Hi PP'ers,
In the coming weeks I'm looking to acquire a 2" lift and a 33" wheel/tyre combo.
I've posted previously regarding wheels/tyres, and received some great feedback (many thanks to those who contributed). That thread can be reached here.
From info I've been given and a bit of research, I've decided on the following:
Now to get to the point of this thread, I had originally been interested in an 88/90 series Koni setup. However having done some research on here, it seems this setup has a very limited travel length? I can't find the thread now, but I remember reading that Koni's are much more suited if you want to maintain factory ride height. This is not the case for me, as I need the extra height for tyre clearance, so I'm thinking I might have to cross the Koni's off my wish list?
Billies are the obvious alternative, and I'm well aware of their popularity in the community. A close friend curses his Billies, however he owns a Pajero, so is obviously an idiot anyway. Haha! It does lead me to wonder though, what other equivalent alternatives do I have?
I'm considering the likes of Kings (shocks, not springs) or Fox, and would like to know if there are many other competitors in this part of the market? As much as I drool every time I look at Icon gear, they are beyond my reach. Kings or Fox are starting to stretch the budget a bit too, but I would be prepared to save for a bit longer if it meant an exceptional performance/reliability gain over Billies. The car is a 2006 4.0L GXL. I've owned it a little over a year, and am planning to keep it for many years to come, so reliability and longevity are essential.
To put my application into context, the car is my daily drive, so road comfort is important. It gets off the black stuff every month or so (hopefully more often as of next year), and generally only gets put through low to mid difficulty terrain when off road. Lots of my driving on the dirt is done solo, so I'm fairly conservative with how adventurous things get.
I've been a passenger in other 4x4 vehicles where speed bumps are almost unnoticeable at speeds of 20km/h and above, and decent sized corrugations can only be heard and not felt. That level of plushness is something that seriously appeals to me, however I don't really understand the trade offs for such smoothness, and if said plushness can be achieved with any correctly tuned shock/spring combo?
As for my setup, some details are listed below:
When we head off road, the following conditions often apply:
If it counts for anything, on the current setup which is purely OEM, I do notice that when the car is loaded up for a trip, it seems to deliver a much smoother ride than when it is empty. There is much less residual bouncing, and better bump compliance in general. Will I need to make somewhat of a tradeoff to bias for better handling on/off road, or could this be overcome by installing an airbag setup like seen in the Grande? I haven't looked into airbags yet, would I be wasting my time...?
I'm also wondering if I can get some pointers regarding springs and valving, for whatever I end up choosing. I have very basic knowledge of shock terminology and behavior, and don't really understand how different aspects affect real world handling. I'm a very keen mountain biker, so I understand things like spring rates and compression/rebound dampening, but having 4 wheels and a whole lot of weight seems to make things much more complicated!
I'm thinking it will be best to purchase everything from the same place, to maximise my chances of a discount. I know Superior Engineering do some packages similar to what I am looking for, but are there any suggestions for alternative suppliers? Even if nothing more than for comparison purposes, I think its always nice to have a few options.
I know suspension and lifts are a repeat topic on here, but I feel like my research hasn't landed me with enough confidence to make a decision yet.
Any experience, opinions, or general feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Dan
In the coming weeks I'm looking to acquire a 2" lift and a 33" wheel/tyre combo.
I've posted previously regarding wheels/tyres, and received some great feedback (many thanks to those who contributed). That thread can be reached here.
From info I've been given and a bit of research, I've decided on the following:
- 17x8 rims with an offset somewhere between 0 and +15. (Still deciding on style. Want to avoid spacers, and also avoid tyre rub.)
- 285/70/17 BFG KM2 Tyres (Popular choice, seems to have comparatively low road noise for an aggressive mud tyre?)
- Adjustable upper control arms (Additional adjustment, clearance, and strength)
- Rear lower control arms (Additional strength)
- Flexi flares to protect my rubber when its hangin' right out there! (Keeping it legal...ish)
Now to get to the point of this thread, I had originally been interested in an 88/90 series Koni setup. However having done some research on here, it seems this setup has a very limited travel length? I can't find the thread now, but I remember reading that Koni's are much more suited if you want to maintain factory ride height. This is not the case for me, as I need the extra height for tyre clearance, so I'm thinking I might have to cross the Koni's off my wish list?
Billies are the obvious alternative, and I'm well aware of their popularity in the community. A close friend curses his Billies, however he owns a Pajero, so is obviously an idiot anyway. Haha! It does lead me to wonder though, what other equivalent alternatives do I have?
I'm considering the likes of Kings (shocks, not springs) or Fox, and would like to know if there are many other competitors in this part of the market? As much as I drool every time I look at Icon gear, they are beyond my reach. Kings or Fox are starting to stretch the budget a bit too, but I would be prepared to save for a bit longer if it meant an exceptional performance/reliability gain over Billies. The car is a 2006 4.0L GXL. I've owned it a little over a year, and am planning to keep it for many years to come, so reliability and longevity are essential.
To put my application into context, the car is my daily drive, so road comfort is important. It gets off the black stuff every month or so (hopefully more often as of next year), and generally only gets put through low to mid difficulty terrain when off road. Lots of my driving on the dirt is done solo, so I'm fairly conservative with how adventurous things get.
I've been a passenger in other 4x4 vehicles where speed bumps are almost unnoticeable at speeds of 20km/h and above, and decent sized corrugations can only be heard and not felt. That level of plushness is something that seriously appeals to me, however I don't really understand the trade offs for such smoothness, and if said plushness can be achieved with any correctly tuned shock/spring combo?
As for my setup, some details are listed below:
- Steel bull bar
- Winch
- Dual battery
- Roof cage
- Underbody protection
- Rear bar (not currently fitted, but is on the list for the near future)
- Side steps (not currently fitted, but is on the list for the near future)
When we head off road, the following conditions often apply:
- Roughly 200kg gear in back of car
- Roughly 100kg gear on roof
If it counts for anything, on the current setup which is purely OEM, I do notice that when the car is loaded up for a trip, it seems to deliver a much smoother ride than when it is empty. There is much less residual bouncing, and better bump compliance in general. Will I need to make somewhat of a tradeoff to bias for better handling on/off road, or could this be overcome by installing an airbag setup like seen in the Grande? I haven't looked into airbags yet, would I be wasting my time...?
I'm also wondering if I can get some pointers regarding springs and valving, for whatever I end up choosing. I have very basic knowledge of shock terminology and behavior, and don't really understand how different aspects affect real world handling. I'm a very keen mountain biker, so I understand things like spring rates and compression/rebound dampening, but having 4 wheels and a whole lot of weight seems to make things much more complicated!
I'm thinking it will be best to purchase everything from the same place, to maximise my chances of a discount. I know Superior Engineering do some packages similar to what I am looking for, but are there any suggestions for alternative suppliers? Even if nothing more than for comparison purposes, I think its always nice to have a few options.
I know suspension and lifts are a repeat topic on here, but I feel like my research hasn't landed me with enough confidence to make a decision yet.
Any experience, opinions, or general feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Dan
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