Radflo vs. Toytec Boss

[MountainBiker]

Which will fit my needs the best? And how would I go about getting the Overland Warehouse valving in the Radflos?

I was just about ready to buy the Radflo system from Sonoran Steel. So I had a quick discussion with them about the Radflos last week, and when I asked about valving and spring rate, I was told that "Radflo sets them up, they don't tell us what is in them". Since the valving will make all the difference in how much I will like these shocks, and really, that is the main reason for buying Radflos vs. a Bilstien system, I didn't get a good feeling about it.

From what I can tell, if I got the Bilstein based Toytec system, I'd have near OEM reliability. At the very least, the Radflo's teflon spherical bearings will need to be serviced more often.

Okay, here is what I want (suspension is currently stock, and appears original, so 13 years old):
- 2.5"/3.5" lift
- "overlanding" suspension performance, carrying camping gear for a week at a time, lots of washboarded dirt roads, some highway, occasional short sections of difficult 4x4 roads. Because of traveling long distances, and probably because of my motorcycle racing background, I often drive fast. So I want the suspension to behave well when hitting unexpected holes or whoop de doos.

So, will the Boss system (with 550 lb/in front springs and superflex rear springs) meet my needs? Or is there a way to make sure I can get the OW valving in the Radflo's, to make them worth the extra cost and maintenance?

 

[zooroadbaja]

If you are concerned with valving, why not call Glenn at Radflo? Tell him what you posted here, and then have him set something up for you and have them shipped directly from Radflo.

 

[MountainBiker]

If you are concerned with valving, why not call Glenn at Radflo? Tell him what you posted here, and then have him set something up for you and have them shipped directly from Radflo.

Yes, I plan to contact Radflo this week. Their prices look WAY higher than SS though.

Should I ask for Glenn? Is he the expert in this area?

 

[zooroadbaja]

Glenn is one of the owners

 

[NateMob]

If you are going to be "driving fast offroad" don't waste your money on a 2"bodied coilover. Why not step up to a 2.5" coilover from Icon, Sway-a-Way, Fox or Radford? Not sure why so many people are enamored with what ToyTec offers when there are many other companies to check out.


As far as the 550lb coil, I think that would be too light if you are running anything but the lightweight factory bumper. I run a 650lb spring on my Icons and can stuff either up into the fender liner, so flex isn't an issue. I also am able to run just a rear sway bar due to the excellent valving of the icons coupled with the heavier spring. I have full skids, sliders as well as an aftermarket rear bumper and tire carrier that affects my setup.

 

[4x4runner2002]

You can pick up a nice set of used icon,fox, king, sway a way 2.5 for 400-600. There is a lot for sale on tacoma world. Just look in the first gen tacoma section. Ttora also has some in their classifieds.
I agree that 2.5 is the way to go. More oil for less shock fade when your doing the high speed washboards.

 

[sn0wrunner]

Toytec sells radflo, Icon, and Fox too. Might be worth calling and getting their opinion on it as well.

From my experience no one will give out the exact valving for any shocks except the generic non-vehicle specific bilsteins.

 

[zooroadbaja]

From my experience no one will give out the exact valving for any shocks except the generic non-vehicle specific bilsteins.

Why would a shock company not tell you what shim stack they run? It's not a secret, you could always open the shock up and mic the shims to find out what they are running on rebound and compression. So I don't see why a company would make you go through all that just to find out the valving. I know when I went and picked up shocks from King they put right on the tag what valving is in it.

 

[MountainBiker]

Why would a shock company not tell you what shim stack they run? It's not a secret, you could always open the shock up and mic the shims to find out what they are running on rebound and compression. So I don't see why a company would make you go through all that just to find out the valving. I know when I went and picked up shocks from King they put right on the tag what valving is in it.

I would hope to get this from Radflo as well, since they claim that the end-user can rebuild and revalve the shocks. If you will revalve, you need to know your starting point so you can order the right shims!

 

[zooroadbaja]

I would hope to get this from Radflo as well, since they claim that the end-user can rebuild and revalve the shocks. If you will revalve, you need to know your starting point so you can order the right shims!

exactly, it'd be nice to order the shim stack before ripping the shock apart so there's less down time. you could always open it up yourself and figure it out, but it's just more down time.

 

[7B Snow]

Bump, I'm looking to do the same thing with my 4runner, go fast on rocky bumpy washboard fire roads, and don't really know where to start with suspension.

Mines a 97 and is all stock

 

[sn0wrunner]

Why would a shock company not tell you what shim stack they run? It's not a secret, you could always open the shock up and mic the shims to find out what they are running on rebound and compression. So I don't see why a company would make you go through all that just to find out the valving. I know when I went and picked up shocks from King they put right on the tag what valving is in it.

I'm just going off my experience... If you've had better luck GFY. (good for you) :thumb:

I'm referring to retailers like Sonoran Steel, Wheeler's Offroad, Metal Tech, Poly Performance, etc. They generally don't give out that information for whatever reason. Most likely because they don't know or care. They are just trying to sell you parts. To the OP you might have better luck asking Radflo directly like Zoo said, but since Glenn is the owner he is hard to get a hold of. More than likely you'll be talking to Mike Crosby. He's been in the industry for a long time, worked at ICON among other reputable companies. Good luck!

 

[MountainBiker]

If you are going to be "driving fast offroad" don't waste your money on a 2"bodied coilover. Why not step up to a 2.5" coilover from Icon, Sway-a-Way, Fox or Radford? Not sure why so many people are enamored with what ToyTec offers when there are many other companies to check out.

Yeah, I'm leaning that way!

As far as the 550lb coil, I think that would be too light if you are running anything but the lightweight factory bumper. I run a 650lb spring on my Icons and can stuff either up into the fender liner, so flex isn't an issue. I also am able to run just a rear sway bar due to the excellent valving of the icons coupled with the heavier spring. I have full skids, sliders as well as an aftermarket rear bumper and tire carrier that affects my setup.

Thanks for the input. Maybe 600 lb/in is the way to go, as I have Savage Skids and BAMF sliders on the way, I'll have a little more weight. Sticking with the stock bumper though.

 

[MountainBiker]

To the OP you might have better luck asking Radflo directly like Zoo said, but since Glenn is the owner he is hard to get a hold of. More than likely you'll be talking to Mike Crosby. He's been in the industry for a long time, worked at ICON among other reputable companies. Good luck!

Thanks! I'll be calling them soon, too busy at work today to make a call.