Thread: Hard Hilux suspension

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Being a 2018, how many kilometres did you have on the vehicle before you changed out the factory shocks & springs?

To be fair mate the test of a good suspension set up is when you have a good load on in the rough stuff. The factory Hilux is setup to carry a fixed load of at least 200kg++, i.e. a typical work ute, up to a max of GVM. That’s why it feels too hard and bouncy when the vehicle is unladen on typical New Zealand roads (which are pretty shit).

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve worked factory spec GUN26R Hilux very very hard, fresh out of the showroom, and not had a problem at all with the suspension setup. These vehicles mostly carried heavy constant loads of and towed heavily laden trailers most days in rough country, and some days did things that they probably shouldn’t be expected to do. The factory suspension coped just fine up to a point, but down the track depending how hard the vehicle has been worked, the suspension is going to need to be replaced because it is made of consumable items. On a three-year swap out basis the factory suspension was replaced about 1/3rd the way through, with significantly upgraded spring packs and KYB shocks, which did the job through to the end of the three years. Same deal with the replacement 2020 vehicles, they got new suspension at the end of last year after a very tough initial 60-70,000km.

Agree fully, when the new suspension turns up the vehicle feels like new! Unfortunately that feeling doesn’t last for long when its doing a job day in, day out.

Honestly the rear leafs are a poor design. They are actually too soft this why you hit the over rider leaf in any substantial bump.
The reason they ride better with load is that they are sitting on the override the whole time not banging into it again and again.
Vehicle had done 50k km when I changed it