I'm not looking to buy immediately (got a couple of other bits to sort first to get a solid "baseline") but my next major investment will be in a 2" lift kit for my 80-Series. The reasons for this requirement are two-fold; firstly, to replace the standard, tired shocks and springs to improve the ride comfort and handling (on-road and off), and secondly to provide a little more ground clearance and increased payload capacity for overland use.
Ignoring specific spring rates for now, what is everyone's opinion of the Ironman 4x4 kit? Paul at Westcost 4x4 really recommends it (he would of course, he does sell them
) but I know John Reader of Trailmasters has an Ironman kit on his 80 and that gets used fairly hard too without issues!
However, Julian @ Overland Cruisers is very critical of Ironman gear, viewing it very much as budget replacement equipment and not up to the job of overland travel, and recommends OME kit.
I have also spoken to Devon 4x4, who recommended OME (which they have in stock) but when asked would also supply EFS kit (which they have to order in).
By way of comparison, the full Ironman kit is around £700 (including the higher-spec foam cell shocks and steering damper, all ex. fitting), whereas the full OME kit is anywhere between £900-£1,000 (inc. steering damper, ex. fitting), so quite a chunk more! EFS lies somewhere in between, and although cost is not the driving factor, I don't have anything to support the higher price of the OME kit.
Last point - I am also considering air "helper" springs for the rear (e.g. from www.mattsavage.com), this will allow me to perfectly tune the ride height of the vehicle and allow me to use a slightly softer rear spring to improve ride quality in normal (non-Overland) use. So, I could use a 200kg rear spring (rather than the 350-400kg I would otherwise need) which would be great in day to day use, and with the addition of air helper springs also be perfectly suitable for Overlanding - perfect!
I would be very interested to hear of anyone with actual experience of these kits (quality, reliability, performance), both on and offroad please.
Thanks
Ignoring specific spring rates for now, what is everyone's opinion of the Ironman 4x4 kit? Paul at Westcost 4x4 really recommends it (he would of course, he does sell them
) but I know John Reader of Trailmasters has an Ironman kit on his 80 and that gets used fairly hard too without issues!However, Julian @ Overland Cruisers is very critical of Ironman gear, viewing it very much as budget replacement equipment and not up to the job of overland travel, and recommends OME kit.
I have also spoken to Devon 4x4, who recommended OME (which they have in stock) but when asked would also supply EFS kit (which they have to order in).
By way of comparison, the full Ironman kit is around £700 (including the higher-spec foam cell shocks and steering damper, all ex. fitting), whereas the full OME kit is anywhere between £900-£1,000 (inc. steering damper, ex. fitting), so quite a chunk more! EFS lies somewhere in between, and although cost is not the driving factor, I don't have anything to support the higher price of the OME kit.
Last point - I am also considering air "helper" springs for the rear (e.g. from www.mattsavage.com), this will allow me to perfectly tune the ride height of the vehicle and allow me to use a slightly softer rear spring to improve ride quality in normal (non-Overland) use. So, I could use a 200kg rear spring (rather than the 350-400kg I would otherwise need) which would be great in day to day use, and with the addition of air helper springs also be perfectly suitable for Overlanding - perfect!
I would be very interested to hear of anyone with actual experience of these kits (quality, reliability, performance), both on and offroad please.
Thanks
