Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro

Thanks for that. I’ve seen a bunch of other articles from @AccuTune Offroad but it’s tough since the FCP is a slightly different animal. I’m not sure if the springs need to be that high since there is no pressure from the lack nitrogen or it’s carried over from the Aussies. Definitely worth more looking into. Most likely by people smarter than me lol. There might be a perfectly good reason that the spring rate is that high but not knowing even a fraction of what an expert does I can’t determine that. I’ve got no idea and can’t figure out what type of valving the FCP has either. Maybe that will help as well.
That note, I saw a post from @ohcaltexscar that has the nitrogen coil springs as the same rate. Minus the “comfort” springs that don’t show up on the site anymore.
I do like the ride it has right now and know that with E rated tires and aftermarket UCAs it makes the ride harsher. I’ve been on 2-3 hour drives and off road with no complaints about it.
Here is the off-roading trip I took it on- https://youtu.be/x0AmpEPfAag

 

I have the Ironman Nitro Gas kit, my praises and complaints are pretty spot on with yours.
I have an “ongoing assessment” thread you could scroll through if you wanted, I might have been overly kind towards the kit there though.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...oing-assessment-and-impressions.675056/page-2

I am currently looking into a Fox or King setup while kicking myself for making a hasty decision on the Ironman kit.
I think they make a great product, don’t get me wrong, it just didn’t end up being what I was looking for.
I plan on keeping their fantastic UCAs and the leaf springs, I’m just going to pull a couple (or a few) leaves.

 

I don’t think I saw in your thread but have you rode in a truck with what you’re looking for? Just curious. A few posts above I had talked about riding in a pro and that ride didn’t fee a lot softer or better. Though being in the passenger seat rather than the drives seat and only on roads could be why.

 

I agree, actually replaced my pro suspension with the FCP Stage 2 setup from IM and the ride has definitely improved. However, the pro fox suspension isn't the same as the Fox 2.5 adjustable coilovers which would be more comparable to Kings.

 

The problem I am having is that, because of the high spring weight, coupled with my lower front end weight has lifted my truck higher (~4.5"). That "over extends" the shock shaft, beyond the optimized working range. That means that I have almost no down travel, they're basically at full extension all the time. So when I come off a rock or bump, even just a speed bump my shock shaft "bottoms out" on the top of the reservoir. Then 720lbs of Ef Yu comes along and tells me there's no cushioning available here today, my B brosuf.

I have been lucky enough to ride in a truck with the Fox 2.5s and one with the King 2.5s, now neither one was a Tacoma so it wasn't exactly right but, at least the idea is the same.
I grew up with rallye cars, raced all over the midwest and I had a few sports cars and an SUV. I also grew up working on farms and consequently, driving farm trucks. The Tacoma is the first truck that I've personally owned. Now that all is to say that when I bought the truck I was of the mind that I would lift it a little bit and then eventually do a 4x4 conversion. As it turns out, that's not my cup of tea.
SO, I intend to go back to, or within 1" of stock height. Coupled with the 600# Fox or King spring rates and proper valving from @AccuTune Offroad I should achieve the smoother proper ride I am looking for.

As for the Pro Fox suspension, I would agree with @jayandersen5 that they are a completely different animal from the Fox or King 2.5 series.

 

oh yea I can see how that height would completely have a terrible ride. I don’t have any extra weight on mine and minus my sliders on order don’t plan on adding any other constant weight. I might look more into swapping the springs out if I can work out there won’t be any unintended consequences in case the shocks need that spring rate and length.

 

I have tried exhaustively to find other solutions, like replacing the coil springs with softer ones to no avail. I contacted Ironman directly and their customer service tried to help but they don't have Tacoma's there so their experience was limited. They referred me to Ironman USA and I emailed the guy there, I don't remember his name. He gave me some snippy reply that these kits were designed for 4x4s and not intended for cross applications on 2WD even though they may fit on that vehicle.
Would've been nice of them to tell me that when I contacted them before I ordered the kit in the first place.

I have contacted Dobinsons, OME, Toytec, Accutune Offroad, Bilstein (Directly), Bilstein Lifts, Downsouth Motorsports, Filthy Motorsports, Eibach, ect.
Dobinsons and @AccuTune Offroad are the only ones who even tried to figure out a solution. Now I get that calling a company about help with another company's product is not really good form but I wasn't able to get the information from Ironman.

