rough 2010 wagon

[andrew 75]

Any suggestions for a 2010 patrol wagon that is very rough to travel in on our gravel road. Admittedly the road is in terrible condition but the vehicle seems unusually rough. We have put old man emu suspension without the lift kit on the vehicle. Any other suggestions to improve the ride.

[threedogs]

Hello Andrew and welcome to the forum,
jump in anytime and enjoy,
Maybe check your tyre pressures 35-38 Psi around town

[growler2058]

Gday Andrew welcome aboard mate
Jump over to the intros and say gday, something we ask all members to do, cheers

[andrew 75]

Thanks for that threedogs. I have tried that and no difference

[threedogs]

You may need a softer spring rate, they say Koni shocks work wonders.
Were your shocks bled before they were installed, you should be able to push down on the corner of
the bulbar and see it spring back once.

[Gecko17]

Hi Andrew and welcome to the forum.

What tire pressure are you running when driving on the gravel road? I take it there are lots of corrugations, ruts, pot holes etc....

I don't know what your experience level is so please forgive me if you've heard this before....

If you are driving on sealed or non-sealed roads that are in good, firm and smooth condition, you can have your tires inflated to the recommended pressures. (usually around 33-38psi. If in doubt, look on the sidewall of your tire and you will see the manufacturers Max tire pressure. I usually go 5-10psi below, allowing for the pressure to expand when heating up. All manufacturers are different. I had a set of light truck LT tires on one patrol that the max pressure was 80psi. I never inflated them past 60psi and never had any issues.)

If you are travelling on gravel roads, with loose or rough surfaces, I would recommend that you drop the pressure to arout 22psi. The thing to remember when dropping tire pressures is that it is the pressure that keeps the tire firmly on the rim. If you lower the pressure then you must be aware of either turning sharply or braking suddenly as both situations will be effected.

If you have lowered your tire pressures, and the ride is still rough, it may be that either your coils are in need of replacing, your shocks need replacing or both. I see that you have put shocks on but were they new? Are they standard height or for a lifted vehicle as this can also effect the ride. (thinking castor correction)

Hope this helps.

[happygu]

Hard to know what you mean by too rough, but it sounds like the spring rate is too hard, or the shocks valved incorrectly.

I would suggest that you try adjustable shocks that you can adjust to suit.

Mic

[happygu]

Tyres pressures make a huge difference too, as I use 25 PSI in the bush and 40 on the road, and it makes a huge difference if I dont drop the pressure in the rough stuff.

Mic

[Wang]

I haven't had mine long and thought it seemed a bit harsh on dirt roads. I played with tyre pressures and made a huge difference . I still have standard suspension and doin a lot of research before I get new springs and shocks

[andrew 75]

Thanks for that Wang

[BigRAWesty]

Not to be rude but you guys have purchased one of the best of the shelf Off road cars.
It's built tough to last.
If you wanted a smooth ride ya should have bought a prado..

But all can be fixed.
It is quite possible you have purchased an ome kit which is rated to slightly higher ride weight if you started talking winch, draws and bar work to the salesman..

But if your looking to upgrade, do your research..

[Hodge]

Westy's got it spot on. Rough 'n built tough.
Mines been rough before and after OME kit went in. Became even rougher when the steel rims were slapped on. It sends every bit of the road shuddering throughout the car.
Toy around with tyre pressures as others have already mentioned, you'll find a sweet PSI spot on and off-road.

[andrew 75]

Thanks Highlander
I have tried the lower pressure still rough. We put new old man emu on but we did not put 50mm lift. Do you think putting the 50mm lift would that help

[andrew 75]

Thanks for that Westy

[threedogs]

50 mm lift gives you 50mm extra bounce. Mine had a very harsh ride when I brought it,
very disappointed coming out of a Troopy. The culprit turned out to be 65 psi in each tyre,
easy fix,
Are you bleeding the shocks before you put them on???????

[Winnie]

Not to be rude but you guys have purchased one of the best of the shelf Off road cars.
It's built tough to last.
If you wanted a smooth ride ya should have bought a prado..

Nah... with the right suspension it should be a nice smooth ride. Mine is pretty rough because the springs are too hard, went for a ride in a mate's car and it was so smooth.

[BigRAWesty]

Nah... with the right suspension it should be a nice smooth ride. Mine is pretty rough because the springs are too hard, went for a ride in a mate's car and it was so smooth.

Yea, right spring rate they are nice. But from factory they are a bit stiff..
Mine is harsh, but it's empty atm. When loaded up its nice..

[Gecko17]

Nah... with the right suspension it should be a nice smooth ride. Mine is pretty rough because the springs are too hard, went for a ride in a mate's car and it was so smooth.

X2 with Winnie. If you have heavy duty coil springs with no load, your ride will be very rough. Also what threedogs said... You may need to bleed your shocks.

It will take some tinkering with all the componants but you can achieve a comfortable ride over rough terrain. Just don't forget that each time you change the terrain you are driving on, you may need to change your set-up.... or put up with a bit of a rough ride until the terrain changes back to what your wagon is set up for.

[threedogs]

I'm still thinking shocks, maybe remove them and go for a drive running on springs only.
if its still harsh it will be coils, and you'll know one way or the other
You cant just fit shocks they need to be bled by fully extending and compressing
them a few times other wise its like bolt in a straight piece of steel

[andrew 75]

Thanks Threedogs for that I will give it a go

[happygu]

Andrew,

Just dont go a million miles an hours with no shocks as it will become uncontrollable. It will bounce all over the place

Mic