Prado Mods > Suspension

[Rob S]

Sitting at the airport thought i would finally type quick article on my experience on prado suspension.

I drove stock up till drive 6 or 7 of fewbie plus level, but started to feel the rear end was very “bouncy” when driving over multiple bumps. So, my aim of suspension focused on better “dampening” than going for “lift”. However, afterwards, i did notice benefit of the lift with ridge riding being much more fun without ploughing through the crest but riding above/on it!

Because i was after better dampening mainly, and watching used prices of remote reservoir kits holding their value whilst traditional “twin tube” plummeting in value i decided to “invest once” and went for remote reservoir models. The added benefit here was that i could adjust to harder setting for desert, and softer for the road! WIN WIN!

TYPES:

”spring lift kit/spacer” - cheapest option but doesnt help with dampening, so i cant recommend this option. Also, dont know a prado owner that has gone this route.

”twin tube” - a few options, the dobinsons ones are bright yellow so you cant miss them. Stronger that factory, usually matched with a stiffer spring with around 2inch lift. Around 3-5k dhs. 

“remote reservoir adjustable” - kings, radflo, rogue, dobinsons, pro fender all have options and range from about 6k-20k. My budget narrowed me into dobinsons or rogue, both around 9/10k. Low speed, high speed and rebound adjustable which i feel very important if car is also your daily driver! 

“Long travel” twin shocks - didnt even check the price or consider, but sometimes seen on prados but more often FJs. For these you need also lower arm kits as you have 2 dampers per side on the front setup. No real comments here as no experience. They do look cool though!

THE EXTRAS:

the main reason for actually writing this article, choosing the suspension was the easy part! Ill focus on dobinsons here as this is what i fitted but i believe its similar amongst others.

Upper arms - lots of confusing info, do you need? General guidance was required if 2.5inch lift or above. Beneficial if over 1.5inch lift. As i went for 2inch lift i was caught in the middle. Benefits are: better clearance of springs for more “drop” and correction of caster angle. I felt having correct vehicle dynamics was important to me, so i went for a set! 

Diff drop - again, lots of confusing info, required for 2.5inch lift of above was the advice, though some garages say not required for 2.5inch. I went without and no issues or concerns as yet!

tie bar spacers - very little about these “added extras”. 250-300dhs i think. Recommended to avoid tie bars clashing with other parts after the lift. I opted for a set of these too. After fitting garage told me they are very important. 

after 4-6months i can say i am really happy with the offroad and onroad performance and no regrets, 

Hope the above helps! tagging @Waqas Parvez and @ASAD. for their input having going through similar exercises!

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Rob S

[munkybizness]

Great post @Rob S! There's a lot here for anybody getting into upgrading their suspension regardless of the platform that they're on.

On the Upper Control Arms (UCA), there is a caveat that applies to newer cars. If your car is still under warranty, which is usually a "parts warranty" for most manufacturers, please check with your dealer before going down this route. AWR/Nissan for example, will void the entire "suspension warranty" if you alter the factory UCAs.

• If you don't have warranty coverage or don't care about it, you're in the clear  
• If you're still covered, it's safer to not touch the UCAs for as long as you can. The reason stated to me by the dealer is that by changing the control arms from the factory settings, you inherently alter the caster angle which changes the entire wheel system in one go. Hence, they void the whole suspension warranty.