24 vs 25 OT OEM 1” Lift Details via reddit (2 Viewers)

[jarvis]

I just did the install over the weekend and can share a few tips.

For the front, the electric connection to the shock is at the top and shielded in a plastic cover that must be pried open to unseat the shock pigtail. I removed the sway bar completely, and the eKDSS will expand out two "piston" mounts. You can then remount the end links, the two eKDSS mounts but the center mount will be too low to bolt in because the eKDSS is expanded. I just put two jack stands under the sway bar and with a floor jack let the vehicle weight slowly compress them back.

The rear is simpler since the shocks stay in and the electric connection is at the bottom - no need to touch. I disconnected the sway bar one side at a time, only the driver side has the eKDSS piston. Again, I used the vehicle weight to push back in. I also had to use a bar clamp to pull the sway bar towards the axle.

My observations on the springs is a little different. The fronts are about 1in longer, I think maybe one more turn. The rears are about the same height, same amount of turns but the coil spacing is different. I assume it's a stiffer spring since it's sitting higher now.

 

[rocksallday]

I was looking for this thread a long time and finally created an account here so can say thank you to everyone who posted these great finds and also provide a bit of feedback based on my install experience.

I have a '24 GX550 and a heavily modified '15 Jeep JK (had 4runners before those).
On the 'GX, I installed the 1" peak-suspension front leveling kit. It's marketed as 1.25" or 1.5", I measured 1" on my build.

A few notes about this whole lift/level/spring/shocks thread-
when you install longer coils/springs, you are not changing the overall shock travel.
normally, the shock limits your maximum droop as well as maximum bump travel. if all you change are the springs, what you are in fact doing is change the normal ride height. it simply sets a new point on your shocks where the normal ride height would be. your car's overall flex will not change.
in jeep forums, this will not be called a lift because it doesn't actually change anything about the wheel's range of motion.
this means there is no need to change upper control arms, drive shafts or anything. you are within original specs.
this also means that any tire rubbing issue due to running larger tires will remain. it'll just require some more flex to get to that point, but eventually the coil will compress all the way to the bump stop under sufficient load.

there are good reasons to go this route - it is simple. it is guaranteed to not interfere or stress any existing driveline component (since it doesn't actually change the overall wheel travel range), and it does provide a bit more clearance over 'easy' obstacles, like an occasional rock or some snow.

the peak suspension front spacer is not this. it actually pushes the entire shock and coil down, meaning you get an extra inch of droop in the front.
normally, you'd need a bump stop extender at this point because you pushed the entire shock down an inch, you risk having the shock limit your uptravel before hitting the bump stop. but peak suspension do not provide a bump stop extension, claiming that the OEM shock actually has more uptravel that is not used. they claim you actually gain an inch of suspension travel! keeping the original bump stop while pushing the down travel an inch.
i have not verified this claim on my build. i don't know how to easily push the suspension all the way to the bump stop to see how much shock travel remains. i'll post an update if i can ever prove this one way or another.

if you were to install some fancy king, fox or icon shocks, they'd actually be longer shocks that go along with longer springs. this gives you much more range of motion. this is where UCAs, shafts, CVs start to show stress. you'd need a diff drop bracket as a minimum.

few more points about the GX550 specifically and suspension changes-
the GX has auto-leveling headlights. there's a sensor somewhere on the rear axle that measures how much the rear is compressed. when you lift the car, it sends a signal to the headlights to aim higher. you can compensate by either relocating the sensor, or by using a small screwdriver and adjusting your headlights.
if you actually install longer shocks (remember- the springs don't affect maximum droop), you might need to check that this sensor and its wiring will not be damaged when in full droop.

the other thing about the GX is the front facing camera / collision sensors. these are calibrated for a specific vehicle stance. any suspension change technically requires recalibration. most garages can do it (any place that replaces windshields can do it). it's probably not critical to do if you haven't moved anything much, but it's something to consider. you need to consider this even if you only change tire size because a larger tire is a lift.

