Outer Limits 4x4 Board

A mate is upgrading suspension in his 2006 Hilux Sr5 DC. He is thinking of going bilstein shocks/strut, Lovell front coils and it was reccomended that he put ironman leafs in the rear.( i think he was told, same quality but cheaper price then lovells)

I heard ages ago that they tend to sag abit, is this still the case.

Advice from anyone running Ironman would be good.

thx

a mates got them in his hilux, i ride in it a fair bit (until i get my 45 on the road) and his is rough as guts, may aswell use a piece of railway line as springs, and about as much flex as a railway line aswell!

no doubt they serve their purpose for work vehicles though

all 4x4's,especialy newer models require a matched 4x4 suspension system that was designed for that particular model.mixing and matching different manufacturers products will often end in a poor outcome for your money.
old man emu engineer there suspension products to suit each individual model,sometimes offering a range of options to suit everybodies needs.
i know from experience that ome suspension in the current model hilux works exceptionally well and the ride is a fantastic improvement over standard.
i have driven the same model of hilux with ironman and efs suspension and honestly i was surprised how bad they were.the ride quality was terrible and definatly worse than standard.
i won't even comment on the poor quality of the product.
i would not recommend ironman or efs to anyone.

i slapped a heap of ironman gear in my 86 ifs 4runner. torsion bars, rear leafs, shocks, steering damper etc. quite noticible going from saggy soft springs to new stiffer ones.

I found the ride a little bouncy at first, but playing with tyre pressures is slowly reducing the bounciness. so far i cant really fault it for what i paid. which is what it comes down to..

If i were upgrading a newer car i intended keeping a while id personally spend a bit more $$ on OME of similar.

I would not reccomend using OME.

Not if you want any form of warranty.

Go with EFS,

GREAT ride, better than ome, and far better service/ warranty.

Trains

Hi all...jcas24,I have that same set up in my 79series for 18 months now.7 of those months were up Capeyork,Im very pleased.

Thanks the replies Guys. I get the impression the Ironman are a stiff spring probably set up for load carrying that comes in hand with leafs, hence hard riding when unloaded.

mine is bouncy cuz of the torsion bars being wound up to match the rear. But as i said further up playing with tyre pressures remedied this.

I have been mixing different brands for years and it works well.

Different companies excel in different areas so it makes sense to me to mix the best brands for leafs and coils and then match the brand of shock to how much weight the vehicle has, what kind of ride the owner wants and the best value for money product to get what you want. Warranty is also something to consider.

I would happily use Ironman steering dampers but generally not the rest of their stuff. OME would be best on a very rare occasion. They will tell you it was the best thing since sliced bread and you should pay double for it.

For most I would recommend Dobinsons or EFS leafs and Lovells shocks.

Shane

mix and match suspension DOES NOT WORK regardless of what you say about the rubbish you try to sell on this forum.

ONLY matched and engineered suspension kits that where designed for the exact model will do the correct job.

leave the mix and match to KFC they do a great variety bucket!

4x4 guy wrote:mix and match suspension DOES NOT WORK regardless of what you say about the rubbish you try to sell on this forum.

ONLY matched and engineered suspension kits that where designed for the exact model will do the correct job.

leave the mix and match to KFC they do a great variety bucket!

Yes KFC do a great variety bucket mmm. Ultimate Zinger Burger meal with bacon and cheese, centre breast hot and spicy, regular chips and a pepsi max.

I have replaced many OME kits with mixed kits and my customers are very happy with what they get. If they are happy with the product, the quality, the ride, the warranty, the longevity of the products, the service and the price then what am I missing?

Sure I understand that matching the valving to the springs is great but it isn't that simple. You have light duty springs, medium duty heavy duty extra heavy duty. The customers with the light duty coil likes a firmer car like ride or a soft ride etc.

Unless you re valve every shock you sell then you are not matching the shocks to the individual customer.

Take shocks for example. Dobinsons are fairly firm, Lovells and EFS medium and Procomps soft. Then you have adjustable shocks and Koni and Bilsteins EFS Extremes. Boss adjustable shocks are coming out soon. There are other brands I use occasionally.

Having said that most of these brands have their shocks valved specifically for their particular vehicle they are used for.

Between these shocks I can usually satisfy what the customer wants.

Shane

Hey 4WD Guy, where are you located?

Shane

4x4 guy wrote:mix and match suspension DOES NOT WORK regardless of what you say about the rubbish you try to sell on this forum.

ONLY matched and engineered suspension kits that where designed for the exact model will do the correct job.

Define correct job.