What suspension would you recommend?

[broke]

Sounds about right!

To be honest, I don't think there is much in it between these lift kits and I can say that I have not had any dramas with EFS. Mine was s'posed to be 40 mm but came up around 60-70mm. I then put on a Sahara bar and it really only came down about 8 mm and hasn't budged since- pretty good if you ask me

Broke

[Jack S]

how long have you had the kit on for??

[Jack S]

open to all members,
is it a better idea to go for a brand that sells a full suspension kit OVER mixing and matching between brands?? because currently i am liking the full EFS kit yet been told that blistein shocks are pretty dam good and just mix them with other brands for the coils and leafs....

[KTM525EXC]

open to all members,
is it a better idea to go for a brand that sells a full suspension kit OVER mixing and matching between brands?? because currently i am liking the full EFS kit yet been told that blistein shocks are pretty dam good and just mix them with other brands for the coils and leafs....

Is really your call on that one alot of guys mix due to pricing or they are after a particular size shock or design or coil rating or many other resons if your happy with the price and it looks like its going to suit your needs eg: correct load carrying ability or flex ya want then go for it. Its not usually the brand it the prefomance you want.
Cheers Troy

[Jack S]

yea fare enough than!

Well i just want bit more clearance and honestly its more for looks!! ill be driving mostly off road but every now and again ill be doing off road, weekend here and there sort of thing.
So cant really say i am lookin for a specific design or anything, just something to suit what i will be using it mostly for.
ive got a steel bull bar and a steel tray, and depending on what job i have next year depends on if there more weight on the back but at current there is no weight at all except for the odd occasion...

So any brands to advise after the little info i just gave??

[KTM525EXC]

i hounstly love my setup i done lots of research and i was tossing up between mine i have now and the tough dog, both are very good products check out my shed for more info. are you going to be running a winch or duel batts?

[Jack S]

can i ask what your set-up is, with the load weights and all that, also the price you paid for this kit would be awesome!!

um not really sure if ill be running either of them, its more than likey no but i guess who knows down the track..... i have no intention on dual batteries and the likelyhood of winch is very low!

lol

[KTM525EXC]

3'' Bilstein lift: Ironman 'C' 18mm coils, Bilstein struts with 5 grooves, Bilstein shocks, Ironman 'A' comfort leaves, Ironman greaseable shackles. as for price by memory it was around 2200/2400 cant remember exact. i went with the heaviest coil up front due to steel b/bar and i plan on getting a winch later on. as for the rear i went the lightest they had avalible due to i wanted good flex note they dont have helper leaves so you dont get the bottoming feeling when unloaded. also i only have hardlid and tbar so not alot of weight on the rear.

[Jack S]

what does it mean when you said the struts have 5 grooves (is that adjustable)??

[KTM525EXC]

yeah i had 2 extra grooves machined in so i can adjust the height. im 2nd from top groove and im sitting at just over 3 inch's of lift

[Jack S]

thats pretty cool!! Can you get this grove cut in any other brands?
also what price did you pay for the bilstein shocks?

[Skog07]

Jack.
I think also the Nitro Raw struts use a similar groove and circlip like the bilsteins.
OME use 5mm pack rings underneath the bottom of the spring. You can see the two gold rings underneath the spring retainer on the strut in this shot.

In the OME system these pack rings are used to trim the height back up to the advertised 30mm of lift and not to adjust the lift beyond this height.
Here is a thread worth reading if you are contemplating the OME lift.
for the guys with 2' lift kits. OME
Cheers
Skog

[Jack S]

well theres the problem... i am not really sure what brand i am going to go for, it was either between tough dog or EFS, now ive been told that bilstein shocks are pretty dam good and you just mix and match brands for the other coponents.....

I will be using the hilux mostly for on road (driving for work), yet on the weekends i will be doing bit of off road. so i guess i am looking for the best ride, yet also something sutible for 4wd.....

[Skog07]

Jack.
I am running a mix and match front end in mine now. I originally had the OME kit. Had some issues highlighted in the thread I mentioned in the previous post of insuffcient wire diametre in the OME front strut so I took out the OME 884 spring and replaced it with a KingSpring KTFR 101HD. The strut is not designed for such a stiff spring and I can feel that the OME shock does rebound back to quick in certain situations.
Like yours mate mine spends at least 90% of its life on the road. Hence why I tried to keep it within OME 30mm lift specs.
I have seen that you have been contemplating a suspension mod, have you also considered what accessories that you have already and what you might want to add in the future. This can play a huge role in the type of suspension you decide to select.
Post up what accessories that you have, bullbar and winch dual batts.. etc.etc and Im sure the blokes will give you some advice on which road to go down.
Cheers
Skog

[Hilux Max]

Jack,

whats your location?

Im running a Mongrel Suspension lift too that works well and Im happy with it.....its a full 3" up front. Desert Fox Foam Cell Shocks and they have a similar setup as the pic above with the adjustment rings at the bottom shaft....Ive had mine replaced with a thicker ring to accomadate the winchbar.

Coils I beleive are dobinsons.....rear leaves are factory leaves with an add a leaf and reset to sit higher.....Not 100% what I would love to get but the bang for your buck was hard to go buy at the time and it handle the weight in the back and drives smoothly when empty.

[Jack S]

yes ive heard alot of stories that 17mm wire diameter has caused sagging. so any coils that i get i will make sure there 18mm or bigger!

well at the moment ive got a steel bull bar and steel tray with some small tool boxes on either side. the only thing i am considering to do is install a snorkel, not realy looking at anything else because i wont need it!

been told that light duty springs for the front will be fine and medium duty leafs (round 250kg - 300kg constant) should be alright in the rear due to the steel tray weighting abouut the 200 mark if not over...

By the way i live in bathurst, new south wales, which is the other side of blue mountains.

[KTM525EXC]

light duty???? is yours a petrol?

[Jack S]

no its turbo deisel.... why is that?
light duty wont be good enough?

[KTM525EXC]

well the diesel is heavier than a petrol and you have the steel bar not sure if the light dutys will suit but then again im no suspension expert lmao whats the spec on the coils eg wire dia, length?

[Hilux Max]

yes V6 and D4D makes a difference...probably bout .25 of an inch....

me mate fitted a kit to a V6 Hilux fourby a couple of weeks after he did Quinny's...exactly the same kit but he said the V6 came up to a full 3" where quinnys at the time was sitting at 2.75"....before he fitted his bullbar....so the different engines make a difference.