PaulC's build thread by RPM Off-Road Garage - 35 inch tires (1 Viewer)

[PaulC]

Folks,

I wrote the Yelp review below for the project mechanic on my LC200. I am pasting it here because this post is equal parts of build thread (at least Stage 1) and a thank you to Steve Lam and his team at RPM Off-Road Garage.

When it comes to finding any service provider, I try to find 3 key attributes: high quality, trustworthiness, and fair price. If you are lucky, you may be able to find 2 of these 3 attributes in a single service provider. For example, if someone is trustworthy and produces high quality, they can command a premium price. Alternatively, if someone is extremely trustworthy but provides merely a moderate level of service, they may charge a discount price. And as for someone who is not trustworthy, I will steer clear of them regardless of high quality or fair price. However, it is extremely rare to find a service provider with all 3 attributes, and when I do, I am fiercely loyal.

Not surprisingly, I am writing this review because RPM Off-Road Garage and the owner Steve Lam: (1) provide the highest quality of service (take a peek at their Instagram @rpmoffroadgarage for a sample of their build projects); (2) is inherently trustworthy (I would trust Steve with my kids, no joke); & (3) and charges a fair price for his incredible craftsmanship.

In fact, Steve's prices are so low compared to others that I tried to get Steve to charge me an EXTRA $200 dollars in labor as a bonus to RPM, but Steve absolutely refused. I insisted multiple times, yet again and again, Steve refused to accept the bonus. As a customer, I've never offered a bonus before - and how many car mechanics can say that any of their customers offered to pay more?

As for quality, I found Steve through the Land Cruiser forums, which recommended RPM as one of the premier (if not the best) mechanics in all of Southern California - and after trusting my car to RPM, I found that to be completely true. Yet his reach is much broader. While I make the 2 hour drive from San Diego to Monrovia, there are many other customers who drive in from much longer distances (Northern California, Washington, Arizona, and Utah I believe).

While he doesn't brag about it, Steve is actually a mechanical engineer by training who (in a past life) had a flourishing career at Nissan and Denso (largest auto parts manufacturer) - but decided to open RPM because of his passion for tinkering with cars.

For my car, Steve worked side by side with me to personally hand select every one of the components of the suspension system for my Land Cruiser for its longevity and low maintenance. With his consultation, we ended up with the following:

1. 2.5" Radflo extended travel coilovers in front with 650 lb Eibach springs,
2. 2.5" Radflo smooth body shocks in back,
3. 2722 Old Man Emu rear springs,
4. Nolathane upper control arms,
5. Grid Off-Road GD04 wheels, and
6. 35x12.5R18 BF Goodrich KM3 tires.

His team then burned the late night oil over the course of several days and until 8:38 pm on the last day to perform the full suspension install, body mount chop and alignment. There's a reason that customers line up (from all parts of the Western U.S.) to get their cars serviced at RPM. There's a reason why I offered a bonus (who does that). And it speaks to Steve's character as to why he refused a bonus.

 

[PaulC]

Some additional pics from the build process

 

[PaulC]

And the “after” pics

 

[Markuson]

Great and helpful post!
I have never found a local (San Diego) installer I trust...and have traveled VERY long distances simply to deal with trusted shops.

Many here will appreciate your info and detailed post. Still a bit of a drive for me...but great to know there’s at least one shop within a couple hours compared to 500-1000 miles away!

Your truck is almost the twin of mine a couple years ago... Looks great...(edit: tho no body cutting on mine!)

 

[Beams37]

Nice rig. Wish I was closer to SoCal.

 

[PaulC]

Great and helpful post!
I have never found a local (San Diego) installer I trust...and have traveled VERY long distances simply to deal with trusted shops.

Many here will appreciate your info and detailed post. Still a bit of a drive for me...but great to know there’s at least one shop within a couple hours compared to 500-1000 miles away!

Your truck is almost the twin of mine a couple years ago... Looks great.

@Markuson you were incredibly helpful as I went down the path of what to do with the 200. Let me know if you make it up to North County.

 

[Markuson]

@Markuson you were incredibly helpful as I went down the path of what to do with the 200. Let me know if you make it up to North County.

Glad you found past input helpful even if I would not have thought to do a body chop..

If he is good to deal with...honest...not trying to gouge you...and is a capable mechanic...that goes a long way.

 

[TeCKis300]

Very nicely done. But I'm particular and I like shiny parts.

Curiously, while I personally do believe a body chop to be a sound solution and have commented on it several times, it's not the typical solution on these forums. Most defer to relying on UCA's to pull the wheel forward, rather than allowing built in suspension geometry to have priority.

Was this on RPM garages recommendation? Job well done and perhaps more will appreciate this approach. As it's commonly done on 120-series and Tundras.

