boots on them.