Mazda BT 50 suspension upgrade

Darryl n (NSW),

I have a 2014 BT50 single cab with an alloy tray and a 700kg canopy on the tray. I upgraded to an OME EK4006B3 which was recommended for loads of 600kg up to GVM with a 50mm lift front and rear. In your case an EK4006B2 would fit which is "recommended for vehicles with steel bull bar and carrying loads of 300kg to GVM. Optimum performance will be achieved with loads of 300kg to 600kg. Front lift: 50mm, rear lift: 50mm."

I was worried about losing the comfortable ride but it has worked out perfectly. I recently drove to Innamincka , Birdsville, Bedourie, Boulia, Mount Isa, Comooweal, Gregory River, Burketown and along the Savannah way to Borooloola and Roper Bar. A lot of kms on some pretty rough roads. I am very happy with the suspension.

Regards,
Bob

What I did was fit the vehicle up with our intended touring setup and then took the vehicle to Ultimate Suspension at Minto in Sydney and they made up a specific suspension package to suit my weight. Price wise it was comparable to the other gear on the market but with the advantage of a custom made solution
If you can find someone like that it takes the guesswork out of what you need or having to buy twice to get it right

G'day, to increase the payload legally you will have to get a GVM increase. Lovells suspension do them, but the website doesn't list your vehicle. I have a brochure at home that lists a lot more that the website. May be worth a call to them or if you have no joy I can chase up the brochure for you. Cheers, John

Hi Daryl. I was in the same position, I have the dual cab with an alloy tray and a slide on camper.

My problem was I wanted it a bit taller and to be able to carry the weight of a 500kg camper, but didn't want to rattle my fillings loose when the camper wasn't on there. I looked at the springs on offer and was ready to order some, so went into climax suspension in Berrisfield. There was a bit of sucking air through his teeth and he said it was going to be a tough one, but I'm glad I did as all the ratings for "constant 150kg to 300kg load etc" are for a vehicle with the factory body on it. The alloy tray weighs in around 130kg less, so if you get the springs the catalog suggests you need, then with a alloy tray they are way too stiff.

In the end I got some Tough Dog springs with a 2" lift and designed for 150kg constant load and left the stock shocks in there. With the camper on these let the vehicle sit at the almost the same height as it did with no load and the factory springs. It is also comfortable to drive with no load on and doesn't skip around on uneven surfaces.

When you replace the springs you also need to replace he U bolts. If you are doing this yourself or paying someone, make sure the excess thread on the inside U bolts is cut off as it will strike the chassis rail on full compression. It took me a while to work out what was the knocking sound and it is much easier to do this in the shed at home than in the dust of The Cape.

ARB does it ARB GVM Upgrade
I am in the process of getting a new Dmax done. Get it done before first registration and it goes on the rego certificate for Australia wide.

HI Daryl,
I too have a BT50 freestyle cab chassis with a steel tray and on weekends and holidays a Carry me Camper slides on the back. The original suspension was nowhere near efficient even with only the steel tray, so I upgraded to the 600kg OME springs on rear with the OME Nitrochargers shockers all round. Fully loaded with the camper, still wasn't 100% happy with the ride and decided between an extra / stiffer rear spring setup or Airbags. Now I know the do-gooders out there will vehemently oppose Airbags because of a somewhat minute history of bent chassis's, however in my view it was the better option given that I can inflate and deflate them depending if the tray is empty or with the camper on. Maximum I inflate them is 45psi and drop to 5psi when empty. Had this setup for 2 years now with no issues.