aftermarket uspension vs factory for 03 Hilux
Submitted: Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 16:37
ThreadID:
45400
Views:
2326
Replies:
4
FollowUps:
0
This Thread has been Archived
Jabberwocky
I have a 2003 Hilux with the original
suspension. Am wondering how much difference installing after market
suspension would make (such as from ARB). My pattern of use is day to day round town with trips for camping holidays etc into off road locations - eg heading off up the
Gibb River road next month.
It seems like a lot of money to do the upgrade so I would value the opinion of some who have done it how much difference it really makes!
By the way it is a dual cab with alloy tray. Normally carries no load but on trips etc is loaded up.
JM
Reply By: Member - Stephen M (NSW) - Monday, May 14, 2007 at 20:10
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 20:10
Hi there JM, I had a SR5 89 d/cab and had ome fitted. It was a 89 model with leaf front and back where you have ifs. Mate best thing I ever did. It was totally differant to drive and it didnt ride like a go cart. The first set of springs and shocks (OME) did 275 thou klms before I replaced the front springs and front and rear shocks. The rear springs were still good no sagging when loaded so just had new bushes and shackles fitted. I sold it with 297 on it. Now the old girl had been around australia twice rutted roads and went playing on the weekends and did some pretty hard stuff with the old girl with my wife even bogging it up to the bonnet in mud and crap. We have now updated to a prado but am still going to fit up OME to this as
well in the next week or two. I think there product is brilliant. Just make sure you dont go with extremely heavy duty rear shocks as they will shake the sh#tter out of you. I think for memory the shock boars were only 23mil (I think) but they do one about 30 odd but will be far to hard for a lux. They are more for cruisers patrols etc. When we did the high country I had a tank in the rear tray for water (tank was in permantly) which held 170Litres + 3 jerry cans of diesel + all our stuff we were loaded to the hilt. I measured the rear before and after loading and it only went down about 3/4 of an inch. Now I know there is no way the prado is going to hold all that weight with the standard springs so am upgrading but still only to the middle of the range not super heavy duty otherwise when its empty it will ride like a brick so will turn into an unpleasant ride when empty. There are heaps of different brands out there but myself I like OME. But dont get talked into fitting extremely heavy shocks or you will need a kidney belt when your empty and will make the ride unpleasent. Good luck. Regards Steve M
AnswerID:
239997