99965 miles, replaced rear with oem kyb as a test, but will keep them now.
5100's are a great fix for stock suspension, (Thanks RCsGX)plus you can adjust the front. My stock shocks in front were shot, flat same in rear, rides much smoother now with less side roll

 

Alright guys. So after tons of research and a lot of convincing myself that all would be okay, I made the switch. Put bilstein 5100s on all 4 corners and FJ springs on the rear. I also used metal techs conversion kit to swap to the rear springs. At first i was very pleased with the ride. It was considerably better since the airbags were completely shot. But lately ive notice that i still feel the rear end hit hard over some decent size bumps or whenever only one of the rear tires hits a bump. For instance whenever i go over those annoying speed bumps that are at a slight angle so that each rear tire hits the bump at a different time it feels terrible. So thats the situation im in right now.

I thought that maybe the bottom of the upper spring isolator was hitting the top of the spring mount. I checked it out today and the clearance is only about 1.5". Just so you can see what im talking about, Hill60s post on page two (picture of the rear coil spring) shows exactly what im seeing when i look under my car. From his picture you can see that there really isnt much clearance between the spring isolator and the mount. Any ideas on how to fix this?

I can think of two options.

1 - Buy another set of springs that are taller/stiffer

or

2 - Possibly shorten the spring isolator to allow for more clearance.

 

Yes Erictabor, I have come to a similar conclusion myself. On road it's fine but off road/bigger bumps it hits in the rear end. I had made the assumption that because I opted for the shorter FJ OME coils (mostly because I couldn't fit it in the parking garage at any higher height) that they were 'overpowered' a little because of the GX's additional weight vs. FJ. The Metal tech isolators did have 'sections' so maybe they can be shortened. I'll be interested to hear what other people have to say as well.

 

Yeah i also noticed the "sections" on the isolators, thats why i was wondering if i could cut part of it off. Do you know how much shorter your OME spring is than the longer version that they offer?

Eric

 

you shouldnt be having an issue with FJ springs at all, have you called MetalTech yet?

 

When i talked to MetalTech initially they told me that FJ springs would fit the GX470. They didnt say anything about how they would perform.

 

Most of the lifted GX guys are fine running FJ coils in the rear. I plan on running the longer 2.5" lift Toytec Custom Ride heavy duty coils or the All Pro 3.5" lift coils in the near future. Look on Toyota120 and IH8MUD forums for more information, I know more of the offroad GX guys are on there.

 

Sorry Eric I don't remember exactly but like half or a full inch maybe. I did finally talk with Metal Tech (after a few messages and four phone calls). They suggested using a spacer or different springs and weren't that fond of the idea of chopping an inch of their product. Of course I don't know if in fact it wouldn't work. There's always the bumpstop if you get really excited off-road On the upside, my springs seem to have settled a little and I was off-road today and I'm not sure I experienced the problem that you and I have experienced...so maybe there's hope. At present I am not in as much of a hurry for a 'cure' and will see how I go.

 

Hill60 I ran the Old Man Emu 895E (shorter springs) for almost a year and just replaced them a few months ago. Mine were paired with Bilstein shocks and they rode rough. On smooth pavement it was great but on rough pavement or offroad it was pretty harsh. It felt at times that they were bottoming out but I finally figured out that they were just too stiff. The spring rate on the Old Man Emu 895 and 895E springs is the same. The 895E is just an inch shorter. The springs have a much higher spring rate than the other rear springs on the market available for the FJ Cruiser or 4Runner. Loaded down with an extra 200lbs or more or towing my boat improved the ride, but empy it was just too much. I swapped my rear springs for the Icon 2" lift rear springs. Not because I wanted the extra lift but to help with the ride and suspension travel. It has made a huge difference. I did keep my Old Man Emu springs in case I get to a point where i have a constant 200 lbs or more of additional weight in the back.

 

Thanks for your perspective Wademracer, I'll keep that in mind. One of these days I might work up to ICONs but this will be good enough for now. I have no doubt they provide a superior ride.