 

[NLScooby]

Looking great! My tires are about done and I'm really tempted to go a little bigger.....

 

[Fisher23]

Nice !! Will you be re-gearing for the 35's ?

 

[PaulC]

I don’t plan to re-gear. There’s no shortage of power, even with the 35s.

 

[Fisher23]

More questions ... as I'm looking at how to go to 35's, and this is a nicely done lift.
Would you have used the same lift if you were going to put a bumper and winch on it?
Is the ride as smooth as factory?
What wheels are those, and are they true bead locks?

 

[PaulC]

More questions ... as I'm looking at how to go to 35's, and this is a nicely done lift.
Would you have used the same lift if you were going to put a bumper and winch on it?
Is the ride as smooth as factory?
What wheels are those, and are they true bead locks?

I would do the same lift regardless of winch and bumper. But you may want a different sting rate based on anticipated weight.

The ride dynamics are stiffer than OEM. Depending on what u get, you might be able to fine tune it based on spring rate and compression setting.

The wheels (Grid Off-Road GD4) are not beadlock.

 

[DIGLERZ]

Hi Paul,

Your car looks great.. I love that color, I tried like heck to find one like that but ultimately settled on silver (maybe there’ll be a better color wrap in my future).

Can I jump in with a couple more lift related questions..

1. Can you share any input on how you decided upon the Radflo system.. Given the number of options out there (King, Fox, Icon, Etc) I feel myself coming down with a case of paralysis by analysis..

2. Is the stiffer ride dynamic just notably stiffer or uncomfortably stiffer..? I’ve already got an 80 series wheeler, I just looking to improve the look of the family vacation mobile without ruining the ride..

Appreciate any input you can provide..

Thanks, Chris

 

[PaulC]

Hi Paul,

Your car looks great.. I love that color, I tried like heck to find one like that but ultimately settled on silver (maybe there’ll be a better color wrap in my future).

Can I jump in with a couple more lift related questions..

1. Can you share any input on how you decided upon the Radflo system.. Given the number of options out there (King, Fox, Icon, Etc) I feel myself coming down with a case of paralysis by analysis..

2. Is the stiffer ride dynamic just notably stiffer or uncomfortably stiffer..? I’ve already got an 80 series wheeler, I just looking to improve the look of the family vacation mobile without ruining the ride..

Appreciate any input you can provide..

Thanks, Chris

Hey Chris,

I've pasted below some of the thought process I went through as well as posted on another thread. I too am guilty of analysis paralysis.

@Beams37 I just went through this whole process of selecting suspension the last 5 months. I'm sure there are folks who are more knowledgeable than me, but if I had to flowchart the decision making process for me, it would be something along the lines of:

1. The first fork in the flowchart is whether to go "monotube" (more oil) or "twintube" (less oil to dissipate heat)? Plus most monotubes use an "internal floating piston" to prevent the oil and nitrogen (emulsion) from mixing like in a twintube (though some of the twintube foam cells attempt to mitigate).
2. If "monotube," then do you use "coilovers" (adjustable height) in front or simple shock (not height adjustable)?
3. If "coilovers" in front, then "reservoir" (more oil) or no reservoir (less oil)?
4. If coilovers with reservoir, do you also opt for "bypass valves" (position sensitive dampening) and/or compression adjusters? IMO, these are overkill - I suspect most folks end up in step 3 of the flowchart above (a coilover system, regardless of whether it had reservoirs or not).

Two other factors that don't lend themselves to a flowchart are:

• Extended travel vs OE travel
• Tube diameter: The larger the diameter, the more oil the shock can hold to dissipate heat. My understanding (which may very well be wrong) is that a 2.5" diameter shock is comparable in performance to two 2.0" diameter shocks. ...and a 2.5" with reservoir is comparable in performance to two 2.5" shocks without a reservoir. Plus the reservoir allows the nitrogen to be run at a lower pressure, which translates into less wear. I couldn't find the specs to confirm the diameter, but I believe the "51" in BP-51 means its 51mm, which = 2.0".
• Maintenance schedule: The maintenance schedules vary. Twintubes are meant to be completely replaced when they wear out. Monotubes are meant to be rebuilt anywhere from 25k miles to 60k to... whenever it no longer works.
• Post-Sale Customer Service: Some brands have notoriously nonexistent service, while others will bend over backwards to make sure the customer is happy.

Below are the usual suspects. I'm happy to share my personal opinion on customer service and maintenance schedules - just send me a DM.

