Prado Suspension Upgrade
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 09:46
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Member - Bluemetaldaisy (NSW)
Thanks to those who previously assisted as it's now down to the wire. From what I've gleaned, it's down to either old Man Emu or Tough Dog. Friends at work reckon they'll never fit anything else other than Tough Dog. Then I saw a section on here of people who wouldn't have Tough Dog, even if it were free. So what to do? As a reminder, my 120 GX turbo diesel 2003 Prado is fitted with Toyota bull bar and Superwinch. I want to raise the vehicle 2-3 inches but not have the lift eaten up when attaching my camping trailer with it's ball download weight of between 150-180 kgs, not to mention the Engels and other equipment in the back of the vehicle. And not to have the vehicle skitter all over the place and be too hard a ride when not towing. I want to spend around the $2,000 mark to fit the appropriate
suspension to the vehicle. I've refined my search to these two options and want to get started soonest. Thanks for your help (again!)
Reply By: Mr Pointyhead - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 09:57
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 09:57
Bilstein Dampers + King Springs (Ridepro are ok as
well) + Polyair airbags.
Polyairs so you can adjust rear capacity and avoid having an excessively harsh ride when empty.
AnswerID:
405712
Follow Up By: Crackles - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 20:58
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 20:58
Completely agree. Fitting Bilstiens & King Springs is another step up in quality & performance over OME which from my observations are really just an average product anyway. The handling in particular is excellent. Polyairs are a good compromise if empty most of the time & heavily laden for trips although would push the budget over $2K. Have used Ridepro on an 80 series & were excellent but not sure on the compatability with Playdoes.
Tough Dog=Weak Pussy.
Cheers Craig..........
FollowupID:
675528
Reply By: Anthony - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 14:17
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 14:17
Of possible interest and support with your choice ....
I bought a second hand 120 series 2003 model GX a few years back.
I had ARB OME springs and shocks fitted shortly after purchasing the 4wd and had no problems.
Main use being on and off road touring, towing a 1 tonne camper with 150kg ball weight.
Also replaced the standard GX 6inch steel rims with King 17 by 8 inch steel rims and fitted Cooper STT 245/70-17 tyres. (these tyres have the same overall diameter as the 265/65-17 tyres standard on the GXL model).
The ARB OME springs and shockers are progressive os not to had when unloaded but can still handle to load on rough tracks. BTW, I am a fan of letting some air out of the tyres on dirt tracks ... the amount depends on the load being carried and the speed to be travelled.
cheers Anthony
AnswerID:
405756
Follow Up By: AlanTH - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 14:28
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 14:28
I've had ARB OME h/d springs and shocks fitted to my 05 120 Prado plus airbags for when we have the camper on the back.
It all seems to work
well even if it is a bit hard when unladen.
I too let air out when on the dirt and corrugations as it takes some of the sting out of the ride plus I keep the speed down and so far I haven't had any punctures, but I do get overtaken a lot by the hire vehicle crowd as they charge past!
Cheers.
Alan.
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Follow Up By: dirttracker - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 17:58
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 17:58
I am with AlanTH. Some setup, no probs.
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Follow Up By: Member - Bluemetaldaisy (NSW) - Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 23:50
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 23:50
Thanks all for your replies. Seems the most popular is OME, but I'll still keep an open mind. Just for the record, my tyres are the 17 size, not 16. Dunno how much it'll cost to replace all tyres and rims as
well. Might have to save! A mate reckons to get the alloys and not the steel, as they're stronger. It'll be what I can afford in the end, I suppose! Same with the
suspension...
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675547
Reply By: Member - Kevin R (QLD) - Thursday, Feb 25, 2010 at 22:45
Thursday, Feb 25, 2010 at 22:45
I have an 08 d4d Prado with ARB B/bar,winch and dual batteries. I fitted ARB shocks and heavy duty springs/struts from new. We tow a trackabout camper. H/duty rear springs can be a liitle harsh unloaded but when loaded for a trip with camper hooked on they are perfect. You will definitely not need air bags to assist this
suspension setup.
I have had no problems over the 40,000 klm we have travelled including a 7500 klm round trip through central Aust and multiple off road trips in North Qld.
Cheers
Kevin
AnswerID:
406059