Tough Dog Install w/ 305/65/18 Falkens

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Orange Hat

Orange Hat

SILVER Star
Joined
Dec 14, 2017
Threads
17
Messages
199
Location
North TX
The Cruiser got a lift and new tires this last week and I couldn't be happier! All work was done at Tandem Automotive (Haltom City, TX; DFW area) and they did a top notch job along with great customer service including staying late past quitting time to ensure everything was buttoned up. As for context of this build, the goal is to have a Cruiser for "mild" overland runs with the wife and kids (hardcore stuff will be for the 80). Drawers, dual battery, lights, and maybe a winch will be next but first a few notes on the lift and tires before getting to the pics:

Tough Dog lift kit...45mm adjustable foam cell - 2" front, 1" rear - 0-660#
Jason at Trail Tailor was great to work with and got me zeroed in on what I needed and helped with a ton of follow-up questions since this was my first build. Shipping was super fast!

SPC upper control arms and Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers (front)
Purchased these from Cruiser Outfitters and talked to Kurt right before his trip to Australia. Also a great guy to talk with and was very helpful in getting me set up with what I needed. Shipping was also super fast!

Falken Wildpeaks AT3W...305/65/18
Wanted this size tire before I even got the Cruiser and after some thinking and even more thinking, I landed on the Falkens...the tires are aggressive looking while also smooth riding and very quiet. I had initial concerns about fitting in the garage but the Cruiser fits just fine. I wanted to stick with the stock wheels and I was successful in doing so. Trimming was required on the front fender well and the front mud flaps (aft of the tire) were removed as well. As an FYI, Discount Tire wouldn't mount the tires due to policy but a local tire shop said no problem.

White Knuckle rock sliders
Talk about heavy duty...enough said! Lead time was about 6 wks and well worth the wait.


Before the lift...
GNg7OlZ.jpg



The goodies (except for the rock sliders, wife wouldn't let me take them inside the house)...
E6WFHX9.jpg



On the rack after the rock sliders were installed...
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Working the alignment...
jl8RhVk.jpg



After the lift...
zd4xu1e.jpg
 
@Orange Hat - Your setup looks awesome, think these are the first pics I’ve seen of a 2016+ with the Tough Dog kit installed. I’ve been talking to Jason about a similar kit for my 2016 LC. Do you have pre and post lift measurements? Hard to tell in the pic, is there any rake or are you pretty level? Jason mentioned the 45 mm front coil overs can be pretty firm without a front bumper and winch, what’s your experience so far?

And definitely more pics!!
 
tarheel40 said:
@Orange Hat - Your setup looks awesome, think these are the first pics I’ve seen of a 2016+ with the Tough Dog kit installed. I’ve been talking to Jason about a similar kit for my 2016 LC. Do you have pre and post lift measurements? Hard to tell in the pic, is there any rake or are you pretty level? Jason mentioned the 45 mm front coil overs can be pretty firm without a front bumper and winch, what’s your experience so far?

And definitely more pics!!
Click to expand...

Measurements from floor to fender opening...

Pre lift:
FRONT - 34.5"
REAR - 35.5"

Post lift:
FRONT - 37.75"
REAR - 39"

There may be the slightest rake but hardly perceivable...at least I don't notice it and I'm OCD (I had asked Jason about this and he didn't believe strut spacers would be needed...I agree that they don't). Ride quality has been fantastic and even the wife thought it "drove better". I haven't played with the settings yet but I don't consider it too firm at all...YMMV. This coming week will be my first week to drive back/forth to work, I'll post more about the ride quality after more time behind the wheel.

More pics to come when the rain stops.
 
ckkone said:
Nice, wish I would have got that tire size...
Click to expand...

Thanks! I wanted no regrets after this initial build and I have absolutely none...for me, it was this tire size or not at all.
 
Good to hear the boys at Tandem getting into some 200 Series work. Truck looks great man
 
Orange Hat said:
Measurements from floor to fender opening...

