Truth About Ironman Foam Cell Pro | In-depth Technical Review & Comparison

Is foam cell technology a good idea? Is the Ironman Foam Cell Pro kit a good value? How does it compare to Bilstein 5100, Bilstein 6112, Old Man Emu, Dobinson IMS? Should you spend more and get high end racing shocks like King, Fox, Icon, Radflo or Dobinson MRR?
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0:00 Intro
0:37 Foam Cell Real Benefits
5:35 Ironman FCP Pros
13:10 Ironman FCP Cons
14:54 Ironman FCP vs Competition

[@Ironman4x4America]

Fair, balanced, and really well presented. Keep up the good work, Kai. The Ironman Team enjoys your videos and appreciates the work you're doing to educate people.

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thank you! I think a few people here in the comments and quite a few elsewhere have expressed wanting non-green springs lol. Some didn’t get Ironman simply because of the color. I know that wasn’t a practical decision making but that is very important to many people. Hope you guys consider!

[@QualityBuiltUSA]

I do not like the green springs. I know it's to make their brand recognizable but lime green is a no go. Maybe a shade of orange. Can't think of any brand with that as the color.

[@460tone4]

@@TinkerersAdventure You can always paint the springs yourself. Also which bumper is that on the GX460?

[@steveeichelberger806]

@@TinkerersAdventure yeah, green springs are a no go for me. Just give me basic black.

[@olliechristopher467]

@@QualityBuiltUSA Spring color should have no bearing whatsoever on purchase decision. It's all about function. In fact anything I take off road is built around functionality. Looks are at the bottom of the decision making process.

[@cbh148]

This channel is focusing on topics that really warranted deep-diving into. Suspension mechanics/dynamics has many hurdles for comprehension, not limited to the veiled tech for damper internals that is largely not talked about and treated as a subjective feel type of thing. Hats off to you man. Pondering things like these is why I'm a mechanical engineer.

[@IAMTRASHMAN267]

I’ve been running Foam Cell Pros on my 4Runner for almost two years and 25k miles on my 4Runner and haven’t had a single issue. Fantastic suspension.

[@JohnnychimpO907]

I’m not sure what you do for a living currently (mechanic I’d imagine)… but if you made one video a week, this channel would have 1million followers. Nobody else out there is doing videos this comprehensive and viewer-friendly. Your videos are a whole other level of informative, and in a way that is utterly seamless and easy to absorb and digest. Amazing job as always… but seriously.. maybe consider diving in on your channel a bit more. You’ve got the potential to do this full time, 100%.

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thank you very much for the encouragement. I’m a mechanical engineer and I do product design. I will definitely consider doing more contents as I get faster making them!

[@shermellow]

5 years and 68,000 miles yet still going on my FCP on my 2018 Tacoma. Not a single issue on the and they still look brand new!. Plus as Kai mentioned Ironman reguarly offers15-25% discounts year round nearly on their website so i got them for a very solid discounted price.Go team Ironman 4x4!

[@UrbanOpsOffRoad]

As always! Dropping facts instead of biased info. Keep up the good work Kai!

[@soonenough938]

As a fellow mechanical engineer, I really appreciate the unbiased, logical, fact-based approach here. Excellent content! I’ll be watching more of your videos 👍

[@Absolute_Unit135]

I really hope you never get tired of making videos this in-depth. I almost wish I discovered this channel in 2 years so I could have more of your videos to binge watch at once. Thank you!

[@dasfahrer8187]

Man, I don't know how I missed this channel for so long. Great info!

[@Khub561]

Your videos pack more in more info than I could find searching forums all day. Seriously awesome bro.

[@northbirthsouthchoic]

Dude! Your content is hands down the best on truck info! Thank you!

[@georgecarousos6735]

Very thorough video.....people don't realize how much work a quality video production like this takes. Keep up the good work.