Monotube options

• King
• Icon
• Fox
• Radflo
• OME BP-51

Twintube options

• Tough Dog (foam cell)
• Ironman (foam cell)
• OME Nitrocharger

 

[PaulC]

@DIGLERZ, maybe this spreadsheet may help. I just went through this same analysis last month for my buddy. He was looking to upgrade the suspension to a 4runner - the prices for the products above may be slightly different between the two, but it is virtually the same analysis as a 200.

As much as Icon is great at a fullly integrated solution (e.g. Icon branded UCAs, etc.), I wasn't sure if I wanted digressive valving.

I was leaning toward larger 2.5 inch diameter with "no reservoirs", but King products only include reservoirs, and Fox's 2.5 inch diameter is not available without reservoirs either. That pretty much left Radflo as the only solution for 2.5" without reservoirs.

On the other hand, if I was going to make the jump from no reservoirs to reservoirs (and stay at 2.5" diameter), then I probably would've gone with the Fox suspension. A closer second would've been the Radflo solution - though if you're interested, Radflo has fantastic customer service and will custom build anything you want. Despite King's large presence in the marketplace, I would not have considered Kings due to lack of warranty/post-sale support. Check out this comparison of the quality of components used in King vs Fox.

The only reason I didn't go with reservoirs in the first place was my budget, especially once you add all of the build costs, such as tires, wheels, UCAs, BMC, alignment, install, fender liner adjustment (let alone the recovery gear I have yet to buy).

 

[Hammeredsole]

I don’t plan to re-gear. There’s no shortage of power, even with the 35s.

I noticed a small hit to power with just 285/65r18. I'm sure 35's are noticeably slower. The 200 does have pretty good power, so it's all relative I guess, but I don't think I'd like going to a bigger heavier tire.

 

[chaincleaner]

View attachment 1952986

@DIGLERZ, maybe this spreadsheet may help. I just went through this same analysis last month for my buddy. He was looking to upgrade the suspension to a 4runner - the prices for the products above may be slightly different between the two, but it is virtually the same analysis as a 200.

As much as Icon is great at a fullly integrated solution (e.g. Icon branded UCAs, etc.), I wasn't sure if I wanted digressive valving.

I was leaning toward larger 2.5 inch diameter with "no reservoirs", but King products only include reservoirs, and Fox's 2.5 inch diameter is not available without reservoirs either. That pretty much left Radflo as the only solution for 2.5" without reservoirs.

On the other hand, if I was going to make the jump from no reservoirs to reservoirs (and stay at 2.5" diameter), then I probably would've gone with the Fox suspension. A closer second would've been the Radflo solution - though if you're interested, Radflo has fantastic customer service and will custom build anything you want. Despite King's large presence in the marketplace, I would not have considered Kings due to lack of warranty/post-sale support. Check out this comparison of the quality of components used in King vs Fox.

The only reason I didn't go with reservoirs in the first place was my budget, especially once you add all of the build costs, such as tires, wheels, UCAs, BMC, alignment, install, fender liner adjustment (let alone the recovery gear I have yet to buy).

Hey there, I’m going to RPM for my new 08 4Runner. What did your friend end up going with on their 4Runner and how happy have they been? How have you liked your radflo set up? I’m in LA and would love to meet up sometime if you’re around with that sweet LC! I’ve been reading tons of praise for King quality and customer service, but here I see criticism of those two exact qualities and praise for Fox instead. So much to take in!

 

[PaulC]

He ended up going with Kings all around, and he's very happy. Love the Radflos, but with the benefit of hindsight, I would've been equally happy with Kings. The one benefit of Kings is that they're ubiquitous, so if you break down in the middle of nowhere, you may have a better chance of finding Kings or the basic OMEs - because the Radflos are custom made. If you check out the builds of all the Expeditions7 Toyotas for their trips across all 7 continents, I think they went with the basic OME Nitrochargers.

 

[chaincleaner]

He ended up going with Kings all around, and he's very happy. Love the Radflos, but with the benefit of hindsight, I would've been equally happy with Kings. The one benefit of Kings is that they're ubiquitous, so if you break down in the middle of nowhere, you may have a better chance of finding Kings or the basic OMEs - because the Radflos are custom made. If you check out the builds of all the Expeditions7 Toyotas for their trips across all 7 continents, I think they went with the basic OME Nitrochargers.

Thanks, good info. And nice spreadsheet. I too am thinking budget and trying to decide if it’s worth it to me to splurge, even in terms of Fox/King level vs Ironman or Top Dog. I’m a noob and this will be a daily driver, no near term plans to do truly hardcore off-roading, but I want to maximise it’s capability within budget while prioritizing comfort on and off road. Not gonna be blasting down trails. Just goin with 33s. Not gonna be loaded down anytime soon either other than sliders, rear tire mount, and hopefully roof rack eventually. I didn’t realize King’s were ubiquitous, I thought fox was much more popular.