one last thing about alignment-
in an IFS, raising or lowering the front of the vehicle changes the toe. it's just the way IFS geometry works.
it's important that the toe be set correctly at ride height, which is where most highway miles are done.
i'm sure at least some of the claims about 'vibrations' and what not are actually due to misalignment and they're fixed after the suspension install because proper alignment was done.
specifically for toyotas, the shop doing the alignment needs to know 'toyota'. these cars are designed to be aligned with a driver and no other load. the 'toyota stance' is because the front left is designed to be about 1/2" taller when there is no driver in the car.

from what i'm reading here - the rear shocks are a bit stiffer and the fronts are longer. i'd probably install the rears to get better handling, especially since it's easy to DIY and i already have the peak-suspension front spacer which is an actual 1" lift, not just changing the ride height.


pictures for attention - first one is me removing the skid plates before installing the peak spacer.
next two are my jw-offroad front bumper install. i try to DIY whenever I can.

 

[markmanner]

I was looking for this thread a long time and finally created an account here so can say thank you to everyone who posted these great finds and also provide a bit of feedback based on my install experience.

I have a '24 GX550 and a heavily modified '15 Jeep JK (had 4runners before those).
On the 'GX, I installed the 1" peak-suspension front leveling kit. It's marketed as 1.25" or 1.5", I measured 1" on my build.

A few notes about this whole lift/level/spring/shocks thread-
when you install longer coils/springs, you are not changing the overall shock travel.
normally, the shock limits your maximum droop as well as maximum bump travel. if all you change are the springs, what you are in fact doing is change the normal ride height. it simply sets a new point on your shocks where the normal ride height would be. your car's overall flex will not change.
in jeep forums, this will not be called a lift because it doesn't actually change anything about the wheel's range of motion.
this means there is no need to change upper control arms, drive shafts or anything. you are within original specs.
this also means that any tire rubbing issue due to running larger tires will remain. it'll just require some more flex to get to that point, but eventually the coil will compress all the way to the bump stop under sufficient load.

there are good reasons to go this route - it is simple. it is guaranteed to not interfere or stress any existing driveline component (since it doesn't actually change the overall wheel travel range), and it does provide a bit more clearance over 'easy' obstacles, like an occasional rock or some snow.

the peak suspension front spacer is not this. it actually pushes the entire shock and coil down, meaning you get an extra inch of droop in the front.
normally, you'd need a bump stop extender at this point because you pushed the entire shock down an inch, you risk having the shock limit your uptravel before hitting the bump stop. but peak suspension do not provide a bump stop extension, claiming that the OEM shock actually has more uptravel that is not used. they claim you actually gain an inch of suspension travel! keeping the original bump stop while pushing the down travel an inch.
i have not verified this claim on my build. i don't know how to easily push the suspension all the way to the bump stop to see how much shock travel remains. i'll post an update if i can ever prove this one way or another.

if you were to install some fancy king, fox or icon shocks, they'd actually be longer shocks that go along with longer springs. this gives you much more range of motion. this is where UCAs, shafts, CVs start to show stress. you'd need a diff drop bracket as a minimum.

few more points about the GX550 specifically and suspension changes-
the GX has auto-leveling headlights. there's a sensor somewhere on the rear axle that measures how much the rear is compressed. when you lift the car, it sends a signal to the headlights to aim higher. you can compensate by either relocating the sensor, or by using a small screwdriver and adjusting your headlights.
if you actually install longer shocks (remember- the springs don't affect maximum droop), you might need to check that this sensor and its wiring will not be damaged when in full droop.

the other thing about the GX is the front facing camera / collision sensors. these are calibrated for a specific vehicle stance. any suspension change technically requires recalibration. most garages can do it (any place that replaces windshields can do it). it's probably not critical to do if you haven't moved anything much, but it's something to consider. you need to consider this even if you only change tire size because a larger tire is a lift.

one last thing about alignment-
in an IFS, raising or lowering the front of the vehicle changes the toe. it's just the way IFS geometry works.
it's important that the toe be set correctly at ride height, which is where most highway miles are done.
i'm sure at least some of the claims about 'vibrations' and what not are actually due to misalignment and they're fixed after the suspension install because proper alignment was done.
specifically for toyotas, the shop doing the alignment needs to know 'toyota'. these cars are designed to be aligned with a driver and no other load. the 'toyota stance' is because the front left is designed to be about 1/2" taller when there is no driver in the car.

from what i'm reading here - the rear shocks are a bit stiffer and the fronts are longer. i'd probably install the rears to get better handling, especially since it's easy to DIY and i already have the peak-suspension front spacer which is an actual 1" lift, not just changing the ride height.


pictures for attention - first one is me removing the skid plates before installing the peak spacer.
next two are my jw-offroad front bumper install. i try to DIY whenever I can.

