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That sucks that you have to completely hack up the OEM bumper to use an aftermarket one. Those oem bumpers and grill aint cheap. The old school Toyota trucks were much more user friendly in this regard (100 and 80 series and well as the older 4Runners).
That sucks that you have to completely hack up the OEM bumper to use an aftermarket one. Those oem bumpers and grill aint cheap. The old school Toyota trucks were much more user friendly in this regard (100 and 80 series and well as the older 4Runners).
Agreed. I guess that's the price for moving up the market. I compared the LX against the Range Rover and ultimately the reliability and the third row seat decided it for me. I guess for enthusiasts and serious off-roaders, having a dedicated cheaper old beater makes much more sense than abusing a $100k vehicle. But for less serious off-roading you can't beat the LX or LC as a whole package.
That sucks that you have to completely hack up the OEM bumper to use an aftermarket one. Those oem bumpers and grill aint cheap. The old school Toyota trucks were much more user friendly in this regard (100 and 80 series and well as the older 4Runners).
Some 200 series non-oem bumpers are designed to fit after removing a lower portion of the oem bumper. A template is supplied, so if you can follow a line with a cutting tool, it's stupid simple. I've been on mud since 2008. I have yet to read about anyone wanting to replace the oem bumper after installing one designed with a lot of features to increase the off-road performance of the truck. I doubt you'd drop the $$$ on an off-road bumper without a lot of thought.
"Old school" trucks have a completely different bumper interface to the frame.
I will submit that buying a 200-series and not taking it off pavement is ignoring the basic reason why the trucks were designed.
I think you can outfit either the LC or the LX to accomplish what your specific needs are. The LX works just as great off-road and most LC parts bolt on with a little help. I replaced my semi-built 100 series cruiser with an LX and I actually am a big fan of the AHC as we have a hitch box and the self leveling system compensates great vs. my old cruiser with the static suspension. Also with little kids its nice to have a normal ride height most of the time but a few extra inches at the touch of a button when needed. Even though I was told there was no guaranty an aftermarket bumper made for the LC would fit the LX, having the same frame etc I was able to get it on last weekend by myself relatively easily. There are no templates for the LX but some simple measuring and a good cutting tool made modifying the stock bumper pretty easy also.
I think you can outfit either the LC or the LX to accomplish what your specific needs are. The LX works just as great off-road and most LC parts bolt on with a little help. I replaced my semi-built 100 series cruiser with an LX and I actually am a big fan of the AHC as we have a hitch box and the self leveling system compensates great vs. my old cruiser with the static suspension. Also with little kids its nice to have a normal ride height most of the time but a few extra inches at the touch of a button when needed. Even though I was told there was no guaranty an aftermarket bumper made for the LC would fit the LX, having the same frame etc I was able to get it on last weekend by myself relatively easily. There are no templates for the LX but some simple measuring and a good cutting tool made modifying the stock bumper pretty easy also.
That is a thing of beauty!! How heavy is the bumper and does the factory suspension (and ahc) handle it?
That is a thing of beauty!! How heavy is the bumper and does the factory suspension (and ahc) handle it?
Awesome!
J.
Thanks, between the frame mount/winch plate which is very heavy and bumper I would guess around 150 pounds. The front hoops are removable so a bit less when I take them off. No effect on AHC that I can tell. Goes up to high in the same time it used to before and ride is the same also as before.
I think you can outfit either the LC or the LX to accomplish what your specific needs are. The LX works just as great off-road and most LC parts bolt on with a little help. I replaced my semi-built 100 series cruiser with an LX and I actually am a big fan of the AHC as we have a hitch box and the self leveling system compensates great vs. my old cruiser with the static suspension. Also with little kids its nice to have a normal ride height most of the time but a few extra inches at the touch of a button when needed. Even though I was told there was no guaranty an aftermarket bumper made for the LC would fit the LX, having the same frame etc I was able to get it on last weekend by myself relatively easily. There are no templates for the LX but some simple measuring and a good cutting tool made modifying the stock bumper pretty easy also.
