Aftermarket suspension for towing and occasional outback trip

[jared01]

Hello,

I upgraded from a NW Pajero which had Old Man Emu suspension and airbags in the rear to a Pajero Sport with stock suspension.

The suspension is much worse (even when using a WDH) than the OME I had before.

It is therefore time to do something about the suspension.


I have read threads about changing the rear coils and cone springs as per OJ's advice as well considered other brand off the shelf setups.

I am considering the following;

- Making a trip to Ultimate Suspension in Ingleburn Sydney and getting their setup
- Visiting ARB and getting their suspension installed (it seemed good enough for the older car)
- Picking one of the many other suspension options out there
- Changing just the parts as per OJ's advice

Other relevant information
-Our caravan is 17 foot and tow-ball is approx 220kg
-We have 3 kids (4, 6 and 9) as well as 2 adults when towing the caravan
-We went on a 3 week Central Australia trip last year which consisted of many corrugations and would like to do that again a few more times before the kids are older

A brief phone call with Ultimate Suspension led to an estimate of about $1850 for the Pajero Sport.

Any advice welcome please.

[jared01]

Any advice for me?

I suppose I can't go wrong with the ultimate suspension setup.

Gotta get something sorted out soon as stock suspension is not very good for my towing.

[lostscrew]

I went with Bilstein shocks and air bags in the rear no issues to date

[old Jack]

Hi Jared,

I have looked back at all you post regarding your requirements.
Your problem is the weight range you are wanting to have between empty/normal daily use and fully loaded/towing with minimal ride height or ride comfort changes.

Ultimate Supsension uses Lovells coils and these are only lineal rate so they are not ideally suit for your requirements, progressive rate rear coils will perform better.
Ultimate will most likely recommend CRR-69HD but these will be on the light side when you are fully loaded.

Old Man Emu rear coils are availble in both linear rate and progressive rate designs so if you let me know which coils ARB are recommending I can give you the technical details. ARB will most likely recommend OME2938 which is the same as King KCRR-23HD both these coils are progressive rate and have just over double the spring rate of the the factory coils.

Kings make OME coils for ARB so unless you are happy to pay the ARB Tax for the Nationwide Warranty Support then using King coils will save you a few dollars.

Rear shockers are best done at the same time as fitting heavier rear coils.
OME Nitrochargers have a reputation for riding firm, these are made to ARB specs by Monroe/Tenico and like Lovell's shockers are low pressure gas twin tube design so they are nothing special, but much better than the factory units.

Have you decided to change the front suspension or leave it standard or keep the factory front coils and just upgrade the fronts struts?

In still believe the best value combination for most medium duty recreational use is King springs and OzTec struts and shockers, particulatly if you are fitting the suspension yourself. If you are having the suspension fitted then there are some good reasons for going down the ARB/OME, Ultimate or TJM path as you tend to have more recourse if you are not happy with the result or you have premature component failure.

OJ.

[jared01]

Hello OJ,

Thanks for the feedback.

I will not be fitting the equipment myself, so will be going somewhere who can recommend and fit the equipment.

I was looking at changing the front suspension too.

I will get a price for an OME setup too and keep researching.

Any other feedback is welcome.

Thank you.

[jared01]

Hello,

I am just re-visiting potential suspension upgrades as I have not made any changes yet.

I went through about the first 10 pages and read all suspension threads, but I am still quite unsure what to do.

I read one of the recent threads about OME suspension change and vibrations, so that is a bit worrying too.

There was one comment from 'bigdave (https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum...t=45233&page=4) where it sounds like he has similar weights to me and is happy with the commonly recommended 'Kings KCRS23 coils on the rear with the pedders bumpstops' combination.

Old Jack, are you able to tell me more about your previously mentioned 'King springs and OzTec struts and shockers'?

Otherwise if the recommended 'Kings KCRS23 coils on the rear with the pedders bumpstops' combination is going to be slightly too soft for me.

[old Jack]

Hi Jarrad,

Is it a case of “paralyse by analysis”?

If you are not going to change your front suspension then the tried and tested upgrade is the King KCRS-23 with the Peddar 5899 rubber cones, it will be a huge improvement on what you have now.
Will it be enough? Maybe? Maybe not, this is due to your rear passenger seat loads, cargo area loads and towball load.
If you are doing front suspension and also wanting a lift then that is another discussion.
Are you using a WDH? How are you setting the WDH up?

OJ.

[jared01]

Hello OJ,

Thanks for your reply.

I think it is a case of paralysis by analysis. I think that happens to me quite a lot!


I am not really sure which way to go, but something definitely needs to happen as it is terrible with the stock suspension (comparing to my previous car NW with OME and airbags) .

I see it this way:

1). Just do the King KCRS-23 with the Peddar 5899 rubber cones (will be an improvement and maybe good enough) and leave it at that
2). Do the front and rear to get some sort of lift and increase towing abilities at the same time

If I was going to go for option 1, I would need to source the parts and then get my local mechanic to fit them. Could you recommend any online resources to purchase the required parts?

I will weigh the cost for option 1 vs option 2.

I do use a WDH and I use enough links so the front suspension goes back down to the measured distance before hitching up the caravan.


Need to do something soon I think.

[old Jack]

Hi Jared,

To change rear coils and rubber cones is about 45 minutes a side taking it easy.
Parts available online for about $200-$220 for a set of coils and the cone spring are about $125 a pair, cheaper if you can get some trade discount. So all up $450 to $500 including labour to upgrade the rear coils and cones, and keep the front standard.

A full suspension upgrade of coils, struts and shockers will cost $1300 to $1600 in parts and $400 to $500 to fit if they are pre-assembled struts. You will get a lift, more load carrying capacity and better suspension control particularly on dirt and corrugated roads.

OJ.

[orthodoxs]

Hi Jared,

To change rear coils and rubber cones is about 45 minutes a side taking it easy.
Parts available online for about $200-$220 for a set of coils and the cone spring are about $125 a pair, cheaper if you can get some trade discount. So all up $450 to $500 including labour to upgrade the rear coils and cones, and keep the front standard.

A full suspension upgrade of coils, struts and shockers will cost $1300 to $1600 in parts and $400 to $500 to fit if they are pre-assembled struts. You will get a lift, more load carrying capacity and better suspension control particularly on dirt and corrugated roads.

OJ.

The KCRS 23 are Within $200 from an ebay seller, which I bought for my PS

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/King-Of-Springs-PAJERO-Rear-Standard-Coils-KCRS-23/283485723211?hash=item420110da4b:g:nFgAAOSwFytaMjrr&frcectupt=true

The nearest direct Pedders outlet will order and supply the cones at cost price after trying their luck, at pushing their suspension upgrade with air bags.

[Greg Grey Grumbly]

Hi Jared,

I followed OJ’s advice and installed the KCRS 23 with the Pedders bump stops and couldn’t be happier.

My loads vary from only an aux battery and set of golF clubs in the back, to towing an 18.5 ft Van with tinny on the PS roof and fridge and outboard in the back. This spring/ damper setup always feels good. I’ve left the front springs standard.

It’s all horses for courses, if you want to go the full lift etc or just want to improve on the factory without too much complication and possible side effects like vibration as others have reported.

[jared01]

Thanks for all the feedback including pricing and where I can source the springs etc.

I have a decision to make now :-)

Greg Grey Grumbly, how heavy is the towball weight of your caravan?

[Greg Grey Grumbly]

Hi Jared,

Towball weight is 200-210 kg, depending on load. I also use a Hayman Reece WDH with an off road Alko coupling so it’s all free to move around.

Greg