Thanks, great info, and the details are why I had the Lexus dealer do it all. I didn't feel competent choosing or overseeing it elsewhere. Others with more experience and ability of course can do that.

M.

 

[YellowLab]

Thanks, great info, and the details are why I had the Lexus dealer do it all. I didn't feel competent choosing or overseeing it elsewhere. Others with more experience and ability of course can do that.

M.

Any noticeable handling/ride difference with the new springs?

 

[markmanner]

Any noticeable handling/ride difference with the new springs?

It certainly doesn't feel to me to be any less stable to me on surface road speeds or on the interstate, or when turning. I wanted it for the slightly extra ground clearance, and not to change the ride, so I'm happy with it. I think any difference in the way it feels would not be significant, and I'm not sure I could reliably tell unless I did a blind before and after test in quick succession, which of course isn't possible. I guess someone could get a 2024OT that has been modified and one that hasn't, and find a 3rd person to drive both while not letting them see the ride height. Obviously not likely either .

 

[teghogh]

I was looking for this thread a long time and finally created an account here so can say thank you to everyone who posted these great finds and also provide a bit of feedback based on my install experience.

I have a '24 GX550 and a heavily modified '15 Jeep JK (had 4runners before those).
On the 'GX, I installed the 1" peak-suspension front leveling kit. It's marketed as 1.25" or 1.5", I measured 1" on my build.

A few notes about this whole lift/level/spring/shocks thread-
when you install longer coils/springs, you are not changing the overall shock travel.
normally, the shock limits your maximum droop as well as maximum bump travel. if all you change are the springs, what you are in fact doing is change the normal ride height. it simply sets a new point on your shocks where the normal ride height would be. your car's overall flex will not change.
in jeep forums, this will not be called a lift because it doesn't actually change anything about the wheel's range of motion.
this means there is no need to change upper control arms, drive shafts or anything. you are within original specs.
this also means that any tire rubbing issue due to running larger tires will remain. it'll just require some more flex to get to that point, but eventually the coil will compress all the way to the bump stop under sufficient load.

there are good reasons to go this route - it is simple. it is guaranteed to not interfere or stress any existing driveline component (since it doesn't actually change the overall wheel travel range), and it does provide a bit more clearance over 'easy' obstacles, like an occasional rock or some snow.

the peak suspension front spacer is not this. it actually pushes the entire shock and coil down, meaning you get an extra inch of droop in the front.
normally, you'd need a bump stop extender at this point because you pushed the entire shock down an inch, you risk having the shock limit your uptravel before hitting the bump stop. but peak suspension do not provide a bump stop extension, claiming that the OEM shock actually has more uptravel that is not used. they claim you actually gain an inch of suspension travel! keeping the original bump stop while pushing the down travel an inch.
i have not verified this claim on my build. i don't know how to easily push the suspension all the way to the bump stop to see how much shock travel remains. i'll post an update if i can ever prove this one way or another.

if you were to install some fancy king, fox or icon shocks, they'd actually be longer shocks that go along with longer springs. this gives you much more range of motion. this is where UCAs, shafts, CVs start to show stress. you'd need a diff drop bracket as a minimum.

few more points about the GX550 specifically and suspension changes-
the GX has auto-leveling headlights. there's a sensor somewhere on the rear axle that measures how much the rear is compressed. when you lift the car, it sends a signal to the headlights to aim higher. you can compensate by either relocating the sensor, or by using a small screwdriver and adjusting your headlights.
if you actually install longer shocks (remember- the springs don't affect maximum droop), you might need to check that this sensor and its wiring will not be damaged when in full droop.

the other thing about the GX is the front facing camera / collision sensors. these are calibrated for a specific vehicle stance. any suspension change technically requires recalibration. most garages can do it (any place that replaces windshields can do it). it's probably not critical to do if you haven't moved anything much, but it's something to consider. you need to consider this even if you only change tire size because a larger tire is a lift.

