what did ya lift kit cost and r u happy

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

my lift kit cost $1100 fitted in newcastle and im very impressed with the handling and load carrying, its an ironman heavy with low pressure gas shocks, my choice was price driven and im not complaining

[Bomber-74 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bomber-74]

I haven't lifted my prado yet, but out of curiosity what have people gone with in regards to stiffness front and rear.

I am tending towards heavy in the front with plan for a winch, dual batteries and compressor (already have the steel winch bar),

and medium in the rear with polyairs for articulation and load carrying.

Looking forward to reading price comparisons and combinations of setups.

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

about $400 for lovell springs and shocks/struts all round and im very happy

here is an updated pic of the rig

[McBAIN Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close McBAIN]

about $400 for lovell springs and shocks/struts all round and im very happy

That's cheap! was that mates rates? cash? mates rates for cash? or typo?

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

wholesale.. no labour on fitting either

[KMKPrado Member Find all posts View Profile Close KMKPrado]

lift cost

Hi all, Bilsteins shocks & lovell springs, love the ride and gives 50mm more clearance. $1960 fitted.

[joey Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close joey]

just wondering who fits bilstein and lovell and how do they compare to ome

[Up The Creek Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Up The Creek]

Would like to hear more, especially from Pradogxlv6 & KMKPrado.

Went to Preston on Sat / Sun just passed. Good estimate is that I had 180kg of gear in the boot (with cargo protector) and 100kg on the roof basket, evenly distributed. With no occupants, the rear was sagging by approx 3-4 cm, over normal. Drove with only driver and passenger up front.

Even with new Springs and shocks, would Polys also be the way to go? Any concerns with Polys?

I'm going to have a hard time convincing SWMBO that $2K is a necessasity just to get away with the boys.

Cheers.

P.S. Did have OME installed in a new Kia Sorrento.. piece of ^%&^ and sold it a year later. Was impresed with how the car performed after the fit.

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

I've got lovells / Bilsteins (30mm lift) and have never noticed any sag even when fully loaded for a trip away.

Leachy.

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

i have heard pretty average reports from the bilstiens on the overlander forum.. not worth the extra $$$ imho.

id take the OME over the bilstien/lovel combo.. at the end of the day, they all perform much the same when it comes to articulation, ride does differ, but only with how they manufacture the spring rates. you will get a firmer ride if you upgrade to be able to carry more weight, so polyairs may be a better option if you arnt after the increase in clearance..

[KMKPrado Member Find all posts View Profile Close KMKPrado]

suspension

I have had the prado loaded up with a 50L fridge, 3 adults, camper trailer, cargo drawers full of recovery gear, oztrail gazebo on top and soft gear in rear and only very little sag compared to standard which use to look like a space launch to the moon. I read mention of an overlander review on Bilsteins, if it is the same one that I read in a edition from last year they rated Bilsteins in the top three second to Edelbrocks, not bad in my book. I have read several reviews on Bilsteins and all rated them very well. I have no experience with OME so can't comment or compare but I am very happy with ride height, cornering, and handling with the new set up and would recommend it to anyone considering a change. It would be my first modification on the next one. My 2 Cents.

[Byrnsie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Byrnsie]

Even with new Springs and shocks, would Polys also be the way to go? Any concerns with Polys?

I have the ATS premium suspension package of Bilstein Shocks and Med-Heavy RidePro springs. I did not go the Polyairs but wish I had. As soon as I add any reasonable load the arse end has a noticeable sag. With a full load, I lose at least 50-60mm. Here is a picture of my saggy arse under full load:

Unladen the rear sits noticeable higher than the front giving a nice rear to front angle. Package performs great unladen. I will be adding Polyairs in the new year.

Cheers - Byrnsie

[KMKPrado Member Find all posts View Profile Close KMKPrado]

lift cost

I found a review on suspension packages that may help those still making up their minds. It is in the 4x4 Australia Gear Guide No. 4
They tested OME, Edelbrock, Raw, Bilstein, TJM, Ironman & Tough Dog shocks and spring setups. I have paraphrased a couple below.

Bilstein & King springs combo:
'The laboratory testing confirmed what we've known for some years: Bilsteins are great performance shocks.'
'Testing revealed that the shock absorber's bump and rebound damping was strong at all velocities.'
'The ride quality of the Bilsteins was judged to be slightly firmer than the other monotube shock tested, the Edelbrock/King set-up, but was still very good.'
'Axle control was excellent on all surfaces and overall vehicle handling was judged safe and predictable.'

ARB Old Man Emu Spings & Nitro chargers shocks combo:
'The testing showed the shockers had very little bump (compression) damping at low velocities and this amount reduced considerably when the shockers were hot.'
'Front rebound damping was also on the low side and, while they had more, the reats lost a proportion when hot.'
'On-road the ARB springs produced the equal best ride, with king springs, but damping was judged on teh soft side. There was a 'pattering' axle movement on small bumps and larger bumps and potholes resulted in some sideways axle movement.'

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Newbie question...

With owners investing almost $2K on shocks/springs/polyair, is this something that you would remove when you sell the vehicle, assuming you could put it into the next Prado?

Just wondering if the investment lasts a lifetime of Prados, or if it's per-Prado.

Thanks,
LFaR.

[KMKPrado Member Find all posts View Profile Close KMKPrado]

lift and cost

personally I will leave it on this vehicle and redue when the time comes on a new one since I didn't keep the stock suspension. Probably should have kept them but I am not mechanically wise so I couldn't replace them myself anyway, others likely would.