I want to set up my 06 D40 V6 manual with better suspension as I find the original set up is very floaty around corners, massive body roll and the car feels soft in the bum when towing. I don't do any series 4 x 4 stuff, mainly just dirt roads and the occasional rocky stuff and water crossings when you come across them so the set up doesn't have to be extreme as some comfort and mainly better handling is really the concern for day to day driving and a bit more stability when towing my 2T van. I cannot lift it at this stage as it won't fit in my shed if I do. What would be an economical set up that would make me happy that somebody has had fitted or advises and what would be the where abouts costs involved? TD
A good economical suspension set up???
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I've been investigating this exact same issue for similar reasons (we don't have the body roll problem).
It looks like - and while the jury is still out, this is the way I'm currently leaning - the Firestone Air Bellows are the way to go.
Rather than a single point of contact at the top of the bellows, there's a metal plate that spreads the load across about 150mm of chassis (give or take a bit). The bottom is bolted to the axle via a cradle that is u-bolted around the axle. This is an improvement over the single-contact-point.
IF you don't OVERLOAD the rear of the vehicle then you'd have to think that you'd have no problems with this at all. By "rear of the vehicle" I'm referring specifically to any weight that is behind the rear axle - anything forward of that would share the load between the air bellows, the leaf spring and the front springs (reasonably proportional to distance from those points).
As I said, I'm leaning towards them. RLI told me that he had a pair on his Navara and had no trouble with them. Others have voiced their similar opinions on this forum. Other forums have again been similar - the Firestone bellows are, it would appear, a good choice.
I'd like to hear from someone that has had a chassis failure and know the following:
1) What brand of bag was fitted, and if Firestone, was the top bracket fitted or was it excluded to conserve space?
2) How much load was behind the rear axle at the time of failure?
3) What was the vehicle doing both at the time of failure, and in the hours leading up to the time of failure?
With respect to 3), I'm not interested in hearing "We were travelling along the Stuart Highway south of Marla" while excluding the actual pertinent information of "we were doing 130km/h along the Oodnadatta Track all the way from the Pink Roadhouse to Marla with 500Kg slung on the towball".
It looks like - and while the jury is still out, this is the way I'm currently leaning - the Firestone Air Bellows are the way to go.
Rather than a single point of contact at the top of the bellows, there's a metal plate that spreads the load across about 150mm of chassis (give or take a bit). The bottom is bolted to the axle via a cradle that is u-bolted around the axle. This is an improvement over the single-contact-point.
IF you don't OVERLOAD the rear of the vehicle then you'd have to think that you'd have no problems with this at all. By "rear of the vehicle" I'm referring specifically to any weight that is behind the rear axle - anything forward of that would share the load between the air bellows, the leaf spring and the front springs (reasonably proportional to distance from those points).
As I said, I'm leaning towards them. RLI told me that he had a pair on his Navara and had no trouble with them. Others have voiced their similar opinions on this forum. Other forums have again been similar - the Firestone bellows are, it would appear, a good choice.
I'd like to hear from someone that has had a chassis failure and know the following:
1) What brand of bag was fitted, and if Firestone, was the top bracket fitted or was it excluded to conserve space?
2) How much load was behind the rear axle at the time of failure?
3) What was the vehicle doing both at the time of failure, and in the hours leading up to the time of failure?
With respect to 3), I'm not interested in hearing "We were travelling along the Stuart Highway south of Marla" while excluding the actual pertinent information of "we were doing 130km/h along the Oodnadatta Track all the way from the Pink Roadhouse to Marla with 500Kg slung on the towball".
Leprechaun
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New shock absorbers mate. Even a set of economical (Chinese rubbish) shocks should make a difference.
Tony, probably not the information you are after but thought I would relay my experience with the Poly Air bellows. I have a 2008 STX 2.5TD Over the rear it has an ARB canopy and Nissan heavy duty tow bar, also Blue Max struts, coils and rear shocks. At about 5k I fitted the Poly Air bellows on the vehicle. I carry about 50kg of tools etc. in the tray all the time. If I am putting in extra weight eg. jerry cans, I position them above or forward of the axle and pack the light stuff behind the axle. I would think maximun weight I have in/on the tray including canopy, tools, jerry cans, engel etc. would be about 350kg I am generally towing a 5.1 mtr alloy boat when I have this extra gear in the car. I run 5psi in them with just the tools and when loaded and towing I have never had the need to go over 15psi Use has been a mixture of bitumen including trips back over east a couple of times a year, good gravel roads and beach launches. I now have 107k on the clock and to date have not had an issue with them. With just tools and 5psi the ride is nice and plush, 10psi stiffens things up and the vehicle handles and rides well. When time/finances permit I will upgrade the rear leafs and retain the Poly Air bellows to assist when needed. I think that if is used correctly they are a great addition. Would I buy them again? Yes. Just my thoughts and experience.
Cheers John
Cheers John
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