[@joereyna614]

This has become my favorite channel. So much detailed information and research has gone into each vid. Great content

[@dausas]

Bro! I appreciate all the work you put into these videos! Tons of good information and detail. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@CitizenRC]

Your videos are GREAT and I love the in-depth nature of them. Subscribed!

[@inferno1770]

Your videos are always informative. Keep em coming good job

[@jasonnguyen5074]

This was a FANTASTIC video and I watched it all through. Thank you so much for making it and teaching us! I think I might pick up a full kit for my Sequoia. 🙌

[@seanstenberg1559]

Thank you! I’ve been out of the off-road scene for 25 years. I’m thankful to find your channel!

[@steveeichelberger806]

Thanks for providing much needed information to the 4x4 community. I have found some suspension manufacturers don’t even provide specifications on their springs, shocks etc. Very frustrating when you are trying to spec out components. I ran QA1 consumer rebuildable/revalvable shocks when I raced open wheel cars. It was a good choice for budget racers that couldn’t afford adjustable shocks or carrying many shocks on hand. Keep up the good work!

[@massi6112]

Great content Kai! The engineering part of your review and advices are particularly informative. More content on the GX please! (aftermaket parts, offroad capable mods etc...)

[@aldenrodgers5364]

Love my Ironman foamcell pro on my 4runner, greatly improved ride quality over stock

[@agnstthegrain]

Cant thank you enough Kai, your videos are the best explanations i have ever seen. I hope your channel explodes and you get some support back for all the time you spent putting this information together for everyone

[@ADanNeedsAName]

I think you've made a good case for me to go for the Ironman over the Bilstein 6112s I was considering. Thanks Kai.

[@Dirty-D]

You are great at explaining. Keep up the good work.

[@B-kl8vj]

This is the best suspension channel I have seen. It should have far more subscribers.

[@kennethsobey8340]

Excellent review well done. I've been looking at the fox, iron man and mmr. Thanks for explaining so thoroughly.

[@TheLateTes]

I really appreciated that down and dirty comparison at the end against similarly priced as well as higher and lower price points.

[@cruiserpatch]

Thanks for the super helpful information and clear communication. I’ve used the Ironman FCP for a few months now on my 1999 Landcruiser equivalent (LX470). The front end has a torsion bar system, so no coil overs. As for the rear, I found that the kit for the UZJ100 actually does account for the “toyota lean.” The driver’s side rear spring is approx. 1/2” - 3/4” taller by my measurements.

[@thomblank2915]

Never clicked so fast

[@alexion4010]

Same

[@paulsnyder681]

This was an excellent video depicting Ironman shock design. I’m evaluating options right now for replacing my existing OEM shocks for my 21 ORP 4R.

[@Turtle11086]

I’ve been running foam cell pro shocks in the rear of my Nissan patrol for about 5yrs and 80,000km, the only issue I’ve had it the sheer size of the shock body means I had to trim the bump stop pad on the diff housing and the shock body still rubs on the panhard bracket at full bump. Still an excellent shock. Thanks for the very informative video.

[@jasongarry8222]

I really like your channel because it explains the benefits in practical terms. This 100% the best way to describe real benefits and how they are implemented. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@theinstructor2687]

Your videos are always interesting and informative and I always enjoy watching them. Than you.

[@ABPE92]

Thank you for all of this! Your videos are the most helpful I’ve found on the topic

[@Pratik2126]

Kai the thing u mention all the precise details is why i love ur channel, u hit all the points damping, leaning etc etc. hope u could have made this is video earlier before i bought the fcp😃 love from 🇦🇪

[@Champaign268]

I've had the fcp's on my 3rd gen taco for 1.5 years now and very satisfied with their performance. Better ride quality than stock & handle the moderate trails in Colorado with ease. Their low maintenance yet full rebuild ability really appealled to me. The lime green color isn't the greatest but when parked near my Kawasaki, they look like they belong together...lol. Thanks for the detailed vid Kai, excellent job.

