Stock Height Suspension Upgrade? (1 Viewer)

[BlewByYou]

Hey Guys, Looking to Upgrade Springs and Shocks on my 97.
Current Suspension is Great but want something i can feel comfortable to tow with. Something a little "firmer" I was looking at the bilstein 5100 series shocks but not sure if for stock height?
Would like to add bags in the springs to help when in tow.

Whats a great setup. I have no budget. I prefer quality over everything.

Upgrade Steering stabilizer while im at it?

 

[lcgeek]

I have no budget. I prefer quality over everything.

Welcome. These seem contradictory statements unless you mean no budget...limit

If you want to stay close to stock height go with Old Man Emu stock height kit. Several MUD vendors can help you with that.

 

[BSnBS747]

My 92 has the OME stock height springs and shocks. It firms up the ride quite a bit compared to the worn out stock springs my buddy has on his 94. I gained just under an inch of lift. Kinda feels, dare I say, Jeepy. Where as my buddy's feels more like a boat cruising over small waves. It feels nice offroad, nice and stable, with less body roll. Ive towed about 1500 pounds with it a few times and it feels pretty much the same, just a little slower. 3fe power!

Keith

 

[greentruck]

A very satisfied use of the OME stock height coils. You need to have a little weight on for it to work best, as it is a bit of an overload vs stock. You can stick with the Toyota stock Tokico shocks if you want to stay budget, as they're priced right and were designed for the truck. I upgraded the front shocks to OME Nitro Sports because the Tokicos couldn't quite dampen all the weight I have on my front end, but the mix of shocks actually works well.

The airbags help with towing, I plan on getting some for just that reason, as much to control ride height as anything, as our trailer is small. How much do you plan to tow?

Unless the steering stabilzer shows signs of failure, I would just skip it to save $$ and b/c it's a PITA to change.

 

[mingles]

I have a run similar setup on my '97 LX. OME 861/862 stock height springs, air bags in the rear, and Bilstein 4600 shocks. The Bilstein shocks are great in the front but I found them too stiff for the rear unless I had a really heavy load. I now run KYB's in the rear and they seem just right. Once a month I'll tow 2-3Klb trailers for a few hundred HWY miles. If I had to do it again and stay stock height, I would do OME springs, air bags, and stock OEM shocks.

Below is a good discussion on airbags. If you search there are a bunch of threads on towing setups.

Air Bags Inside OME Coils

 

[half k cruiser]

I've had the OME stock height coils on the wife's 80 for several years now. No bumpers or extras on her vehicle just the weight of passengers and gear. I was not impressed by the OME provided Bilstein shocks. I swapped for a set of Monroe's, still not impressed. This last week I replaced with OEM Tokico on all four corners. It rides much better now. The build quality is as good if not better than the Bilstein stuff that comes in the kits.

 

[stevezero]

OME stock height springs can be found for under 375 a set of 4 shipped. I put a set in my LC back in November. Tokico OEM shocks for the LC, not the Lexus LX, because they are valved softer. Wonderful ride, and I gained about 1.5 inches of height. I'll drop some airlift bags in the rear to compensate for gear or trailering. Have had airlift bags in my 450 for about 12 years now. Had to replace 1 bag, due to a sharp object puncturing it.

 

[mdawg]

I really like my Old Man EMU 861 and 862 springs (stock height replacement), coupled with stock height Bilstein shocks. It's a firmer ride without being harsh, and has great control.

 

[crikeymike]

Current Suspension is Great but want something i can feel comfortable to tow with.

Just wondering, what is your current setup? How old is everything?

We offer both linear rate and variable rate coils in stock height, and the variables are more ideal for running around empty but also needing something to support the weight when you add all your gear, or tow with it.

 

[half k cruiser]

Just wondering, what is your current setup? How old is everything?

We offer both linear rate and variable rate coils in stock height, and the variables are more ideal for running around empty but also needing something to support the weight when you add all your gear, or tow with it.

