The ups and downs of searching for a lift kit

[Watt maker]

I'm sorry to disagree with him, but you get a lot of bang for the buck with a 6112/5160 upgrade. Same with the OME options, you get real improvement and don't have to spend a bucket load of money.

Icon, it's a love or hate ride with the digressive valving. You really should ride in someone's truck with an Icon suspension before committing the money. Also quality is variable. But that's true of FOX (which I run on my Tacoma, they've been fine for me). IMO it seems most of the time King doesn't have quality issues but you pay for that dearly.

And honestly, I'm not sure 99% of us really need Icon/FOX/King. I had some extra funds when I bought mine and if I could get back I'd probably just have stopped with an OME system. Remember that with high end comes maintenance. You have to rebuild shocks periodically and if you use them like they should this is about every year or two at the most. You have to keep your old suspension to swap on if you don't have a second car (I don't). It's not the most convenient way to go.

Yeah, the ride is nice but I'm not sure it's worth it really. If you don't intend to stay on top of rebuilds, never change from stock valving and have never overheated shocks then I think Bilsten and OME are absolutely adequate.

Alignment, that is neither here nor there. If you want to make it easier to align after lifting you need upper control arms. I have Camburg with extra caster built in, which keeps steering from becoming twitchy.

For your intended use overseas I'd think finicky custom shocks would be a major disadvantage. Keep it simple and stick with what works, ARB and OME.

I completely agree with this advice.

I had Bilstein 5100's on my 4th gen for about 100k and went all over the SW on the crappiest roads. Then I upgraded to the 6112's and they are definitely better and keep up with anything I throw at them. I also have a 5th gen with Icons and they are even better than the 6112's when you're really pushing the vehicle but we don't push it all that much so really, some 6112's would've been good enough. FWIW, I have also got 100k out of the Icons (yeah, I know, I didn't follow the recommended service) and they still feel great.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I have Icon stage 2 on my 5th Gen and absolutely LOVE the way it rides and handles. IMO it was worth every cent. Right now I'm driving a GX470 running IronMan suspension and it is a night and day difference. My SIL has a TRD Pro and mine rides so much better it's ridiculous. Yes, it is spendy. Yes, they need maintenance. No, I don't "need" it. But I don't regret it at all.

Side note, if you keep the shafts on the CO clean, ICONs will last. I have 40k miles on mine and it is not babied.

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

I have the Toytech Boss on my 16 4Runner- it rides significantly better then stock on and offroad. The ride is firm but plush at the same time. No more nose dive and it eats up washboard.

After a year I added the HD rear springs, mainly as i added a roof top ten, drawers, gas cans etc. Dont get HD springs unless you really need it.

I'd buy this suspension again.

 

[DaveInDenver]

That said, with your plans of traveling South America and Africa, I would leave the suspension stock (other than beefing up the rear to account for increased daily carrying weight) - it'll make finding new replacements a heck of a lot easier. (Good luck finding an ICON rebuild kit, proper oil, nitrogen, etc. in Africa.) In fact, I'd bring some spare OEM shocks with me on trip like that and not deal with any rebuilding at all. Much easier to just swap shocks.

This is sensible but I don't know that finding Bilstein or OME products would be impossible in any major city around the world. Besides, suspension isn't rocket surgery. You could go back to stock parts or use whatever local things you can find. In the middle of nowhere you might have to use coils from a different Toyota or perhaps even a Ford or Nissan if you break one anyway. Point I'm laboring to make is that I don't see any reason not to benefit from a better ride of an OME 99% of your trip for the 1% chance that something might break. And since it's a hypothetical, you could argue that the improved suspension will put less stress on the car itself so you're making your overall vehicle more reliable if it handles corrugation and bumps better.

 

[4runnerteq]

I would give this serious consideration as well. http://www.sonoransteel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_36&products_id=99

 

[Deleted member 144299]

I have OME on my 07 Taco which greatly increased the ride performance and have held up well for the 50k I've put on them. For me it was important to stay within a budget while adding payload ability. I went with OME because it meant I could also replace the entire leaf springs (not a issue with 4runners) and the upper control arms while getting about 2" of lift without having to use spacers. While the Nitrocharger might lack a little in certain areas I was able to upgrade much more then just the shocks.

My two cents anyway! It was certainly a process trying to configure what I wanted but I am very happy with my setup. As others have said as well swapping suspension is a fairly simple thing to do yourself plus gives you a better understanding of how your vehicle works if you ever need to make trail repairs.

 

[DaveInDenver]

When I see OP talk about overlanding in Africa, I instantly think of the "Democratic Republic of Congo: Lubumbashi to Kinshasa"(https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...public-of-congo-lubumbashi-to-kinshasa.50799/) adventure. I wouldn't want to be dealing with suspension replacements in such conditions. On the other hand, if OP intends to travel through more... established... African countries, then perhaps replacing suspension wouldn't be too much of a deal.

There are actual ARB stores in South Africa and Egypt and distribution on the continent, so if you can find a 4x4 shop or a Toyota dealer you'll probably find some of this stuff, too. Keep in mind that in most places Toyota sells real 4x4 and accessories, not chrome step rails and exhaust tips like here. But real bumpers, winches, dual batteries and suspension.

I'm also fairly biased due to having three leaking aftermarket (ICON) shocks in the first 14-16 months of light use. Should that experience occur in Africa, I would not be a happy camper. That's one of the reasons I'd suggest getting suspension components that are not meant to be rebuilt, but can rather be discarded and replaced - much easier to find a suitable replacement than rebuild components/tools.

I agree it's best to stick with assembled parts, absolutely on that point.

All of this is just as true in North America as the most remote place in Africa. Maybe the walk is shorter but it's not much easier breaking a spring on the Rubicon or White Rim Trail in terms of getting yourself fixed.

Not to mention a sat phone and DHL, UPS and FedEx can get stuff to some pretty remote places, so the world really isn't that big anymore.

 

[Clawhammer]

I sort of agree with your mechanic about the Billstein/Eibach stuff.... it always seemed like a half measure to me.

With that said, I've got an OME setup (shocks front and rear, coil springs and Dakar's) on my Tacoma and I'm a big fan. The ride is fine (maybe a bit harsh, but it's a truck, right?) and it grips very well off-road. I think I've got about 30k miles on it and I've got absolutely no complaints.

 

[perfectlift-tips]

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https://www.superiorengineering.com.au
www.roughcountry.com
https://www.perfectlift.com.au