Ironman4x4 2.5" Stage 2 Nitro-Gas Kit - 2WD Prerunner Edition - Ongoing Assessment and Impressions!

Click Here For The Ironman 4x4 Suspension Mega-Thread!
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The ongoing review of my newly installed Ironman4x4 2.5" Stage 2 Nitro-Gas Kit.

The Ironman Kit Specifications:
---Stock Load front springs;
-Material Diameter 18mm
-Free Height 390mm
-End I/D 66/76mm
-Spring Rate 126(N/mm)
-Spring Rate 720(lbf/in) - Holy Hotcakes Batman! That could account for the jarring bounce.
---Performance load (0-440LBS) rear leafs;
- They don't have any other specifics on these.

Tacoma Specifications: It's pretty basic, I don't plan on doing anything crazy. So far.
-2005 V6 DCLB Prerunner SR5 - 2WD that means I have a lower weight up front than the springs are rated for = bouncy for me but probably not for a 4x4.
-Leer Cap
-Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT - 265/75R16

That's pretty much it right now. If things change I'll update that list.


After diving into the detailed specifications of the springs I thought I would add that information in here.

From their website:
---Front springs
---Comfort Stock Load
-Material Diameter 18mm
-Free Height 390mm
-End I/D 66/76mm
-Spring Rate 126(N/mm)
-Spring Rate 720(lbf/in)

---Performance Load (0-110LBS)
-Material Diameter 18mm
-Free Height 380mm
-End I/D 66/76mm
-Spring Rate 145(N/mm)
-Spring Rate 827(lbf/in)

---Constant Load (110-220LBS)
-Material Diameter 18mm
-Free Height 375mm
-End I/D 66/76mm
-Spring Rate 145(N/mm)
-Spring Rate 827(lbf/in)

In regard to the spring rates, those are pretty high. I was told the "Stock Load" were comparable to the OEM springs. Now feel free to correct me if I am wrong here but I don't believe stock are 720# springs, even on 4x4 models.
It seemed like it would be good to have a dedicated thread for this, easier to search for, if somebody were inclined to do that.

@kidsmoke
@2013XSPX


EDIT: I do keep forgetting that I'm missing 200lbs of 4x4 component weight up front, which makes a lot of sense as to my more pronounced bouncing. While I did do the research and asked the company a lot of questions I expect some things were glazed over. I specified I was 2WD and was told it wouldn't make a difference. I should have examined the spring rates more closely. Trust but verify.
It's not so bad that I want to take them off or anything, with the right tire pressure and maybe a little extra weight someplace I think it will perform beautifully.


It all started here;

and here;

I will update as I put more miles on the kit, right around 100 miles as of 08 July 2020. I just filled up too so I can track that as I go.

 

Excellent! Looking forward to reading more about your impressions.

 

As someone who has put 4 of these lifts (2 on my own truck) on vehicles.. can I ask to see the bushings that were left over? I might be able to help with that.

As for the jarring, you went with a higher rate front spring without the extra 200 lbs worth of 4 wheel drive components in the front. Are you a 4cyl or 6cyl person? If 4cyl, that would also explain the extra height in front and the bouncing you are speaking of. You'll want to add some weight to the front to help settle those down, whether it is a thicker skid plate, or a front bumper... something to help out.

The rear do settle quite quick. I would throw in a few hundred pounds of stuff in the rear for a day or two and give it some help settling.

EDIT: there are also many threads on this.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ironman-4x4-foam-cell-pro.427407/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ironman-4x4-2-lift.232763/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ironman-4x4-foam-cell-pros-ucas-coil-overs-leaf-pack.649371/
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ironman-4x4-lift.624627/
etc...

 

I searched a lot on here for threads and all I found was your 2016 thread, two are third gen so that's probably why I missed them.
I do keep forgetting that I'm missing 4x4 weight, which makes a lot of sense. I will pay more attention to that in my remarks going forward.
It is a V6, and the ride really mellowed out after I replaced my tires so the old tires were not helping matters.

More weight! I guess I will be looking for a FJ case and accompanying parts. I've been on the fence about that.

