Shocks for a lifted 100

[gregnash]

The OME that I have on my truck ride pretty stiff, thinking of upgrading to either the Ironman or Tough Dog. Do mainly 80% pavement driving so something that is going to handle road more than offroad is optimal in my situations.

 

[dnp]

The Ironman Foam Cell Pro shocks work with stock height and are a huge upgrade from the OEM or OME shocks. Great warranty, great ride, a lot cheaper than the Icons, and very highly rated by 100-series owners on 'MUD. Search them up.

^this. Installed the Ironman's on my LX recently. Truck rides like a dream

Yeah, I referenced them earlier, but I've been advised by my resident Cruiser shaman that the "new" FCPs are not the same as the "old" FCPs. He said he didn't know what had changed, but that they are now different. Not wanting to spend $200+ per corner to experiment (I didn't want to go through another set of "wrong" shocks in search of something that makes this truck driveable), that's why I went in search of other alternatives. I've got the right suspension for the bumpers I have, so now I just need to find shocks that don't ride like solid steel bars. I think I'm gonna order the OEM shocks tomorrow.........they're inexpensive enough to use as an experiment (and they CERTAINLY can't be worse than what I've got!)

 

[socalmtbiker]

When I am on the pavement I have it set at 2 clicks all around. When I'm on the trail, I have it set around 7 or 8 clicks depending on how rutted it is. Also airing down to about 16-17 PSI. If you're dealing with washboards, the best thing is to air down.

What kind of service intervals are you doing? Are they self serviceable? Cost of service? I was set on foam until you mentioned your experience....

 

[Usterzai]

Yeah, I referenced them earlier, but I've been advised by my resident Cruiser shaman that the "new" FCPs are not the same as the "old" FCPs. He said he didn't know what had changed, but that they are now different. Not wanting to spend $200+ per corner to experiment (I didn't want to go through another set of "wrong" shocks in search of something that makes this truck driveable), that's why I went in search of other alternatives. I've got the right suspension for the bumpers I have, so now I just need to find shocks that don't ride like solid steel bars. I think I'm gonna order the OEM shocks tomorrow.........they're inexpensive enough to use as an experiment (and they CERTAINLY can't be worse than what I've got!)

Please let me know how your experiment works out. I want to take the same route as well and get rid of these terrible ome shocks.

 

[chuckscap]

This is a no-brainer: OEM Toyota shocks all around. You’ll be happy as a clam. They’re only like $40/shock too.

That's what I did 3 years ago, still happy with them. I only offroad four or five times a year. One pretty bad road, 11 miles up to Red Mountain north of Gunnison, CO. Nothing technical. Ride is great for every day. I have the 1.5" OME lift kit, SPC UCAs, BIOR sliders, full set of BIOR skid plates and am running 285/55/16 BFG KM3s. Those new Bilsteins are talking to me though

 

[dnp]

That's what I did 3 years ago, still happy with them. I only offroad four or five times a year. One pretty bad road, 11 miles up to Red Mountain north of Gunnison, CO. Nothing technical. Ride is great for every day. I have the 1.5" OME lift kit, SPC UCAs, BIOR sliders, full set of BIOR skid plates and am running 285/55/16 BFG KM3s. Those new Bilsteins are talking to me though

Thanks for the observations. Anything that makes you want to move to the Bilsteins? My GX with them is probably the best riding / handling SUV I’ve ever driven; however, on my lifted Sequoia, not so much. Bump was perfect, but it was like Bilstein forgot to install a rebound circuit. They felt like they’d extend as quickly as the suspension would unload. Had to get rid of them and change to the ToyTec Boss system, which is really nice.

 

[Skidoo]

What kind of service intervals are you doing? Are they self serviceable? Cost of service? I was set on foam until you mentioned your experience....

Figure when I get to 50K mile will service them. I have a nitrogen tank so I will do it, need to pressurized to 150-200 psi with nitrogen after servicing them.
Cost is fairly cheap some oil and o-rings. I am thinking of tweaking the valveing while I have it apart so will need some valve plates.

