Suspension upgrade

[Jimmythommo]

Gday all, just bought a 2015 d22. Fully stock. The suspension is absolutely garbage, I feel every tiny bump on the road. Can anyone tell me , will a 2 inch lift and slightly bigger Tyres n rims greatly improve the ride on road. It’s mainly gonna be used as a work Ute and occasional 4wheeling on wknds. Only want to fork out the money if it’s really gonna make a huge difference. I’d appreciate any help. Cheers

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum.

Standard suspension is designed to feel good as you get it out the driveway of the dealership and after that it's done its job, I guess ... my car came with "flat" leaves which, after about 12 months, started to invert. I tried adding an Ironman Load Plus leaf helper spring but it didn't last long.

I bit the bullet and went to ARB and had them fit OME Dakar dual-rate leaf springs. Best decision I ever made. Raised the rear by 85mm (unloaded, which she almost never is) and felt far better than the OEM springs. I did change the shocks as well, to ARB Nitrocharger Sports shocks which are still good 10 years later with no rebuilds and over 200,000km of all types of terrain involved (I don't think there's a single kind of trail I haven't done - river crossings up to the windscreen, snow, sand, mud, gravel so steep the gravel is going down the hill faster than I am, red dirt corrugations in the middle of Aus - yep, all of it).

There are others. Tough Dog has a good following, same with Dobinson. Be wary of cheap shocks on eBay, they may not look bad, but we bought a set for a small car and the things started knocking after a month on the road.

 

[Dinro]

You have never owned a Ute before?

The stock suspension is actually about as soft as you will get for off the shelf solution. Upgraded leafs are stronger / designed for more load and reduce body roll, but unless you have a constant load the ride will be harsher. Put 300kg springs in the back and unloaded, if you think stock is harsh you ain't seen anything yet. Sus upgrade especially leaf for lift, durability, stability, load carrying. It will not enhance your comfort - Unless you have a constant load on it.

 

[[email protected]]

i upgraded my rear coils 50mm lift , used tough dog adjustable shocks still would sag with load , had to fit airbags to maintain my towbar at proper height for towing , now feel every bump, have got used to it

 

[Jimmythommo]

Welcome to the forum.

Standard suspension is designed to feel good as you get it out the driveway of the dealership and after that it's done its job, I guess ... my car came with "flat" leaves which, after about 12 months, started to invert. I tried adding an Ironman Load Plus leaf helper spring but it didn't last long.

I bit the bullet and went to ARB and had them fit OME Dakar dual-rate leaf springs. Best decision I ever made. Raised the rear by 85mm (unloaded, which she almost never is) and felt far better than the OEM springs. I did change the shocks as well, to ARB Nitrocharger Sports shocks which are still good 10 years later with no rebuilds and over 200,000km of all types of terrain involved (I don't think there's a single kind of trail I haven't done - river crossings up to the windscreen, snow, sand, mud, gravel so steep the gravel is going down the hill faster than I am, red dirt corrugations in the middle of Aus - yep, all of it).

There are others. Tough Dog has a good following, same with Dobinson. Be wary of cheap shocks on eBay, they may not look bad, but we bought a set for a small car and the things started knocking after a month on the road.

 

[Jimmythommo]

Cheers for getting back to Tony. I feel like an idiot , just climbed under my Ute and found that the passenger side torsion bar is completely snapped. No wonder it feels like shit. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice it happen. Can you tell me is it safe to drive for a few days with a snapped torsion bar ? Also will it be an expensive fix. ThNk you

 

[Old.Tony]

A snapped torsion bar means no suspension for the front on that side. It will affect cornering, but at a low pace, you could do it - if there was no other choice and you absolutely had to use the car.

I'd take it really easy in corners, if you don't have access to another vehicle.

 

[Horatius]

Cheers for getting back to Tony. I feel like an idiot , just climbed under my Ute and found that the passenger side torsion bar is completely snapped. No wonder it feels like shit. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice it happen. Can you tell me is it safe to drive for a few days with a snapped torsion bar ? Also will it be an expensive fix. ThNk you

You'll be driving around with no suspension on one side at the front and probably squashed up against the bump stop. It's not going to do your car any good that way, nor will it be safe. Never heard of a factory torsion bar snapping before (which doesn't mean much). As to expense, it depends what you replace it with. The options range from wreckers, to flea bay aftermarket stuff, to genuine replacement. It might be worth doing them both.

The rear springs on the D22 are rather crappy, they seem to sag quickly and and are soft enough that they can bottom out easily. Apart from that shockies seem the thing that really makes a difference to comfort. So rear springs and better shockies will help, but there is probably no set up that works in all conditions. You can buy aftermarket "comfort" springs, but as others have said, all utes seem to ride better with some load on them. So set up depends on how much weight you are normally going to be carrying.

 

[Horatius]

ps. Tyre pressure can make a difference also. Seems normal for people to drive around in unloaded utes with 40 psi in the tyres. If you drop them to recommended pressure (think it's around 32 psi unloaded) it makes a difference and will usually hold the road better also..

 

[Boogieboots]

Cheers for getting back to Tony. I feel like an idiot , just climbed under my Ute and found that the passenger side torsion bar is completely snapped. No wonder it feels like shit. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice it happen. Can you tell me is it safe to drive for a few days with a snapped torsion bar ? Also will it be an expensive fix. ThNk you

I haven't heard of he snapping but I guess if they are stock and the previous owner lifted the front end by a couple of inches, full travel would put a fair twist through them.
If you are in Perth you can have my old factory torsion bars mate, that would make it a bit cheaper