one last thing about alignment-
in an IFS, raising or lowering the front of the vehicle changes the toe. it's just the way IFS geometry works.
it's important that the toe be set correctly at ride height, which is where most highway miles are done.
i'm sure at least some of the claims about 'vibrations' and what not are actually due to misalignment and they're fixed after the suspension install because proper alignment was done.
specifically for toyotas, the shop doing the alignment needs to know 'toyota'. these cars are designed to be aligned with a driver and no other load. the 'toyota stance' is because the front left is designed to be about 1/2" taller when there is no driver in the car.

from what i'm reading here - the rear shocks are a bit stiffer and the fronts are longer. i'd probably install the rears to get better handling, especially since it's easy to DIY and i already have the peak-suspension front spacer which is an actual 1" lift, not just changing the ride height.


pictures for attention - first one is me removing the skid plates before installing the peak spacer.
next two are my jw-offroad front bumper install. i try to DIY whenever I can.

Great write up. Couple things to consider
I would definitely consider bump stop extensions . You don’t want to bottom out the shocks. Specially the adjustable avs shocks that come on overtrail
2. With the bump stop added you are back to same travel as stock with the exception of gaining 1 inch droop and losing 1 inch up travel .
3. The extra down travel at full drop may stress the CVs as is
4. You are potentially rubbing UCA to springs at full droop , I’d consider putting some rubber to protect the springs
5. With the leveling kit, any weight distribution biased to rear will make the front go up.
6. Early Data indicates that aftermarket king fox etc will not work on tnga platform as you are already at the limits of LCA interfering with other components. Hence extra travel is not possible without going to long travel setup.

Would new shocks (non long travel) increase my wheel travel?

I was thinking about getting Dobinsons MRR or IMS. I assume these aftermarket shocks are usually slightly longer than factory. They do come in 2 lengths which specify for 0-2” of lift and 2.5+” of lift, but I haven’t found the shock length specifications anywhere or even the OEM Toyota shocks...

www.landcruiserforum.com

7. Lexus chose to sacrifice 1 inch of down travel for 1 inch of extra clearance. This was a interesting decision as down travel is just as important as clearance since you want to have your tires contact the ground at all times

 

[ToyCruiser]

I was looking for this thread a long time and finally created an account here so can say thank you to everyone who posted these great finds and also provide a bit of feedback based on my install experience.

I have a '24 GX550 and a heavily modified '15 Jeep JK (had 4runners before those).
On the 'GX, I installed the 1" peak-suspension front leveling kit. It's marketed as 1.25" or 1.5", I measured 1" on my build.

A few notes about this whole lift/level/spring/shocks thread-
when you install longer coils/springs, you are not changing the overall shock travel.
normally, the shock limits your maximum droop as well as maximum bump travel. if all you change are the springs, what you are in fact doing is change the normal ride height. it simply sets a new point on your shocks where the normal ride height would be. your car's overall flex will not change.
in jeep forums, this will not be called a lift because it doesn't actually change anything about the wheel's range of motion.
this means there is no need to change upper control arms, drive shafts or anything. you are within original specs.
this also means that any tire rubbing issue due to running larger tires will remain. it'll just require some more flex to get to that point, but eventually the coil will compress all the way to the bump stop under sufficient load.

there are good reasons to go this route - it is simple. it is guaranteed to not interfere or stress any existing driveline component (since it doesn't actually change the overall wheel travel range), and it does provide a bit more clearance over 'easy' obstacles, like an occasional rock or some snow.

the peak suspension front spacer is not this. it actually pushes the entire shock and coil down, meaning you get an extra inch of droop in the front.
normally, you'd need a bump stop extender at this point because you pushed the entire shock down an inch, you risk having the shock limit your uptravel before hitting the bump stop. but peak suspension do not provide a bump stop extension, claiming that the OEM shock actually has more uptravel that is not used. they claim you actually gain an inch of suspension travel! keeping the original bump stop while pushing the down travel an inch.
i have not verified this claim on my build. i don't know how to easily push the suspension all the way to the bump stop to see how much shock travel remains. i'll post an update if i can ever prove this one way or another.

