Fortuner ride is rough and rigid - Can a SUSPENSION UPGRADE improve comfort factor?

[Alex]

Hi everyone,

Needing some advise on how to improve the comfort of the Fortuner ride please...!!!

I've got a 2015 plate Crusade that's 10 months old.
Love the car but have always considered the ride to be quite stiff.
Thought it might settle after a while, but it now has 30,000km on it and it's still rough as guts in my opinion.

I live in a fairly remote area and do a bit of highway driving, but mostly back road bitumen and unsealed road driving, and I feel every bump.
Have to say it does go a lot better on the dirt than bumpy tar.

Swapped the tyres over after 1000km's to Bridgestone Duelers LT265/60R18. Wearing well.
Am aware the 18" rims that come standard on the Crusade will never ride as well the smaller size rims.
Running 32 psi in the front, otherwise the tyre appears too flat with the weight of the bar and I was worried about damaging the side wall.

Not sure if you can put smaller rims on with the brake setup.
Also not sure if I can run bigger profile tyres.

Have recently put on a big alloy bull bar with scrub rails and side steps and there's been a bit of sag, nothing drastic yet.
Not sure how much all that weighs, maybe 60kg???

Hoping that changing the shocks and springs can solve everything.
With a suspension change I'd like two outcomes:

a) to make the ride less stiff and truck like
b) to take the weight at the front

Not interested in a BIG lift.
Not interested in setting up the car for towing.
Not going to be doing any mad off roading as I do enough dirt road driving as it is.

Would love some advise!!!

[thehunteroz]

Hi Alex, welcome along,
I've got a 2015 GX, that's pretty much stock except for the Steel TJM Bar, it sagged a little in the front, looking at getting a TJM lift kit.

By rough do you mean you feel the jitters etc? when going over bumps and imperfections? especially from the rear of the vehicle? That is standard across the range for the Fortuner it has something to do with the valves etc inside the shocks.

Try and put some weight in the rear of the vehicle e.g. toolbox or tool bag, or a crate to help keep it sunk down, see if it makes a difference, the rear of my Tuna is loaded with:
1 x 60L tub with miscellaneous gear,
1 x sleeping bag
1 x tool bag with miscellaneous gear, weighs around 40KG
Rescue kit,
Recovery gear

Not saying you need to go out and put a lot in but maybe even 20KG of weight may help

[Alex]

Hi thehunteroz, yes I feel every single bump!

Bigger rims and LT tyres won't help I know.
But I'm prepared to upgrade the whole box and dice to try and fix the problem - just want some advise!
I have no idea what is appropriate for my needs. TJM, ARB, Ironman etc. all say the products they stock are the best.

Hoping a good review on here will point me in the right direction.

I am usually in the drivers seat so unsure if the main offences are coming from the front or the back.

I have sat in the 3rd row when the car had 6 of us (no luggage) and It was torture when you hit a bump - I had plenty of space, it was just rough.

I don't mind the idea of putting a couple of weights in the back to try something new for the time being!

[tekka maki]

Hi Alex, with 6 people in the car, 5 of which weigh 600kg between them, you were probably exceeding the GVM of the vehicle. From memory, there's only about 640kg allowance for passengers, modifications and luggage before you go over.

[Alex]

Short ferry, no luggage. Bought it up to say when the car was loaded it didn't really feel like the ride improved.

[John]

I am working through a suspension upgrade now. I have just had toughdog suspension fitted. I went for 100kg constant load coils in the front to compensate for my steel barwork, side steps, brushbars and aux battery. And 300kg constant load coils in the rear. I have found that the 300kg constant load coils are too firm in the rear and unless youre actually carrying the weight in your car going to constant load springs is a bad idea. I am going for 0-300kg coils in the rear now and have airbags for when im towing the camper. This may be a toughdog specific problem but i am trying the softer coils in the front aswell as the 100kg constant load coild seem very stiff also. The lift i got was too big. It raised my suspension from its sagged position over 70mm front and rear. This caused driveline vibrations. Driveline spacers wernt enough to fix it and i do not know how to castor correct the rear diff.