The bushes are here:


I first thought rear shackle bushes but they are too long and the wrong diameter. I also thought the kit might fit another vehicle application where those would be used. Either way, I'm not missing anything on the truck.

 

Did they put bushings in the front and rear of the new leaf springs? Also, did you purchase a new shackle, or keep the same rear hangers? Not sure where else they would go to...

Ok, I see it on their site now. They gave extra bushings in the kit in case you messed up a bushing in your shackles.

 

I did install the new ones in the front and rear of the leaf springs. I replaced my shackles because mine were 200,000 miles of shot, those came with new bushes. These bushes would not fit in the old shackles or the new ones because they are too long and too large in diameter. They're smaller than the leaf spring bushes so they're not just spares either.

I have no idea haha.
I just rechecked my inventory and made sure I had everything I needed for install and left those on the bench.


EDIT: I do see what you're looking at on the website.


Those extra bushes look right for the shackles, short enough. Those are not what I got though haha.

 

I think there was just a mix up somewhere.




I didn't think to ask them what this part # goes to. Maybe I'll hop on and ask.

 

https://ironman4x4america.com/toyota-tundra-2007-rear-polyurethane-spring-bushing-kit/
Only thing I could find.

 

I bet I got a Tundra bush kit then, they use the same leaf spring bushings that the Tacoma's do so that's why those still fit.

 

I can't speak for the front lift since I run toytecs but the ironman leaf pack I have installed a few yrs back has been amazing. Although my bed is loaded now with a softtopper and bed rack , it has always ran very smooth even with an empty bed and was advertised 20% more load capacity than stock with a close to 2" lift. No squeaks. Ironman is quite popular in Australia.

 

Got her on nice level ground this afternoon, got a bit of rake going on there! It's just backwards

Skid plate recommendations anyone? For weight .

 

all pro offroad is having a sale right now. I just ordered an aluminum one for $250 shipped. The steel one is even cheaper than that. Sign up and register with them and get an additional 10% off code.

 

Nice! I'll take a look at them, thank you!

 

Did they add the trim spacer in between your coil/bucket? Little 1/4" spacer that you'll see under the bucket on the perch it sits on. If they did, and you have a few moments and a few extra bucks, have them take it back apart and remove it. Its really meant to level for those with more weight in front.

 

Sub'd. Very interested to see how these perform long-term.

I have a Dobinsons kit sitting in my living room with 380mm long x 730 lb C59-350 front coils. I have 4WD and plan on adding an ARB front bumper, so I imagine that will tame any stiff or bouncy qualities. My only concern is the strength of the rebound valving on the Dobinsons shocks, which will need to be adequate to prevent top-out "clunking" issues that are so prevalent with comparable OME setups.

 

No I didn't install that, it didn't come with the kit. I figured if I ended up needing it I could just pick it up later, looks like not .

 

From the research I did into Dobinsons the shocks have solid valving. I wasn't able to get specific numbers from them but in the reviews I saw they performed well over time.

 

Yep, that's why I went with Dobs over more established brands like OME. I think we're both guinea pigs in our own right, although Dobinsons seems to be more common than most any foam cell setup. Once mine are worn out, I'm going to give Ironman serious consideration. That said, I should probably get around to installing the damn kit before I think about replacing it.

 

So far the Ironman kit is performing well!
Took it up to the mountains this weekend and hit some trails. I don't have an air compressor yet so I'm just running street pressure and even with that it's pretty darn smooth over the rough terrain.
I will post pictures later.

But wait! The most important part of the trip so far is that as of right now we are stuck in the middle of the woods with a truck that will not run. Yes, I have one bar of service and I'm using it to talk to all y'all.
Turns over, sometimes, other times I just get a single click sound. When it does turn over it'll struggle to run for a few seconds and die.

I have gas, 3/4 tank. No codes. The stupid gulf states alarm is disabled, I think.

Could I have loosened up some crud in the fuel tank bouncing around off road and gotten something sucked up into the fuel pump/sock filter?

 

Check your battery terminals. They probably took them off to do maintenance and didn't reconnect fully. Could be getting a small connection every few cranks