17' Series Suspension query

[Daniel Peterson]

G'Day all. Quick question, i have a 2014 150 series prado towing a 17.56-2 OB. I have been using a WDH for the last year. I have now put heavy duty rear spring and shocks which has raised it about 30mm. I have been setting up the WDH today and now with the van on With OUT the sway bars. The fron is only raised 9mm and the rear is down 20mm. My question is do i still need to use the WDH with the front only being raised 9mm?
Thanks in advance

 

[WHHEMI]

Possibly not but it may still feel better with them, it can be a personal thing so I would sugest taking it for a tow with and without them fitted and see what you prefere.

 

[Daniel Peterson]

Yeh i think i will do that. I wasnt sure if their is a recomended height allowance for load frontvtyre contact

 

[dagree]

When talking to a Hayman Reece Rep he recommended getting the car +/- 10mm from original heights. I ended up with similar measurements to yours @Daniel Peterson when fitting a HD 30mm lift on my 120 series. Added rear airbags and now get all heights +/- 5mm without a WDH. Maybe another option for you?

 

[MBC004]

I have the HD springs and airbags in my 150 and the front lift is about 5mm, drives and handles very well

 

[bigcol]

as @WHHEMI said, try it with and without, and see which feels better for you.......

it really is very much a personal preference

my father had on on 1 Van, then next one he did not use it - then his last one he did

just depends on how it feels to you while driving and maneuvering

 

[Drover]

Go for a drive with it loaded as you would, the time you will notice any problem is on the fancy freeway at 100kph or on an old undulating road, on the freeway the wind may lift your front end up which will cause a bit of front end twitch but if on undulating road surface where you get the see saw effect with van and tug bouncing in 2 directions then that would mean you need the WDH but only on a light tension. Big Mal sat level and rode the undulating surface just perfect it was smooth but on the freeway the wind lifted the front up so I started to run out of extension on the front springs, the WDH stopped it but mine dropped 15mm at the hitch but lifted 20mmm at the front and the Ute was loaded chockers................Ute has a good lift to it though.

 

[G Daddy]

Go for a drive and do a emergency stop from 80 k and check you still have steering control and front brakes not locking up

 

[burnsie]

Hey @Daniel Peterson we were in a similar situation we have a 2014 Prado 150 GXL towing a 17.56-2 OB and were also using a WDH for about 12 months. We then wanted to head off on our big trip and looked into the options for ensuring everything was level and also providing "options" for going offroad.

We decided on a heavy duty suspension lift with poly bags (pumped up to about 25-28) which also gave us an upgraded GVM to 3.5T but allowed us to keep the van and tow vehicle level and drive really well. The other reason was that we put a Kaymar dual wheel carrier on the back which replaces the Toyota tow bar and there "recommendation" is not to use a WDH with their rear bar, we also swapped the hitch to a DO35 which seems to also reduce the pressure and load on the tow vehicle when driving in "non perfect" conditions.

Forgot to mention we also have a steel bull bar, winch and dual battery which weighs the front down a bit and gives us some added control when steering.

So hooked up the van this morning to check out the new hitch (DO35) I installed and also to see how the van sits with the new hitch and whether a WDH is required didn't think it would be but thought I better check. Just to confirm I have a 2inch lift with heavy duty suspension with airbags.

All measurements were taken from the bottom of the rim to the middle of the wheel arch

Prado without van attached
Front 790mm
Back 810mm

Prado with van attached no bags
Front 800mm
Back 790mm

Prado with van attached and 25PSI in Bags
Front 800mm
Back 800-810mm

View attachment 40356 View attachment 40357 View attachment 40358

With bags (25psi) the rear goes back up to 800-810mm and the front only increases 10mm from standard (without van)

I think it seems to sit pretty well and the measurements aren't to far out to require a WDH?

 

[Fabulous]

Our Patrol sits level without the WDH, due to airbags, however tows much better with the WDH, doesn't bounce around as much

 

[Mark13]

Our Patrol sits level without the WDH, due to airbags, however tows much better with the WDH, doesn't bounce around as much

My 200 is the same...

 

[Drover]

Thats because airbags take the weight and hold the back up while the WDH throws the weight onto the front end......................

 

[Bluey]

I wouldnt have changed springs without putting air bags in them we got pedders normal springs which are stronger than Toyota ones with air bags its great with or without van havent changed shocks still same from new but did change the front apart from 2.5 towing best car eva