I have had a terrible time finding information on Dobinson springs. Can you tell us the part numbers for the stock height, variable rate springs? Also what are the spring rates ?

 

[Ben Ivey]

I have had a terrible time finding information on Dobinson springs. Can you tell us the part numbers for the stock height, variable rate springs? Also what are the spring rates ?

Ditto, looking to re-suspend with stock height my ol' lady's 96 LX.

 

[Notch]

I have the 861/862 with stock replacement Bilsteins and it's really a good setup for daily driving and some trail work. Coupled with a 1" body lift I have no problem running 35s and even tire chains. That said I sometimes wish I had better approach angles and clearance in the middle when I'm on steep, rocky stuff or crossing water bars.

 

[2 E L O]

I had the OME 861/862 and Bilstein 4600s on my '96 LX. Otherwise, the truck was basically stock. No armor or heavy loads. It was firm, but not necessarily rough. It was an incredible improvement over blown shocks and stock springs with 160k miles... I ran 33" tires so no clearance issues.

The steering damper obviously won't do anything for the ride but it could improve steering feel/feedback. It would also be a good time to check/replace bushings/TREs/etc. if you're really looking to improve the ride and steering.

 

[David Otero]

I have had a terrible time finding information on Dobinson springs. Can you tell us the part numbers for the stock height, variable rate springs? Also what are the spring rates ?

Hi,

You can find our catalog pages by vehicle on our website. Here is the link for the 80 series.

https://www.dobinsonusa.com/index.php/toyota-4x4-suspension?task=document.viewdoc&id=326

The linear coils we have the spring rate but not the progressive coils. I can ask Australia to provide the range and i will get back to you on that.

Here are the linear rate coils.

C59-174 - 223lbs per inch
C59-243 - 227lbs per inch

 

[half k cruiser]

Hi,

You can find our catalog pages by vehicle on our website. Here is the link for the 80 series.

https://www.dobinsonusa.com/index.php/toyota-4x4-suspension?task=document.viewdoc&id=326

The linear coils we have the spring rate but not the progressive coils. I can ask Australia to provide the range and i will get back to you on that.

Here are the linear rate coils.

C59-174 - 223lbs per inch
C59-243 - 227lbs per inch

Thank you for the link.

 

[hesher]

I have been needing to upgrade my worn out, 200000 mile springs in my LX450. I assumed I would go with OME, as I have had good luck in the past on other vehicles. However, always the fan of trying something different, I went with Dobinsons stock height coils. I love them. The ride on road is still soft, but it doesnt sway all over place on speedbumps and eats them up. On the dirt roads I have been on recently, it glides better than hasher springs I have had on other trucks (but this is my first change in an 80). I combined them with stock Tokiko shocks and am quite happy.

 

[Ben Ivey]

@*hesher Land Cruiser or LX450 Tokiko shocks?

 

[Mudder]

How much weight are you planning on towing?

 

[crikeymike]

I have been needing to upgrade my worn out, 200000 mile springs in my LX450. I assumed I would go with OME, as I have had good luck in the past on other vehicles. However, always the fan of trying something different, I went with Dobinsons stock height coils. I love them. The ride on road is still soft, but it doesnt sway all over place on speedbumps and eats them up. On the dirt roads I have been on recently, it glides better than hasher springs I have had on other trucks (but this is my first change in an 80). I combined them with stock Tokiko shocks and am quite happy.

Oh yeah, I had forgotten that you bought those! Nice to hear back from you. You bought the C59-210V and C59-221V.
Would you mind posting your measurements so that the others can see? Hub to guard would be best, measure from the center of the hub to the edge of the fender/guard, front then rear. That rules out tire and wheel size.

 

[hesher]

@Ben Ivey I went with the Land Cruiser Tokiko's.

@crikeymike Ill get some measurements this weekend. I had meant to get my before measurements but was impatient to get the new coils on and forgot.