if you were to install some fancy king, fox or icon shocks, they'd actually be longer shocks that go along with longer springs. this gives you much more range of motion. this is where UCAs, shafts, CVs start to show stress. you'd need a diff drop bracket as a minimum.

few more points about the GX550 specifically and suspension changes-
the GX has auto-leveling headlights. there's a sensor somewhere on the rear axle that measures how much the rear is compressed. when you lift the car, it sends a signal to the headlights to aim higher. you can compensate by either relocating the sensor, or by using a small screwdriver and adjusting your headlights.
if you actually install longer shocks (remember- the springs don't affect maximum droop), you might need to check that this sensor and its wiring will not be damaged when in full droop.

the other thing about the GX is the front facing camera / collision sensors. these are calibrated for a specific vehicle stance. any suspension change technically requires recalibration. most garages can do it (any place that replaces windshields can do it). it's probably not critical to do if you haven't moved anything much, but it's something to consider. you need to consider this even if you only change tire size because a larger tire is a lift.

one last thing about alignment-
in an IFS, raising or lowering the front of the vehicle changes the toe. it's just the way IFS geometry works.
it's important that the toe be set correctly at ride height, which is where most highway miles are done.
i'm sure at least some of the claims about 'vibrations' and what not are actually due to misalignment and they're fixed after the suspension install because proper alignment was done.
specifically for toyotas, the shop doing the alignment needs to know 'toyota'. these cars are designed to be aligned with a driver and no other load. the 'toyota stance' is because the front left is designed to be about 1/2" taller when there is no driver in the car.

from what i'm reading here - the rear shocks are a bit stiffer and the fronts are longer. i'd probably install the rears to get better handling, especially since it's easy to DIY and i already have the peak-suspension front spacer which is an actual 1" lift, not just changing the ride height.


pictures for attention - first one is me removing the skid plates before installing the peak spacer.
next two are my jw-offroad front bumper install. i try to DIY whenever I can.

I'm installing the 25 springs now, for the ride height sender on the rear axle, how much did you adjust it and which direction?

 

[ToyCruiser]

Anyone that has done the spring install, did you need to do recalibrations with that as well? I am being quoted around $700 to do full recalibrations on the vehicle. Also, there is a ride height sender on the rear axle that affects the headlight trajectory, did anyone have to adjust that?

 

[ISU3GX]

My shop works on lots of Tundras and had done a spacer lift on one LC250 and mine was the first GX they lifted. The gave me the YMMV speech to ‘be aware we do not adjust ride height sensors or any of the safety systems camera/sensor calibrations.’ They shared they have not had issues on Tundras in the past.. But those are all a prior generation TSS.

Having said that, I’ve now driven min a little over 100 miles and was in hyper aware state of watching for misbehaving. I had no weird behaviors and no alerts or abnormal warnings (beyond the normal chatty alerts). Of my ~120 miles all was essentially urban LA freeway and surface traffic. And, most of those miles were stop and go traffic using adaptive cruise/lane tracing assist and the frequent use of Traffic Jam assist when traffic slowed at a crawl.

My initial assessment is ‘works like before’.

I’ll be the same hyper aware after I get 34’s installed this weekend. I’m hoping ‘all normal’. I do get the view to the camera system is different.

If I sense any odd behavior I’ll pay Lexus to execute a recalibration. I’d guess the adaptive cruise control/Traffic Jam assist would be most likely to misbehave and would slow down too early (because it is looking too far ahead) or slow down unpredictably (because it had an emergent partial view of a near vehicle and panicked).

 

[ToyCruiser]

My shop works on lots of Tundras and had done a spacer lift on one LC250 and mine was the first GX they lifted. The gave me the YMMV speech to ‘be aware we do not adjust ride height sensors or any of the safety systems camera/sensor calibrations.’ They shared they have not had issues on Tundras in the past.. But those are all a prior generation TSS.

Having said that, I’ve now driven min a little over 100 miles and was in hyper aware state of watching for misbehaving. I had no weird behaviors and no alerts or abnormal warnings (beyond the normal chatty alerts). Of my ~120 miles all was essentially urban LA freeway and surface traffic. And, most of those miles were stop and go traffic using adaptive cruise/lane tracing assist and the frequent use of Traffic Jam assist when traffic slowed at a crawl.

