Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro

I suggest letting Ironman know about the too-short U-bolts. I bought the HD pack as well, but I have an Archive Garage flip kit on the way and never had any intention of using the Ironman-supplied bolts.

As for the set screws, it has been suggested to me that there is no need to use them -- they'll dig into the threaded body and make it super difficult to adjust the spring height in the future. Just use a pin spanner wrench to adjust and tighten both collars.

 

The Ironman website describes their UCAs as "forged, with hardened zinc coating" which was surprising given they appear to be aluminum and not steel. I'm pretty sure they are aluminum as they're non-magnetic and very light, despite their visual bulk. I hadn't heard of zinc cladding being an alternative to anodizing for aluminum.

 

Yeah they called it drop forged aluminum. I recall it from one of their videos on their ucas.

 

I installed the Ironman FC Pro stage 2 almost 2 weeks ago and I have noticed a little vibration usually when braking around 20 MPH. Anyone experience this? Or know what I need to check for? Drive shaft is nice and tight. Thanks

 

If your talking about feeling a rumble strip type vibration, I have the same in my stock 2020 Off Road. Not that I can offer any personal advice, this thread may help. Did you replace the needle bearing? I think that’s usually more constant vibes but thought I’d throw it out there.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2020-tacoma-driveline-vibration.645448/

 

Have you measured your before/after driveline angles? Carrier bearing drop and/or angled leaf pack shims? Vibration upon braking after installing a lift is almost certainly a driveshaft angles issue.

 

No I didn't, I did install the shim that came with the kit. How do I get the angles and correct them?

 

Can anyone report back how they sre liking these. Curiouse about semi high speed performance

 

I installed my stage 2 foam cell pro kit a few weeks ago. I got the constant load springs up front and rear. Used the supplied carrier bearing drop shims. Had a pretty significant shudder vibration at 20-40 mph. I replaced the CV needle bearings with the ECGS bushings and had a diff drop installed.

Had a shop assess it and they put in 6 degree shims at leaf springs. This helped but now the shudder vibes were from 5-10 mph and pretty noticeable. The pinion angle looked way off as it pointed upwards. I was worried about the bearings not getting enough oil at that angle.

So, went to a different shop. They took out the 6 degree shims and put in more carrier bearing drop shims. It got rid of the 5-10 mph shudders, but the 20-40 mph shudders came back. They tried selling me a new driveshaft telling me mine was bent (after only 6000 miles on the truck? ). I didn't buy a new shaft.

I bought 3 degree shims, installed them myself and then played with carrier bearing drop and driveline angles using an angle finder and Spicer's website for calculating angles. I still have a slight vibe at 20 mph but it's barely noticeable.

This thread has more info: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ved-step-by-step.244535/page-47#post-23063403

 

So far, the FCP Stage 2 kit is working out well. I got the constant load front springs and leaf springs. More lift than I expected especially if the back isn't loaded with camping gear and tent. Rides comfortably on and off road.

I do get some weird metal resonating creaking sound from the rear at slow speeds occasionally. Not sure if its the leaf springs or the bushings (I used bearing grease instead of red grease because it's all I had).

If the front end is flexed a bit off road, I might hear a metal clunk sound. I don't see any rubbing or metal wear. The front sway is in place and moved forward with the supplied sway bar relocation kit. So I haven't been able to chase down the sound yet.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

Before...


After...

 

Do you think the vibration and extra angle.might have been vecause of the constant load leafs

 

Are you at the heighest coil setting

 

Not sure, but maybe. But I like the extra weight capacity in case I add bumpers, sliders and underbody protection.

 

I bought the kit with the coils installed. I didn't change their settings. Not sure what they set them to... maybe 2.5"?

 

How stiff is the ride. My only concern with this set up is the drivline vibration.

 

Not stiff or jarring at all. Driveline vibration will be a potential issue with any lift. Dunno know if some people just ignore it or if they find a way to resolve it

 

True. How it the suspension at.speed over whoops or wash board

 

Just to add some light on the Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell pros + UCA. I have been running them for about 9 months and have loved them so far. I think that everyones reservations of them being such a new company are reasonable as they don't have a TON of review in America (they are gaining traction). However, they are a giant in Australia and have been historically used in military vehicles given their capable/reliant nature.

For me it was rather difficult to sift through suspension reviews, as its always king, fox, old man emu, bilstein and icons. As per all reviews, some were positive, some were negative and most of them were beyond the scope of what I wanted to accomplish. My point here is don't let the lack of review turn you away from a quality product. I had the opportunity to speak to a couple individuals in the PNW running these and have been more than pleased, who also had the same reservations and looking at similar setups as I was. A lot of the reviews initially came from the aforementioned land cruiser users, rovers, etc.

Anyways, if you're looking to have weekend fun, take on obstacles that normal clearance isn't capable of or looking for greater performance than the TRD OR offers these are the perfect quality/price point. My issue was performance with accumulated weight from, sliders, tires, drawer system, mountain bikes, bike rack, pivot arm swing, Go Fast Camper etc. and these fit the bill to a T. My conclusion is, if you're looking for a high performance, reliable, cost efficient and very capable suspension system, this is it. I too was a victim of looking into higher end suspension with resi kits etc. however it wasn't reasonable for what I was doing. In fact, I probably would of left a ton of performance on the table that was never needed, but paired with the tuning and maintenance those kits come with. However, if you have the money to to spend on those set-ups than thats an understandable preference, but I don't think your missing out on any performance with the foam cells. At the end of the day, suspension is a game of what you're looking to accomplish and whats going to allow you to hit your goal.

For me, its carrying a higher weight capacity for rock climbing gear/bikes/camping/dogs etc. Being able to have confidence in getting to remote areas (while always carrying recovery equipment), having a good experience on and off road and not breaking the bank and low maintenance costs. The Ironman 4x4 has crossed all these boxes for me and I couldn't be more pleased with money spent and outcome of my trips.

Im using their Foam Cell Pros, Coil overs, rear shocks, leave kit and UCA's.

Pics for attention.

 

I ordered the Stage 2 kit with Performance Load front and Constant Load rear (the heavy-duty one). It arrived about a month ago. Haven't installed yet because I'm waiting on some other parts to arrive, but after reading all this I'm thinking I want to remove the bottom-most leaf on the pack (not counting the overload leafs). I'm not trying to get a 4" lift in the rear!

I have some 2.5 degree leaf shims, the CB drop shims, and an angle gauge standing by...

 

Sorry but I need to ask, what size wheels, BS/offset and tire size do you have on there? Tough to tell tire size in that pic.