As covered in our first installment of Project FJ, Toyota's FJ Cruiser demonstrates a strong family resemblance to its respected forefather, the FJ40. The new FJ's offroad capabilities also indicate that it comes from the same end of the gene pool, but it also improves on its predecessor in several areas, thanks to modern technology.
Off-road enthusiasts, however, aren't content to leave anything well enough alone. While the average SUV owner might say it's just fine as is, enthusiasts will ask, "How can we make it better?" That's where Pro Comp comes in with its new six-inch lift, which recently earned the 2006 SEMA International New Product Award. This modification makes room for up to 35-inch tires, obviously creating a significant change in the vehicle's performance.
Even though the FJ uses a combination of components from Toyota's Tacoma and 4Runner rigs, which Pro Comp was already familiar with, developing this lift required much more than simply pulling some parts off the shelf. Company engineers had to re-design them in a number of areas to accommodate the unique configuration of the FJ Cruiser.
Looking first at the lift kit in general, it comes in two versions, a base model called the Stage I system, and a higher performance setup called the Stage II. The Stage I includes spacers that allow use of the factory struts in the front. Elongated steering knuckles and one-piece lower cross members position factory components with the correct geometry. At 3. Compression struts with polyurethane bushings reinforce the crossmembers to ensure a stable setup. MARCH 2007 35 1. Pro Comp engineers had to re-design an existing front-lift setup, originally engineered for the Tacoma, in a number of areas to accommodate the unique configuration of the FJ Cruiser. 2. Stock struts can be used with spacers on the Stage I version of the lift kit, but for improved performance, Pro Comp offers the Stage II, with MX2.75c Coil Over front shocks shown here. the rear are ES9000 shocks with FRONT COMPONENTS: longer rear coils, combined with extended upper arms and a rear track bar bracket. For premium performance, the Stage II system comes with maximum-performance MX2.75c Coil Over front shocks and MX6 Six- Way Adjustable rear shocks.
Getting back to the differences encountered during the development phase, the FJ's Tacoma-style front end has similar knuckles, but shorter cross members were required. The diff hangers stayed the same as on the Tacoma lift, and the steering rack didn't have to be dropped from its stock location, like it does on the Tacoma. However, there were a couple of tradeoffs in keeping the rack in the factory location: Pro Comp raised the tie rod mounting points on the new elongated knuckles, which required going to bigger wheels, 18-inchers instead of the stock 16s, to maintain the suspension geometry.
Moving to the rear, there's far more to this lift than a simple set of blocks and brackets. The four-link setup has a track bar, and Pro Comp created adjustable-length upper arms for the correct pinion angle, along with an adjustable track-bar mount.
In addition, the new lower shock hangers improve the operating angle of the shock, which would otherwise twist the bushings in a lifted configuration. The increased travel of the suspension required revising the bumpstops so they wouldn't get damaged when the truck gets twisted up on a tough trail ride.
Impressively, Pro Comp was able to make all these changes and have prototype parts in place in a matter of weeks. With that done, company engineers logged a number of street miles first to ensure there were no vibrations or bumpsteer. Then they began to beat on the setup with some aggressive trail rides, taking it close to tip-over angle to see what needed tweaking. About the only hiccup encountered involved Toyota's sensors for the stability control, which would prematurely activate the brakes in certain hard-over maneuvers. This required revising the knuckle and tierod mountings a tad, but no biggie.
Toyota technicians occasionally looked over the shoulder of Pro Comp during certain stages of the development process, basically just curious to see how an aftermarket suspension company modified the factory design for more severe off-road duty. Once that was done, they all nodded in approval - and so do we.
CAPTIONS
FRONT COMPONENTS:
(left) Pro Comp engineers had to re-design an existing front-lift setup, originally engineered for the Tacoma, in a number of areas to accommodate the unique configuration of the FJ Cruiser.
(center) Stock struts can be used with spacers on the Stage I version of the lift kit, but for improved performance, Pro Comp offers the Stage II, with MX2.75c Coil Over front shocks shown here.
(right) Compression struts with polyurethane bushings reinforce the crossmembers to ensure a stable setup.
(left) Looking at the backside of the front crossmembers, you can see some subtle but important features, such as the mounting flange to provide additional strength.
(center) Note the backing plate for the crossmember's mounting bolt (center), and the cam adjustment (bottom center) to maintain the stock geometry of the lower control arm. Also note the bumpstop bracket is much stouter, to allow for the increased loading and suspension travel.
(right) The increased down-angle of the front driveshaft requires notching the factory crossmember.
(left) A spacer on the driveshaft is also added to span the increased travel distance created by the lift kit.
(center) The stock knuckle is replaced with an elongated unit to create the extra ride height, and make room for 35-inch tires.
(right) Mounting the Pro Comp MX2.75c Coil Over front shocks requires an adaptor bracket, provided with the lift package.
REAR COMPONENTS:
(left) This overall view of the lifted four-link rearend shows all the Pro Comp components (painted blue).
(center) Taller coil springs bring up the rear, literally, but additional components are used as well.
(right) Pro Comp's lower shock hangers improve the operating angle of the shock, which would otherwise twist its bushings in a lifted configuration.
(left) The track bar mount is adjustable to allow for optimizing its geometry in a lifted application.
(right) Adjustable-length upper arms ensure the correct pinion angle.
