awesomeissquid
SILVER Star
Have you thought about adding something like Timbren bump stops to the mix with the OEM shocks? They might assist with the compression over large bumps and stuff.
Suspension Advice (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 75Denver
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JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
Good point. Wheeler’s bumps do the same and are quite a bit cheaper than Timbrens.
Good suggestion! Wheelers compared to OEM. Nice big and cushy. They sure smooth out dips and speed bumps.
Both are engaging at about the same time.
When I first got my land cruiser, I spent too much time researching the exact same thing you are asking about. Our LC is mostly stock, and we just use it for family road trips. It sits for weeks, and then we spend 99% of the trip on the road, with only mild offroading.
The SINGLE biggest upgrade I did was to add rear airbags. It would bottom out and wallow horribly, and I put those on and it made a world of difference. My overall suspension is cranked torsion bars and a 1" spacer in the rear, but the air bags make it infinitely tunable for whatever load we put in it. I run about 15 PSI and carry 7 people and their gear for road trips.
I am getting ready to redo the entire front with new ball joints, tie rods, bearings and brakes, but as far as suspension, largely stock is good for a family road-tripper.
The SINGLE biggest upgrade I did was to add rear airbags. It would bottom out and wallow horribly, and I put those on and it made a world of difference. My overall suspension is cranked torsion bars and a 1" spacer in the rear, but the air bags make it infinitely tunable for whatever load we put in it. I run about 15 PSI and carry 7 people and their gear for road trips.
I am getting ready to redo the entire front with new ball joints, tie rods, bearings and brakes, but as far as suspension, largely stock is good for a family road-tripper.
JunkCrzr89
Competent Ignoramoose
It’s pretty damn good for everything else, too, unless you’re carrying +400 lbs of stuff >50% of the time.
- Thread starter
- #26
Great idea on the bump stops. I see a lot of FJ Cruiser/4Runner and '08+ LC references from Wheeler, but no 100 series listings. Does anyone have the exact part number?
They come in sets of 2.
jLB
Another one followed me home. Can we keep it?
If your goal is to fix the the noise on compression over large bumps, I’d suggest that digging around under the truck to find the true source is going to be the most effective course of action. There were an awful lot of bad/worn bushings under our 99 LX.
If you’re looking for on road comfort, it’s hard to beat the value of the OEM Tokico shocks.
If the source of the noise is from bump stop impact, I’d suspect that either your current shocks are dead, or you need more compression damping. If it’s happening regularly, the Wheeler or Timbren bump stops might mask the the problem, but really doesn’t solve the issue.
With 3 relative lightweight 100 series in the driveway, I’ve developed the following opinions:
Use the lightest/thinest torsion bars that will hold the weight on your front end.
Compare coil springs by specifications, not brand. Again use the lightest spring that supports your weight.
All of the aftermarket shocks that I’ve tried on our vehicles have been “firmer” than stock, but not all have been an improvement over stock.
OE was a little too soft for me.
OME was way too harsh for me.
Tough Dog was better on damping, but the front shocks were shorter than I would like, and the finish was fragile.
Dobinsons monotube IMS/MRA are even better on dialing in the damping than the Tough Dog, had an option for extended front shock length, and seem to have a decent finish. Allegedly rebuildable, and tunable, but haven’t had to try that yet. Still uses rubber bushing, instead of spherical bearings.
There are lots of other options that I have not personally run, Slee/ICON/King/Radflo/Fox/Bilstein 5160/Ironman FCP/etc
If you’re looking for on road comfort, it’s hard to beat the value of the OEM Tokico shocks.
If the source of the noise is from bump stop impact, I’d suspect that either your current shocks are dead, or you need more compression damping. If it’s happening regularly, the Wheeler or Timbren bump stops might mask the the problem, but really doesn’t solve the issue.
With 3 relative lightweight 100 series in the driveway, I’ve developed the following opinions:
Use the lightest/thinest torsion bars that will hold the weight on your front end.
Compare coil springs by specifications, not brand. Again use the lightest spring that supports your weight.
All of the aftermarket shocks that I’ve tried on our vehicles have been “firmer” than stock, but not all have been an improvement over stock.
OE was a little too soft for me.
OME was way too harsh for me.
Tough Dog was better on damping, but the front shocks were shorter than I would like, and the finish was fragile.
Dobinsons monotube IMS/MRA are even better on dialing in the damping than the Tough Dog, had an option for extended front shock length, and seem to have a decent finish. Allegedly rebuildable, and tunable, but haven’t had to try that yet. Still uses rubber bushing, instead of spherical bearings.
There are lots of other options that I have not personally run, Slee/ICON/King/Radflo/Fox/Bilstein 5160/Ironman FCP/etc
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #29
Thank you for the support. I fully intend to replace all the rubber components and will look into the tie rods/ball joints. I'll look into the various Dobinson shocks, but I have a couple final questions:
How light/thin are the OE Toyota TB in comparison to say OME or TD?
Would anyone recommend a set of Dobinson MRR under the stock setup or is it just overkill (and is there enough room)?
