Cross country travel

Hi Kim. Replaced the stock (stuffed) suspension on my 80 with OME springs, shocks and damper. Very pleased that I did so. Ride and handling are much better than OE. This was obvious on the GJT and Kidson.
Having said that, I'd guess it depends on where you go, how you go and the present condition of your suspension.
Be very sure that whatever you put on, it's matched to a realistic evaluation of what you want the vehicle to do and where you're going to travel.
One things for sure, you'll appreciate the difference long after your pocket has almost forgotten the pain.

Possibly if you read the 23904820394802934802934802938 threads on suspension you may get an idea of peoples thoughts

Hi Kim,

While aftermarket suspension will offer a better ride (ie. less bouncing, more contolled) and give more ground clearance, they will not usually make the difference between getting there or going home (but ground clearance "may" make the difference, all depends on how extreme you are talking).

What they do well is improving the ride for off-road conditions (most 4WD's are street biased) and the load carrying capacity before the droop is too bad.

As for "are they worth the money" - I suppose the value is in the eye of the buyer!!! I bought OME for my 80 series and reckon it was worth every cent. Yet on my patrol, I still have original springs and shocks (but with airbags). All depends on what value you place on increased ground clearance and a "better" ride??? For me, there are better things to buy when you already have an oiginal set on the vehicle.

Cheers

Captain

Kim
here is report No 23904820394802934802934802939
OME is like a new experience,

Kim,
I'm with you on this one. Those guys are in the business of selling suspensions - so the first rule is to rubbish the factory stuff.

I find that the factory suspensions are the most reliable. The shocks are good, while the springs often need to be upgraded for what we carry. They may not be the perfect ride, or give the most articulation, but they are certainly reliable which is way more important for desert trips IMO.

I don't think any of the 4WD manufacturers offer an OEM suspension upgrade, so there is only after-market.

Depending on your vehicle the range of options could be quite large, and in my experience, there is little reliable advice and much less scientific support to be had on the question of what is relevant to you.

I happen to have good support from a suspension distributor who could provide their best advice, then see how it worked and then make minor mods to it after that.

Things to take into account:

1. what sort of terrain you are crossing - corrugations, sand, rocks, rock-hopping, roads, dirt, gravel, etcetera
2. what sort of load you are carrying (crucially important), both when you need it most, but also when you don't need it particularly - you might not want to be so highly sprung trying to negotiate the school-parking lot
3. what sort of clearance you want
4. what sort of clearance is legal and insurable
5. what sort of clearance you don't want

This might include:

1. spring rates for coils
2. heights - largely set by the springs, but affected by the load
3. camber - largely set by the height and requiring correction if bad enough
4. duty cycles - shockers get overheated when seriously worked out on rough roads
5. protection from damage - stone damage, rock damage, but also ingress of sand and water

Usually you're making a compromise somewhere.

So, try to find someone who knows what they're doing, and has some real experience - I know some of the ARB Franchisees are in this situation - like Brad Newham at ARB Gawler if you're in Adelaide as one example, or Darren McCrea ATS 4x4 if you're in Geeolong, but the bigger the store, and the factory-owned outlets in particular, the less experience, and less knowledge, in my view.

So, work out where you're going ... cross-country can mean different things to different people. Willem or Mick Hutton, for example take cross-country to extremes most people wouldn't even dream about. Then find someone with the real experience - either in the industry or someone on here, who has a similar set up to yours and similar to what you want ... then find someone who can really help you get it done.

Cheers
Andrew.

goodday kim
did you try ironman iknow there is at least 1 person there who ghas personal 4b driving he is a member on this forum

steve

Quote "I've survived fifty years in the bush on stock suspension."
"Question... Are these suspension kits worthwhile?"

In your case (assuming everything you have encountered to date will remain the same) I wouldn’t bother except:
+ if stock suspension is stuffed
+ it is a cheaper option than replacing with stock suspension

also ..what exactly is "cross country conditions".

Cheers
Greg
PS Welcome back - 50 years in the bush is a grand effort - I get lonely after 2 weeks:)

got 100ser live axle 240000km. original suspesion sagged etc. replaced with OME 50mm lift with 400kg boost in back plus polyair airbags. love it. rides better takes more weight. my 2 bobs worth. keep it real! Kirsten (NSW)

Simple answer is that you "age" in your expectations of the stock suspension as it ages.

It is not so much about the DIFFERENCE in settings/rates, but simply that it is NEW.

Hi Kim

When I bought my GQ its original suspension had sagged a bit.

I then had an Old Man Emu suspesion with 2" lift fitted and later I installed Polyairs on the rear suspesion so as to calm the load of the trailer down.

I see now, after 40,000 plus km, that the left hand front coil has sagged a tad, but otherwise the suspension is in good order. I have punished the GQ substantially over the past 2 years and it has stood up to the test. Have done extreme corrugated tracks for long distances and Off Track treks over pretty bouncy country.

I would think that if your vehicle is newish and the suspension is in good order then I would stick to the original configuration until it is necessary to give the suspension an upgrade. Apart from a bit of body clearance and maybe better suspension articulation, you will not gain much from an aftermarket suspension.

Happy New Year!

Cheers

I'm in agreement with Phil G, while the original springs especially on Tojo's will sag it will rarely break and leave you stranded, I've always gone with a cold reset and extra leaf all round.
The one time I did get the standard springs hot reset I broke a main leaf on the next trip. I've been told that Aussie spring makers make the steel too hard so that it will snap rather than bend like the original springs.
My experience is on leaves but the same things still apply, if you are overloading the spring and taking it past its elastic limit it probably will break eventually. Fitting heavier coils is the best solution with coild suspension but the weak link in modern vehicles is the actual spring and chassis mounts or seats as they seem to bend and rip off if too hard a spring is fitted or overloading is common.
Best thing is to travel as light as possible, keep the load to a minimum and travel to the conditions.

Now, if you're talking 90series Prado, there are a few peculiarities.
The front strut lower bush takes a heap of load. Toyota recognised this early on and had it sorted. Aftermarket took a while to try and work it out - many of the "better" aftermarket brands may still not have it figured. From what I've seen, the stiffer the front suspension, the more likely it is that this bush will fail. The main problem with the standard IFS front end I found was they would dip under braking and when descending hills. Stronger springs with a bit of lift fixes this. Only other common front end issue is the chassis sway bar rubbers chew out on the rough trips, so the poly replacements are worth putting in.

The rears are like every other 4wd out there - sits too low with a load. Stronger coils solves that. But the shocks sit in front of the axles, and aftermarket shocks lack the protective plate you get on the factory shocks so are easily stone damaged. You can add those aftermarket shields, but they can fall loose and rattle around from my observation. Other problem I've seen is the top shaft break off the aftermarket shocks. The rear shocks are a bugger to change because of access to the top bolts, particularly LHS.

I did many of the rougher tracks and Madigan Line when I had the 90series and factory shocks with heavier springs all round did me well. Factory shocks cost about $60 each a few years back - a bargain!

120series has some similar issues, but access to the rear shocks is much better and I haven't heard of issues with the front bushes.

Cheers
phil

Thanks for the response guys,

I think I'll stick to the stock suspension.

All the best for 2007

Regards

Kim