What suspension does everybody run?

[bakerboy]

hey guys im goin to be upgrading my suspension shortly and was wondering what everyone was running and if they were happy with it or not. i am chasing a 2" suspension lift for my pajero (4 shocks, 2 coils, 2 torsion bars). my onroad/offroad driving is 80/20 with the majority of offroad been driven on sand so im chasing something with good bang for buck but not been to expensive (hoping to get it done for under 1200, is that reasonable?)

cheers, Cameron

[-Scott-]

Why do you want new torsion bars?

[bakerboy]

because they are 19yrs old and for a few hundred more i might as well get new ones

[4x4 suzi]

hi,
i recently got an ironman lift. gave me about 1.5" of lift and was i think $752. then $270 installed. i went with this because most of the other kits were this price but didnt have the torsion bars included, but the iron man kit did. seems to be really good so far. have had it in for about 6000kms. rides heaps better.

[NJV6]

I would not buy new torsion bars for now, just wind them up to match the rear, unless you are adding alot or weight to the front . Putting heavier torsion bars on without extra weight will make it ride even worse.

Remember you can add them later. I run maxitrac springs and rancho shocks. The maxi's ride nicely but I would like them slightly longer.

[bakerboy]

cheers guys, was hoping for a bit more response lol but thats ok, was gonna porb get blue max shocks and all that jazz

[klrevo]

in my old shorty i used to run standard torsions even with arb bullbar and warn M8000 winch, with pedders LWB HD springs, was good, sat well, and flexed alright. ran bilstein shocks all round, they were great

in the lwb i run gq springs and tough dogs adjustables all round, probably change the touhg dogs if i had the cash laying round for some bilstein 5125s.

i guess it depends what you want out if it, bu a set of sporings and new shocks all round, fit it yourself, cost about $600, i wouldnt buy a kit as per se, just buy the parts you want.

dean

[bakerboy]

ok cheers mate, u sure i wouldnt need new torsion bars even though they are 19yrs old? also im buttin 32x11.5 on it to replace the 28x9 and ive been told i should replace the steering damper? scam?

[NJV6]

bakerboy - why don't you just do the bits and see what its like and then decide.....?

Put simply it won't handle as well with 32's on it and won't steer as well. Thats Physics, but with some changes it will help, start with rear coils and 4 shocks and go from there.

Your steering box should be adequate, providing you don't put 10 inch landcruiser offset rims on it.

NJ

[bakerboy]

oh...what offset should i use then? i was goin for a cruiser offset

[klrevo]

honestly mate like peiople have said, do something see what its like and go from there.

my old shorty use to have standard torsions like i said and they were 14 years old, rear springs and new shockies. never ran a swaybar, never ran a steering dampener, did run cruiser offset 15x8 sunnies with 33x12.5 tyres, and the standard steering box setup and it was great, use to be able to punch it round. Actually my new paj still runs the standard steering box too with the 35"s and different suspension.

dean

[bakerboy]

thanks guys its just that i dont have a big income and id like to get it fairly right the first time, i thought it woulda been alright asking questions without upseting everyone, thagts not so i see

[-Scott-]

thanks guys its just that i dont have a big income and id like to get it fairly right the first time, i thought it woulda been alright asking questions without upseting everyone, thagts not so i see

Questions are always welcome. Questioning the answers is how you upset people.

It appears you came in here with a pre-conceived idea that you should replace your front torsion bars and add a steering damper.

People suggest you should wait and see if you need either, but you seem keen to spend the money despite not having "a big income".

I've spent time on most of the popular 4x4 discussion boards in Australia, and I firmly believe OL provides the best technical information, with very little bad information. These days, I rarely visit other sites, because it's frustrating seeing the same wrong advice being given time after time.

Please, come here for answers. Check our Tech Database, use the search function. If you can't find your answer - ask. If the answer surprises you, ask for an explanation - don't just ask "are you sure?"

So, if you're on a budget, don't bother buying torsion bars unless you find you really need them. Old bars may be a little softer, but, as one front wheel lifts over an obstacle, softer bars actually help keep weight (and traction) on the other wheel.

You've probably read that "cranking torsion bars increases pre-load and makes a rougher ride." That's wrong. Only additional weight can increase the tension in a torsion bar. The rougher ride comes from reducing clearance to the suspension stop (in this case, the droop stop.)

Steering dampers are generally only required for 4wds which have had their steering geometry significantly compromised. You should be able to fit 32" tyres on Patrol rims without clearance problems or significant changes to steering geometry. 'Cruiser offset rims will affect your scrub radius, which is more likely to increase kick-back and require a steering damper. It's not a big deal to add one at any stage, so wait until you find you need one.

