Suspension upgrade for Prado Grande
Submitted: Monday, May 14, 2007 at 19:20
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colanjen
Hi all,
The new Prado Grande has an adjustable
suspension system. Can this system be upgraded for true outback travel, (stiffening and possible raising for extra clearance) or is it tough enough as it is ? I tow an off road caravan, that
places a fair bit of extra load on the rear of my present set up.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Regards from Col
Reply By: lc_120man - Monday, May 14, 2007 at 21:27
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 21:27
Yes, you can remove rear airbags and replace them with springs/shocks....
On a serious note - 2" inch lift on front and special cables for the rear to stop rear
suspension from popping out...
Stan.
AnswerID:
240028
Reply By: Alan W - Monday, May 14, 2007 at 22:44
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 22:44
Hi Colanjen
I have a 05 Grande with over 50000 kms on the clock, made up of around 25 - 30% off road, not much I know, considering the simpson trip towing a camper I did was over 5000ks in itself.
I have found only 1 fault with the
suspension, that is when you raise the rear to full height everything towards the front of the front axle, ie the pivot point, actually lowers. My sump guard is mangled.
To fix this, I got a 80mm lift. I have a sovereign bullbar, superwinch, dual batteries mounted up front, so the actual lift was approx 60mm.
If my shockers have topped out, nothing has broken yet.
I love the adjustability of the shockers. Put it on firm for freeway or twisty mountain roads. Or on comfort for corrugated outback tracks. All smooth as silk.
As the other reply alluded, there has been reports of the rear air bag popping out. Since it hasn't happen to me i shall treat that as a rumour or bad luck to someone else.
To my knowledge it's not possible to change the shocks to 'normal shocks' as the TEMS is connected to the stability system and not only will dash warning lights illuminate but the whole system will be in 'limp
home' mode. But why would you want to?
As you can see I have nothing but praise for the air
suspension and adjustable shocks, just disappointed it's also not on the front. (Hopefully by 2008 when I trade up again it will be)
Enjoy the ride
Alan
AnswerID:
240057
Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Monday, May 14, 2007 at 23:06
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 23:06
"As the other reply alluded, there has been reports of the rear air bag popping out. Since it hasn't happen to me i shall treat that as a rumor"
Sorry to tell you its not a rumor, I have seen it happen twice to the same Grande and according to Toyota "The system is not designed for off road travel"
Needless to say after two failures the owner now has a 100 series.
It has also happened to two other Grande's in our club that I know of.
I would suggest that if it has not happened to you then you have indeed been lucky and I would think that its more an issue of not doing a track that has hyper-extended the rear
suspension enough to allow the bag to "Pop Out" of its mounts.
Despite the vehicle being marketed as a Off Road 4wd its more suited to dirt roads at the most.
The other non airbag models obviously don't have the same issues.
Cheers
FollowupID:
501018
Follow Up By: Alan W - Monday, May 14, 2007 at 23:57
Monday, May 14, 2007 at 23:57
Hi
John,
I like to browse this site for information especially related to the Canning which I'm attempting in the near future. I go and read the
forum for that extra bit of pleasure.
But I always take heed of the warning placed at the top of the
forum page, it reads.
'Quote'
Warning: This page is open to public comment. The accuracy and validity of comments within is undetermined. Posts are moderated according to our
Terms Of Use.
'Unquote'
Therefore I treat every bit of news with suspicion especially if it hasn't happen to me.
Maybe my 05 grande has shorter shocks to stop the hyper extension, maybe I haven't hyper extended my rear air bags. Maybe I'm just lucky. Maybe Maybe Maybe!!!
If I happen to pop a rear air bag at least I can go armed with a copy of your reply when I make a warranty claim to Toyota.
Thanks
Alan
FollowupID:
501031
Follow Up By: lc_120man - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 07:29
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 07:29
Alan, if the bag happens to popout in the middle of CSR, no toyota warranty
going to help you there... 10k+ for recovery and $1.5K from toyota to fix...
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - MrBitchi (QLD) - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 07:39
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 07:39
Alan, ask the guy we saw in
Birdsville a couple of years ago (last EO gathering) whose Grande was on a trailer being recovered to
Longreach to have the
suspension fixed. Apparently it popped out at Camerons Corner and he had to drive to
Birdsville with no
suspension.......
Wasn't a very happy camper although as the car was brand new Toyota did cover it under warranty.
FollowupID:
501050
Follow Up By: colanjen - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 16:34
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 16:34
Thanks everyone for your input,
It has given this little chappy a lot to think about. Why isn' anything straight forward and simple anymore. I will have to very carefully consider my next move.
Thanks again.
Regards from Col.
FollowupID:
501121
Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 16:55
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 16:55
So Alan reading your reply it certainly appears to have more than a hit of sarcasm directed at me? and thats fine if it makes you happy then feel free tell everyone else that they are wrong in your opinion.
It obvious that since the air bag issue has not happened to you then its just a rumor and general bull$hit as far as your concerned??
Its more than likely that you have never had your Prado on anything close to a 4wd track that would articulate the rear
suspension to the maximum.
Since you claim to browse this site from time to time I would have thought that you would have seen posts on this topic before?
Maybe you should do an archive search before you open your mouth as it has been a topic several times before.
I reckon your a close cousin to another guy who appears on here and who also thinks he is always right, I'm sure he will be along soon to add his opinion.
FollowupID:
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