Navara Lift

[stove]

hey peoples im new to the 4x4 game and im looking at lifting my 04 D22
i dont want to spend a stupid amount of coin.
was thinking a few inches in body and a few in susp
and looking at putting 33's on it
if anyone has any suggestions or has done this can you give us a few pointers.

cheers stove.

 

[Laith]

I just wound up the standard torsion bars a few inches. That took care of the front.

I put Iron Man load springs on the standard rear leaves to get the rear lift, but new raised springs would definently be better. Not realy that expensive either. Even a set of lift shackles will do the job but are close to the cost of new springs.

You definently should get new shocks. Standard ones are crap.

Mine is lifted about 2/2.5 inches and with the front mudflaps trimmed 285x75x16 tyres fit and dont rub.

I had mine lifted for quite a while with the origional shocks. The only cost was for the Iron Man load springs ($120) and a front wheel alignment after the torsion bar lift ($35).

 

[big orse]

I just wound up the standard torsion bars a few inches. That took care of the front.

I put Iron Man load springs on the standard rear leaves to get the rear lift, but new raised springs would definently be better. Not realy that expensive either. Even a set of lift shackles will do the job but are close to the cost of new springs.

You definently should get new shocks. Standard ones are crap.

Mine is lifted about 2/2.5 inches and with the front mudflaps trimmed 285x75x16 tyres fit and dont rub.

I had mine lifted for quite a while with the origional shocks. The only cost was for the Iron Man load springs ($120) and a front wheel alignment after the torsion bar lift ($35).

Have been looking at this myself. Did the iron man load springs give you a harsher ride or was it barely noticeable? This is definitely the cheapest option for a small amount of lift. How much did the load spring raise the rear by?

 

[Laith]

The load springs are adjustable so you can get what you want. I set to about 2.5 inch.

Empty ride is a bit harsher but not that noticable with a bit of weight on board. It is a cheap and easy way to do it for sure.

 

[tweak'e]

i'll have to have a look at those load springs. load springs typicaly do not raise a vechile. they only come into play when you put a big load on.

the rear springs are as weak as, forget load springs just either add a leaf or change the spring pack. fix two problems at once. helper/load springs won't fix the saging leaf problem these vechiles have.

 

[Laith]

The IronMan load springs can be adjusted to alter when/where they start working.

I just adjusted them up which certainly lifts the ride height and the origional springs. They no longer sit flat.

 

[tweak'e]

those ironman load springs look like the ones we first tried but wouldn't clear the chassi. i think i still have them in the shed somewhere.

helper/load springs are only good if the main springs are up to the job, which with the navara the orginal springs are certainly not.
depending on loads you have on you may find in a year or two the main springs have inverted even with the load springs fitted.

 

[maddogrc]

how much does tightening the torsion bars increase the front height by?

 

[tweak'e]

you can get upto 3" tho you will need to pull them out and turn around 3(?) notches. (can't remember if its 3 or 6 notches)

 

[Laith]

I have had 200kg+ in the tray of my Navara from day one. My load springs have been in for at least 2 years. Springs have not inverted.

If the main springs were up to the job why would you need load springs?

 

[tweak'e]

to stop the vechile from bottoming out all the time guys use them on toyotas etc with no problems. they are good becasue they don't do anything unless you have load on. you get far stability when ute is fully loaded.

when they did the leaf on mine they found the springs had inverted. thats how weak they are, one year old and the springs had inverted!
mind you we carry a bit more than little 200kg loads. usualy up to a 1000kg and we don't overload like most other guys do. some run up to 2 ton on other makes and have no problems with springs inverting.

i think one of the guys on the UK forum had load springs, all well and good untill he noticed the main springs had gone flat !

 

[tweak'e]

the other thing is does cranking up the load spring make the suspension any harder?
the stock suspension was a bit on the hard side. a right pain in the back when hitting potholes.

after adding the extra leaf its soft, nice and comfy, don't even notice the bumps.

 

[celibaterifle]

I've got Ironman load springs on mine and I reckon the ride is harsher, though they have been on for a couple of years I'm not absolutely sure. Been meaning to take them off and see if there's any difference - might get to it one day.

 

[maddogrc]

what rear leafs do you reckon would be best for the single cab chassis (tradies ute) d22? most of the time i'm only carrying light stuff (under 500kg) and when theres no load i can feel the bumps pretty good.

problem is i want some rear lift and getting harder springs will give more lift, but make the ride even worse. whats the way to go?

 

[tweak'e]

what rear leafs do you reckon would be best for the single cab chassis (tradies ute) d22? most of the time i'm only carrying light stuff (under 500kg) and when theres no load i can feel the bumps pretty good.

problem is i want some rear lift and getting harder springs will give more lift, but make the ride even worse. whats the way to go?

add a leaf. not sure whats advailable over there but a truck spring crowd should be a ble to make one of you can't find one off the shelf.
thats usually the cheapest option, otherwise change the whole spring pack.

 

[maddogrc]

i see in your signature it says 2 inch lift.

you get that just from the leaf springs by adding some more, or you got some lift kit?

 

[tweak'e]

thats just from the extra leaf. they can do a bit more by reworking the spring but 3" is max without doing other mods to the front.
actually ours have the front as stock due to the heavy loads we carry.
i think that with 1 ton load its still an inch higher than stock (with 1 ton load) so you still have heaps of travel with a decent load on. great for soaking up the bumps.

even with excess of a ton i havn't hit the bump stops yet.

 

[Guido]

Without starting a new thread, i'm interested in a 2" suspension lift on my 2002 STR. Pretty keen to get some more height for offroad, a better ride on the highway and around town and better ride when towing a 2t boat. I don't carry any loads 99% of the time and would be keen for a trip to the far north in the near future.

A few magazines have some D22 packages for about $1200-$1300. 4x shocks, 2x leaf packs u-bolts etc. By Tough Dog, Ironman and similar, shipped aussie wide (some for free). I have friends that are capable of fitting if I have to.

Do you think these are good value and will suit my purpose?

I'm waiting to hear back from ARB with what they can offer, but they said they only have a 30mm lift package? He mentioned it has probably sagged an inch over time, so I could get to 2" from what it is currently. Does this sound about right? I'm not much chop with this stuff so any info you can offer would be great!

Cheers guys
Guido

 

[stove]

ive just purchesed a 3" lift kit, thats new shocks, springs, torsion bars, the works.
got it from caloffroad from over east. they were a lot cheaper than snake and all the local boys. still havent put it in yet
once its in ill keep ya posted

stove

get ya nav on

 

[Guido]

Cheers Stove, without asking the price I am already guessing it will be beyond my budget!

I got the ARB Old Man Emu quote, $1500 fitted. It comes with 4 shocks, 2 leafs and bushes/bolts. It's $1988 fitted with new torsion bar also. Do you think the upgraded torsion bar is necessary in my applications?

Cheers,
Guido