Hi all, really sorry if this has been done to death but I have done a lot of searching on this forum and various other places and I seem to have more questions than answers now. Every question answered is another 2 left in it's place.
Looking at suspension options for my 100. I'll start with my use case. 80% town driving, paved roads. The odd trip away, nothing too harsh offroad as I travel alone with no winch and have no wish to get myself into sticky situations. 2 inch lift is borderline unnecessary, but I am open to it. 285/75 r16, will be going to 17s and new tyres soon, and not wanting any extra width, but will go as tall as I can fit. So far 285/70 r17 seems the most common sizing. Ideally I want 265 width and to maintain the height of the 285/75s but this doesn't seem common or even possible.
170,00kms (105,000 miles) has seen the factory suspension a bit soggy and front drooped.
I would really like to maintain comfort and the plush landcruiser ride as much as I can, but when I do go offroad the potential for extra weight is there. Drawers, 2 fridges, rooftop tent, 80kgs of water, recovery gear, pantry stuff, gas bottle, 40kg powerbank etc. Easily 200kg+ could be added. Front of car is alloy factory bar, no winch, and a dual battery, nothing too crazy.
My questions:
Uprated Torsion Bars - Can I get these first, and install them without any other suspension components in place? Does no lift or 2 inch lift change the torsion bar I need? Looking at Dobinson's gear mostly. I believe I can achieve some extra height with these alone, and simply get some Dobinson's IMS front shock under there to replace the originals?
Front - Dobinson's IMS looks good. If I understand correctly, I need different length shocks depending on whether I choose to lift or not, correct? If I was to lift modestly with HD Torsion Bars, would this justify the longer shocks? At what point do I need to replace front springs too?
Rear - Here is where my questions lie. I can easily spec up the carry load to suit the odd occasions that I do load the rear, but I did this in my old Hilux and it was far too firm when empty for day to day use. It also doesn't make sense to buy for DDing and then overload it when I travel. Looking at airbag in coil rear setups, seems to make the most sense. Do I still purchase a slightly uprated coil, and then make up the difference with the bags? Or do I go with a normal weight (or lifted coil) and use the bags exclusively for loading up the rear? I do want a level ride at all times if possible.
Swaybar Links - I'm due for new ones as it is, I will need extended ones if I choose to lift, is this correct? If so, I will hold off on them until I have decided whether I'm lifting or not.
UCAs - Not entirely necessary and no real questions here, part of the reason I'd like to avoid lifting too much, one more part to add to the list, that and a diff drop. Although I don't want to ignore wheel alignment so if it becomes necessary I will get some.
So thats it, there's a lot for me to unpack here, and I'm a serial overthinker. Searching for these specific answers hasn't yielded much of a result, sourcing the parts is no problem, I just want to get it right the first time and not upgrade parts that don't yet need it. So I guess another, more general question is: is there a logical order I can do these upgrades in, that each step does not affect the next as far as parts choice goes?
Thanks for your help in advance, I know some of you have my answers
and I do apologise if some of them lie hidden deep in old threads already!
Looking at suspension options for my 100. I'll start with my use case. 80% town driving, paved roads. The odd trip away, nothing too harsh offroad as I travel alone with no winch and have no wish to get myself into sticky situations. 2 inch lift is borderline unnecessary, but I am open to it. 285/75 r16, will be going to 17s and new tyres soon, and not wanting any extra width, but will go as tall as I can fit. So far 285/70 r17 seems the most common sizing. Ideally I want 265 width and to maintain the height of the 285/75s but this doesn't seem common or even possible.
170,00kms (105,000 miles) has seen the factory suspension a bit soggy and front drooped.
I would really like to maintain comfort and the plush landcruiser ride as much as I can, but when I do go offroad the potential for extra weight is there. Drawers, 2 fridges, rooftop tent, 80kgs of water, recovery gear, pantry stuff, gas bottle, 40kg powerbank etc. Easily 200kg+ could be added. Front of car is alloy factory bar, no winch, and a dual battery, nothing too crazy.
My questions:
Uprated Torsion Bars - Can I get these first, and install them without any other suspension components in place? Does no lift or 2 inch lift change the torsion bar I need? Looking at Dobinson's gear mostly. I believe I can achieve some extra height with these alone, and simply get some Dobinson's IMS front shock under there to replace the originals?
Front - Dobinson's IMS looks good. If I understand correctly, I need different length shocks depending on whether I choose to lift or not, correct? If I was to lift modestly with HD Torsion Bars, would this justify the longer shocks? At what point do I need to replace front springs too?
Rear - Here is where my questions lie. I can easily spec up the carry load to suit the odd occasions that I do load the rear, but I did this in my old Hilux and it was far too firm when empty for day to day use. It also doesn't make sense to buy for DDing and then overload it when I travel. Looking at airbag in coil rear setups, seems to make the most sense. Do I still purchase a slightly uprated coil, and then make up the difference with the bags? Or do I go with a normal weight (or lifted coil) and use the bags exclusively for loading up the rear? I do want a level ride at all times if possible.
Swaybar Links - I'm due for new ones as it is, I will need extended ones if I choose to lift, is this correct? If so, I will hold off on them until I have decided whether I'm lifting or not.
UCAs - Not entirely necessary and no real questions here, part of the reason I'd like to avoid lifting too much, one more part to add to the list, that and a diff drop. Although I don't want to ignore wheel alignment so if it becomes necessary I will get some.
So thats it, there's a lot for me to unpack here, and I'm a serial overthinker. Searching for these specific answers hasn't yielded much of a result, sourcing the parts is no problem, I just want to get it right the first time and not upgrade parts that don't yet need it. So I guess another, more general question is: is there a logical order I can do these upgrades in, that each step does not affect the next as far as parts choice goes?
Thanks for your help in advance, I know some of you have my answers
and I do apologise if some of them lie hidden deep in old threads already!
