Suspension

I have been thinking about the metal tech/icon long/extended travel kit for my fj.
I already bought TC hiem joint uca's, but now I am looking at other non-fj things I need and I'm not in a hurry to drop 2g's for the kit I'm looking at.
Is anyone running any other extended travel setup that is significantly cheaper?

One reason I keep coming back to this setup is that I am looking to improve on road ride as well.

I would think a proper extended travel kit would serve your purpose better, and cheaper. Long travel is more of a west coast, desert running mod. Won't see many of them in the rocks or sand here on the east coast.

Hey Mad, it's not a true long travel kit.

http://www.metaltech4x4.com/p-608-fj-cruiser4runner-rear-long-travel-kiticon-coilovers.aspx

Ah = interesting. I know Icon's pricing just went up recently, so just those extended travel coilovers are around $1200 I believe.

only reason it is condsidered a long travel kit is the longer lower links that will decrease the amount of rear steering you will get when drooped fully in the rear.

MadToy wrote:

Long travel is more of a west coast, desert running mod. Won't see many of them in the rocks or sand here on the east coast.

While long travel has definite benefits in the whoops and with high speed runs, it also has definite benefits in the rocks or anywhere that you would like to keep maximum contact between your wheels and the ground. I have the Total Chaos 2+ front long travel kit and the MetalTech rear long travel kit and I love the extra travel, it gives better traction, and makes the vehicle much more stable.

Speaking of being more stable.
At about 65 or 70 I feel like I am riding a knuckle ball. Is that just the way these FJs are because of there aerodynamics?
It was doing this before the lift and bigger tires.

H2O_Cruiser wrote:

Speaking of being more stable.
At about 65 or 70 I feel like I am riding a knuckle ball. Is that just the way these FJs are because of there aerodynamics?
It was doing this before the lift and bigger tires.

I'm very stable as long as I don't jerk the wheels (I don't have any sway bars).

H2O_Cruiser wrote:

Speaking of being more stable.
At about 65 or 70 I feel like I am riding a knuckle ball. Is that just the way these FJs are because of there aerodynamics?
It was doing this before the lift and bigger tires.

I have heard you can get a little better highway feel with bumped up caster as it increases the angle thus allowing it to track better. But they are generally bricks, yes.

Yep. That flighty feeling is due to lack of caster. Add more caster and that'll go away. If you don't have aftermarket UCA's, you may not be able to - so it might be time for some. Made a big difference when I put them on mine. Worth every penny.

MadToy wrote:

Yep. That flighty feeling is due to lack of caster. Add more caster and that'll go away. If you don't have aftermarket UCA's, you may not be able to - so it might be time for some. Made a big difference when I put them on mine. Worth every penny.

I love mine. Been up to 85 or so on the highway and feels like stock.

What Brand of UCAs are recommended? They all seem to be pretty similar. These things are expensive

H2O_Cruiser wrote:

What Brand of UCAs are recommended? They all seem to be pretty similar. These things are expensive

LightRacing UCAs, they are great. Adjustable and decent price,

Yup, Light Racing is good and inexpensive. The only issue with the LightRacing UCAs is that you can't fit spindle gussets with them. Spindle gussets are used to provide support to the weak stock spindles to prevent them from bending offroad. I'm using the LightRacing and had some spindles custom welded for me locally so I could still run gussets and the LRs. It was still cheaper than buying the more expensive UCAs.