radflo vs king coil over

[THEROK]

The more I mod cars, the less enthusiastic I am about going aftermarket and it's for exactly the reasons or context you have shared here re king.

they're attentive and caring pre-sales. most will certainly return calls, answer your questions with alacrity. once they swipe your visa, this is when the real selling begins, but not all of these shops understand that because let's be honest, they're not incentivized to run around w/ harvard MBAs. they're mechanics. love working with tools, hardware. i respect that.

i talked to glen at radflo. soundedlike a cool guy and we have a couple of dudes here running their kit and are happy with their decision. i run the icon front and rear. i had an issue with noise in the front shocks which they replaced with a bit of effort on my part. everything is good to go for now as i'm only maybe 500 miles since freshly installed.

one of the downsides of owning such a low volume make/model (iirc they sold less than 1,500 in north america last year), is a paltry aftermarket ecosystem compared to say the 100. i can count on one hand how many 200 ih8 owners who run radflo. i know of one other 200 that runs the full icon setup like me, but it's represented thru the icon dealer here justdifferentials.

given my experience with brad at icon, i'd recommend them because he did eventually make it right. you're at a distinct advantage since you're located in socal. it's always nice to be spitting distance from the vendor esp when you run into issues.

gl and thx for sharing. we have to look out for ourselves. no biases. just business. u take my money you best deliver else people are going to find out what's up. esp in this day and age of twitter, google, fb, etc. that's for you outlaw offroad. you stole from me.

 

[sleeoffroad]

One of the issues that most people are running into with these high end shocks are that they don't understand the heritage of these parts and what are involved with them. They are race car parts. All these companies selling these shocks have their history in desert racing (including ours). As these parts are adapted for regular OE replacement parts, certain things come up. One of them is noises. Now there are things that can be done to minimize and/or eliminate the noises, but then you run into reliability issues.

At our shop we sell OME as a put on and forget suspension, however with any high end shock that is not normally the case. One of the issues are the seals on the shafts. In desert racing they are really hard and designed to "scrub" the shaft clean of debris before entering the shocks. Well, those will squeak. On a desert race truck that does not matter, but on a street vehicle it does. So then you soften those seals to eliminate that noise but then you introduce possible premature seal leaking due dirt and debris getting past the seals. This is a real issue on any shocks installed with an exposed shaft. You can run boots, but those trap moisture and can lead to corrosion.

Another common point of noise is the spherical bearings. Those will wear out and start making noise. In our applications we don't use them when possible but we use normal bushings. No matter what any shock manufacturer tells you, the spherical bearings will wear out.

So for anyone considering a high end shock, make sure you understand the warranty, what is included, especially warrantees regarding leaking, noises and corrosion. What is the rebuild cost and what you are geting yourself into.

I am not promoting a specific brand, just stating what most companies selling these solutions will not tell you. You are buying a specialty high end product, however don't expect that to be a solution that does not require your involvement.

Removing them and sending them back for service / warranty evaluation / repair / rebuild is just par for the course.

 

[jcmiro]

This, guys should be stickied.

 

[dtt255]

I agree...some great info here!

 

[dtt255]

Well live and learn. Had my mechanic check things out. He had me drive it up and down some bumps and uneven terrain slowly.

Seems the noises are NOT the shocks, like I originally thought. My mistake. Seems it is the bushings in the lower and upper control arms by Total Chaos. It is not an indication that things are bad, just that the sounds are rubber on metal rubbing. We re-greased them, even though we did it about 2 months ago, and will see what it sounds like after a few days when the grease works it's way in. I am going to call down there to Total Chaos and see if they have any suggestions.

Still appreciate all the info in this thread. Glad it is not the HUGE fix I thought it was going to be.

 

[THEROK]

One of the main reasons why I went with the spc uca. I agree with Jonathan at icon 4x4 the lc builder not suspension. He is not a fan of heim joints. He purposefully uses Johnny jjoints in his $150k+ rigs.

I have more heim joints on my rig than I care for But I know what to expect. I wish y'all could check out my lc. Rides plush. Handles well. Oem quiet. For now.

 

[Billfish]

Dtt255: Are you using superlube? I'll be doing mine this weekend.

 

[THEROK]

If they didn't regrease the ball joints then not sure if that tech is worth giving business to IMHO. They're exposed and it's going to require regular tlc. Perhaps I'm reading into it too much but the fact that after only two months it's squeaking? That kinda sucks.

Spc is sealed. Icon sells sealed versions as well but currently don't make a 200 application.

Recently was traveling in jersey and Philly. I cannot imagine driving on those insanely salted roads. I would seriously garage my lc until spring. It's horrible.

 

[dtt255]

Dtt255: Are you using superlube? I'll be doing mine this weekend.

Yes using superlube.

 

[dtt255]

If they didn't regrease the ball joints then not sure if that tech is worth giving business to IMHO. They're exposed and it's going to require regular tlc. Perhaps I'm reading into it too much but the fact that after only two months it's squeaking? That kinda sucks. Spc is sealed. Icon sells sealed versions as well but currently don't make a 200 application. Recently was traveling in jersey and Philly. I cannot imagine driving on those insanely salted roads. I would seriously garage my lc until spring. It's horrible.

I am the one who does the greasing of the zerks. I don't leave it to my mechanic.
Honestly you are reading into it to much.
I live in the Cali desert and sand gets everywhere. I have gone through 3 sets bushings in 2 years. The heat and sand really do a number on them.

It is almost impossible to keep them greased enough.