What is the best swap to minimize the prevalent factory body roll? (Simply a stiffer shock or does that lead into a full system swap?)
How light/thin are the OE Toyota TB in comparison to say OME or TD?
Would anyone recommend a set of Dobinson MRR under the stock setup or is it just overkill (and is there enough room)?
What is the best swap to minimize the prevalent factory body roll? (Simply a stiffer shock or does that lead into a full system swap?)
jLB
Another one followed me home. Can we keep it?
There are a number of posts around here that document torsion bar diameter, the first one that I ran across:
AHC vs non AHC torsion bars
Hello fellow mudders. I have a 2006 LX470 with AHC thats been removed prior to me buying it. I decided to lift the front end a little by turning torsion bars about 4 times resulting in about 1.25" lift and lots of torque steer. I installed new wheels and tires 295/70/18 (compliments of mckunz)...
forum.ih8mud.com
Probably overkill, but my 06 LX is near stock (sliders, 275/70R18 tires, ~1" lift) with IMS/MRA. My 99 LX is a little less stock, with more lift, also with IMS/MRA. I'm happy (or silly) enough to be installing an IMS kit on my kid's "mild build" LC. The IMS shocks valving might be a hair stiff for a pure stock vehicle, but are nothing like the OME sport shocks.
The IMS/MRA does help a bit with body roll. While stiffer springs or shocks can affect body roll, that really should be addressed with the (anti) sway bars.
This is interesting, pretty easy install? Does the larger stop reduce any travel or does it just cushion it more?
Easy to install. Just get the bolt started through bump head, then spin it on. On the first one I wrapped some tape on the bolt so it would not easily turn in the bump while so I could spin it on. Then finished tightening it up using the provided Allen wrench. If they reduce travel, I don't think its much.
I frequently do some hard wheeling over rocks. It definitely cushions the blow and makes the rig much easier to handle in ruff terrain conditions.
The Wheelers bumps made driving down "the steps" on Black Bear Pass easier on the driver and I'm sure on the rig.
Easy to install. Just get the bolt started through bump head, then spin it on. On the first one I wrapped some tape on the bolt so it would not easily turn in the bump while so I could spin it on. Then finished tightening it up using the provided Allen wrench. If they reduce travel, I don't think its much.
I frequently do some hard wheeling over rocks. It definitely cushions the blow and makes the rig much easier to handle in ruff terrain conditions.
The Wheelers bumps made driving down "the steps" on Black Bear Pass easier on the driver and I'm sure on the rig.
Good to know. Yeah I'm not sure I have bottomed out much to the point where I hit the bump stops.. I tend to get a bit of a bang on the other end of things, when I'm coming over a hump and the front end drops all the way down.
Anyway. thanks for the info and part number
For the $ Tough dog adjustable rears. I go from Highway stiff to offroad comfy in 10 seconds
I may be alone here on this but I wouldn't buy Tough Dog shocks again. I'm already looking for replacements for the front shocks and the rear adjustment mechanisms were sticking after the first winter followed by a summer with some mild water crossings. The front seals are leaking and the finish on both of them didn't hold up for even the first 5k miles.
With many other quality options on the market now they wouldn't make my list.
With many other quality options on the market now they wouldn't make my list.
I give my Dobbs IMS a lot of abuse. Rocks have worn a lot of the paint off the lower control arms.
The shocks are doing well.
The rounded metal body lets the rear slide over rocks without hanging up.
The shock bolt washers do take a beating from crawling over rocks.
The shocks are doing well.
The rounded metal body lets the rear slide over rocks without hanging up.
The shock bolt washers do take a beating from crawling over rocks.
- Thread starter
- #39
Update, I ordered the Wheeler bump stops and probably should’ve done a pre-purchase inspection. Those things are HUGE! Even with the TB cranked, I’m resting in the front ones/LCA with all fours on the ground (not pictured).
I went through all the other forum posts about installing just the back ones (my bad for not checking that). Is the consensus to ONLY install the rear bumps and keep the front bump stops stock?
If I’m leaving the suspension as is with TB slightly cranked and the rest stock, am I limiting an already “short travel” front end even more? I didn’t find any discussion about the Wheeler compound and exactly how much compression it allows. OEM shocks are on their way in hopes to eliminate some of the current nose dive and side to side sway on the HWY. I’ll make sure to replace the sway bar rubber. The mechanics said the cracking is fine given our heat but I’d rather change while I’m in there.
I went through all the other forum posts about installing just the back ones (my bad for not checking that). Is the consensus to ONLY install the rear bumps and keep the front bump stops stock?
If I’m leaving the suspension as is with TB slightly cranked and the rest stock, am I limiting an already “short travel” front end even more? I didn’t find any discussion about the Wheeler compound and exactly how much compression it allows. OEM shocks are on their way in hopes to eliminate some of the current nose dive and side to side sway on the HWY. I’ll make sure to replace the sway bar rubber. The mechanics said the cracking is fine given our heat but I’d rather change while I’m in there.
- Thread starter
- #40
Out of curiosity, what air bag system did you go with? I’ve heard the LC doesn’t work well with air bags due to rear flex and ripping. Anyone have experience with that?