[@erikschutzman2402]

I agree, paint and e-coat are better than zinc coatings for corrosion. I think Bilstein should paint their aftermarket shocks instead of zinc coating them, for better corrosion protection and because the yellow and blue look way better (in my opinion) than the zinc (especially after one salty winter). Great information as always, thank you

[@ABDtwo]

Exceptional video .. u r the only person who sold me this particular kit .. even better than the ironman team

[@shanevonharten3100]

I run these on my 06 hilux in Australia. I'm extremely happy with their performance and longevity.

[@popo_patty]

Dude, you have been amazing helping me understand IFS! I come from the jeep world and am building a 21 bronco. Goal is better wheel travel and bigger tires with a better off-road ride. I would love to see a video discussing the Bronco's IFS and its shortcomings along with your opinions on its IFS. Thanks for your great explanations!

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! I would love to check out a bronco and make some content. Love the front sway bar placement and hydraulic disconnect. Not too sure about choice of coilovers in the rear. Too bad the steering rack and tie rods are similar size as Toyota.

[@becomingabetterhuman.2994]

Keep it up EE technician here love the Chanel 👍 good information 👍

[@zxx9554]

Appreciate your hard work to organize all information and put into the video! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 啵！

[@wat3rdog25]

Greatly appreciate this breakdown of the foam cell. They are on my list when it's time to upgrade my truck in the near future

[@danpauls3323]

Thanks for the great discussion about the Ironman FCP suspension kit - I'm strongly considering it for my '23 4Runner w/ KDSS. I haven't read any installation instructions for the coil overs, but I suspect that your solution to the plethora of set screws is actually what Ironman intended - since the coil over is adjustable in place, having several ensures that one will be accessible as the adjusting collar is rotated. I've been a mechanical engineer since 1982 and I really appreciate your in-depth technical discussions and demonstrations - a great contrast to other content on KZbin that is unsupported by actual facts.

[@PVo-1111]

When I first saw ironman suspension I knew they were some good stuff. This video reinforced that

[@Maximus01776]

Great video, I'm very pleased with my ironman suspension kit installed in a Lexus GX 460, a few shops tried to sell me icon and fox brands for twice the price of ironman, still waiting on the front bumper update (Lexus GX)

[@randomuser6306]

Comparing vs Dobinsons! I recently installed their IMS on my Prado for the dunes of the UAE, very happy with them so far

[@Alan.livingston]

Great content. I’ve been running the standard Ironman foamcell for about six months on my touring vehicle. Done a lot of corrugated outback roads and beaches while reasonably heavily loaded and been happy with performance. In Australia Ironman tend to have a reputation of being a solid mid range brand but a lot of people do look down on them in favour of ARB OME and other more spendy alternatives.

[@devo3243]

Good point. People buy mid range suspension and expect it to handle the most extreme things they can throw at it.

[@chichi0130]

Best explanation done By Best brand Best staff with knowledge

[@jpcuenca8533]

keep it up all those deep dive and technicality really helps us on our diys wish you make a video soon on revalving ironman FCP on desired ride comfort so we can adjust from your adjustments,

[@Beep-Bop-Boop]

Great review, thanks for that, I'm looking to put Ironman foam cell on my '19 4Runner TRDOF.

[@michaelcrinigan3998]

Best KZbinr on these subjects I have found.

[@cenccenc946]

I just put these on my 2010 fj cruiser, and love them. Replaced bilstien 5100 on front and 5160 remot resevor on back. I kept my icon overland progressive springs on back, but went with iron man medium load coil overs on front. I do mostly overlanding in the Patagonia, with hours of washboard roads. The bilstien were down right dangerous after an hour or two as the shocks faded and so did my control. The foam cell pros eliminated the fish tailing of my FJ. Also, I did not want to have to send my shocks away to rebuild, which at that point I was probably cost more than jist buying new shocks.

[@nicklewis8605]

Great videos, super informative!

