for the guys with 2in lift kits

[Hilux Max]

I beg to differ. Factory leaves use higher grade steel than most aftermarket leaf packs.

My slightly modified factory leaves give a beautifully smooth ride even with just a light tray in the back.

I get full bump stop travel out of them and bang for your buck, if you dont need weight carrying requirment and are usually empty you cant go past em.

[boxhead55]

X2

[nicebike]

I'm always happy to learn.

I have re jigged one set of standard leaves on what I recall as being an early 90s model. Modest improvement.

Replaced them on the next lux. Modest improvement again.

Simply replaced the leaves on my current Hilux, and the standard ones, in standard form, with the standard shocks, were definitely a nightmare for me ride wise (light loads only). Not simply a matter of too stiff for the load. Obviously they didn't stay with me long enough to show the steel quality benefits explained by Max, but his comments certainly tally with my understanding that aftermarket leaf spring quality can be a bit patchy.

Separating the top three and the bottom two would obviously have improved the ride, but I have had conflicting opinions from spring people about the longevity of resets, although I have not had problems with resets myself. Can always fiddle with such separation and perhaps adding a leaf to the top pack.This should be cheaper than replacement if one wants to experiment.

And not to forget that "comfort" is a subjective term that will mean different things to each of us.

[Torsion]

Hilux simply are not designed to run decent lift.

Not trying to offend anyone, but I don't see any value for money in 50mm (2 inch) raised suspension kits (hardly worth the cost given the end result).
Better ride, better handling? well maybe…. … But I couldn't give a hoot about that.
75mm+ raised suspension should be the starting point, and I guess thats where the Hilux problems start. (greater increase in cv angles, standard UCA issues, Sway bar clearance, wheel alignment limitations etc etc etc, the list goes on.

Put simply the Hilux is a good road vehicle but shit house for off road.

[Rocket55]

Aww now that's maybe a bit harsh. Yes they have their limitations and yes other vehicles are better suited to extreme off road. Bet you can't get your family and stacks of gear into you off-road super machine like you can do to the Hilux. My Hilux did Ok off road and certainly embarrassed many so-called superior designed machines on all sorts of wild terrain. It's about knowing how your vehicle behaves and choosing appropriate lines, as opposed to just lifting the crap out of it and driving straight up the middle of the road.

[10 luxxxx]

Very harsh all of the points you bring up have a way of being rectified yes it will cost but hey if you just want to drive on the road get a car not a ( shit house ) hilux.

[nicebike]

I don't think anything, whether it be a Hilux, LandCruiser,Patrol,Defender or G Wagen is "designed to run a decent lift" in the context of a "decent lift" being 75mm and over.

All vehicles are designed for the setup that they leave the factory with. This leaves some room to push things around a bit according to the whim of the owner, BUT to get 75mm and more to work properly on anything is always going to need lots of new bits, lots of re adjusting, maybe modifying parts, and lots of compromises. (Presuming it is to be done well and end up reasonably safe - legality is a separate can of worms)

Obviously jiggers with live front axles are going to be a little easier than IFS but the mucking around is going to pretty wide ranging no matter what the vehicle.

And maybe I'm a Grandpa , (although the passengers usually seem to think the opposite) but I have found suspension lifts of 25mm to 50mm on a variety of two and four wheel drive vehicles to provide noticeable and useful benefits. Not saying more isn't better, just that modest lifts can still help.

Whether or not any lift is worth the $$ is up to the individual, just as with any modification.

[Torsion]

My post relates to Hilux only, cause they are so shit house off road (ok Im string the pot now)
I don't disagree with any of the points made.

Ive had both 50mm and the current set up (as per my shed) which made me come to this conclusion;
I personally do not see the value in spending a fair bit of money for a measly 50mm suspension lift.
You put 50mm suspension lift into a solid axle vehicle (like a Poootrol) and the end result is anything but similar.

[GeeBung]

How do you get value for money with a 3" or higher lift when you have think about drop diff kits, alignments and possibly extended brake lines. Thats all starting to add there $$$ wise, where you can whack a 2" lift in and go.
The only thing gained from a big lift is the ability to fit bigger tyres to give an increase in diff clearance and maybe a bit better droop.

I personally would say a 2" is the most cost effective height to lift a vehicle and I have had no dramas getting where I want to go with that size lift.

Just my opinion.

[Torsion]

My point here is a 50mm suspension lift on a Hilux compared to a 50mm suspension lift on a solid axle vehicle,
the solid axles vehicle smashes the Hilux as if it was a standard off the floor model.
So why buy a hilux to use off road, when clearly you need to spend more money v's the equivalent to make them comparable.
Value for money was my whole point.

50mm suspension lift does little (well maybe if your driving dirt forest roads) for the cost.
Hilux are shit house for off road use.

[nicebike]

My point here is a 50mm suspension lift on a Hilux compared to a 50mm suspension lift on a solid axle vehicle,the solid axles vehicle smashes the Hilux as if it was a standard off the floor model.

