Front Coil Bow - Dobinson's 2 Inch Lift

[James H]

That's my thinking too, I'm hoping the fix will be the same.

How much lift did you install when you noticed the bow? I thought a 2 inch would be fairly minor, but maybe it depends on the coil manufacturer?

Mine is a 3 1/2" Metalcloak lift.

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[Bandit’s Lair]

I wasn’t even aware Dobinson made springs for the Gladiator. My wife has the same colored coils on her 4Runner and they work pretty well. Have to look into this further now. Thanks.

 

[JmattNYC]

Did you ever resolve this issue? Also which front and rear coils from Dobinson did you originally have? I ask because i am considering Dobinson coils for my custom lift.

 

[JmattNYC]

I wasn’t even aware Dobinson made springs for the Gladiator. My wife has the same colored coils on her 4Runner and they work pretty well. Have to look into this further now. Thanks.

They have decent selection of load capaicty. They even offer lifts, hydralic bump stops, steering stabilizer. See Exit Offroad

 

[AusJeep]

Did you ever resolve this issue? Also which front and rear coils from Dobinson did you originally have? I ask because i am considering Dobinson coils for my custom lift.

G'day Jay, I did manage to resolve the bowing issues. I was planning to write a review with installation tips soon, but I'm waiting to see how they hold up after a big trip into the red centre this week.

My previous suspension was a stock Rubicon with those red Tenneco shocks. I replaced them with the Dobinson's 2" 100-200kg rear and 50-90kg front coils, paired with the Dobinson's IMS shocks.

Coil Bow
In brief, the Dobinson's front lower spring seat completely straightened the bow, which was particularly bad for the driver side. They are a mandatory bit of kit. I have before and after photos that I will update this post with.

However, there are a few other minor things you should know.

Bump Stop Extension
Dobinson's sells a rear bump stop extension that gave me issues. It is sold as a 25mm extension, but mine was double that at 50mm. This extra height, paired with an unusually long length, caused it to rub the right rear coil at full compression.

Additionally, the extension is a solid metal block weighing 6kg each, which is completely unnecessary unsprung weight in my opinion.

To Dobinson's credit, they were very responsive and helpful when I contacted them about this. Their installers confirmed that my rear coils were seated correctly and it wasn't an installation issue. They were baffled as to why my extension measured 50mm and swore they remember it being the shorter 25mm. It's a bit of a mystery at the moment, but perhaps there's a 50mm version stateside that works with the larger lifts? Either way, all refunded and I'll be opting for a lighter more conventional alternative.

Rear Sway Bar Link Bolts
Lastly, the rear sway bar extension bolts on the frame side were incorrect for my 2023 model. A fairly minor annoyance, but I was sent a 1.75 pitch M12, instead of the necessary 1.5 pitch.

Ride Quality
I have nothing but good things to say here. The offroad performance feels fantastic and a night and day difference. On road driving is confident and pretty similar to stock.

I've noticed no rubbing or concerning clunks and would happily recommend them. Not to mention, the bright teal colour looks pretty great in the wheel well.

I'll still write up that review post and include pictures of the process, but this should give you a good idea of the easily avoidable hiccups.

 

[JmattNYC]

G'day Jay, I did manage to resolve the bowing issues. I was planning to write a review with installation tips soon, but I'm waiting to see how they hold up after a big trip into the red centre this week.

My previous suspension was a stock Rubicon with those red Tenneco shocks. I replaced them with the Dobinson's 2" 100-200kg rear and 50-90kg front coils, paired with the Dobinson's IMS shocks.

Coil Bow
In brief, the Dobinson's front lower spring seat completely straightened the bow, which was particularly bad for the driver side. They are a mandatory bit of kit. I have before and after photos that I will update this post with.

However, there are a few other minor things you should know.

Bump Stop Extension
Dobinson's sells a rear bump stop extension that gave me issues. It is sold as a 25mm extension, but mine was double that at 50mm. This extra height, paired with an unusually long length, caused it to rub the right rear coil at full compression.

Additionally, the extension is a solid metal block weighing 6kg each, which is completely unnecessary unsprung weight in my opinion.

To Dobinson's credit, they were very responsive and helpful when I contacted them about this. Their installers confirmed that my rear coils were seated correctly and it wasn't an installation issue. They were baffled as to why my extension measured 50mm and swore they remember it being the shorter 25mm. It's a bit of a mystery at the moment, but perhaps there's a 50mm version stateside that works with the larger lifts? Either way, all refunded and I'll be opting for a lighter more conventional alternative.

Rear Sway Bar Link Bolts
Lastly, the rear sway bar extension bolts on the frame side were incorrect for my 2023 model. A fairly minor annoyance, but I was sent a 1.75 pitch M12, instead of the necessary 1.5 pitch.

Ride Quality
I have nothing but good things to say here. The offroad performance feels fantastic and a night and day difference. On road driving is confident and pretty similar to stock.

I've noticed no rubbing or concerning clunks and would happily recommend them. Not to mention, the bright teal colour looks pretty great in the wheel well.

I'll still write up that review post and include pictures of the process, but this should give you a good idea of the easily avoidable hiccups.

Awesome to hear!! And yes I've been warming up to the idea of the Dobinson products as whole beside their legendary coils. Thank you for tips regarding the bump stop extensions.I have been thinking about going hydraulic bump stops or sumo springs. Thank you for taking the time out to explain and i most certainly looking forward to your follow up write up.

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