Mazda BT 50 suspension upgrade
Submitted: Saturday, Nov 01, 2014 at 14:30
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Member - Daryl N (NSW)
Gid-day all
We are soon to purchase a Mazda Bt50 4x4 freestyle cab and a tray back camper. The BT50s specification indicate a payload of 1,163kg. The tray back weighs approximately 400kg. It has been suggested that we should get the
suspension upgraded to increase the payload by approximately 150kg which makes sense to me. We will also be getting a 2inch lift on the car. Our question is what is the best way to do this?
Many thanks in advance
Daz
Reply By: AlbyNSW - Saturday, Nov 01, 2014 at 15:51
Saturday, Nov 01, 2014 at 15:51
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
AnswerID:
541178
Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Saturday, Nov 01, 2014 at 19:03
Saturday, Nov 01, 2014 at 19:03
Forgot to mention they did a GVM upgrade in the process
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Reply By: Hoyks - Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 09:21
Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 09:21
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.
AnswerID:
541203
Follow Up By: Hoyks - Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 12:06
Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 12:06
BTW, I fitted it all myself, so it wasn't Climax's fault the bolts were too long.
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Follow Up By: Member - Daryl N (NSW) - Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 14:15
Sunday, Nov 02, 2014 at 14:15
Thanks Hoyks
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Reply By: Mazdave - Monday, Nov 03, 2014 at 13:50
Monday, Nov 03, 2014 at 13:50
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.
AnswerID:
541253
Follow Up By: Member - Daryl N (NSW) - Monday, Nov 03, 2014 at 16:18
Monday, Nov 03, 2014 at 16:18
Hi Dave
Airbags was one option that I had considered and rejected because of the rumoured potential for bent chassis.
I have wondered whether this was a just a chance occurrence and bad things happen sometimes ( bleep happens) or whether operator error caused the problem.
Would be interested in other peoples thoughts
Daz
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