 

[THEROK]

If you had the stock upper control arms would you be going back to the dealership as often as you r having to regrease them chaos puppies?

 

[dtt255]

If you had the stock upper control arms would you be going back to the dealership as often as you r having to regrease them chaos puppies?

Ok I don't understand your point. If you are against modding your LC then don't do it.

I am really confused by virtually all of your comments.

 

[THEROK]

The point is, it's just a question, regular banter. Wasn't it you that got all uppity with Kings when it wasn't the Kings? It's good news. Let's be happy for your confusion - it saved you a ton of time and $.

 

[dtt255]

The point is, it's just a question, regular banter. Wasn't it you that got all uppity with Kings when it wasn't the Kings? It's good news. Let's be happy for your confusion - it saved you a ton of time and $.

Uppity with kings?? What are you talking about? I said I thought it was the kings and when I spoke to them they were not helpful at all.

What are you talking about??

 

[THEROK]

why don't you call king and apologize for your confusion? lol smh

 

[dtt255]

why don't you call king and apologize for your confusion? lol smh

You are do helpful and seem to contribute so much. Move on

 

[Delancy]

It is not an indication that things are bad, just that the sounds are rubber on metal rubbing.

Liberal amounts of Prothane at oil change intervals will correct bushing squeak, but be carefully handling. It's unforgiving stuff.

Tri-Flow, found at high end bicycle shops, for the uni-balls at the same intervals, or when they squeak, will eliminate the noise common to.

Put 60k on another Toyota IFS Total Chaos suspension before replacing bushings and bolts, as preemptive measure since all was removing for other maintenance, and the old showed no wear, to speak of, after maintaining the above lube schedule, with another noise free 40k since.

Have 100k on Radflo's for the above without issue.

 

[dtt255]

Liberal amounts of Prothane at oil change intervals will correct bushing squeak, but be carefully handling. It's unforgiving stuff. Tri-Flow, found at high end bicycle shops, for the uni-balls at the same intervals, or when they squeak, will eliminate the noise common to. Put 60k on another Toyota IFS Total Chaos suspension before replacing bushings and bolts, as preemptive measure since all was removing for other maintenance, and the old showed no wear, to speak of, after maintaining the above lube schedule, with another noise free 40k since. Have 100k on Radflo's for the above without issue.

Been using superlube which was suggested by TC but don't think it lasts as long as it should. I'll try your suggestions. Thanks

 

[spressomon]

One of the issues that most people are running into with these high end shocks are that they don't understand the heritage of these parts and what are involved with them. They are race car parts. All these companies selling these shocks have their history in desert racing (including ours). As these parts are adapted for regular OE replacement parts, certain things come up. One of them is noises. Now there are things that can be done to minimize and/or eliminate the noises, but then you run into reliability issues.

At our shop we sell OME as a put on and forget suspension, however with any high end shock that is not normally the case. One of the issues are the seals on the shafts. In desert racing they are really hard and designed to "scrub" the shaft clean of debris before entering the shocks. Well, those will squeak. On a desert race truck that does not matter, but on a street vehicle it does. So then you soften those seals to eliminate that noise but then you introduce possible premature seal leaking due dirt and debris getting past the seals. This is a real issue on any shocks installed with an exposed shaft. You can run boots, but those trap moisture and can lead to corrosion.

Another common point of noise is the spherical bearings. Those will wear out and start making noise. In our applications we don't use them when possible but we use normal bushings. No matter what any shock manufacturer tells you, the spherical bearings will wear out.

So for anyone considering a high end shock, make sure you understand the warranty, what is included, especially warrantees regarding leaking, noises and corrosion. What is the rebuild cost and what you are geting yourself into.

I am not promoting a specific brand, just stating what most companies selling these solutions will not tell you. You are buying a specialty high end product, however don't expect that to be a solution that does not require your involvement.

Removing them and sending them back for service / warranty evaluation / repair / rebuild is just par for the course.

Well said Christo...and kudos for saying it! This should be a must read for not only 200 owners but also 100 owners. The current rage of moving to mono-tube shocks is at an all time crescendo, especially in the 100 forum.

As you already know and surely discuss with your customers it all starts with: "What problem am I trying to solve" (by moving to any aftermarket race bred parts)? And what price am I willing to pay for these 'performance upgrades' (parts cost, maintenance cost and "cost" of negative performance traits...'cuz no upside comes without some type of downside relative to said performance gains/promises)?

"What do you want to gain...and what are you willing to give up"?

 

[THEROK]

My LC mod priorities are fairly simple:

Aesthetics - I love the look of lifted Toyota trucks with big/wide tires. In order to fit 13" wide 33s with any hope, I had to lift it. I'd love to run 35s, but then I'd be giving up too much...

Ride quality - I want as close to factory ride as possible. I want a plush ride, but with less dive/roll than stock. I don't want to cut, roll, molest any metal parts. Plastic trimming only.

In order to strike a balance between the two priorities above, I went with your typical 2.5" lift via ICONs knowing full well that the heim joints will require maintenance, but I'm hoping we're deep into the xx,xxx mile intervals. 800 miles or so since install, they're factory quiet, but if they start making a bit of noise, I understand this is par for course. One of the main reasons why I went with the SPC UCAs is because the joint is sealed and uses a bushing. I saw little to no gain by going Total Chaos UCAs as I have no use for the added durability.

Many passengers who run modified trucks, sports cars have commented how incredible the ride quality is. I wish more LC owners can experience what I'm experiencing. Very happy with the results to date.