 

[AlpineAccess]

If you have a bumper and winch, or have gear and tow anything with a tongue weight over 100lbs, I personally would not recommend the stock shocks as there isn't enough dampening for emergency braking or cornering in my opinion.

There are better options than the old man emu shocks, but at this price point they work fine. We put a lot of hard miles on our land cruiser and they perform well and handle the on road weight from the winch that we use for trail work. They also leave a lot of money in our pocket for other things.

I do wish OME had left the old nitrochargers alone. The new sports aren't as good.

 

[KraziAzn]

What kind of service intervals are you doing? Are they self serviceable? Cost of service? I was set on foam until you mentioned your experience....

At first I was hesitant about the service on these shocks but I figure I can just buy a set of OEM shocks while the ICONs get rebuild. The performance the Stage 3 offers are worth the trouble IMO.
Click on the link for the service info and price. They're in Riverside so the turn around should be quick for us Cali folks.

ICON Factory Shock Service | Icon Vehicle Dynamics -

Icon Vehicle Dynamics offers a rebuilding service for our entire line of shocks

news.iconvehicledynamics.com

 

[gamecock2009]

I just purchased the 5160 bilsteins I'll post my thoughts coming from ahc next week when I get them on, With ome springs.

Im curious to what you think once you get these installed.

 

[C6H12O6]

Yeah, I referenced them earlier, but I've been advised by my resident Cruiser shaman that the "new" FCPs are not the same as the "old" FCPs. He said he didn't know what had changed, but that they are now different.

I can't speak to any very recent changes, but when I warrantied my first set, the guys at IronMan said they had updated the seals a little. The new set (just last summer) was just as lovely as the first set. I noticed absolutely no downgrade in quality of the ride.

 

[chuckscap]

I have an OME 1.5" lift kit with SPC UCAs on my 2000 LX470 (AHC removed). My truck is stock except for the suspension, BIOR sliders and a full set of BIOR skid plates. Anyway I've been running Toyota OEM shocks for about 4 years. They ride great just a little too much roll in high speed turns (which I don't do much of). Off road (nothing technical, but some long rock crawling roads getting to camping/hunting spots) they've been fine too, could be a bit stiffer. I'm wondering how much articulation I'm losing with the stock shocks. I looked at ICON Stage 1s but ICON doesn't recommend them with aftermarket UCAs. The new Bilstein 5160s are tempting me

 

[CorporalClegg]

Im curious to what you think once you get these installed.

Ups has been shipping them 1 at a time over the last two weeks.. Still waiting on one. Compared to other remote reservoir shocks these came in at 170ea (not adjustable)

 

[AlpineAccess]

I have an OME 1.5" lift kit with SPC UCAs on my 2000 LX470 (AHC removed). My truck is stock except for the suspension, BIOR sliders and a full set of BIOR skid plates. Anyway I've been running Toyota OEM shocks for about 4 years. They ride great just a little too much roll in high speed turns (which I don't do much of). Off road (nothing technical, but some long rock crawling roads getting to camping/hunting spots) they've been fine too, could be a bit stiffer. I'm wondering how much articulation I'm losing with the stock shocks. I looked at ICON Stage 1s but ICON doesn't recommend them with aftermarket UCAs. The new Bilstein 5160s are tempting me

You're not losing more than half an inch with the stock shocks over OME or most others - I'd guess the reason for the 1/2" I measured on the ramps improvement is actually from the new/thicker top shock mount bushing provided by OME vs the thinner Toyota ones. Travel in the front is restricted by droop on LCA/Torsion Bar setup. In the rear travel eventually stops with the shocks, but the sway bars are very heavily loaded up by that point. You'll find your biggest net "gain" in keeping that third or fourth wheel touching down by disconnecting the rear sway bar.

