Tough dog adjustable 2" lift

[Jstawgn]

So I bought a set of tough dog adjustable kit from a group buy organized by Sherpa Off Road last August.
https://www.sherpa-offroad.com/product-page/gx470-tough-dog-45mm-adjustable-dampening

I receive the kit in September. Since this is an adjustable kit, I need a lot more time to get thing dialed in to my setup and liking before I do any review. Plus the truck was down for about 3 weeks for gear swap.

Vehicle setup:

• 2005 GX470 with KDSS
• 255/80R17 Load Range E Toyo Open County II
• DIY hidden winch mount with Smittybilt H20 10K with synthetic lines. Weight is 78 lbs in the spec. Total weight should be less than 150 lbs
• 1.5" front lift spacer
• Wheelers super bump front and rear
• PO converted the airbag to coil using Strutmaster kit.
  • I need a coil conversion kit since strut master use their own proprietary lower spring plate mount. I bought metaltech kit.
  • Also bought 4th gen 4runner upper spring isolator

Per the guide at their website I order the kit for steel bullbar and light rear.

This kit comes complete with

• Fully assembled front Strut, marked LH & RH.
• Rrear shock
• Rear spring.

Install was pretty straightforward. I did rotate the passenger side front Strut to make the adjuster to face toward the wheel. Not sure which one is correct. I like mine to face the same so I did a no spring compressor spring removal and got everything back in 15 min.

Height comparison from wheel center to bottom of fender opening.
Stock 1.5" spacer Tough Dog
FL 19, 21.5, 21
FR 20 1/8, 21.5, 21
RL 21 1/4, 21 5/8, 23
RR 22 1/8, 21 7/8, 23

The initial front lift disappointed me a bit. So I order a 1/2" UHMW spacer to go in between the rubber spring isolator and the top plate, plus another 1/2" steel spacer to go on top. The front sits at 22" right where I want it now.
0.5" Leveling Lift Kit 1/2" Strut Spacer 2005-2019 Toyota Tacoma 2WD 4X4 4WD | eBay
TACOMA 2005-2018 LIFT KIT FRONT 1/2" DELRIN SPACER STRUT EXTENDER 4WD RED | eBay

I look at the front spring rate and found out Tough Dog list 3 level of application but only have 2 spring rate. The front is listed as 660 lbs/in while the heavy duty have 800 lbs/in. Austin did offer a swap but that spring rate scared me. 150 series all have 800 lbs front spring.

I always like adjustable suspension. They are more complex and set wrong it can perform worse than fixed setup. To me this is the best fit unless I am willing to deal with increased maintenance and NVH of the higher end kit.

Daily driving I set them 4 front and rear. It soak up bumps and make my E rated tire feel as soft as OEM C rated tire. If you don't have KDSS then 5-6 might be more appropriate. I still have not played with all the adjustment combination Set initially at 5F and 4R. It create some uneven pitching motion after big bump. Put it to 4F and 4R and the pitching greatly reduced.

Tough Dog recommend 1-3 for off road. 4-6 for pavement and 7-9 for heavy load/towing. Adjustment took a couple minutes and you do need to kneel and reach down to the bottom of each shock.

Had I pay more attention to this website before I order I would get 150 series rear shock. They seems to be much longer.
Suspension Database - PradoPoint - Toyota Prado 4x4 Landcruiser Forum

Ideal suspension for me would be

1. Internal bypass
2. Separate rebound and compression adjustment
3. No tool adjustment
4. Ride height adjustable
5. All rubber bushing for low NVH
6. Longest travel possible with stock component
7. Priced less than $3k

So untill then I am satisfied with this suspension.

Tough Dog Adjustable on GX470

• Jstawgn
• Oct 28, 2018

 

[LS80Climb]

Still using the same settings?

 

[Jstawgn]

Still using the same settings?

I upgrade to Dobinson MRA.

When I switch to D load 35x10.50r17 Kenda, I need to raise the setting. It was up to 6-7 if I remember correctly. So tire would impact which setting would be best.

 

[LS80Climb]

I upgrade to Dobinson MRA.

When I switch to D load 35x10.50r17 Kenda, I need to raise the setting. It was up to 6-7 if I remember correctly. So tire would impact which setting would be best.

Big difference with the MRA's?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Jstawgn]

Big difference with the MRA's?

Thanks for the feedback!

They are very nice. The 3 way adjustable are way better at fine tuning the damping. I do like the rubber bushing instead of heim joint ok other shocks with remote reservoir. A lot more comfortable on road and off road.

It can be confusing to setup but it come with suggested setting based on light or heavy setup. You still have to adjust it based on your tire setup and refference. Set wrong it can perform worse than non adjustable.