[@rhcockrum8746]

Hello Kai. What a great presentation. There are many features I like about this system. A lot of people were recommending OME, but I see some things about this kit I prefer. I really appreciate how your explain so clearly. Like I said, you would make a great instructor. Thanks!

[@AbyssRaver]

Wow, I love your videos. You answer every question I have had and explore problems/solutions I would have never considered. Your channel is the one stop source of facts and un-biased truth for basically anything related to the cars and modifications that you review.

[@americanmade422]

I have Ironmans nitro shocks and constant load springs. Overall 3 inch lift. They are holding up well.

[@onefastcyclist]

Excellent presentation and indeed, the average wheeler on moderate 4x4 trails doesn't need HIGH price shocks

[@FJX2000_Productions]

This is an awesome video! I've never quite been thrilled with my Icon front coilovers and have always imagined what it would be like to drive something else. I wish I knew someone nearby with Ironman shocks so I could get an idea what the ride is like. I would keep my rear long travel setup but a better front coilover setup, perhaps like these, would be a better option for comfort. I don't do crazy fast off-roading so I really don't need the most premium stuff out there.

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! Yeah riding in one is the best way to know. I know many people say blistein 5100 are way too stiff. But Iconic’s fiancé got those for her stock weight FJ and they think it rides just fine.

[@ronkeech908]

Been running mine for 6 months now on my 22 Tacoma 👍🏻

[@plenex]

Thank you very much for this vids. Ive been around cars my whole life.. but not around classic shocks :) I did mostly hydropneumatic and pneumatic suspension, and now i need to learn..basics after i bought Mitsu Pajero. The suspension was really bad, still looking what to buy, but thanks to this im getting a clue.

[@josephpark421]

Great vids! Keep it up 👍…. Btw, on a side note, Ironman lift kits for 100 series LC/LX actually have unique left/right rear springs, to correct for the lean. Interesting that they didnt do that for the other vehicles.

[@kyunghorhee7615]

Same for the 200. More of a problem too if you get it messed up because of the KDSS in the US

[@MegaRisenshine]

Got me leaning towards foam cell.. great vid😊

[@ASKips]

Excellent video. I found it to be very insightful and easy to understand. I’m completely in love with your channel. Do you intend to review the Dobinsons MRA anytime soon?

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! Not anytime soon. I’m not a shop or dealer for suspension products so I don’t get access to parts easily. I got my hands on ironman simply because my friend bought it for his GX and I helped him install.

[@ASKips]

@@TinkerersAdventure perfectly understandable. I look forward to more of your videos.

[@madcratebuilder]

Great job as always.

[@Zavalik]

I use regular foam cell shocks in my truck (Ironman foamcell)... during an offroad trip in the middle of brazilian desert, I had to help fixing a break issue in my friend's car which was using a regular OEM shock... as I got closer the shock was really hot. It wasn't possible to touch it. In comparison, mines were cool at touch... you could rest your hand on it. Of course, after some 10s or more you would fill a discomfort... but the point is: my friend's car you could barely touch it, and shocks were no longer working as good as it was cold. But mines were fine.

[@jbeebo]

I'm not comvinced the ironman shock has better cooling performance. The foam sleeve is closed cell, i.e. trapped air, i.e. an excellent thermal insulator. This insulator is then placed right against the outer sleeve. So unless there's some design feature that forces oil between the foam and the outer sleeve, it won't have better cooling performance, it will have worse. Kai, i love your balanced technical analysis, keep up the good work!

[@JasonExplainsThings]

Shopping for my Tacoma and Ironman is definitely in the running. I've been very happy so far with my Eibach Stage 2 kit on the 4Runner, but the easy rebuild feature of the Ironman shocks has me considering it.

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Nice! It’ll be cool to do a comparison between the 2 setups

[@GATORADDAM]

I love my Ironman foamcell suspension.

[@samro9744]

Just bought a set of these for my 4runner because the 25% off was such a good deal. I'm sure I won't have regrets. Thanks for the review! I know to buy some washers for the front coilovers.

