Best type of suspension for <span class="highlight">corrugations</span>

Solid live axle coils for towing any weight are best.


Cheers

'several hundred kilometres of corrogation..."

Air down, slow down, fit quality shock absorbers and springs. OE stuff is generally poor porformance for your intentions.

And the biggest diameter tyre with the tallest section you can get running at the lowest pressure.
And don't forget that the CT needs the same.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Hey Unners..
Rather than the suspension configuration it's more the quality that counts. A camper trailer (most times) isn't a significant load for a 4wd. You will find that and independently sprung vehicle will give you a far superior ride as no wheel is effect by another wheel's movement and therefore able to react to bumps/corrugations better.
A live axle vehicle will handle severe treatment better but will be no better for corrugations given the same quality products are used.
As long as you are considering a vehicle built for said purpose, eg, Patrol, L/C, Pajero, Prado etc then your vehicle choice should be made around your total vehicle needs not just a few hundred kilometres of road. Your suspension choice will be far more critical, especially spring rate and shock brand. Everyone will have their own opinion on the right brand of shock but the shock choice should ultimately hinge on the spring choice and application. The best brand of shock can be wrong if the application is not right.

DAN

Probably a Hovecraft would e the ideal thing for Corrrrrrrrrugggggationnnnnns

Rofl

Unners, in my experience I have found IFS vehicles far superior to live axle vehicles when it comes to corrugation comfort. Live axle vehicles have a very high unsprung weight and therefore greater suspension inertia and slower suspension reaction. This makes for a rougher ride when fast suspension reaction is required.

Live axle vehicles provide better suspension travel than IFS. This is beneficial when doing serious offroad 4x4ing (high country, etc) but this is not important for corrugated roads.

FYI, I own a live axle vehicle so this advice isn't biased.

As advised above, choose the largest capacity shocker you can afford (koni's "Raids" are superb but now I might be biased! I could hold my hand on them at any stage and not feel uncomfortable heat). The more oil capacity in the shock the lower the oil temps therefore maintaining damping ability (no fade).

I did the Anne Beadell Hwy last year and it is very very rough (just the way I like it!). My vehicle has live axles and was not as comfortable to travel in compared to the IFS vehicle that was also on the trip.

Hope this helps.

My coil/leaf Rigid Axle traytop handles corrugations a lot better than the all coil IFS prados i had before it. Tyre pressures make the biggest difference.

Regarding reliability - the most common shock failures I've seen are aftermarket and most from North and South America.
The best brands I've seen are either the Japanese made factory shocks or Konis.

Thanks everyone for all your advice. Whatever I end up getting I'll be sure to have a good look at the springs and shocks.