THE SHAKEDOWN RUN: SHOCKS, SPRINGS, AND A DASH OF REVENUE FLATS CHAOS

There is a specific kind of madness that comes with a fresh suspension install. You spend hours in the driveway turning wrenches, skinning knuckles, and triple-checking torque specs, all for that first "test flight." This past weekend, we took the Land Cruiser out to the Tobacco Roots to see if the new Dobinsons shocks were worth the hype—or if I was just going to bounce myself off a mountain.

The Rover Intruder

I was trying to get some clean shots of the rig against the Montana skyline when this Land Rover Discovery Series II pulled up and completely "ruined" the frame. I’m kidding, of course—that’s just my dear friend Angas. There’s something poetic about a Toyota and a Rover sharing a trail; one is built to get you there, and the other is built to make sure you have a very expensive story to tell.

The dogs were out in full force, and while they definitely had the most fun of anyone, it was far too cold to keep the camera out for candid puppy shots. You’ll just have to imagine a pack of happy, shivering hounds blurred in the background.

80 MPH on Gravel: Sketchy or Science?

Once we hit the wide-open gravel stretches leading toward the mountains, I really let the Dobinsons eat. I might have been driving a little too fast for a 5,000-pound brick, but the truck felt planted.

That leads to a serious question: Is 80 MPH on gravel actually fast for a Land Cruiser? In the world of rally racing, that’s a warm-up. In the world of "I don't want to roll my daily driver in the middle of nowhere," it felt like Warp Speed. The new setup is dialed, though—stay tuned for a full long-term review coming soon.

Pony Bar & Potosi Levels

We couldn’t pass through the area without a pit stop at the Pony Bar. If you’ve never been, it’s the quintessential Montana dive—unpretentious, full of character, and the perfect place to warm up after a morning in the wind.

We eventually made our way up to Potosi Hot Springs. Pro tip for the overlanders: if you’re looking to get your rig perfectly level for a soak or a sleep, look for the "Perfect Rock Stack." Someone (definitely not me...) left a precision-engineered pile of flat stones that acts as the ultimate leveling block