My initial assessment is ‘works like before’.

I’ll be the same hyper aware after I get 34’s installed this weekend. I’m hoping ‘all normal’. I do get the view to the camera system is different.

If I sense any odd behavior I’ll pay Lexus to execute a recalibration. I’d guess the adaptive cruise control/Traffic Jam assist would be most likely to misbehave and would slow down too early (because it is looking too far ahead) or slow down unpredictably (because it had an emergent partial view of a near vehicle and panicked).

I am showing a quarter inch taller on the driver side, I know that traditionally Toyotas would be up a bit on the driver side to compensate for fuel tank and the driver's weight, is that a thing on the Lexus as well?

 

[Bluegill]

I've heard that both (Toyota & Lexus) are a bit high on the driver's side to compensate for the driver. The vehicle is considered static with the driver and nothing else as far as people and cargo are concerned. Land Rover did/does this too. We used to always make sure to buy a pair of matched springs from OME so we didn't have the lean.

 

[Bluegill]

For what it's worth, my truck is a good 2.5 inches higher in the front and about 0.75" higher in the rear and I've never even thought about re-calibrating any sensors for headlights, radar, cameras, etc. Everything works fine on my truck but I did have to manually adjust my headlights down a bit.

 

[ISU3GX]

My 2024 OT now has the 2025 OT springs and Falken AT4w in LT 285/70-18. I did a good job of taking measurements, not so good at taking pictures.

Between the springs and the tires I should have picked up ~1.75”. Just measured and it’s right ~1.75” higher front and rear. Just as expected.

The AT4w drive great, no notable impact on acceleration or turning. They definitely transmit small impacts sharper. Not surprising given these are an LT tire and have the Falken ‘Duraspec 3 Ply sidewall’. The road surface noise is also louder, but not offensive. No rub in forward, reverse, or when turning in forward reverse. You can see light between the fender liner and the wheel when turned. Americas Tire test fit an AT4w in 35x11.5-18 and it has rubbed the liner pretty well. Falken website says that tire is 34.9” and the 285/70-18 is 34”. So seems to be reasonably representative.

I’ve pulled the Lexus sliders and have received my Dissent Step Sliders. Hopefully will get those on this weekend as well.

 

[Bluegill]

Lookin good!

 

[ACJS]

So I ordered just the 2025 front springs for my '24 OT+ to make it more level. Might be a silly question, but raising only the front 1" would change the angle at which the front windshield now sits, right? So would this make it possibly less susceptible to rock chips since the angle is not as upright anymore?

 

[teghogh]

So I ordered just the 2025 front springs for my '24 OT+ to make it more level. Might be a silly question, but raising only the front 1" would change the angle at which the front windshield now sits, right? So would this make it possibly less susceptible to rock chips since the angle is not as upright anymore?

I’ll bite
You are changing the angle by 0.5 degrees
X = original angle
Z new angle
Y change in rake due to 1 inch lift
112 wheel base
Y= tan-1 (1/112)

 

[ACJS]

I’ll bite
You are changing the angle by 0.5 degrees
X = original angle
Z new angle
Y change in rake due to 1 inch lift
112 wheel base
Y= tan-1 (1/112)

So what you're saying is no it won't make a difference? Lol thanks for answering! I knew it wouldn't be a huge degree difference but didn't know how much.

 

[teghogh]

So what you're saying is no it won't make a difference? Lol thanks for answering! I knew it wouldn't be a huge degree difference but didn't know how much.

it actually makes a ndifference but not due to the angle change. lifting the car by an inch means the rocks have to clear an extra inch before hitting your windshield.

 

[markmanner]

it actually makes a ndifference but not due to the angle change. lifting the car by an inch means the rocks have to clear an extra inch before hitting your windshield.

Or, ones that would have gone over your windshield before by an inch now can hit it .

 

[YellowLab]

I’ll bite
You are changing the angle by 0.5 degrees
X = original angle
Z new angle
Y change in rake due to 1 inch lift
112 wheel base
Y= tan-1 (1/112)

lol - thanks for sharing