100/lx470 lift opininions

[zimm]

well, ive been beating the tar out of the ahc, for 160,000 miles. currently i have it set for no lift, cranked bars for steel and winch weight, and run airbags in the bum for load enhancement.

i love the AHC, and was going to put 100 springs on to compensate for the weight, and bump the sensors an inch.

but,

the shocks are old, the accumulators are old, and they have had a life under zimm rule, which is a harsh life. the replacement parts are 2500.00 when the system starts to fail, which led me to the "what else in an option for 2500.00 bucks?"

well, the just differential system with king shocks is 3000.00. close enough. AND i get new UCA's (i think i got a uca ball starting to get loose.) they also have a 2300.00 system with 2" dia shocks and no reservs.

the spring weight i need is heavy.

i guess the only real reason not to do it, is taking a chance and seeing how long i can save the money.

has anyone replaced an AHC system with this system? how does the street ride compare?

i assume there are no aftermarket extended length shocks for the AHC system. if there were, id likely rebuild the system.

 

[zimm]

Have you thought about just deleting the AHC system?

That's what I'd be doing with the new just differentials system. The downside is, 1) you lose the plush ride 2) you're set up for "heavy" all the time. Even when not heavy. Al'la my g wagon. I like the load adjustibility, but they system is in need of 2500 in parts for pm, the existing shocks, prevent a lift, and it would be nice to ditch the supplemental air bags in the rear.

I want it all, and that's usually never the case. Stock LC100 springs, non existent extended length Ahc shocks, and aftermarket custom tuned actuators would work. I just have to figure out the shock. I wonder if a remote res king, with the valving removed and plumbed into the system would work.

 

[mph]

Love my OME setup...30000 miles and no complaints. Give kurt a call at cruiser outfitters. I think the lift is around 1000.

 

[RangeBrover]

Love my OME setup...30000 miles and no complaints. Give kurt a call at cruiser outfitters. I think the lift is around 1000.

I wouldn't waste my money on my OME setups again, it's a decent budget lift but I should have just gone Icon or similar the first time around for the ride quality.

I'm sure you could get some kind of custom setup from one of the big suspension makers that takes care of 90% of what you'll do. I went OME heavies in the front and medium in the rear, so far it does it's job. My one warning is don't setup for heavy all the time unless you want to shake every filling out of your mouth.

 

[Moody]

I had my AHC removed and the OME kit installed with the 864's in the rear. I love it. 2001 LX.

 

[zimm]

how does one prevent *** sag when loaded down for a trip, without the AHC? get med/heavy springs, and keep the airbags? im concerned that the increased articulation in the buttox, with a 2" lift, may cause issues with the airbag hosing, that i dont currently encounter with the stock flex.

im also going to move to 35" micky thomson baha claw ttc. why half *** it, if im going this far. theres no point in slightly over stock.

 

[mph]

864s in the back...no sag with fridge, drawers, rtt, etc. used to pull a trailer as well...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've not seen any aftermarket shock options for the AHC system, extended or stock even... they were just unique enough that nobody ever decided to jump into manufacturing parts for them besides the OE components. Now that they are nearing 20 years old, more and more of the AHC systems are failing and the most common replacement is a non-AHC system, either stock 100/470 components or an aftermarket kit such as the Old Man Emu systems. We've pulled a few dozen AHC systems off, it is a fair amount of work i.e. double that of the normal OME install and there are some quirky things with the dash light and dash switch that need to be dealt with (speaking of, Moody we need to take a peak at your lights). In the end it is the exact same setup as a non-AHC equipped rig would have had.

As for your loading concerns, without some sort of dynamic control be it hydraulically controlled shocks or airbags, etc. Your going to have to deal with a ride height variance between unloaded and loaded, no different than any other LC sans AHC. With 9 different rear coils options just from OME for the rear of the 100, it really isn't too difficult to get a good cross-section of ride/stance when loaded but accommodating when unloaded too. Given the rear coils can be swapped in well under an hour, I have some customers that own two sets of coils, a daily-driver/weekend-wheeler set and a pair for the big trips in which they have 500+ lbs of additional gear on board and need the height in the rear for off-road use. It's not the ideal solution but with an hour of labor it is an easy solution in the grand schemes. Air and hydraulic systems can limit travel, leak, fail (like the AHC) so you have to weigh your preferences.

 

[ChuckB]

As for your loading concerns, without some sort of dynamic control be it hydraulically controlled shocks or airbags, etc. Your going to have to deal with a ride height variance between unloaded and loaded, no different than any other LC sans AHC. With 9 different rear coils options just from OME for the rear of the 100, it really isn't too difficult to get a good cross-section of ride/stance when loaded but accommodating when unloaded too. Given the rear coils can be swapped in well under an hour, I have some customers that own two sets of coils, a daily-driver/weekend-wheeler set and a pair for the big trips in which they have 500+ lbs of additional gear on board and need the height in the rear for off-road use. It's not the ideal solution but with an hour of labor it is an easy solution in the grand schemes. Air and hydraulic systems can limit travel, leak, fail (like the AHC) so you have to weigh your preferences.

Kurt, I never considered the swapping of springs option. Definitely something to consider down the line. I'm planning to keep AHC at this point until it fails. On a semi-related note, how much experience have you had with the Slee AHC override switch? I'm thinking about going this route for now.

 

[zimm]

one could just extend the bump stops 2" and fabricate an extension. im considering that, if i can do this as cost effective as a Just Differentials kit.