Absolutely !! Particularly when the front suspension is compressed. When I had my first hilux, I was amazed at how easy it was to ground the front compared to a live axle vehicle. And if its necessary to bolt enough protection onto a Hilux to prevent massive panel damage, the poor little thing ends up weighing as much a Cruiser or Patrol anyway.

You haven't mentioned the other negative, which is, as regulation and model changes have "progressed", more and more bits and pieces are appearing underneath which are particularly easy to expensively rearrange with stray sticks etc. I suspect that this applies to most vehicles.

None of which means that that hiluxes don't work very well for a great many people. I view mine as being a road vehicle which is considerably more usefull on tracks than any car could ever be. The mods make it even more so. I don't view it as a hard core offroader that I have to put up with on bitumen.

And I love the power characteristic of both the old 1KzTE and the current1KD off road. Real grunty, hard pulling little motors. Fat low rpm torque combined with low gearing is very pleasant to use in the mountains. So there are plenty of good points, but for a dedicated, hard core, crash and bang, rip and tear off roader, I agree that there are better choices.

[Pete'90]

Hi guys
Going for the 50mm kings/bilstein setup all round. My question is will I need to invest in a diff drop kit up front and wedges in the middle and back to eliminate shredding cv's and driveline shudder.

Now with the springs ideally I'd like to only do it once, so about my ute my current heights are
Front right and left approx 715 - 720mm
Rear right and left approx 795 - 800mm
These measurements are taken from the bottom lip of the rim to the bottom of the flare on 17" wheels it's a 2010 with vsc/tc
I have a dual battery system, UHF and snorkel up front and considering underbody protection ATM. I don't intended on a bull bar at this stage. But in the near future maybe.. So upgrade in springs later will fix this
My question is what spring should I use up front with my current setup, would it be the
1# ktfr-101 (also available with the t (comfort taper))
2# ktfr-101h extra raised springs
3# ktfr-101ht extra raised (comfort taper) springs.
From what I read here the ktfr-101hd springs are for guys with a winch, bullbar, brush bars with steel side steps and all the underbody protection.

And in the rear would it be the toy-092 I don't have any weight over the back and rarely ever load it up only for camping, the standard leaves are comfortable when loaded with our gear so i only need them to basically be the same in specs just 50mm higher is this the correct part no. For the raised springs (leaf), but still to retain around the Toyota 200kg or so constant load.

Any advice/experience and knowledge is welcome
Thanks

[packeteer]

you could just get the rear springs reset, save a little coin that way

[Hellbound]

Front springs i would go KTFR-101hd as you will deffinately want some sort of bullbar at some stage and will regret not getting the right springs to suit later. Plus going the HD version now means i wont sag as much after settling down after couple thousand kms.

An extra leaf or just a reset would get you by seeing as there no extra load, but a set of EFS raised confort springs would be the best idea as when installing them you would use polyurethane bushes and greasable shackles and be done with the rear.

Deffinately dont go a diff drop for 50mm, total waste of money until 3" and over.

My 2 cents

[Pete'90]

Thanks for the replies, just another quick one will I have to extend the brake lines with a 50mm lift, last time my car was on the hoist and all wheels were hanging it looked like the rear brake lines were at the max I didn't look at the front. the rear did have a little flex in them but I was thinking if I raise it 50mm and lift a wheel it would break the 2 lines or am I thinking into it too much?

[Hellbound]

Deffinatly wont need changing until after 3" or possibly higher...

[Shanoz]

I have got the Snake Racing Strut Spacers in my front end (came fitted with the car) and lift rear leafs to suit. My car has an Ironman Steel Bull Bar with Spotties on it and I was wondering if the KTFR-101 King Springs would give my Hilux the Extra half an Inch to an Inch lift to make it level with the rear or will I need the KTFR-101HD to do what I require without having to mod the rears? You can kind of see what I mean in the pic of the ride height and the spacers that are fitted.

[hiluxd4d1kd]

Hey guys im getting a 2" OME suspension fitted to my brand new 2014 hilux. Getting constant load as I carry alot of tools in the back and also have a canopy.

-does anyone have before and after pics of OME 2" lift on a 2014 face lift lux
-also are the OME spring crap and better off replacing the springs?
-will the car be a shit ride if i have no tools in the back and just the weight of the canopy because of the constant load leafs?

cheers guys

[hiluxd4d1kd]

haha havent even driven my car yet waiting for all the extras to be fitted before pick up.

[packeteer]

I can't comment on the OME stuff, or the setup you're getting, but I'll share my experience...

before I went away for my trip last year, I took my vehicle back to Ultimate Suspension and had them redo the rear leaf pack to handle more weight. I also upgraded to big gas mono's. It handled the weight of 3 months away just fine, and more importantly, the ride when empty was firm but not harsh.

so in short, quality kit setup by experts means you can have the best of both worlds