Dobinson vs Ironman Nitro

Has come down to deciding between these two lifts:

Dobinson 302 front, 325 rear (2.5” all around . Retains a bit of factory rake which I like)

Ironman Nitro stage two. 2.5” up front, 2” in rear. Just bit concerned this will level it out somewhat and if put any camping gear in rear will face negative rake?

Ironman UCA for both (as Dobinson uca not available 3-4 months )

Application: mainly daily driver with occasional dirt roads and grass fields, possibly light overland trip out west this spring. No Rock crawling.

Putting on 285-70r17 tires.

Thank fir Input if have either of these lifts.

 

Old man Emu. I wanted no headches and didn't mind big bucks, my shop recommended them as the highest quality.

 

you can't go wrong with dobinson

 

No personal experience with either, but a bunch of the guys in my group are loving Dobinson. They're at the top of my list for whenever I do suspension again.

 

Dobs.

So many good reviews here.

Also, make sure you don't get recalled Ironman UCA's.

Furthermore, plan on needing a BMC with the Ironman UCA's because of the 4 degree caster correction.

 

vote here for Dobinson. My ride on the pavement is so much tighter and stiffer from side to side = higher speeds and more control. Compared to stock it feels like I have the handling of a low sports car. It is still soft and forgiving over bumps up and down. Love it.

 

This is from the comments of a YouTube video where actual caster correction of UCA’s was measured. Ironman’s are a good amount of correction, but yes, there have been recent recall concerns.

 

Better not just say "Old man Emu" because Old man Emu BP-51 and Old man Emu Nitro Sport are 2 completely different worlds.


For OP, no input from me as I only have experience with Ironman FCP.

 

I don't know about them. I asked a few shops that I want a lift that will not give me hard time like leaks and all that. I wanted something durable. Every shop said go with Old man Emu, but it is expense. I said lets do it. I am just being sincere and wish the OP well. Spend some more money and get something well built and durable.

 

I have the Dobinsons IMS with 302 (F) & 505 (R) Springs. I find it to be a perfect mixture of comfort and control both on road & off road...Prior to this I had two other setups and I wish I'd purchased the Dobs from the start.

 

Dobinsons. (I see a trend on this thread) I've had my SR5 to Utah 3 times in the last year. Moderate to serious rock crawling (Top-of-the-World, Hell's Revenge, including Hell's Gate, Lockhart Basin, to mention a few.) I've had the least expensive Dobi set-up for 3 years now, 50,000 miles and I have had zero issues. No leaks, still rides nice on the road and gets the job done off-road. Try to find a negative review on the 'net about them. There won't be very many.
Dobinsons don't do anything great, but does everything very well.
If you're looking for a more dedicated off-road set-up, then yeah, get OMU.

 

Haha…. I use both Dobinsons 302 and Ironman 1.5” light load coils with 5100’s (didn’t need anything more….for now). Will update pics tomorrow

 

But find the combo extremely comfortable/capable

 

Another vote for dobinsons. Had my IMS setup for about 15k miles and still loving it.

 

Here is my set up…

 

+1 for Ironman 4x4. Been a flawless year. Was part of the recall, recieved brand new UCAs with MOOG greaseable ballpoint. My original ucas never showed signs of failing but was happy Ironman 4x4 took care of us by replacing them anyway.

 

You guys know where I stand.

 

All, today is Ironman 4x4's last day for Black Friday sale! just an FYI

 

One point of concern I have on Ironman is the spring rate. Their front shocks for example are about 200 pounds more than old man emu/Dobinson. Around 800 pound spring rate.

Now someone I taped to at IM said they are high but paired with their shocks that are valved for the spring weight

Trying maybe sense of that. Does the higher spring rate = a much stiffer ride or are the springs specifically paired right with the IM shocks?

why one does not want to Frankenstein the lift kit I.e. IM springs with another companies shocks.

considering the foam cell pro shocks as well - better ride?

 

That would be a concern of mine as well.

From the reviews, it sounds like people are happy with how the Ironman kits ride so I'm sure there's something to a heavy spring rate paired with light shock valving. Elka does something similar, but I personally would not be comfortable using such a high spring rate on our trucks.

I too wouldn't mix Ironman components with another brand.

 

All good points. Ironman is supposed to swap out my UCA's at some point for a revised version at no cost to me, and they sent me the notice about it.

I went with them because they use the Toyota ball joint, so it was zero maintenance. For some reason, the idea of having to regrease my UCAs every 5k annoys me.

 

Stoney and I share the same gear: the least expensive setup. Can't complain!

 

I can’t really complain, my Dobinsons coils ride 100% better with the 5100’s than stock coils up front, and I went with the Ironman “LIGHT LOAD” rear coils because I didn’t need or want a medium load coil for the rear. The ride is smooth, and doesn’t differ in stiffness from front to rear…

 

Had good talk with Eddie at Mudify today. He really knows and understands the Old Man Emu springs and coils and was able to give me good recommendation to match my needs. So actually think will go with OME. The problem with many who get OME they don’t get the right set up, and many people that sell OME just throw together a generalized kit with out custom tuning for the customer. 12 years ago had OME on my Fj cruiser and was very happy with the ride, so think maybe OME is the way to go again.

 

Does anyone notice a difference between these 2…. Look closely!

 

Now you have to edit the thread title...

 

That must be the Toyota Lean set

 

It was 1/2” with stock, now 1”…