Pre lift:
FRONT - 34.5"
REAR - 35.5"

Post lift:
FRONT - 37.75"
REAR - 39"

There may be the slightest rake but hardly perceivable...at least I don't notice it and I'm OCD (I had asked Jason about this and he didn't believe strut spacers would be needed...I agree that they don't). Ride quality has been fantastic and even the wife thought it "drove better". I haven't played with the settings yet but I don't consider it too firm at all...YMMV. This coming week will be my first week to drive back/forth to work, I'll post more about the ride quality after more time behind the wheel.

More pics to come when the rain stops.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for the info. So assuming you got a little over an inch height gain from the larger tires the new suspension netted you roughly 2” up front and 2.25” in the rear. I’ve got the Toyota coil spacers installed right now and have .25” of rake at the most. I’m planning to keep the Toyota front coil spacers with the TD setup and maybe add 10 mm rear spacers to give myself .5-.75” of rake for towing, etc.

Glad to hear you’re enjoying the ride quality, that’s one of the big things that is drawing me to TD over OME. Look forward to hearing updates as you put a few more miles on the new setup!
 
Looks great.

Any rubbing after going 305 wide?

What do you have your adjusters set on? FWIW I set mine on 4 on the front and rear of my 2013... my fronts were on 3 until I added the winch bumper. Both setups are compliant but controlled. I was running at 6 while towing for a while this summer but I felt every friggin' bump in the road through the steering wheel.

The suspension will settle slightly. Take measurements after 500 miles and then 5000 miles and let us know if you see any difference. If it does you might want to have the alignment checked.
 
Nicely done! I approve of this build. :clap:

Orange Hat said:
Thanks! I wanted no regrets after this initial build and I have absolutely none...for me, it was this tire size or not at all.
Click to expand...

I've been promoting this tire size, and can't agree more that it's the magic size for the LC. Corresponding size on an LX would be a 305/55/20, which I've had very positive experience with.

Congrats again to a well balanced build.
 
Any updates on lift height after a few weeks of settling? Would love to see some more pics!
 
tarheel40 said:
Any updates on lift height after a few weeks of settling? Would love to see some more pics!
Click to expand...

Not much of an update yet as I haven't driven it all that much in the last few weeks due to excessive rain (typically drive the 80 on the rainy days) and traveling for work. I'll get some measurements this weekend but boy does it drive so MUCH better than stock. I'm still playing with the settings on the adjustable Tough Dogs (which are fantastic by the way) and I'll provide an update on those too. I've also had zero rubbing.

In the meantime, I was able to grab a pic outside the garage. For reference, that is the wife's 2012 Acadia and those are 7' doors on the garage...fits, but barely (I'll grab a measurement on how close).

rQDhGCX.jpg
 
Orange Hat said:
Not much of an update yet as I haven't driven it all that much in the last few weeks due to excessive rain (typically drive the 80 on the rainy days) and traveling for work. I'll get some measurements this weekend but boy does it drive so MUCH better than stock. I'm still playing with the settings on the adjustable Tough Dogs (which are fantastic by the way) and I'll provide an update on those too. I've also had zero rubbing.

In the meantime, I was able to grab a pic outside the garage. For reference, that is the wife's 2012 Acadia and those are 7' doors on the garage...fits, but barely (I'll grab a measurement on how close).

rQDhGCX.jpg
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you’re pleased with the suspension so far, I just got a similar kit from Jason last week (41 mm non adjustable front coils is the only difference) and I’ll be installing SPC UCA’s also. Not doing the install until the holidays, staring at the parts in my garage every day is driving me crazy!

I’m impressed with how well built and beefy the TD components are, not surprised the ride is better than stock. Your truck looks great and the stance is perfect, thanks for the update! I’ve also got an 80 that I drive at least 3 days a week, the 200 wins on the highway for sure but around town you can’t beat the soul of an older cruiser!
 
Do have a question for the tire pressure gurus - tires are at 55 psi after leaving the shop...too much or about right? The tires do seem “harder” than expected but are smooth and quiet.
 
Orange Hat said:
Do have a question for the tire pressure gurus - tires are at 55 psi after leaving the shop...too much or about right? The tires do seem “harder” than expected but are smooth and quiet.
Click to expand...

The Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressure for the Wildpeak A/T3W LT305/65R18E 124/121R tires on your 2018 LC200 is 35psi Front/Rear.

No wonder they feel "harder" than expected. :D

HTH
 
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