Attn: Anyone running OEM Black Tokico 80 Series LC SHOCKS in the rear

[JayRolla]

I also run these shocks and DID MODIFY the shock tower. I believe Steve at SS told me that if you are hard core wheeling and fully stretching a lot that the larger diameter helps you get more articulation, the stock strut tower on the landcruiser was made to adjust and have more movement, he highly suggested I do it. If you email Steve I'm sure he will explain everything and may also he has all the hardware you need, I can probably look up the instuctions he gave me also. Gave what bit to use and everything.

 

[TNRunner99]

I believe Steve at SS told me that if you are hard core wheeling and fully stretching a lot that the larger diameter helps you get more articulation, the stock strut tower on the landcruiser was made to adjust and have more movement, he highly suggested I do it. If you email Steve I'm sure he will explain everything and may also he has all the hardware you need, I can probably look up the instuctions he gave me also. Gave what bit to use and everything.

I called SS two weeks ago asking what centering washer they use in the LC shock set. I was trying to price compare all the parts included in his kit and see if getting the shocks from him were actually cheaper than the dealer. Needless to say when I asked and told him that I read the info about additional parts needed, he said "Wow its amazing what you read on the internet." I said, "ok." He then said, "I'm sick of people asking me about my ideas. I'm the one that figured out you could use the LC shocks and springs." I was like good for you. Anyways he never told me the info I was looking for and really rubbed me the wrong way. I was nothing but polite over the phone and told him thank you and hung up. I was more than happy to pay a little extra at the dealer with the way he spoke over the phone.
I think I'm gonna try and find the Rancho washers that BigFish used. It looks like they fit better over the bushings.

 

[blue dog]

I too had a similar conversation with the dude at SS as derdog, i decided right there that SS will not get any of my money. Ordered my shocks from the dealer, and drilled out the washers, done deal. collecting total chaos parts as we speak, and anything form SS will be tossed like a old pair of shoes.

 

[TNRunner99]

I too had a similar conversation with the dude at SS as derdog, i decided right there that SS will not get any of my money. Anything form SS will be tossed like a old pair of shoes.

Glad to know I'm not the only one. I was really taken off guard.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'm running them as part of my SS 1.2A kit from Steve.

They are great.

 

[Bryan1]

Is it essential to have the Toyota LC washers (4 x Toyota Part # 90948-02144) at $10 a piece or would just regular washers do the job?

 

[downpour11]

I just went to ace and picked up some grade 8 washers.

 

[Bryan1]

I just went to ace and picked up some grade 8 washers.

sounds good thanks!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I just went to ace and picked up some grade 8 washers.

HEY! That's a good idea. Where were you when I posted this thread, man? You could have saved me $40, too!

 

[downpour11]

HEY! That's a good idea. Where were you when I posted this thread, man? You could have saved me $40, too!

hahaha yeah I remember installing the shocks and figured I'd just stack 2 washers to get to the threads.

No idea where I was. It was probably around the time when I was working way too much and didn't want to shell out money to get the internet I would rarely use at my old house so I wasn't on the forum much.

 

[cj80cruiser]

HEY! That's a good idea. Where were you when I posted this thread, man? You could have saved me $40, too!

How are you liking the shocks after riding on them awhile? Any complaints?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

They have done what I wanted them to do, which was to slow down the OME 861's. I was getting alot of rear bounce over bigger bumps with the 5100's, but with the Tokico blacks the rear end dips once, and then levels out. They definitely control the action of the springs much better than the 5100's.

The only tradeoff is that they are definitely a stiffer shock, and don't absorb smaller bumps quite as well as the 5100's did. When the truck is empty I've noticed a few downsides.... Joints in the pavement on freeway bridges and the like are much more noticeable w/the Tokicos. Also on washboard roads, they tend to rattle things inside the cab a bit more (cargo box, glove box, etc).

When the truck is loaded, these shocks feel much better all around. They settle down alot once there's 200-300lbs in the back of the rig, and should feel great with a full load this summer (I haven't gone on any long trips where it would normally see a 400-500lb load).

Within days of installing the springs, I also bumped up the air pressure in my tires from 28 to 36, so that may be causing some of the small bump sensitivity that I'm noticing. I've been experimenting this winter with different air pressues to see if I can squeeze out some extra mileage without sacrificing ride quality. My Duratracs are E's so on the 4Runner they'll carry the weight at lower pressures, but the sidewalls get stiff pretty quickly as you move up on PSI.

I guess the short answer is that the jury is still out. I'm going to back off the tire pressure to 32 and see how things feel there. If the small bump sensitivity goes away, I'll know it was the tire pressure.

 

[cj80cruiser]

Thanks for the response. Interested on how much difference the lower air pressure makes. I have a set of these shocks sitting in my shop but with an 85lb AOR rear bumper, spare tire, and about 50lbs of tools I'm afraid they are going to be too stiff.

 

[Rockdawg84]

I can't believe I missed this thread!!! Great info BFAD as always. I like Rob just used the thicker grade 8 washers and they worked great. I now am running king 2.5" remote resi's that I got a great deal on. Honestly I cant tell a huge difference between the LC's and the Kings. The kings are rebuildable and I will never need to buy another pair but that being said I could buy a lot of sets of the LC's for what I paid for the kings.

 

[TNRunner99]

Bigfish, did you have to use two washers on the top of the shock mount to get the nut tight? I got 4 of the washers from the dealer you listed in this thread but will I need 2 more? Another thread said they had to use 2 on top.

 

[fightman80]

I'm interested to hear more about this! Looking to replace my skyjackers with some LC shocks in the future....

 

[tre9er]

Bigfish, did you have to use two washers on the top of the shock mount to get the nut tight? I got 4 of the washers from the dealer you listed in this thread but will I need 2 more? Another thread said they had to use 2 on top.

Interested as well.

 

[JayRolla]

WHen I installed my lc tokicos I took Steves advice from SS and drilled out the upper shock assembly and used all the stock hardware from the Land Cruiser to give full moveablitly of the upper shock housing. IF you dont do this it will limit some movement and flex of the upper shock assembly. It does make a difference too as I have ran both ways.

 

[white_n_slow]

WHen I installed my lc tokicos I took Steves advice from SS and drilled out the upper shock assembly and used all the stock hardware from the Land Cruiser to give full moveablitly of the upper shock housing. IF you dont do this it will limit some movement and flex of the upper shock assembly. It does make a difference too as I have ran both ways.

I ran these without drilling out the hole or using the LC washers and it still flexed to the point that I was close to dropping a spring out (yikes!), so I would say it isn't necessary. There may be some difference, but it's not a lot.

My experience with the Tokicos is also that they ride too stiff without a lot of weight in the truck. The harshness over small bumps and pavement joints as described above is exactly what I experienced with two different sets of tires at various air pressures. It's definitely the shocks. If you've got a bumper, spare tire carrier, air tank, tools, etc, then it would probably ride great.

 

[JayRolla]

I ran these without drilling out the hole or using the LC washers and it still flexed to the point that I was close to dropping a spring out (yikes!), so I would say it isn't necessary. There may be some difference, but it's not a lot.

My experience with the Tokicos is also that they ride too stiff without a lot of weight in the truck. The harshness over small bumps and pavement joints as described above is exactly what I experienced with two different sets of tires at various air pressures. It's definitely the shocks. If you've got a bumper, spare tire carrier, air tank, tools, etc, then it would probably ride great.

I have lowered bump stops too eliminate over compression of shock and also the spring falling out. It helps movement of the shock and rear end, not really makes it flex more.