Full Suspension Lifts for the GX 550
- Thread starter S SUBERI
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What full-replacement suspension systems are available for the GX550?
So far I have seen:
King
Icon
Fox
Dobinson's
Radflo
ARB/Old Man Emu
Ride Shocks (I think they have/or will have an option for the GX550)
It's kind of difficult to understand exactly what's needed for a full suspension upgrade. Some offer just the front & rear shocks, some include upper control arms, some include UCAs and rear upper & lower links, some include all of the above plus a rear track bar and a front diff drop. The Icon Stage 10 includes it all - I just noticed that the Icon Stage 10 Billet package is on sale from $11,285 down to $9,458. That's a good savings. Too bad about "APPLICATION NOTE #175: Will not fit GX550 Overtrail"!
As much as I'd like to install a full suspension system myself, I will probably have to go to a place like Westcott and pay them to consult on exactly what I need for my purposes. The easiest way to get their full attention and advice is to pay $$$$ for the installation.
So far I have seen:
King
Icon
Fox
Dobinson's
Radflo
ARB/Old Man Emu
Ride Shocks (I think they have/or will have an option for the GX550)
It's kind of difficult to understand exactly what's needed for a full suspension upgrade. Some offer just the front & rear shocks, some include upper control arms, some include UCAs and rear upper & lower links, some include all of the above plus a rear track bar and a front diff drop. The Icon Stage 10 includes it all - I just noticed that the Icon Stage 10 Billet package is on sale from $11,285 down to $9,458. That's a good savings. Too bad about "APPLICATION NOTE #175: Will not fit GX550 Overtrail"!
As much as I'd like to install a full suspension system myself, I will probably have to go to a place like Westcott and pay them to consult on exactly what I need for my purposes. The easiest way to get their full attention and advice is to pay $$$$ for the installation.
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Bilstein here in San Diego said that they will be coming out with a suspension lift but they are developing one for the LC and 4Runner first. I called Westcott to see if they planned to come out with a coil over shock for the GX after they did one for the TUNDRA and they said they would get back to me but never did. They didn't seem that interested. Thanks for recommending setting up a separate thread for this discussion. This isn't something one wants to jump in to without some serious thought.
For my suspension lift I opted for King with Camburg Kinetic billet UCAs and Icon rear springs. My installer said I don't need the links for what I plan to do as in no rock crawling. The installation fee was $700 which was reasonable I suppose. I purchased all the parts with a small discount of 10% via the installer.
I know that Westcott installed a full King suspension setup for another GX550 here in the Phoenix area. His name is Frank Burch and he's gone on to have Dissent do the full Dissent add-ons plus the 74 Weld portal axles (while keeping the King suspension components). Frank seems really happy with his setup but I don't want to take it that far. As much as I'd like to do 37-inch tires, I'm more interested in keeping my truck in my garage. I don't need more lift than I have now, I just want a full suspension upgrade with no net lift above where I am now.
Ooh, those Camburg UCAs are nice!
Just noticed installation fee of $700. That’s a bargain!
I’ve had kings in the past …. None of us are going to want to deal with the rebuild, especially when there is a premature leak which does happen more often than people lead on to believe ….. bilsteins 6112 were very stout and priced nice compared to the rebuildable shocks
Good info, keep it coming please! Suspension has always been a good 5 year set it and forget it deal for me before I thought about replacing shocks or springs. I’m only familiar with disposable (non-serviceable) Old Man Emu shocks on my various Land Rovers. I’ve also run a few sets of Bilsteins on the Rovers.
Hopefully Bilstein can give us a 6112/5160 type set up
I started my build with Icon Stage 4 (tubular).
Limited options and parts availability influenced my decision, I'm eager for more new products and options.
Limited options and parts availability influenced my decision, I'm eager for more new products and options.
I guess I have to set aside the Lord of the Rings Trilogy for the months of July and August to make time to read through and comprehend the Icon suspension Stage 1 through 10 descriptions and differences.
Comparing stages and parts was a chore. Each stage adds a feature/part, I landed on Stage 4 for the front/rear reservoirs.
You can add ARB/Old Man Emu with their new MT64 kit to your list. Optional UCAs, and optional front, rear Duro bump stops. The front coil over is adjustable at time of install, and the rear springs come in at least 2 flavors.
OME - 2.5" MT64 Suspension LiftLC 250 / GX 550 - Slee Off Road
IMPORTANT: Spring rates must be selected based upon the current weight of the vehicle (stock or aftermarket armor), not in anticipation of weight. Selecting spring rates for anticipation of added weight will create drivability issues. Use tabs to step through component selections - certain...
sleeoffroad.com
I added ARB/OME to the list. This is what I ran on my 1996 and 2004 Land Rover Discoveries. I got a good 8 years out of the shocks on my 2004 Discovery between installation in 2009 and replacement in 2017. I started with medium-duty springs on the 1996 and quickly swapped them out for heavy-duty. Went straight to heavy-duty on the 2004. The mediums were like driving a sponge. The HD were pretty high strung with an empty cargo area but nice & smooth when loaded up.
Please let us know how the install goes and the results (lift height, ride quality, etc.)
Thank you!
Thank you!
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