THE SUSPENSION SOLUTION?

As an overlander and 4x4 owner covering quite a few years and several hundred thousand kilometres, I, like many others who fall into this category, have spent many long hours considering the possible benefits of changing the standard suspension in my 4x4 and installing one of the many upgrades available here. The ads invariably claim improvements in ride as well as load-carrying ability, especially in off-road conditions and with heavy loads.

I have been down this route and am still trying to find a suspension setup that suits my needs, without having to shell out large chunks of money needlessly while trying to find the right answer.

My issue is this. How does a 4x4 owner make an intelligent decision about which suspension upgrade to choose and from which manufacturer? All he can go on in terms of the possible benefits (of what is, after all, a costly exercise) are very similar claims made in advertisements or by the installers. To a man, they will all say that after the installation the ride will be “much improved” and that the vehicle will be “better able to carry a load up to its maximum rated GVM”.

Unfortunately, the vehicle owner has no means by which to conduct any trials of a possible suspension upgrade for his vehicle, Once installed, that’s it; if he’s not happy, and the upgrade does not perform according to his expectations based on what he has been told or has read,