As far as replacing springs goes, I would just say be cautious. There are a lot of factors that could mess things up. Being that the FCP shocks are adjustable, I think that will help more than mine that are non-adjustable.
For instance, in talking with Dobinsons they suggested their C59-314 coils. They are 586lbs/in and would drop the ride height about 2.5" (in my case), but that could mess with the IFP position in the shock. With the adjustability you could potentially compensate for that difference by cranking that spring seat up.

 

Interesting to hear about. Thanks for the info. If mine were not adjustable I would be even more cautious about changing out springs. At least with the adjustable, as you said, I might find a balance. I doubt, unless something happens, this will be more than a theory to look into. Too much info I don’t know about.

Also, DMd you.

 

Just talked to Adam at ironman and the only advice he had was switching to their performance load springs and removing a leaf from the pack. I'll pass on that as the truck would only get lowered, but I let him know they should probably check in here on TW. They have an account here, but it hasn't been used in forever.

 

Actually thinking over it again, this could potentially work for me. Since I’m looking to loose the ride height, and as it sits my shock shafts are over extended and in the wrong position, if I swap in the Dobinsons springs and drop it 2.5” the valving and IFP might relocate back to their proper working range where they should be in the first place.
In theory anyway.
The reason you would have to compensate with the spring perch would be to retain your lifted ride height.

I was planning to pull a leaf or two, they recommended #3 first and then #5. I have talked to guys who have had good results going that route.

 

@ohcaltexscar I've also pulled the 3rd and 5th. Running with a bit of weight in the back now, and zero complaints. Before the addl weight it was still stiff. I think I have like 200#. Nothing too crazy. Good luck!

 

Nice, did you loose lift height?
I have a Leer cap on mine so I should be right around that 200lbs mark already.

 

I pulled the leafs (leaves?) prior to ever installing. Just reading through this thread told me the constant load would be way too harsh for my truck. I'm currently running the RSI SmartCap, so we're in a similar position. I've been on a couple camping trips with the usual items, as well as trips to Colorado and back, with quite a bit of shit each way. Really happy with the ride and lift achieved. Not sure if I have any recent pics... lemme see if I can post current setup and give you an idea of how it sits.

Edit- Added pic from 2 weeks ago.

 

Great pic!

 

Yeah that looks really good! Nice spot.
I’ll have to give it a try and see how mine sits.

 

Thanks! Was a smokey weekend, but couldn't resist getting out!

 

After reading and looking into somethings, I might just pick up a set of 600lbs King Springs if I see them pop up on b/s/t. Though I would not look forward to trying to swap them out. I could get it done on the truck with the IM springs and think my luck would be the same still lol.
This might just be thinking out load as my ride isn’t bad but “thinks” it could be better. 800+lbs coils just sounds too much. Of course I can’t even think of buying anything for a few months and my wife “forgets” about me buying sliders

 

I'm confused. Yesterday was checking out the performance vs constant load springs and saw both had the same 827 spring rate. The only difference was the spring length.

Edit: Ah, they list two different spring sets as "Performance". The parts numbers end in A or B.

I'm not hating my current ride quality. It's worked well, but if I can get a little more cush up front, I'd dig it even more. May be I'll order the lower spring rate Perf springs.

 

I’m with you, I do like the ride but would like a little more cush in it. But I would not want to sacrifice getting the roll and dips back, which is what I worry about…

I took a look and have the “B” model on mine. It looks like there is 10mm difference between the two performance as well as the 100lb spring rate.
I posted this pic somewhere here before but now it’s more relevant.
While I wait for my slider invoice I keep looking into King springs (only a few choices of 3” springs) and thinking I would get a used set of 600lbs (maybe 650lb but I dont plan on weight other than sliders (maybe skids if I’m really lucky)) if I could for a good price. The only thing I’ve not figured out is if I can make up for the 1-1.5” spring height difference by just adjusting the collar by the same amount without any unintended consequences. Anyone here smarter then me know?
I found that King and Ebach have 3” I/d x 14” springs. Anyone have other thought?

(A)——————(C)——————-(B)

 

Curious, for those of you who have the performance leaf pack what is your hub to fender measurements? Mine was only at 23" or slightly below so I ended up getting the IM AAL to help with the added weight I carry (would sag with the RTT and gear loaded up). That single AAL lifted the rear an additional 2.5" and now I'm sitting at 25.5" hub to fender.