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I'm treating myself to new suspension all around. Bilstein 4600's in the rear (pulled the stock shocks long ago)... they're inbound to me as I write this. I am only able to find conflicting information about the front end yet I have the impression a good many have lock on this so I'm here asking. The GX (mine=2004) has struts... a shock with a mounting point on it for a spring... my inelegant way of thinking about it. Yet I am seeing what I am taking as confusing and/or conflicting (conflicting with my understanding of struts) information in multiple places... e.g forum posts... e.g. various suspension vendors and their technical support chats. I see from some places that that Bilstein 4600 and other shocks bolt right in. I can't see how this works for the spring. The Bilstein application site doesn't report back any Bilstein products that go on the GX at all. So... can someone please clear up for me... Do I have to buy new struts or... if 4600's can go on there, am I missing some magic part that supports the spring on the shock body, or something,? Please fill me in. Thank you for any help you can give me on this.
Below... diagrams that capture my confusion... the "spring support" ring on the Lexus OEM shock in the first pic, and one of many other online sources that says 4600's just slide right in.
The fronts use a strut (shock with a perch for the spring to sit on), the spring goes over the strut and onto the perch, the spring is compressed, and the tophat assembly goes over the spring, and the nut holds the assembly together. The bilstein's have adjustable/seperate spring perches, it's the metal ring on the left in your pic of the yellow shock, it needs to be installed on the shock before the spring goes on. Here's a pic of some Dobinsons struts and springs, assembled and ready for install.
SINCEREST thanks. I just could not see a place on the Bilstein's that would hold the spring (perch) and am embarrassed that after so long taking care of machines I had no experience on this. My eyes are SHOT at this point (if you go shooting with me, wait in the truck until I'm done and I can't see a place on the shock body to index the perch into the correct position but the hairs on the back of my neck tell me to trust this input all day. Do these perches come with the shock or are they a separate purchase (perhaps further clicking will reveal that answer and if this is sub-trivial, please don't burn more heartbeats at my ignorance festival). But THANKS.
05-17-19, 08:22 PM
Confused about front suspension choices
and I can't see a place on the shock body to index the perch into the correct position but the hairs on the back of my neck tell me to trust this input all day. Do these perches come with the shock or are they a separate purchase (perhaps further clicking will reveal that answer and if this is sub-trivial, please don't burn more heartbeats at my ignorance festival). But THANKS. 