I spent months reading and learning lift options & variables for my new 5th gen. This is a daily driver that will be on road 95% of the time. I knew I wanted a suspension vs spacer lift. On the short list was Wheelers 5100/T1/T13, Bilstein w/ OME 885/895E and Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro. I planned on SPC UCAs Budget for parts was @ $1800.

After a ton of research, I was ready to jump on the Ironman. I called to ask a few questions about spring options and Luke was quick to suggest I save my money and go with the Nitro kit. This was based solely on how little I will be off road and the conditions I am in on logging roads in the Northwest. Foam Cell Pro would have been overkill.
Luke suggested Performance springs & told me to expect 2.5” lift front and rear. At $1299 on sale with UCA and assembly, price was great.

Here’s The specs on my kit:

Front Coil Springs - TOYO55B, 0-110 lbs, 380mm, 669 lb/in, 17 mm
Rear Coil Springs - TOYO56B, 0-660 lbs, 395mm, 280 lb/in, 17 mm
12710GR Front Struts, Nitro Gas -
12682GRC Rear Shock Absorber - Nitro Gas -
UCA001FA - Front Pro Forge Upper Control Arms

Before measurements center hub to fender with a full tank:
DF 19.5”
PF 19.875”
DR 21.5”
PR 21.75”

I did have them add a 5mm (.2”) spacer beneath the DF coil seat for a .4” compensation for lean.

Kit came today and it took me 6 hours for a solo install. Ironman GX460 Facebook video was a great help. Everything went smooth and I’m extremely satisfied with the result. Here are my new measurements after a test drive and @ .5” settling up front:

DF 22.5” +3”
PF 22.75” +2.875”
DR 24” +2.5”
PR 24” +2.25”

Will be letting it settle, then plan on an alignment and some new shoes. At the moment Im very happy with the results & recommend it highly.

Update: Added images of before lift with Bridgestone 265’s and after with BFG KO2 285’s

Attached Images

           

Thanks for the review I plan to pull the plug shortly on this lift also.

Looking good bro, hopefully my kit will be here in a couple weeks

DAY 3 Update and Alignment:
I have about 50 road miles on the lift.
No additional settling noted after the first day measurements.

My opinion: The ride feels tight in a good way. Braking feels better, probably because of the reduced dive. Cornering feels sportier and more planted. Nice difference felt going over speed bumps- no second bounce like I felt with OEM.

Went to local shop assuming it should be simple with the new UCA‘a. I requested caster between 3.8-4.2. Tech worked diligently for 2.5 hours but it was obvious didn’t have experience with lifted Toyota’s. I should have asked about this before taking it in. Great guys and they were honest. End result is that all is in spec, but they couldn’t get Caster above 3.0 on drivers side and 2.8 on passenger. It drives great though. Think I will drive it for a few thousand miles then align again elsewhere when I get new shoes....if I can hold out that long.

Dam that's wack. I will be good if I can keep my current readylift height, but if not I got an idea

I ordered a stage 3 Nitros for our 2019 4runner. Really looking forward to it arriving.

Looks good!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you noticed how the lift and larger tires effected your fuel mileage? I ask because this is the same setup we will be using

I haven’t driven enough yet to give an educated answer. 265 OEM Bridgestone were only 39 Lbs, the 285 BFG C loads are 51 Lbs, an inch larger and AT tread. I was close to going with Nitto Ridge Grapplers, but couldn't pass up KO2’s with white letters out at the same price. All I read from others on the forum tells me to expect a hit of 1-2 mpg on any 285- my gauge tells me I’m @ .5 lower so far. I’m very happy with the ride and they are much quieter than expected. Bottom line- They look so good, I’m willing to pay a little more at the pump. Best of luck with your build!

I just installed this kit but with the foam cells as Nitro we’re out of stock as were the top plates so I had to build the CO myself. Did you adjust the coilover at all or go with the 8.5” they come with pre-assembled. Mine is tall, which I like, but has a lot of bounce. I’m thinking I adjusted too high and will need to back them down.

Nitros are not adjustable so I’m at stock Ironman height. I did have them add a 5mm spacer on drivers side (sits below the coil) to compensate for drivers side lean, which added .4” to my after settled results below:
DF 22.5” +3” (Includes 5mm spacer)
PF 22.625” +2.75”
DR 24” +2.5”
PR 24” +2.25”

I used performance “B” springs, which did you go with?

any current promo code for a Dustin am 15% off?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

60 Day check in:

I’ve been chasing down a low speed ‘squeak’ for weeks. Checked all installation points, etc. Eventually found my alignment tech had only torqued lower control arms down to @ 40-50lbs vs factory 129 Ft lb Spec... After a re-alignment and proper torque, I’m back in spec with zero squeaks!

Over all, I’m extremely satisfied with the Nitro stage 2 kit. The ride is so sporty and solid around high speed turns and at highway speeds. The performance is great plus the stance is perfect to my eye. I’ve yet to go hard off road, but that’s not really my thing at this point either.

Thanks for the update! I've been following your post..

Have you done any off-roading with the new suspension yet? Any rubbing on the body mount?

I ordered a Stage 2 Pro and am wondering if I need to do the body mount chop. I'll be running 285.70/17's on a set of SCS Ray 10's 8.5"

Nothing more than forrest service roads so far, but I went with this kit because I don’t hard core off-road. Zero rubbing since the trimming, but haven’t come close to stuffing the tires. From talking to Ironman reps and reading other posts, I feel pretty safe without the BMC. That said, I have a grinder and a MIG, so not against it if need be- seems pretty simple. I’m running OE wheels, so your offset may have some effect. Post pics when you are done.