Suspension - 4WD1.com

How do you choose
the right suspension
set-up for your 4WD?
WORDS BY SHAUN WHALE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOMMY SALMON
AND NATHAN CAMPBELL-COWIE
TO THE
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Suspension is one of
those modifications
that can make or break
your 4WD. Get it right
and you will enhance
the ride and off-road performance
of your vehicle. Get it wrong and
you will be pulling your hair out.
It’s an important decision and
something that should take a bit
of time to plan. Let’s face it, a new
suspension set-up doesn’t come
cheaply, and it is something you
have to live with every time you
hop into your 4WD.
It doesn’t matter what you drive,
there will be a stack of different
options available for your suspension
set-up, and each will
dramatically change how your
vehicle drives. To make sure you are
happy with your new suspension,
you really need to sit down with a
suspension specialist and plan what
you want to do with your vehicle.
If you fail to tell them you want
heaps of flex as your main aim,
but explain in full detail that you
plan to fit front and rear bar work,
a long-range tank and drawers,
chances are you will have a
suspension system that will
handle the weight and be average
off-road. It’s your money, so make
sure you get what is needed.
You can hardly expect a refund
because it’s sagged after you
forgot to mention you were towing
a camper trailer to Cape York!
The stock suspension on my
Zook had to go. She had about as
much flex as a shopping trolley,
sagged about an inch and
squeaked every time you looked
at it. So, I gave the boys at 4WD1
a call to see what suspension kit
they had to suit my needs.
Using a checklist I prepared
earlier, I was able to explain my
expectations for the Zook’s
performance on and off-road. Being
a small 4WD, there’s simply no room
to put any extra weight… other than
the girlfriend. I’m not saying that
because she exceeds the GVM (she
doesn’t, honest), it’s just that there’s
bugger all room to start with.
Since Nathan, our technical
journalist, started here with that
oversized 80 Series, the flex-bar
has been lifted somewhat. Hence,
the need to get the Zook a little
higher and flexing a lot better offroad.
Also, a slight suspension lift
will allow me to fit the 31in
muddies I have had my eye on.
The old suspension was looking a little tired
Grease-able shackles are the way to go
Out with the old and in with the new
WHICH SHOCK?
Just being a weapon off-road
wasn’t good enough – it had to
give me a good ride on the road
as well. I wanted the best of both
worlds, so was I asking the
impossible? When I spoke to the
boys down at 4WD1, I half
expected them to tell me I was
dreaming, but then they
suggested adjustable shocks.
I decided on adjustable
Rancho RS9000XL shocks at
each corner and new RockCrawler
springs to replace my tired old
ones. The beauty with choosing
fully adjustable items is that I
can adjust the settings on the
shock itself depending on what
terrain I am driving, or if I am
carrying a load… sorry girlfriend.
That way I can make the shock
softer or harder depending on
what setting I choose.
These shocks have a nitrogen
gas charge and a large piston
rod plus a massive 70mm
diameter body. It’s a whole lot
tougher than the tiny ones that
come stock on the Zook.
TYRES AND WHEELS
The RockCrawler springs have a much
bigger eyelet to run improved bushes
The reason for lifting the
suspension on the Suzuki in the
first place was so I could fit
some larger, more aggressive
rubber under the guards. I opted
for some 31in Mickey Thompson
MTZs as they had a chunky
mud-terrain tread pattern that
wasn’t directional, so I would
still have good side traction and
adequate on-road performance.
I matched the tyres up to 15x7in
black steel rims by King Wheels
because they are tough, come
with a negative offset and don’t
cost the earth. Not to mention
the black wheels and tyre combo
looks the part on the Zook!
Steel wheels can handle a lot of
punishment, which will suit my
off-road driving style perfectly.
Adjustable shocks allow you to
change the settings easily
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Aftermarket vs stock
– there’s no comparison
Just being a weapon
off-road wasn’t good enough
– it had to give me a good
ride on-road as well
HOW IT WORKS
Shock absorbers control the rate
of movement of the spring as the
suspension moves up and down.
It does this by acting like an oil
pump, which converts kinetic
energy into heat energy. A piston
is located inside the shock, which
is forced to move through a
cylinder of oil controlling the
speed at which it moves.
Essentially, this slows down or
dampens the movement of the
piston, which in turn gives a
smooth ride. The overall damping
rate of a shock is typically derived
from a combination of the piston
head design (its portholes), a
pressure valve at the piston head
and a pressure valve at the base of
the shock (called the base valve).
The Rancho RS9000XL shock
absorber has nine adjustable
settings at the bottom of the
shock that change the hole in the
piston head where fluid travels
through. Each setting changes the
size of the hole to allow more or
less oil through the piston head.
The beauty of this is that you
can easily calibrate and tune
your shock for the conditions
you are travelling by adjusting a
dial on the shock.
Setting number nine allows
the least amount of fluid to travel
We had to extend the bump stops so the amount of flex wouldn’t be greater
than the length of the shock
Testing is the fun part
A bit of wheel articulation
beats ending up on your side
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through the piston head giving a
harder ride, which is better for
carrying loads and reducing body
roll. Setting number one is the
softest setting, which is great for
off-road applications as it
enhances the bounce and
rebound rate of the shock.
RIDE QUALITY
As you could imagine, I was eager
to test how this new suspension
handles on-road and, more
importantly, off-oad. Straight
after the install, what surprised
me the most was how good my
Zook performed on the road.
Half expecting it to have more
body roll because it was now
sitting 40mm higher, the
aftermarket suspension actually
gave the opposite effect. It’s
amazing what good quality
shocks can do to the ride quality
of the vehicle.
Because the Zook is a lightweight
vehicle, I have found that
setting number four on the Rancho
shocks gives the best ride on the
road while setting number one is
best off-road. Driving washouts
would previously have picked up a
wheel in my Zook, but she now
simply flexes her way through
without so much as a whimper.
However, the new shock
absorbers weren’t responsible for
this new and improved flex. Flex
is achieved via your springs. I
opted for RockCrawler leaf
springs because they are made of
a higher-quality grade of steel,
which means I can use less and
thinner leaves in each pack.
I have used five leaves in the
back and four in the front,
which is a lot less than you
would use in a Toyota Troopy,
for example. This means my
springs are lighter and more
responsive to corrugations and
constant force, but not designed
for heavy load carrying, which
suits the Zook perfectly.
I couldn’t be happier with the
new suspension set-up. As it was
specifically picked for my needs
and expectations, it has dramatically
improved the ride and offroad
performance of the vehicle.
Now, I just have to fit some
guards to keep things legal on the
tarmac and do something about
the gearing.
A quality steering damper is essential if you’re going to be running bigger
tyres
THANKS
You can contact 4WD1 for all
your suspension needs.
Email: sales@4WD1.com
Phone: (02) 9634 2238
Fax: (02) 9680 3441
Location: 44 Carrington Road,
Castle Hill NSW 2154
King Wheels
Email: kingwheels@hotmail.
com
Phone: (02) 9624 1422
Mickey Thompson Tyres
Phone: 1300 642 539
It’s amazing what a good set of
shocks can do
to the ride quality of
the vehicle
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