Ironman 4x4 Suspension Mega-Thread

Just threw on my 2.5” foam cell pro kit. Someone tell me these will get softer after a couple of months.

 

I’m not sure I’d say they get a lot softer, maybe a bit smoother though, if that makes sense. As you put miles on them you’ll notice the way they out-perform the OEM stuff.

 

I havnt had OEMs for 9 years so it’s hard for me to gauge. Anyways I’m going to give these some time and see how my opinion changes

 

My first 2” setup from Ironman rode great but I did feel cracks in the road a lot more.

 

I think Old Blue settled in good after a few months . Not sure how the rest of you feel but in my own opinion. This lift is well better the all the others I personally have ran. And I've been wheeling for 39 years so there's quiet a list. Now my kit is only a Mid travel lift. But for a lifted truck I feel it performs very well on and off road

 

How’s things with your suspension?

I agree but think it’s more my E rated tires than the suspension. I can’t remember how it rode before those tires though.

 

truthfully I’m pretty dissatisfied with them. They are too harsh in my opinion. My bilstein 5100 rode significantly better and actually dampened the road instead of just riding the contour of every imperfection on the road.

I contacted Ironman to see if they are able to revalve them or if I could just return them.

to be fair I don’t think I’m just pulling this out my ass and playing “dissatisfied customer.” The rear end has more tendency of spinning out and losing traction when it’s wet out. This past week with all the rain I have had significantly less confidence in the truck. On the highway I’ve had to stick to the right lane so I don’t feel bad slowing down so much on 495.

I think the product itself looks fantastic and I really wanted to believe in the underdog but maybe bilstein just simply has more experience, a bigger budget and the ability to mass produce a better shock for almost the same price. I had initially ordered 6112s and 5160s but bit the bullet and paid to return them, I’m truly wondering if I would have been better off just installing them. ‍♂️

 

Nice write up and great explanations. I hope they’ll let you return them since they’re not meeting your expectations.

I don’t have experience with the other kits but that’s a tough one to really know. Maybe someone on the forum lives close with the kit you’re curious about and is willing to take you on a drive.

 

to each his own, and I’m 100% willing to admit that I often go against the grain and that maybe my opinions differ than others.

What I will say is that I’m not bitching for no reason. These Ironman shocks are stiff.,With that being said maybe people like stiffer riding shocks. It’s often said old Porsche have lost touch with the road as they disconnect the driver from the road. Maybe these Ironman shocks connect you to the road and I’m not appreciative of that? That’s all subject to opinion, dialog and discussion.


What I do have to admit to is that despite not being the biggest fan of these shocks, Ironman 4x4s customer service is pretty damn good, top notch if I may say, perhaps worthy of the Michelin stars equivalent?

I spoke to one of their representatives and after ruling our certain criteria, like me running enough weight in their heavy duty coils, and the proper leaf packs he recommended that I get some articulation time in to break things in. Well with some off-road trips coming up I’m excited to give these shocks/coil overs some time to break in and I will lay my judgment upon them after.

all kidding aside though, their customer service is pretty damn good. Despite a semi-angry email they responded in a very fair way that gave me a level headed thinking and truthfully, hopefully we can figure this out

 

I agree with you about them being stiff. That’s not a bad plan to try it out then decide too. I’ll be interested in hearing your thoughts after your trip.

 

Have any of your trips done yet? Were you going to AOAA?

 

I have had the 3" medium load Foam Cell Pro Front coil overs on my truck for about 8 months now. When I initially installed them I got the full 3 inches of lift, however after awhile It didn't quite look right and it seems that over time I am down to 1 3/4 - 2 inches of lift.

When I initially installed I only had rock sliders 95lbs and the Diamond back bed cover 100lbs on my truck, I then added the Uptop bravo roof rack 50lbs and the Iron man skid plates 81lbs. I do not think this weight should have caused the coils to compress a full inch. They are supposed to be 15.35 inch coils with a spring rate of 727lbs/in. When I measure them at full extension on the truck they measure 13 inches long and when sitting normally they measure 11.5 inches. I assume they have 2.35 inches of preload applied factory based on this info.

I am no expert on suspension and how it all works out but something isn't adding up to me. Has anyone experienced anything similar with their Ironman Setup?

I have reached out to Ironman multiple times and they were not very helpful and seemed very unwilling to provide information to me or do anything to resolve the situation other than telling me to buy the heavy load springs.

 

That sounds a little odd and I can’t say I’ve experience anything similar but I’ve messed with mine way too much. I can understand a little bit of settling but that’s a bit much. It might be that you do need the higher rate springs? Them not willing to help is not what I’d usually expect either. Could you try to add a little more preload and see what happens?


Where are you located?

 

I am located in Texas.

I don't want to add more preload cause then I will probably risk coil bind.

I will probably upgrade to he higher spring rate springs. But then if I add a bumper and winch like I want to do in the hopefully not to distant future will I run into the same issue again.

Aside from this issue I really like the setup. It rides well and has done great off-road for me in alot of different scenarios.

 

My FCPs also settled a good amount... Ended up having to adjust the preload a bit more and added a 1/4" spacer to each coilover. You most likely need a higher spring rate with having sliders, skid plates, etc. I should've gotten the stiffer springs but couldn't convince myself to buy 800lb+ springs.

I just replaced my IM FCPs with some Dobinsons MRRs and its a night and day improvement!

 

good to know I am not the only one who experienced this. i probably should have gotten the stiffer spring to start as well. i think i might make the switch once the UCA recall resolves. just do it all at once.

 

First post here, but been having FCP's with 3" medium coils for about a year and a half now.
Recently did the UCA replacement following the recall and didn't notice anything when I did that around November. I went under to try and adjust preload this past weekend and noticed the passenger spring was making contact with the shock body and started rubbing off the inner powder coat. Worried more about the shock body but it's towards the inner half and haven't had the chance to pull them out and inspect thoroughly.
Already sent an email to ironman with pics but I guess I forgot to save them, so I'll try and post some here when I get a chance.
Anyone else have this happen though? Whether FCP or any other setups.
And how long do they usually take to contact me, thinking about calling to try and talk with a representative today.

 

Now don’t quote me on this but I want to say I’ve read about this before but might not have been IM. I don’t know how it’s possible with the springs having a round hole and the shock being cylindrical but they don’t always match up. You’ll probably need to find a way to turn the spring some to stop it from touching. Where is the top spring “end” sitting.

 

upper end of the spring is sitting right between the 2 outer studs. Got it assembled when I ordered it also so not sure how it would happen.
Have heard some weird noises over terrain but I guess it’s been a lot more frequent even over small potholes and driveways now that I think about it.

 

A little update. I have 2000 miles on these foam cell pros now. The front end rides a lot better. My LCA bolts were seized to the bushings and the LCA had no movement. Since Ive fixed that issue the front end rides much better.

rear end is stiff and it took adding a winch and metal bumper to smooth it out