[@acefaaace]

You won’t I’ve had my stg 2 fcp on my 4runner for almost a year now and love them. Especially since ironaman always had sales going on

[@darriusholt]

Same here. I've had mine for almost a year and they've been great. I just wish I had went with the 3" spring instead od the 2.5". I want to raise the front, but don't feel like taking the coil over off to do it lol.

[@addictiveaussie]

Great informative video. I can tell you that they are an ideal shock on a Mog U1700. A match made in heaven.

[@rchiggs1]

Love these videos, please keep them coming.

[@tacomax840]

Great vid. I have been running the foam cell pro kit on my Tacoma for 25k miles. No complaints/issues so far. Lots of long days on washboard roads and high heat out in the desert and not a single problem 👍

[@grezikpainting]

Are they supposed to be a stiff shock. I installed them on my 4runner and they are very stiff

[@Leilthold-]

Thank you for the video really educative

[@eliseociardulli3639]

You're insanely awesome.. Keep it up with these videos. We'll done.

[@n.prince2458]

Not bad breakdown & comparison. Subscribed!

[@ishindersidhu]

I loved the content. Thanks for putting this all together. In one of your other videos you mentioned to go with a 2 inch lift for the gx in general vs the 3 inch. Is this testing done on the 2.5 inch fcp? Is that also what you would recommend for the gx ?

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks. Correct. That testing was with ironman 2.5” lift package, but you can adjust the preload to set whatever height you want. I personally go with as low as possible. My FJ has 2” lift on the suspension and 315/70R17 tires. If I have larger tires, I might even run less suspension lift because I have more ground clearance to spare

[@robertrangel09]

Solid information... subscribed...

[@jonathanjohnson6751]

Great video! Question - What did you mean by high speed performance? Does that include activities like overlanding or would you say this setup is great for that?

[@connormcconaghie5038]

Hey Kai! What size washer did you use to fill in the gap with the front coilovers?

[@candidcapture]

Your timing is impeccable.

[@candidcapture]

Since.... your really good at this.... could Bilstein B8 8112 & 8100 kits (GX470) get some your intrigue, dissection and analysis? Many many thanks for the hard work you do for these excellent in-depth presentations.

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! I am very intrigued by the 8112 zone control. It is basically an internal bypass because it has position sensitive characteristics. So more performance in theory than the Fox DSC on my chart. If I were to do high speed stuff and not get long travel control arms, I would personally get 8112 before Fox/ king and such.

[@jeffevers7596]

What lift kit would you recommend for a 2002 Tacoma double cab thank you

[@96kylar]

Well done Kai.

[@lexus_offroad_adventures]

Another great video! I Would be really interested to hear your assessment of the Eibach pro-truck series for Toyota/Lexus. Really liking mine after over 2 years

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! I don’t have my hands on one so can’t say much. It looks fairly similar to bilstein 5100 by design. The Eibach brand is pretty solid so I would trust it. I do like their load leveling system for the rear coil spring. Very ingenious design

[@Paranormal_Code]

@@TinkerersAdventure I think there was a leaked document that showed it was a rebadged 5100 shock with one tiny difference.

[@fouUili684]

I moved to Wa from Ca and i have king shocks on my tundra, this makes me want to sell them and go for a more basic setup its a different kind of offroading here and your video makes sense. I hate the maintenance with the king shocks, many shops here dont rebuild them. thanks for these videos

[@rj12345rj]

What are the maintenance requirements for the king shocks?

[@fouUili684]

You have to rebuild them after a few miles, depends on your driving habits, hard high speed off-road probably every 30k miles. I love them but hate having to send them off to CA for a rebuild when you’re in a place that no one does them.

[@rj12345rj]

@@fouUili684 it’s something you have to send off, not a diy rebuild? Is it just replacing seals internally?

[@fouUili684]

@@rj12345rj you can rebuild it yourself, filthy motorsports has a great video on how to do it. I dont have the tools for it yet but will try when im ready.

