The Magic Ride: Icon 200 Series Land Cruiser Suspension

“Turn the magic dial to two, please,” I called out to my wife, Louise, on the other side of our Land Cruiser 200 Series.“You said two, right?” She asked. “You got it!”

I was traveling with my my daughter, Lilly, and my wife deep in the Mojave National Preserve exploring this land of Joshua Trees and Mojave Desert secrets. We continued east on the Mojave Road; Louise immediately noticed the difference in the truck’s ride.

“Why is the ride so much softer and smoother? The truck just floats over the bumps.” Louise commented. “It’s the Magic Dials.” I responded.

The first vehicle modification many overland and off-road enthusiasts pursue is a suspension upgrade. The stock suspension is designed and engineered for everyday use on pavement and the occasional off-road adventure. However, overlanders frequently use their vehicles to carry gear for camping and adventures on long distances off road. Overlanders generally make additional vehicle modifications such as bumpers, winch, roof racks, and larger tires, thus increasing the vehicle weight. A stock suspension just won’t support the weight.

The suspension technology has evolved and continues to advance. I was lucky enough to work with ICON Vehicle Dynamics on the suspension build for my Land Cruiser 200 Series. I had recently sold my Land Cruiser 100 Series and knew exactly what the build on my new 200 Series would involve. I planned to add weight with bumpers, winch, roof rack, and larger tires—not to mention drawers and a refrigerator inside. So, an upgraded suspension was required.

ICON Suspension

ICON Vehicle Dynamics have been designing and engineering suspension components for years. Their home base in Riverside, California offers ICON ample opportunities to test their product line in such places as Death Valley and the surrounding Mojave Desert. ICON produces numerous suspension components for awide variety of trucks and SUVs. Everything from a Dodge Ram to a Toyota Land Cruiser, ICON has you covered.

“Wow, look at these beauties! The craftsmanship is evident,” said Colen Duffey, the manager of 4 Wheel Parts in Salt Lake City, Utah. As he looked over the ICON Stage 6 suspension components, he continued, “The fit and finish are outstanding.”

I almost hated taking them out of the box to be mounted. ICON creates different “stages” for their suspension packages. The different suspension packages range in price point and the specific vehicle needs. Depending on what the vehicle owner has planned for the vehicle and the intended purposes, ICON can guide a buyer in the appropriate direction.

Colen and his associates started removing the stock suspension of the Land Cruiser. After 120,000 miles, the stock suspension showed use and abuse. Luckily, I bought the Land Cruiser in Texas, so the absence of rust made relatively quick work for the guys at 4 Wheel Parts.

The ICON Stage 6 kit included everything that I needed to replace and upgrade my Land Cruiser’s suspension for its intended use—a comfortable, capable overland vehicle. I wanted a vehicle able to tackle difficult off-road tracks like Mengel Pass in Death Valley, or the White Rim Trail in southern Utah. The kit included rear shocks, front coil over shocks, rear trailing arms, front upper control arms, and the “MagicDials,”—ICON’s CDC Value (Compression Damping Control). The technicians started to mount the ICON components. What’s great about an ICON suspension is that each component has been engineered to replace the stock components without any tweaks or hassles. Simply plug and play.

Performance

We pulled off the Mojave Road in southern California. We stood and basked in the warm sun, a little winter break from our mountainside home in Park City, Utah. Lilly and Louise helped change the “Magic Dials” on each of the shocks to a softer setting of two. I shifted the Land Cruiser into drive and headed east. We immediately felt any settings changes to a softer or stiffer setting. At faster speeds, the ICON suspension truly shines and the ride becomes even smoother. Yes, the ICON suspension likes speed!

The whoop-de-dos that make the Mojave Road famous were soaked up by the suspension. ICON’s CDC Values can be adjusted to nine different settings. Each setting either softens or stiffens the ride. At first, I thought it was a gimmick. Was I wrong! I usually change the dials to a setting of two or three for rougher terrain and off road. When I am back on the tarmac, I change the shocks to a stiffer setting of eight or nine. It’s all personal preference. You get to decide. We all enjoyed the comfortable ride to our campsite as “magic hour” shinned over the Mojave National Preserve.

The ICON’s CDC Values can be changed easily. I don’t need to climb under the vehicle and get dirty. I don’t need any extra tools or a wrench to change the settings. Would I do if they required it? Probably not. The simplicity of changing the settings is a notable and important feature. I just knew that if it was much more difficult, I wouldn’t do it. Get out and crawl under the vehicle on a rain-soaked road? Nope. Try to find the wrench or tool in the back of the vehicle to make the change? Nope. Get out of my vehicle, find the dial, and twist the dial to the specified setting? Yep. Thanks ICON!

I have used the suspension on notable roads from Utah to California. Whether it’s the ruts and wash board of the Hole in the Rock Road in Southern Utah, or a dirt road in the Owyhee Canyonlands of Oregon, the suspension has handled everything atonishingly well. The CDC Values are paired with the enormous 3.0 front shocks and 2.5 rear shocks. The remote reservoir shocks offer plenty of dampening and supportat speed. The billet aluminum upper control arms allow for maximum tire articulation. I want my vehicle’s tires to stay on the dirt when off road and the upper control arms allow this to happen. With the rear trailing arms, the new suspension is responsive, smooth, and adjustable. My Land Cruiser is a pleasure to drive.

Tweaks

“We can certainly raise it up a bit,” Colen replied.“How high?” I asked.“Well, how much lift do you want?” asked Colen.The ICON front coilover shocks can provide up to 3.5-inches of lift and come with an adjustable collar to raise and lower the overall height of the vehicle. I desired a 1-inch lift. The 200 Series sits a little lower than the older 100 Series to which I was accustomed, so raising it an inch was advantageous.

Brandon Lloyd, service manager of 4 Wheel Parts, got to work by removing the front coilover shocks and rotated the collar to tweak the height. The inch of desired height was achieved. The ease of which the overall height can be adjusted is an outstanding feature. It allows the vehicle to sit at a height that is appropriate for an individual’s application. Brandon showed me how easily the vehicle’s height can be tweaked and adjusted. He also wrapped the front shocks and coils with ICON’s new neoprene shock/coil covers.

Watching a professional do the work was fun and eye-opening. The ICON system just made sense and listening to Brandon explain this-and-that made the entire system come alive. Brandon relocated one of the CDC Values for me to make it even easier and then told me, “Go drive it. Go drive it fast! It can handle it without an issue.”

Final Thoughts

In today’s world of overlanding, the consumer has many excellent options to upgrade a suspension. The many options have many different price points. We all know that Toyota vehicles are engineered well and can last a lifetime. However, if you ever find your vehicle in need of an upgrade to handle your overlanding, off-roading adventure, I encourage you to give the ICON suspension a consideration. You might even enjoy turning the dials and making your ride a little “magical.” Happy Trails

Notes:

Check out ICON’s website at iconvehicledynamics.com for all the latest and greatest. ICON offers an outstanding set of wheels for many Toyota models as well. My Land Cruiser 200 currently rides on ICON’s Six Speed wheels—functional and appealing.1 (951) 689-ICON [4266]

4 Wheel Parts is a national retailer that carries and sells ICON components. The stores offer installation services by trained technicians. The technicians “have been there, done that” so they can spot problems right away and make sure you drive away confident—ready to tackle your next trail. Find a s store near you. 4wheelparts.com 1-877-474-4821

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