Suspension Options - need advice

[corkybuchek]

Hey everyone, recently acquired my dad's 06 GX (non-kdss, 118k). My plans are a 2 inch lift, 275 KO2's, and FN FX pro's. I ordered the basic ironman 2 inch lift kit (light/medium duty, no plans to add bumpers, etc) on black friday from Metal tech (with SPC UCA's) for around $1k with free shipping. Seemed to good to be true... and it was. Backordered on the rear shocks til late feb. So now I'm left with a few options:

1. Get the ironman and have everything installed but the rear shocks and get those put on when they come in (my last resort).

2. Get an OME kit (with no UCA's) for $820~ shipped (add another $500~ for UCA's if needed, see below)

3. Try to source Ironman rear shocks myself (if possible).

4. Put bilstein's or another brand of rear shocks on (MT strongly advised against this).

My questions are:

What do y'all think my best option is?

Do I really need UCA's with the OME kit? (MT advised I do not need UCA's with the OME 2 inch light duty kit)

If I go with putting another brand of rear shocks on with the ironman kit (advised by MT not to do this), what brands do you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Jstawgn]

What is your intended purpose for the vehicle?
Any additional load? You said no bumper but anything else?

If you just want the extra height then Bilstein 5100 would be good. You could use stock spring and use FJ/4runner rear spring with SSO kit to add some height.

A lot of people sya the OME is a bit harsh for empty daily driver. The Dobinson gas and spring conforrt combo semms to be better from daily driver perspective..

The Ironman is excellent suspension but geared for much heavier off road use.

Tough dog makes adjustable that are somewhat equal in price as Ironman. Being adjustable it can be tailored to your load, tire and ride preference better than fixed system. Although this are not ride height adjustable like the ironma FCP.and if you set it wrong it will perform worse than fixed system.

I strongly discourage mix and match any kit. Its impossible to get a good match without any custom work.

 

[corkybuchek]

What is your intended purpose for the vehicle?
Any additional load? You said no bumper but anything else?

If you just want the extra height then Bilstein 5100 would be good. You could use stock spring and use FJ/4runner rear spring with SSO kit to add some height.

A lot of people sya the OME is a bit harsh for empty daily driver. The Dobinson gas and spring conforrt combo semms to be better from daily driver perspective..

The Ironman is excellent suspension but geared for much heavier off road use.

Tough dog makes adjustable that are somewhat equal in price as Ironman. Being adjustable it can be tailored to your load, tire and ride preference better than fixed system. Although this are not ride height adjustable like the ironma FCP.and if you set it wrong it will perform worse than fixed system.

I strongly discourage mix and match any kit. Its impossible to get a good match without any custom work.

Intended use would be camping, very light off roading, and about 90% of the time a daily driver. Only extra weight is a bike rack and a mountain bike, nothing crazy.

To clarify, it's not the FCP kit, but the basic Ironman Gas Shock kit (white shocks).

My main goal here is to stay around the price range I paid with UCA's... which doesn't seem possible.

I'll cross mixing and matching another brand of rear shock off the list.

Thanks for the reply and help!

 

[Arailt]

You probably don’t need UCAs at ~2” unless you’re doing an extended travel coilover, which you’re not.

I agree that I would not mix & match the shocks. I had Bilstein shocks paired with OME coils front and back on a previous vehicle and that worked really well, but using different shocks front and rear might feel weird because of inconsistent valving.

I’m putting 275/70s on my stock suspension later this week or early next week. I can let you know if they require a lift. Maybe you can just rock the 275s on stock suspension until February.

 

[corkybuchek]

You probably don’t need UCAs at ~2” unless you’re doing an extended travel coilover, which you’re not.

I agree that I would not mix & match the shocks. I had Bilstein shocks paired with OME coils front and back on a previous vehicle and that worked really well, but using different shocks front and rear might feel weird because of inconsistent valving.

I’m putting 275/70s on my stock suspension later this week or early next week. I can let you know if they require a lift. Maybe you can just rock the 275s on stock suspension until February.

No UCA's might be a good option... but I'll have missed out on all the black Friday sales

Yeah that was my worry, I maybe able to source a pair of rear IM gas shocks, waiting on the word from another vendor.

That would be awesome, thanks for the help!

 

[joabmc]

You can run without the UCA's but the ride and handling will be compromised. I've done it the past and it is doable. That being said, there is a noticeable difference when you switch to the SPC's. You'll be able to adjust caster and really dial in your alignment. If you can keep those in your budget, you won't regret it.
I'm a little different when it comes to mixing and matching. If you know what you are looking, doing the comps., there are deals to be had. There ironman will just be a budget OME shock. IMO, you could go with a OME 60004, Bilstein 5100, or a Toytec rear shock and be fine. I have a pair of rear 60004 with less than 10k on them that I'd sell you for $100 shipped. Only pulled them as I went to a rear LT setup. For the price, they can be a band aid until the Ironmans are delivered.

 

[corkybuchek]

You can run without the UCA's but the ride and handling will be compromised. I've done it the past and it is doable. That being said, there is a noticeable difference when you switch to the SPC's. You'll be able to adjust caster and really dial in your alignment. If you can keep those in your budget, you won't regret it.
I'm a little different when it comes to mixing and matching. If you know what you are looking, doing the comps., there are deals to be had. There ironman will just be a budget OME shock. IMO, you could go with a OME 60004, Bilstein 5100, or a Toytec rear shock and be fine. I have a pair of rear 60004 with less than 10k on them that I'd sell you for $100 shipped. Only pulled them as I went to a rear LT setup. For the price, they can be a band aid until the Ironmans are delivered.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yeah I talked to my local mechanic he basically told me the same regarding UCA's.

He also told me he can Band-Aid it up with some 80 series stock shocks he has laying around until the IM rear shocks come in. Its only 2 months so shouldn't be too bad...

Thank you for the offer and I will keep that in mind, that would be another good option if the 80 shocks don't work out.

 

[joabmc]

I'm running 80 series extended travel shocks on the rear of my GX. They work well but do better when loaded if that makes sense. They'll absorb the big stuff like it isn't there but can be stiff on the little bumps. I usually have the back loaded with a cooler and other items so I don't notice it.