2 inch Lift Kakadu - Losing Suspension Settings - Sport/Comfort

[BNEGXL Member Find all posts View Profile Close BNEGXL]

bfranzen,

There are a couple of other options,

In Winesy's build up thread he has fitted 10mm spacers to both sides, one of these would work for you.

http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...-gxl-d4d/page8

I'm not sure but I think they are from Superior Engineering.

Then Zordo's have a 10mm spacer that fits between the bottom of the spring and the spring seat, John is a great bloke, give him a call,

http://zordos4wdsuspension.com.au/in...d=54&Itemid=58

[bfranzen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bfranzen]

cheers. will follow up.

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

Another option is to fit a 10mm front coil spacer under the driver's spring from Zordos:
http://zordos4wdsuspension.com.au/in...d=54&Itemid=58
The ones for $75/pair look like they would fit any front strut, including the non-adjustable spring seat struts like Tough Dog.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

I'm going to be installing a winch on my Kakadu soon so will have the weight of the existing TJM steel bar and the winch loading the front suspension. As far as I can tell the current suspension is the standard factory setup, the previous owner also said no lift was done while he had it.

What is the minimum I would need to do to cater for the weight increase? I understand the Kakadu suspension setup is complicated by the KDSS and the comfort/sport settings but I'm not a mechanic so don't profess to understand all the discussion here.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Anyone? I don't necessarily want a 2" lift, just enough to cater for the extra weight of the bar and winch on the front. I have no idea where to start or what the available options are with KDSS and the adjustable height suspension on the Kakadu.

[Sambo150 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sambo150]

Couple of threads here deal with this fairly well mate. You replace front struts and lose the settings. Several manufacturers cater for this. Not my thing, I love the feature and intend to fit the TJM alloy bar shortly to avoid too much weight for just this reason.

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Couple of threads here deal with this fairly well mate. You replace front struts and lose the settings. Several manufacturers cater for this. Not my thing, I love the feature and intend to fit the TJM alloy bar shortly to avoid too much weight for just this reason.

Why not just replace the springs only with a higher spring rate, then you've got the option of going for a steel bar?

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

You replace front struts and lose the settings.

From my limited understanding that is not my only option though. As Craigm has mentioned I believe you can replace just the front springs and keep the factory shocks. I'm just after a suggestion on which springs to use.

[Guest Close Guest]

You can add a small 12mm lift from your current setup by adding 6mm strut spacers (available from AJ120) and this will keep your comfort settings as you are still using the same strut/spring combo.

If you want to change out the spring, then consider the max droop so as not to top out the factory struts. If you are happy with the current height then swapping springs is a cheap way to go.

You will just need to consider if any of these minor modifications will still result in the "KDSS lean" phenomena.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

So strut and shock are the same thing right? How do you measure max droop?

[bfranzen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bfranzen]

putting a steel bull bar on will start the KDSS lean of -20mm to the drivers side. my logic is that if this occurs in standrad form then a spacer will not solve the issue as the factory spring is 20mm higher on the drivers side anyway. I added extra long lovell springs to gain a 45mm lift at the front retaining factory shocks all round....20mm lean remains. Only solution is to use Bilsten shocks all round specific to kakadu 150 which includes adjsutable clips on the shock which allows offset for the lean. I know this works because I recently had a mates kakadu done with the same and it has solved all the issues. Unfortunately not enough kak owners have gone down this route to formalise a known solution for this issue. In time more suppliers will produce multiple products that work for us. In the meantime go the Bilsteins. hope this helps.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

I can't say I've noticed the lean, guess I should try and measure both sides. Which specific Bilstein products did you use on your mate's Kakadu Bruce?

[bfranzen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bfranzen]

I can't say I've noticed the lean, guess I should try and measure both sides. Which specific Bilstein products did you use on your mate's Kakadu Bruce?

there is only 1 bilsten product available for the kakadu (it will say specifically), sorry don't know the part number, 4 x shocks, paired them with Lovells front XL springs to give around a 45mm lift at the front.

cheers

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

I can't say I've noticed the lean, guess I should try and measure both sides.

My understanding is that the KDSS lean only occurs when you replace the factory springs. The driver's side OE Toyota spring is longer than the passenger's side by at least 10mm. When the front springs are changed for an equal length pair, a lean will develop.

To remedy this, most people install front struts (shocks) with an adjustable spring seat (like Bilstein) or use some form of spacer or trim packer (like ARB) to compensate.

Another option is to install a spring in the driver's side that is 10mm longer than the passenger's side, but both must be the same spring rate. This can be achieved with Dobinsons springs, apparently they were doing R&D on Kakadu springs. If you wanted to keep your comfort - sport settings on the Toyota TEMS shocks, this is possibly your best option as long as you were only aiming for about 35-40mm of lift.

If you are happy to lose the in-cabin shock adjustment, then your choices increase dramatically.

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

Have a read here about the KDSS lean after a lift: http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?t=22025