IMO, I prefer heavier dampening off-road - particularly when descending. Vehicles with heavy accessories and light dampening get a LOT more use out of their skids when coming off of ledges and larger rocks. Going from OEM to a heavier dampening shock, and using some "off-road cruise control" two foot driving, our skids are still nearly scratch free.

In the canyons we definitely like the heavier dampening with our front bumper and winch, but around town items rattle around the cup holders a bit more than they used to. I liked the in-town manners of the OEM shocks more, but the confidence picked up when cornering at higher speeds and the reduction in nose-diving/improvement in braking have been well worth the extra bumps.

Not sure why Icon wouldn't recommend their shocks with aftermarket UCAs. Any explanation from them there?

 

[KraziAzn]

I looked at ICON Stage 1s but ICON doesn't recommend them with aftermarket UCAs. The new Bilstein 5160s are tempting me

I think you might have misread it. Stage one is perfectly fine with OEM UCA.

Stage 2 / 3 NEEDS aftermarket UCA.

ICON 1998-2007 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series Front & Rear Shocks 0-2" Lift

Tuned ICON shocks for 1998-2007 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series deliver precise suspension control with 0-2" lift, durable aluminum bodies, and bolt-on install.

www.metaltech4x4.com

 

[dnp]

You're not losing more than half an inch with the stock shocks over OME or most others - I'd guess the reason for the 1/2" I measured on the ramps improvement is actually from the new/thicker top shock mount bushing provided by OME vs the thinner Toyota ones. Travel in the front is restricted by droop on LCA/Torsion Bar setup. In the rear travel eventually stops with the shocks, but the sway bars are very heavily loaded up by that point. You'll find your biggest net "gain" in keeping that third or fourth wheel touching down by disconnecting the rear sway bar.

IMO, I prefer heavier dampening off-road - particularly when descending. Vehicles with heavy accessories and light dampening get a LOT more use out of their skids when coming off of ledges and larger rocks. Going from OEM to a heavier dampening shock, and using some "off-road cruise control" two foot driving, our skids are still nearly scratch free.

In the canyons we definitely like the heavier dampening with our front bumper and winch, but around town items rattle around the cup holders a bit more than they used to. I liked the in-town manners of the OEM shocks more, but the confidence picked up when cornering at higher speeds and the reduction in nose-diving/improvement in braking have been well worth the extra bumps.

Not sure why Icon wouldn't recommend their shocks with aftermarket UCAs. Any explanation from them there?

In fact, I measured my new, OEM shocks against my the Ironman Foam Cells I'm replacing, and I discovered they're exactly the same length! I don't know why I never knew this before I found this thread, but I've surely endured a lot of bone jarring miles because I assumed there were no suitable shock options out there for "lifted" 100s (except for foam cell pros - not the foam cells in the photo below).

Thanks guys, I've learned a LOT in this single thread! Now, to install them and hope they provide the kind of ride I'm seeking!

 

[re_guderian]

The OEM's are cheap and great for the road. If you do a lot of high-speed, washboard, they tend to blow seals pretty easily. If you're in that situation, and have some front weight (bumper and/or winch), look into some upgraded bumpstops, Wheeler OffRoad makes some that fit our rigs. I have them, and they REALLY help the bone-jarring, bottoming out on the front end. Search for wheeler bump stops here for more info. Cheap enough to be worth it.

 

[Manhattan]

Did Icon explain why the Stage 1s won't work with SCP (or other non-OE) UCAs? That's a massive jump in cost from Stage 1 to 2.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

In fact, I measured my new, OEM shocks against my the Ironman Foam Cells I'm replacing, and I discovered they're exactly the same length!

The OME shocks are also same length as OEM. There are no true “lift” kits for 100s.

 

[dnp]

The OME shocks are also same length as OEM. There are no true “lift” kits for 100s.

Yeah, that’s what I’ve learned here. I don’t know why I never knew that before. I would have gone to OEMs from the Nitrocharger “Solids” long before now!