That's really nice. I love how well they fit with not gaps to be shown.
That's really nice. I love how well they fit with not gaps to be shown.
thanks, I tried to get it within a 1/2 inch all around when I cut it. I know the bumper moves when offroad but it can only make contact with plastic parts that have give so not worried about damage.
I love my LX, but when I do it again, I'm going to make a bigger effort to find a Land Cruiser.
They're MUCH harder to find, but I like the more rugged look, the better approach angle, the lack of electric 3rd row, the lack of AHC, and the better off road tire options without having to switch to LC wheels.
I looked for an LC, and found one Cruiser to about 10-12 LXs.
I love my LX, but when I do it again, I'm going to make a bigger effort to find a Land Cruiser.
They're MUCH harder to find, but I like the more rugged look, the better approach angle, the lack of electric 3rd row, the lack of AHC, and the better off road tire options without having to switch to LC wheels.
I looked for an LC, and found one Cruiser to about 10-12 LXs.
AliSC4, that thing looks great!
3rd row seat power vs manual - Mine are removed from the truck regardless, but the only difference is a little extra weight, assuming you keep them in.
Approach angle the LC does have the advantage, not a massive one, but that's completely solved with an HD bumper like above. Here's a side by side pic of the 16+ body styles:
As far as wheels/tires, the only thing changed going to LC is the ability to run 35s - assuming you have spent the thousands of dollars for a properly set up lift and front HD bumper.
Someone on mud is running LT285/75/17 (33.8") on his LX with trimming the front wheel wells. Stock is 31.2", or 31.8" with the 21s.
The ML stereo is a nice upgrade and a IMO significant LX advantage. Also, fake wood on the Land Cruiser. Not cool.
That said, my dream would be to have a second truck - an LC - with all those goodies. But if I can only afford one, the LX is probably going to be my choice.
I think you can outfit either the LC or the LX to accomplish what your specific needs are. The LX works just as great off-road and most LC parts bolt on with a little help. I replaced my semi-built 100 series cruiser with an LX and I actually am a big fan of the AHC as we have a hitch box and the self leveling system compensates great vs. my old cruiser with the static suspension. Also with little kids its nice to have a normal ride height most of the time but a few extra inches at the touch of a button when needed. Even though I was told there was no guaranty an aftermarket bumper made for the LC would fit the LX, having the same frame etc I was able to get it on last weekend by myself relatively easily. There are no templates for the LX but some simple measuring and a good cutting tool made modifying the stock bumper pretty easy also.
Hello, do you mind sharing which bumper that is? Also, what year is your LX? I have a 2011 and yours looks pretty similar to mine.
Hello, do you mind sharing which bumper that is? Also, what year is your LX? I have a 2011 and yours looks pretty similar to mine.
Thanks!
It is an 08 and the front bumper is a Dobinson but pretty much most of the generic ones for the Land Cruiser like ARB, Dobinson, Ironman etc all should fit the LX also without much issue. I also put a Land Cruiser ARB on the rear that also went on without much drama.
Thanks for the reply! Your rig looks awesome. I still haven't convinced the boss in the house but I'm still dreaming/planning on outfitting my LX similar to yours. Lately, I've been looking at roof racks and running into the same question of "Will an aftermarket LC rack easily fit on an LX?". Do you mind sharing any details about the rack you have and the install process?
Very welcome. Aftermarket land cruiser racks for the most part are interchangeable with LX's. Mine is a Gamiviti flat rack. He offers many version etc depending on your needs. Bolts right up no issues.
Only main thing to remember regardless of whatever rack you choose is when you remove your stock rack break both bolts at each mounting location before removing one of the two bolts. The mount they bolt into under the headliner is not a welded in nuts like you would expect but a metal plate that is held in place not very securely. What happens if you remove one bolt and then try to break the other one loose it will spin the retaining clip and getting that bolt out quickly becomes a nightmare of having to get under the headliner.
01-24-17, 04:57 PM
What bumper is that?
