Hello everyone,
I am seeking help on pre rego GVM upgrade. I live in regional
sydney area and have just booked a 300 VX.
Earlier I looked at lift kits just for the extra clearance and may be bigger tyre/wheels, but looking at my aspirations, I think I may be crossing 650 KGs of useable GVM, So I decided to look at the GVM upgrades because it gives a lift anyways and I wont have to keep the weight in
check always.
Having said that, my usages are not extreme and do not require me to upgrade over 4000 KG... I will be using it as:-
1. No constant load except the bull bar at front (No drawers or fridge in the boot). May be a roof rack later.
2. Occasional towing around 2 - 2.5 ton caravan
3. Some off roading and beach driving.
4. Need a bit of lift (40-50 mm) and want to fit bigger tyres (285/65 R18), factory ones are (265/65 R18)
5. Need it to be comfortable for city driving without any load in the boot as
well.
I did get in touch with:-
1. ARB OME - they have 3 mods (3560, 3650 and 3920 KG), but the salesman strongly advised me to go for 3560 (stiffer ride without load otherwise). Although he did give me option to choose any shock/struts for 3560 KG - nitrocharger for $4819, MT64 for $5072 or BP51 (didnt ask)
2. Lovells by Fulcrum - The rep suggested 3800 KG gvm for $4000. Looked up lovells website, which says its a twin tube shock set up (might be similar to OME Nitrocharger).
3. I heard a lot of good things about Bilstein but didnt find any
shop near me doing a GVM with it. So its out atm unless someone here can point me to any good workshop
Now, I myself have gathered all this info about the good brands by reading online, having no personal experience about what is good/better in Australia. I am looking for suggestions/experiences on these kits, and also if you can share some insight on what GVM weight I should look for based on my usage.
I am also waiting to hear from my toyota salesman how he will arrange it, mostly he will add luxury car tax on it (and may be towing cost) and give me a $ figure.