I will keep you posted as to the ride quality after the softer springs are fitted. But if you wernt happy with the stock ride i am not sure youll like any aftermarket suspension options. As far as i have heard they all stiffen the ride up.

[Alex]

Thanks John. Keen to hear how you go. Good luck with it!

[tekka maki]

What's the recommended tyre pressure on the sticker on the drivers side? If the Crusade is similar to the GXL, the recommendation will be 29psi. I run mine at 30psi. Try dropping your pressure to at least 30psi if that's at or above the recommended tyre pressure and see if that makes a difference, as it has certainly made the difference for others in this forum experiencing a rough ride.

[Alex]

With the weight of the bar on the lower psi suggested here and elsewhere the front tyres didn't appear to be sitting up enough to not wear on the sidewall. I am prepared to look at a bigger profile tire as well as a suspension change to soften the ride. I need to do the suspension in the front anyway for the bar - hence the original post asking advise. Will check all the pressures again though!

[bugeye]

Hi everyone,

Love the car but have always considered the ride to be quite rough and rigid.

You either have a dodgy Fortuner or our definitions of rough and rigid are way off

Try a Prado, they have a smoother more road focused suspension.

[Alex]

Mother drives a Prado. I'm regularly in both cars so am acutely aware of the differences. Chalk and cheese on the ride comfort. Perhaps I should get in another Fortuner with a few km's on it and compare the difference just to be sure. Doubt there is anything wrong. I'm obviously just partial to a bit of a smoother ride!

[Rjstokes]

How’d you go Bugeye? Any luck smoothing out the ride?

[red_dune]

Hi Alex, how did you go with your suspension upgrade? Did it improve ride quality? I have a 2016 GXL which has done just short of 60K and also consider the ride to bit a bit rough. I don't have any gear on the car other then dual battery. I love the car but would like to improve comfort level for every day drive if possible.

[hdj80]

I am working through a suspension upgrade now. I have just had toughdog suspension fitted. I went for 100kg constant load coils in the front to compensate for my steel barwork, side steps, brushbars and aux battery. And 300kg constant load coils in the rear. I have found that the 300kg constant load coils are too firm in the rear and unless youre actually carrying the weight in your car going to constant load springs is a bad idea. I am going for 0-300kg coils in the rear now and have airbags for when im towing the camper. This may be a toughdog specific problem but i am trying the softer coils in the front aswell as the 100kg constant load coild seem very stiff also. The lift i got was too big. It raised my suspension from its sagged position over 70mm front and rear. This caused driveline vibrations. Driveline spacers wernt enough to fix it and i do not know how to castor correct the rear diff.

I will keep you posted as to the ride quality after the softer springs are fitted. But if you wernt happy with the stock ride i am not sure youll like any aftermarket suspension options. As far as i have heard they all stiffen the ride up.

Hi John

How's the toughdog 0-300kg springs for you, especially in the rear? I have bilstein B6 4600s and had toughdog springs all around. First I had the constant 300kg rear springs and man they drop like a rock over big bumps or speedbumps. Switched to 0-300kg springs and it was an improvement but can't go speedbumps at speeds higher than 20kph cuz its harsh unladen.

did you also seem to have that problem? I have no problems in the front its very smooth and even the rear is smooth on most uneven corrugations or gravel, just the big dips and speedbumps where its harsh.

[Spamwell]

did you also seem to have that problem? I have no problems in the front its very smooth and even the rear is smooth on most uneven corrugations or gravel, just the big dips and speedbumps where its harsh.

I think this is a suspension design issue. I am trying to eliminate this same issue and I still have standard rear springs. It seems to be any scenario where both rear wheels hit something at the same time. I think it has to do with the coil spring being housed in the lower arms and the restrictive nature of the wide bushes in the lower control arms. The only reason I think this is I had a 90 series, an 80 series and a 120 series which all have the coils on top of the diff and a narrower connection for the lower control arms, didn't matter what spring or shock was fitted or what tyre pressure I ran they didn't do the ridiculous stuff the Fortuner seems to do (Eg harsh jolt through the whole vehicle or even getting noticeably unsettled over big dips).