B&B suspension hd globes with custom nitro charge, >1600
a set of el cheapo used LX470 shocks > nominal plus shipping from someone ditching theirs.
some sort of extension bracket > hours of my time
LC100 springs and tbars, used > 50 bucks
Uniball UCA's > 800
diff drop 270
praying a 1-2" lift lessens the effective spring rate enough to let the valving in the AHC system actually absorb shock > priceless

v.

3000.00 for just differentials king based kit (it still seems like a no brainer, i dont know why im fighting this)





i dont have a lx450 manual... the valving for the "shock" control is clearly not in the shock.

but, is there any reason 2.5" king shock without valving would work as a stock replacement? just remove the reservoir and plumb it to they system. without a parts list and diagram, im sure im missing something, but what?

 

[zimm]

I've not seen any aftermarket shock options for the AHC system, extended or stock even... they were just unique enough that nobody ever decided to jump into manufacturing parts for them besides the OE components. Now that they are nearing 20 years old, more and more of the AHC systems are failing and the most common replacement is a non-AHC system, either stock 100/470 components or an aftermarket kit such as the Old Man Emu systems. We've pulled a few dozen AHC systems off, it is a fair amount of work i.e. double that of the normal OME install and there are some quirky things with the dash light and dash switch that need to be dealt with (speaking of, Moody we need to take a peak at your lights). In the end it is the exact same setup as a non-AHC equipped rig would have had.

As for your loading concerns, without some sort of dynamic control be it hydraulically controlled shocks or airbags, etc. Your going to have to deal with a ride height variance between unloaded and loaded, no different than any other LC sans AHC. With 9 different rear coils options just from OME for the rear of the 100, it really isn't too difficult to get a good cross-section of ride/stance when loaded but accommodating when unloaded too. Given the rear coils can be swapped in well under an hour, I have some customers that own two sets of coils, a daily-driver/weekend-wheeler set and a pair for the big trips in which they have 500+ lbs of additional gear on board and need the height in the rear for off-road use. It's not the ideal solution but with an hour of labor it is an easy solution in the grand schemes. Air and hydraulic systems can limit travel, leak, fail (like the AHC) so you have to weigh your preferences.

airbags really arnt to be feared. for how many hours a year id waste changing springs and tbars, vs the fact a spare set of bags is 100 bucks, they really dont fail that often if installed right, and if they do, they swap slightly slower than a tire, i sure wouldnt go with swapping springs all the time. there are some mods that are taboo, like airbags and spring shims, for reasons that most people cant even think of, other than "i dont like it".

you wouldnt happen to have any old AHC systems lying around, would ya? i feel a failed project coming on.

 

[Flagster]

why are bags so hated???
I have them on my GMC 3500 and they have never failed after 100+ tanks of 4000lbs of water in the bed...I live on a dirt road which can get pretty holed out in the wet season and the bags really help...
Even if they failed on your "rig" full of "expo" gear...wouldn't the regular springs just sag a bit...couldn't you still get home?
Or are you really planning on going full on "expo" ******* full of gear? like that dude who hauled like 30 sheets of drywall on his LC

Regardless, I am interested to see what you decide...the heavy springs on my 80 series need to be swapped because I never put enough crap in there to get rid of that *** high stance...I feel like she needs a tramp stamp with those springs...and the ride sucks too

 

[zimm]

why are bags so hated???
I have them on my GMC 3500 and they have never failed after 100+ tanks of 4000lbs of water in the bed...I live on a dirt road which can get pretty holed out in the wet season and the bags really help...
Even if they failed on your "rig" full of "expo" gear...wouldn't the regular springs just sag a bit...couldn't you still get home?
Or are you really planning on going full on "expo" ******* full of gear? like that dude who hauled like 30 sheets of drywall on his LC

when inflated for load, they act a big bump stop limiting upward travel. so, on a wheeler, they are pointless. on the other hand, on a fully loaded overlander, you wont be doing the rough stuff all day long, so the effect isnt as bad.

doing the VOT i had two wheels up and the traction control showed its weakness. it may or may not have happened without the bags. but 10 min with a winch, and im out. pick your poison.

gotta have hose play too, for bags that are spring internal.


keep in mind, on an LX470, the metal springs you see are actually the helper springs, the shocks lift the truck. so, if im loaded down, and i blow a bag, ill likely be suddenly dumping too much load into an old system that was never designed for that weight new. if the system shuts down, the truck will drop like a fat lady in a mud pit, and it would be a HUGE issue.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Kurt, I never considered the swapping of springs option. Definitely something to consider down the line. I'm planning to keep AHC at this point until it fails. On a semi-related note, how much experience have you had with the Slee AHC override switch? I'm thinking about going this route for now.

Like I said, it isn't a super ideal option for some but for others it works just great. We've done a handful of installs with Slee's switch. For lighter builds it works out great and is the optimal solution. If you have a heavier truck, your gaining artificial spring rate with the AHC override and the ride quality can suffer. I've had a couple customer come back later for us to remove the switch, pull the AHC and install a standard solution with great results. All things considered, the switch is neat concept and I think if nothing else it is a great stepping stone for a truck build, investment is minimal, installation is an hour or two and you can always sell the switch if/when you decide to swap it for a complete kit.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...you wouldnt happen to have any old AHC systems lying around, would ya? i feel a failed project coming on.

We have a few bins full of take-off parts. Front shocks (rear often get cut), height sensors, some of the hoses and globes, etc. No guarantee on condition as we are often pulling them off because the systems have failed. Lemme know what your after and I can snap pics. Price is right, pay by the pound