thinking of a suspension lift

[stumped Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stumped]

hi can anyone who has had a suspension lift on a 150 series gxl tell me what they think of the vehicle after the lift i am worried that a lift will make the vehicle ride harder it rattles enough with the standard suspension i would apreciate all thoughts

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

I've just had OME fitted to mine a couple of days ago and it does ride harder than the stock suspension.

The rear springs are rated for a constant 200kg, the fronts are rated for bar, winch, battery etc...
This is the way I wanted mine setup as I do tow a camper trailer at times and I didn't want too much suspension sag.

There are a few different springs to choose from depending on your requirements.

[stumped Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stumped]

the bloke i deal thru uses ride pro suspension still not sure if i need to bother yet i tackled the gibb river road and oodnadatta track with the standard suspension no problems but i am doing cape york next year and have been told it might be needed plus it would help with towing my campertrailer stopping the rear sag

[smakb Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close smakb]

I have a Tough Dog 40mm lift, and the springs are stiff but that setup is good for me. On the road it handles nice, and when I go off road I run fully loaded with at least another 500kg on board. That weight get the springs working well and I have lots of travel but I don't bottom out the springs on big bumps.

My preference is to set the suspension so it's right for me when I am fully loaded as that is when I need it to work at its best.

I am very happy with my suspension, but if I was going to do it again I would also look at the 3" lift by Superior Engineering, which was not available when I got mine done. Advice will also depend on what type of work you are going to do with your Prado.


Steve

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

i have a TJM XGS gold set up and it rides like a limo i reckon, it is a little bit more comfortable that the OME sport i had on the 120.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

the bloke i deal thru uses ride pro suspension still not sure if i need to bother yet i tackled the gibb river road and oodnadatta track with the standard suspension no problems but i am doing cape york next year and have been told it might be needed plus it would help with towing my campertrailer stopping the rear sag

I did the Gibb and Oodnadatta tracks with standard suspension in a 120 Prado, Cape York, particularly the tele track is a whole different kettle of fish. Go for a good quality 2" lift and you will love the improvement.

Cheers Andrew

[Chewbacca Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chewbacca]

I have the tjm xgs gold setup with the addition of poly airs and there has been a big difference in comfort and gives me the added clearance I need particularly when driving through big ruts on sand tracks.
Cheers Matt

[brogers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close brogers]

hi can anyone who has had a suspension lift on a 150 series gxl tell me what they think of the vehicle after the lift i am worried that a lift will make the vehicle ride harder it rattles enough with the standard suspension i would apreciate all thoughts

It is useful to know what tyres, and what accessories you have on your prado when discussing your suspension requirements, and when trying to compare suspension between other folks vehicles. Eg if you have a bullbar and dual battery you will have a lot more weight at the front end, and likewise if you are towing a van or have your back cargo area loaded to the roof, you will have a different weight distribution. Without knowing this, different suspension set ups and lifts can be difficult to compare, as some people will rave about their suspension lift, and whilst you can get the same suspension components, because your vehicle is set up differently it can behave very differently, and the height of the lift can even be somewhat different. What is certain is that the original suspension is set up for general 'soft roading', and not much load, and the factory 150 shockies are quite soft ( as admitted by toyota dealers) and they seem to have a poor life, and so depending on what you want to do, how much suspension lift lift you want and what accessories you have fitted may vary your decision and without knowing your set up or the set up of other vehicles the opinions of others can sometimes be inadvertantly misleading. Anyway, thats my thoughts at the moment anyway. By all means get people opinions, but your particular vehicle may be very different.

[raydes Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close raydes]

it rattles enough with the standard suspension ......... what tyre pressure do you have ,,, should not rattle,,,,, let the tyres down a bit.

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

I've got the OME Nitrocharger Sports kit with Firestone air bags on the rear, I did this so that I could keep the nice ride when not loaded for touring, very happy done 45000k's on this set up mostly outback touring and off road. I also run MT ATZ 4 ribs at around 36lbs round town which is a lot softer (as Raydes commented) than running 40lbs as most folks do, doesn't seem to have a great deal of effect to the wear.

Richo.

[maxjj Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close maxjj]

like mentioned above, also need to mention what tyres you are running and what accessories.
I have added a second battery in the front and a hayman reese towbar at back , so approximately 30kg each end.

I did 47000km on my first Prado and the shocks did deteriorate a bit, but not as much as you think. When jumping between the two cars the differences weren`t that great.

I find the D697 Bridgestones have firmed up the ride enough and reduced body role to the point where the car is acceptable to drive. I think the oem tyres affect handling to the point that they are dangerous coupled with complete lack of feedback they also cause the vsc to come on prematurely.

I am planning on fitting Bilsteins and heavier springs, most likely dobinson as I have a big van, but I don`t want to compromise ride quality too much.

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

I have fitted up some 50mm tough dog coils and adjustable shocks. have 300-GVM rear coils and heavys in the front. I do have a kaymar with 2x spares on the back and scub bars, side steps, steel bar and 2nd batt up front (no winch yet). I was also worried about the ride being too firm when unloaded and losing some offroad ability. By adjusting the shocks to suit the load and type of driving, the ride is significantly better, and offroad performance is better than standard. When unloaded is not all that much firmer than stock on the road. Has lost the bounce after speed bumps and doesn't dive whilst braking or "wollow" around corners.

[stumped Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stumped]

raydes it has rattled since new have tried lowering tyre pressures no luck ii have had it back to the dealer so many time with no satifaction a toyota rep was coming to have a look at it but refused to touch it because i have cooper st light truck tyres on it not factory fitted tyres

[Sinkers Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Sinkers]

Recently upgraded with some Lovell springs and KYB HD shocks. Mostly to level out the ride when towing the camper. Extra height a bonus. Work done by WA Suspensions. Handling much improved but ride a little firmer.

[Jeffers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeffers]

Recently upgraded with some Lovell springs and KYB HD shocks. Mostly to level out the ride when towing the camper. Extra height a bonus. Work done by WA Suspensions. Handling much improved but ride a little firmer. [ATTACH=CONFIG]8348[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]8349[/ATTACH]

Looks good Sinkers, it made a real difference to the look too!

More food for thought for me

Cheers,

Jeff