Rear suspension on LC 100 T/D

David, Iam having ARB put a set of rear progressive OME springs and shockies on next tuesday to our 2003 LC 100 TD. I feel this should work. We have a BT 20ft extended d'bar. Also have in the question box thoughts on HR WDH or Reese WDH. You may see some of the correspondence. The Titanic went down yonks ago and yachties learnt heaps, if he BT is the land yacht then what's our bench mark? David

G'day Guys, Just a little hint ..try to measure the dimension from the wheel rim at 6 o clock to the wheel arch edge (on all wheels) before any work is done. In other words the standard heights as delivered. This will give you a benchmark to strive for after anything is altered e.g. heavier springs ....vehicle loading ...ballweight. If you are raising vehicle height all round, for more clearance, use that height as the benchmark ... with vehicle unloaded. Keep it all in a diary for future reference .... Regards Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker

When we had the 100 series T/D we had ARB fit heavy duty springs and crank up the front torsion bars. This gave about a 50mm lift all round. If anyhting I felt that it was more stable towing on the original suspension than on the modified heavy duty one. I think that the fact that you cannot see the rear drop when you put the heavy rear springs on, gives you a false sense of security. I know it did with us and we had a prang. We now have the F250, and I have left that as standard. Brian

Hello again David, We have a 100 Series LC (V8) and we discussed the anticipated ball weight with both our Toyota service dealer at Wangaratta and also Out of Town 4WD at Newcastle NSW (they are very experienced 4WD outfitters) and initially was recommended to put in HD springs but they sat the LC (with independent front suspension) too high. We then had the progressive springs fitted and it not only looked like standard but functioned well when we put 2500kg on the back. We too have purchased the HR WDH as well - just remember to grind the corners off the HR solid steel bar on the ball carrier for it to slip into the Toyota tow bar as per Motleys advice on a previous post. Cheers Helen & John

Helen, I hope that was a typo. 250 KG is a better ball weight. With 2500 kg the front wheels would be in the air. Brian

David, I have stock Toyota suspension but have added the Firestone airbags (from the Airbag Man) inside the rear coils. I run these at 25 psi (max 30 psi) and find that the rear sits higher (about 6") and with a smoother ride - but like most things, that is a subjective judgement. I am also running HR WDH and am very happy with the feel of the car with these working in tandem with the airbags. I would probably only consider the additional expense of a suspension upgrade if the corrugations become unbearable. Phil

Hi David<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> We have an 18' BT with HR WD. tow vehicle is a 2003 LC TD. Two weeks ago we fitted poly air bags and OME springs to the rear. The springs are very close to the original Toyota height ( I did not want any additional height), This raised the height by around 20mm. We added some additional weight with draws in the back at the same time so this may have some impact.<o:p></o:p> Then reset the HR WD to match the changed conditions.<o:p></o:p> Have only had a short trip of around 800k with the BT since then. I set pressure initially at 25psi on half the leg then reduced the PSI to 15 .<o:p></o:p> 25 PSI made the towing feel firmer and more in control. will keep the PSI at somewhere around this and keep experimenting. Defiantly better than the original Toyota set up regards George <o:p></o:p>

Your right again there Brian.... it would be an interesting standing start wouldn't it!! Cheers, Helen