Hilux lift kits ??

Hey Brett,
Firstly harsh rides can come from several aspects. Firstly, if the spring rate is too hard for the application and secondly if the shock absorbers are too firmly valved for the vehicle.

Knowing what weight you will be carrying is imperitive in getting the right spring rate so that's the first thing you need to work out.
Most springs are much of a much ness in the sense that if they are rated the same then effectiviely they are the same.

Certainly different brands of shock absorbers will be valved differently and this is where you can get some inconsistancies.

Personally i'd say Ridepro will give you the most superior ride for and 'off the shelf' shock absorber and with a correctly rated spring you'll have a ride quality you're happy with .

If the load you are carrying varies greatly, as in no load one day then fully loaded for a trip then you might want to consider some bellows style airbags. these can be inflated to assist in carrying loads, but beware to make sure your spring is still carrying the bullk load and the bag is assisting only. Don't be fooled into thinking you can get away with a light spring and let the bag do all the work, chassis fatigue is not unheard of from this sort of scenario.

Hope that helps,

Dan

Some indication of where you are might help with some suggestions.

I'd suggest you give air bags a miss on a dual cab ute. It's too easy to bend the chassis, more so when towing.

Have a look on newhilux.net lots of info there - you need to register (free) then use the search function - plenty of info and discussion on lift kits. We have a 2010 hilux with bullbar, winch, canopy and tow a camper trailer - we have OME suspension upgrade from ARB and very happy with it. wE got the highest rated spring upgrade as we also have drawers in the back and carry all the recovery gear, spares etc in those, also the fridge on top and a kaymar rear bar with extra spare.

As said before avoid the airbags, great way to stiffen the ride. Something to think about with them on a dual cab is they move the loading on the chassis from the spring eyes to above the axle, old utes had great hunks of steel for a chassis the newer generation utes have CAD designed chassis, the strength is built in to the load carrying areas and the rest is built as light as possible..... Not a good idea to start moving the position on the chassis the load is applied to.

I drive an 06 Hilux, cswear by the Old Man Emu suspension, have had others and this is by far the best. I went with sport shocks due to the load I carry (canopy, RSTB, Draw System, Fridge, Roof Rack Bull bar with winch, side steps, and long range tank). If you run a lighter load or prefer a softer ride then go with the standard Old Man Emu Shocks.

Why old man emu? Well proven, well tested and designed vehicle by vehicle not just a generic shock valving that fits all. Dual stage spring in the rear makes a big difference!

I had the same model (03) for 6 years. It ran a custom setup with airbags over 2" lifted h.d. rears and Nissan patrol tough dogs to control the bags. The front was original torsions and ironman shocks.
It had the airbags for approx 150 000 kms - trouble free apart from leaking which was fixed with a shot of tyre repair in a can.
For me the bags were great and I'd go the same again on that particular vehicle. Take heed of what the others are saying about bags - they CAN help to wreck a poorly set up vehicle, and the australian airbag guys - firestone - have now come out and stated that they recommend every dual cab have its chassis laminated if installing airbags.