[@fouUili684]

@@rj12345rj you can do it yourself, filthy motorsports has a great video on how to rebuild. I dont have the tools yet to do it but i want to, in the meantime i have to send them to CA

[@jordanbarreto2544]

great videos! can you do a in depth review of the Locked shocks?

[@marcoe14]

Could you please include OME BP-51 in your reviews/comparisons?

[@youtoldharpotobeatme5023]

What's your take on the Eibach Pro-Truck threaded coilovers for the GX470?

[@jameschiyinwan]

Do you have any thoughts about reviewing or comparisons with the Toytec lines of suspension products?

[@Truckdriver2022]

I appreciate the quality content on your channel. Would you happen to know if the springs on the coilovers could be swapped out for a different brand of springs like toyo, fox, etc?

[@dee151]

Great video please do one on the Ironman Nitro Gas Suspension Lift

[@terrychrudinsky5663]

Kia, seeing you measured 615mm for the rear Ironman FCP shock length, any chance you measured the rear shock compressed length or the travel? Of course measuring with wheels on would be best to determine what needs to be done as far as bump stop length.

[@1Coolbanana]

Fantastic review mate. Would love to see your review on the BP51 compared to the rest. I currently have BP51 and Im very disappointed in amount of lift, travel and performance. Cheers

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! I haven’t had any fist hand experience with BP51, but by technology and theory, it is very cool. The biggest down side is the internal bypass structure reduces piston diameter. 2.5” outer diameter but only 2” piston. Being bypass and having position sensitive damping can achieve characteristics no other shock on my chart can. But in practice, with limited factory suspension travel, that might not be significant enough. What do you not like about the performance? Maybe you need to turn some knobs and tuned it more specific to your setup? Having all those knobs to turn is another double edge sword

[@ResoluteExplorer]

@Tinkerer's Adventure Kai, Love your videos because the present the data and help people make informed decision based on their needs. I am looking at the Ironman foam cell pros and debating in spring weight. I currently have sliders and a gobi roof rack so about 220lbs of additional weight all the time. Would it make sense to get the heavy springs? Why are you running on your trucks?

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks. I’m not running Ironman so I don’t have confident recommendation for you. If I were you my best guess is go with medium.

[@pacificwarrior7679]

Any tips for adjusting these while on the vehicle?

[@mixflip]

I just watched the Italian guys video who used Ironman shocks to drive completely around the world. North America, South America, Europe, Persia, Africa, India, Russia, China and Australia…. His shocks performed flawlessly with no leaks or repairs needed. Ironman even took his shocks and springs off his vehicle to show off at trade shows. That’s a seriously good endorsement just from using them around the world. A mechanical engineer’s opinion is icing on the cake!!!

[@aircomp]

What has the reliability and performance of the FCP's been long term since this video? I am considering them, but I am not finding much in terms of experts recommending them or Ironman in general. Great video.

[@drgloverable]

Excellent video! Though i think its misleading not to explain more the role of shock valving..... eg. A well valved twin tube will handle fast desert runs better than a poorly valves monotube. Can i suggest a test? Drive the GX with the Foamcell pros over fast undulating conditions.. assuming you have the FEP rear shock, then push it some more.. and watch the vehicle dynamics. For the Prado platform, its the pitch that will play up the most, and you can easily observe that via the cycling response of the rear suspension. You might find its actually close to critically damped. A lot of this you can infer from the many posts on the Custom valving threads on the Australian Pradopoint and FJCC forums.

[@gunplaytv]

Can we get one of these for the Dobinsons IMS?

[@TeCKis300]

Another excellent video. How do these compare to factory performance shocks like those found on TRD models?

[@TinkerersAdventure]

Thanks! TRD PRO has 2.5 diameter internal bypass shocks, which is really good for high speed off-road. It also have rubber bushings and better finishes than aftermarket Fox shocks which I like. So I put TRD Pro shocks much higher than these, except for missing threaded body adjustment.