Marck
Well-Known Member
Ok so after spending a week on Fraser Island generously grading the tracks with my new 150 Prado I have decided it’s time to give the suspension a little bit of a tickle to get a little more clearance so I am not the lowest clearance vehicle everywhere I go. It was ok in the Suzuki because the narrow wheel track let me sit on the edges of the big boys ruts but that’s not an option anymore.
I have been reading and talking to manufacturers and installers looking for the best solution for keeping the new bus well behaved and comfortable on the road where it spends 90 percent of its life but making it useful for the few trips we get out on each year. Places like Fraser Island the cape and with any luck places like the high country tassie and maybe the Gulf over the next 2 or 3 years. I basically wanted something that will cope with a few hours of “commuting“ over rough corrugated roads.
I think I have narrowed it down to a couple of options. Both Dobinsons. 50mm is the target height. And will be going up a tire size which I think will get me roughly 15 mm from the tyres. The car will have a bar and winch also.
Option 1 is Dobinsons IMS with 100kg+ springs in the front and “comfort“ springs in the rear with a set of airbags for when I load up for the trips. This is roughly $2600 fitted.
Option 2 is Dobinsons MRR Adjustable remote res all round with the same or different spring setup in the rear. This is up at an eye watering $4k roughly. This option is quoted with front sway bar relocation and extended rear sway bar links.
So here are my questions that someone with more experience might be able to help with. With the remote res option I fully understand that for my application that the remote res part of this setup is huge overkill. And if it was just remote res I was buying for the extra money I wouldn’t even think about it. But is the 4 way adjustability of the shocks worth it. In the sense of will it offer enough adjustment to give that nice plush gooey on road Prado feel and allow settings that will give me better control of the coronations and the tracks. Or is it just not going to do what I hope it will. For $1500 it needs to be a fairly drastic upside.
The second question is do I actually need the sway bar relocation and extended links. It’s about $250 of extras but if they Don’t offer any improvement why bother and if they are essential do I have them added to the non remote res option. The 2 options have come from 2 different sellers so getting to the bottom of what is just a way to strip $$ out of my holiday funds and what is actually needed.
Dobinsons have always looked after me when I have had any issues that’s why I picked them over the other manufacturers but I am more than happy to listen to any other options that people might have based on good experience.
Thanks
M
I have been reading and talking to manufacturers and installers looking for the best solution for keeping the new bus well behaved and comfortable on the road where it spends 90 percent of its life but making it useful for the few trips we get out on each year. Places like Fraser Island the cape and with any luck places like the high country tassie and maybe the Gulf over the next 2 or 3 years. I basically wanted something that will cope with a few hours of “commuting“ over rough corrugated roads.
I think I have narrowed it down to a couple of options. Both Dobinsons. 50mm is the target height. And will be going up a tire size which I think will get me roughly 15 mm from the tyres. The car will have a bar and winch also.
Option 1 is Dobinsons IMS with 100kg+ springs in the front and “comfort“ springs in the rear with a set of airbags for when I load up for the trips. This is roughly $2600 fitted.
Option 2 is Dobinsons MRR Adjustable remote res all round with the same or different spring setup in the rear. This is up at an eye watering $4k roughly. This option is quoted with front sway bar relocation and extended rear sway bar links.
So here are my questions that someone with more experience might be able to help with. With the remote res option I fully understand that for my application that the remote res part of this setup is huge overkill. And if it was just remote res I was buying for the extra money I wouldn’t even think about it. But is the 4 way adjustability of the shocks worth it. In the sense of will it offer enough adjustment to give that nice plush gooey on road Prado feel and allow settings that will give me better control of the coronations and the tracks. Or is it just not going to do what I hope it will. For $1500 it needs to be a fairly drastic upside.
The second question is do I actually need the sway bar relocation and extended links. It’s about $250 of extras but if they Don’t offer any improvement why bother and if they are essential do I have them added to the non remote res option. The 2 options have come from 2 different sellers so getting to the bottom of what is just a way to strip $$ out of my holiday funds and what is actually needed.
Dobinsons have always looked after me when I have had any issues that’s why I picked them over the other manufacturers but I am more than happy to listen to any other options that people might have based on good experience.
Thanks
M