Now, if you have any more questions (other than "are you sure"), feel free to ask.

Scott

[bakerboy]

cheers scott i didnt mean for the answer to somehow question ur knowledge, it was more of a "wow, really? didnt think that would be right" kinda reaction, sorry if i caused offence, i do find the information helpful however with so many sales people feeding me bs that i was curious to ur response, i didnt come on thinking that id need a steering damper i just brought it up because it was mentioned, however i did think it would be wise to replace the torsion bars, appologies to all.

on a side note, patrol offset not cruiser off set? ( iask because i only want to buy the rims once and dont wanna stuff up, the tyre shop guys dont even reckon u can get 32"s on pajs so they are no help)

[-Scott-]

I'll start by saying I haven't run 32x11.5" tyres on a Paj, so I'm basing this on what other members have posted, and running 33x11.2" tyres on my Paj.

With Patrol offset rims, my 33" tyres are inside my guards (just) and only rub on the rear at max articulation. I only know it rubs because of the marks, I don't hear anything. Nothing rubs at the front.

The tyres you want are shorter but wider. On Patrol offset rims (zero offset) I would expect negligible issues with clearance on the inside, and probably require minor guard extensions to keep the rego people happy (flexible garden edging from Bunnings is a cheap and simple solution.)

'Cruiser rims (approx. -23mm offset) will increase your track by about 2 inches more than Patrol rims. I expect you wouldn't be able to rub on the inside edge, even if you tried - but clearance on the outside edge could be much more of a problem.

If you really would prefer 'Cruiser rims, create a new post asking members to post their wheel & tyre combinations.

Cheers,

Scott

[klrevo]

mate, nothing i wrote had any bad connotations or intentions behind it, sorry if it seemed that way, like a few of the boys on here know, youre more than welcome to pm me any questions.

cruiser offset, patrol offset, i think the difference is about 10-15mm, not too much, but yhe iv always just had landcruiser offset thats all, and yes you can definitely get 32"s on a paj. 33"s little scrubbing, my old shorty had zero scrubbage even with the 33"s, and iv seen a few fairly standard pajeros with 35"s no trimming of guards.

like i said, i cant guarnatee you the correct answers or even an answer but if youre ever shy feel free to pm me, only for the next two weeks though, COS THEM IM OFF ROUND OZ!!! woot!>

dean.

[bakerboy]

cheers guys, thanks for all ya help, ill be bookin myself in v/shortly for some shocks and coils and then some new rubber ill post up the results when it happens, once again cheers guys

[4wd26]

Alright, your on a budget and want a 2" lift.
Now in my SWB gen1, I run the springs from a gen2 wagon, progressive supple and get my 2" lift. yourself look at getting patrol wagon springs (BUT not heavy duty) If you want to be real cheep look for these from a wreckers.

I run EFS shocks and got them a little longer than the standard pajero shocks as I was getting limited by the shocks on droop with rear swaybar removed.

Still have the original torsion bar, just wound it up and replaced the front shocks.

I run 33" tyres with this combination with no fouling.
NOTE: I don't have an abundance of power so I choose to run 255/85/16 tyres, you can think outside the box. This option gets you your height without the need to go for 8" rims and maybe foul the body, it also saves you from buying wheel arch flares to keep it all legal. Saves on fuel and saves the steering componants.

[bakerboy]

cheers mate ive already booke in for shocks and coils on monday and rubber on tuesday so ill have pics for show and tell, and ill deff be taking off the swaybar

[dklyne454]

Hey guys, New to this site. i run a 94 gl lwb with a 2 inch body lift and a 2 inch tough dog/ rancho lift, and was running 33x12.5 BAJA CLAWS. they are now on the F truck though. i bought my tough dog coils for $260, and the rancho shocks for about the same, from www.4wd1.com. i am very happy with the ride and price. my tyres are on a landcruiser offset, and have never had any issue with scrubbing. i would post some pics, but i dont actually know how to do that.

Dan[/img]

[bakerboy]

ok suspension is in, running efs shocks and west coast coils, got 60mm out of rear and 20mm out of front, but they didnt wind the torsion bars up so ill give it a week to settle then wind the bars up to try and get at least 20mm more. pics are up

[bakerboy]

before



after

[bakerboy]

new rubber with suspension

[4x4 suzi]

what size tyres you got there?

[bakerboy]

they are a 32x11.5x15