I finally pulled the trigger on the old man emu gx470 suspension kit after staring at my saggy rear air bags for way too long. If you own a Lexus GX470, you already know the drill. It's a fantastic SUV—basically a luxury Land Cruiser Prado—but that factory rear air suspension is a ticking time bomb. Once those airbags start leaking and the compressor begins to groan, you're faced with a choice: spend a fortune fixing a system that will break again, or swap it out for something that actually handles the dirt.
Choosing Old Man Emu (OME) wasn't exactly a hard decision. They've been the gold standard for overlanding rigs for decades. But putting an Australian-designed off-road suspension on a "fancy" Lexus comes with its own set of questions. Does it ruin the ride? How much height do you actually get? Is it worth the hassle of the conversion? After putting a few thousand miles on mine, I've got some thoughts.
Why Everyone Swaps the Air Suspension
The GX470 is famous for its Rear Air Adaptive Suspension (RAAS). When it works, it's like floating on a cloud. But when it fails—and it will—your truck ends up looking like a squatted Corolla, and the ride quality becomes absolutely punishing.
Replacing it with the old man emu gx470 conversion kit is the most common "fix" for a reason. You're removing the complexity of sensors, air lines, and compressors and replacing them with tried-and-true coil springs and shocks. It's peace of mind. You don't have to worry about waking up to a slumped truck at a campsite five miles from the nearest paved road.
Finding the Right Spring Rate
One mistake I see a lot of people make is just buying the "heavy duty" kit because it sounds cooler. Don't do that unless you actually have the weight to back it up. Old Man Emu is unique because they offer different spring rates based on how you've built your truck.
If your GX is mostly stock with no heavy bumpers or winches, the "medium load" springs are usually the sweet spot. If you go too heavy without the extra weight, the ride will be stiff enough to rattle your teeth out. I went with the 2885 springs up front and the 2889s in the back. Since I have a modest roof rack and usually a trunk full of camping gear, this setup gave me about 2 to 2.5 inches of lift without making the truck feel like a dump truck on the highway.
The Nitrocharger Sport Shocks
The heart of the old man emu gx470 system is the Nitrocharger Sport shocks. These aren't fancy remote-reservoir shocks that you see on high-speed desert racers, but they are incredibly durable. They're valved specifically for the weight of the GX.
The first thing I noticed after the install was how much the "nose dive" disappeared. If you've driven a stock GX470, you know that hitting the brakes feels like the front end is trying to kiss the pavement. The OME shocks firmed that right up. The truck feels planted, controlled, and way more confident in corners.
The Installation Process
I'm going to be honest: if you're doing this in your driveway, set aside a full Saturday and have a buddy nearby. Converting the rear from air to coils requires a specific conversion kit (usually just some spring seats and isolators), but the front is where the real work happens.
Dealing with the front struts on these trucks can be a bit of a bear because of the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) if your model has it, or just the general geometry of the A-arms. But once it's all bolted up, the difference is night and day. You'll also want to make sure you get a proper alignment immediately afterward. Lifting the GX changes the camber and toe, and you don't want to chew through a fresh set of tires in a month.
Do You Need Upper Control Arms?
This is the big debate in the GX community. With a 2-inch old man emu gx470 lift, you can technically get away with the stock upper control arms (UCAs). However, your caster numbers might be a bit low, which can lead to "wandering" on the highway.
I stuck with the stock arms for a bit but eventually upgraded because I wanted that rock-solid straight-line stability back. If you're already spending the money on the OME kit, it's worth considering adding some aftermarket UCAs to the shopping list just to do it right the first time.
How It Handles the Dirt
Off-road is where this setup really starts to make sense. On washboard roads, the stock Lexus suspension used to feel a bit floaty and disconnected. With the OME kit, the truck feels like it's actually working with the terrain.
The increased ground clearance is the obvious benefit. Those extra two inches don't sound like much until you're trying to clear a technical rock section or navigating a deep rut. It gives you just enough room to fit 33-inch tires (with a little bit of trimming), which is the "magic" tire size for the GX470.
Living With It Every Day
Let's talk about the highway, because that's where most of us spend 90% of our time. Is it as soft as the factory air? No. It's firmer. But "firmer" doesn't mean "worse."
The old man emu gx470 lift makes the truck feel much more like a modern SUV and less like an early-2000s luxury boat. It tracks better, it doesn't sway as much in the wind, and it handles the weight of extra passengers way better than the old air bags ever did. My wife didn't even complain about the ride quality change, which is the ultimate "litmus test" for any modification I do to the car.
One thing to keep in mind is the height. If you park in an older parking garage with low clearance, you're going to be sweating a bit. With the lift and a roof rack, I'm cutting it close in some 6'8" garages. It's something you just have to keep in the back of your mind.
Maintenance and Longevity
The best part about going with a brand like Old Man Emu is that parts are everywhere. If you blow a shock in the middle of nowhere, chances are a local shop can get a replacement Nitrocharger. They are built to be abused. Unlike some of the high-end race shocks that need to be rebuilt every 20,000 miles, you basically just bolt these on and forget about them for years.
Final Thoughts on the Upgrade
Is the old man emu gx470 kit the most expensive option? No. Is it the fanciest? Definitely not. But it is arguably the most reliable way to transform the GX470 into a legitimate weekend warrior.
It strikes that perfect balance between "I can still drive this to the office" and "I can take this across the backcountry without a worry." You lose the "adjustable" height of the air suspension, but you gain a truck that feels indestructible. If your air bags are starting to go, or if you're just tired of the boat-like handling of the stock suspension, this is easily the best bang-for-your-buck upgrade you can do. It turns the GX into the truck it was always meant to be.