SHED: TOYOTA HILUX
OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW, AS GINGER THE HILUX GETS A MUCH-NEEDED SUSPENSION UPGRADE AND FRESH ‘USED’ RUBBER.
AFTER ITS first shakedown trip to the Glasshouse Mountains, it became clear after only a few kilometres that the Hilux’s suspension was in dire need of an upgrade.
While it wasn’t absolutely terrible on the road, there was still a noticeable amount of unwanted body roll, and the rear-end felt a little loose when cornering. The situation was similar offroad, and the suspension bottomed out a few times on bigger hits and became increasingly noisy. The service history of the car indicated the current kit had at least 100,000km on it, and upon inspection the rear shocks were found to be leaking.
There’s a laundry list of accessories you can throw at any older 4x4, but a quick and easy way to breathe new life into one is to upgrade the suspension. I opted for a tried and proven TJM XGS Series 4000 40mm suspension lift, and I’ve had experience with the XGS range before and find it to be a good all-round kit. Running N2 charged twin-tube shocks with a 20mm larger diameter piston rod and 40mm large diameter piston, TJM claim the XGS Series 4000 delivers lower internal pressure for shock durability, faster damping response for improved body control, a smoother, more comfortable ride, and improved on-road handling and braking ability with reduced noise and vibration.
The guys from APAC 4x4 leant a hand in fitting the new kit and found the Hilux’s suspension bushes were either extremely worn or almost non-existent, so these were also replaced.
The Hilux’s 225/75 R16s had also seen better days and were definitely undersized for the type of touring planned. I found a set of 16x8 King steelies with generic 265/70 R16s on my
local ‘marketplace’ for less than $800, so while the Hilux was up on the hoist for the suspension upgrade we swapped over the wheels. The vehicle looks the part now, but I’ve got my doubts on the longevity of the tyres. I will be putting a lot of thought into the correct tyre for the type of touring I have planned and will be fitting them prior to any long trips.
It was immediately evident on a quick road trip to settle in the new suspension that the ride, cornering and overall vehicle dynamics were greatly improved. I’m looking forward to putting the new XGS suspension through its paces on- and off-road and will provide a full review of the upgrade in an upcoming issue.