The Loaded4X4 Forty20 Suspension Kit For MQ And MR Tritons
If you don't want to weigh your Triton down with tonnes of gear for work, or set it up as the consummate, and equally heavy 'ultimate tourer', but you would like to upgrade the suspension to improve ride comfort and control, handling, ground-clearance and off-road-ability, all without having it's arse poking towards the sky, then read on, because you're not alone.
I've got no great desire to load my MR down with every conceivable touring or off-roading accessory, and I have no intention to ever tow a caravan. The limit of my towing requirements is a 1,600kg boat and that comes out once or twice a year. I use my Triton as a family car, light-weight tourer and off-roader.
Accessories are limited to a 120-litre ARB Frontier fuel tank, some Loaded4X4 bash plates (they're bloody awesome BTW), a Milford Ult1mate towbar and an ARB Elements fridge, which is mounted in the tub. There's no auxiliary battery, no drawer system, no fixed compressor or roof top tent. I throw a swag or two in the tub, fill the fridge and hit the road. I'm about to start work on some steel rock-slider/steps, but that'll be it for barwork.
I'm actually anti-weight and I don't see the point in loading your 4X4 down with a bunch of gear that you might use once a month at best, sometimes, maybe even never. But hey, these 4X4s are escape machines and you can bolt whatever you want or need to yours. I've been there and done that, and now just look to keep it simple.
The trouble with keeping the weight to a minimum, or running your Triton stock, is that there are virtually no decent suspension upgrades available, that don't lift the rear 40mm or more. I've got no issue lifting the front 40mm, that decreases the excessive rake built in to the stock car and improves ground clearance. The back end is a different matter though, and I have zilch interest in any hard-riding 'heavy duty' springs that come with some of these lifts.
You can run the stock suspension and cope with my type of use for a while, before the rear leaf packs sag - as they've recently done in my MR - and the shocks go soft, but its all at best a big compromise, and one that you'll find starts off riding quite nicely out of the showroom, but reasonably quickly deteriorates as the sub-standard stock suspension components get tired.
I have until recently been running one of our levelling kits, which replaces the front struts/springs and rear shocks, leaving the stock rear leaf packs in place. This is a very viable option for anyone wanting to improve - significantly - how their Triton drives, particuarly if you choose our Dynamic Tune option. In fact, my old MQ Triton (TREV) has had a levelling kit fitted for close to four years now and the stock rear leaf springs are still going strong. Unfortunately, the rear springs in my MR, sagged just shy of the 20,000km mark, which prompted the creation of our new Forty20 suspension lift kit, just for Tritons.
What exactly is the Forty20 suspension lift kit? Well, it's a lift kit that raises the front around 40mm and the rear around 20mm, hence the name.
Up front is a set of our Dynamic Tune struts with Lovells springs (we use Lovells or Dobinsons depending on bar work and spring availability - they are both great quality Aussie brands) that provide around a 40mm lift. In the rear there's a pair of our Dynamic Tune shocks in addition to a pair of brand new leaf springs and an associated fitting kit that includes bushes, u-bolts and greasable shackles.
The two-stage leaf springs are significantly better quality than the OEM springs they replace and being based on a 'comfort' spring, they are only a smidge firmer than the soft stock springs in the higher spec MRs. The ride is noticeably improved and these springs will deal with moderate loads far better than the stock springs. Each spring has been set to provide around a 20mm lift.
Prior to upgrading my MR from our Dynamic Tune levelling kit to the Forty20 lift kit, by changing out the rear springs, it was measuring around 580mm up front (stock is around 530mm) and had sagged to 555mm in the rear (stock is 574mm). The front was up a little as the rear had sagged.
After changing the rear springs over, the front was around 570mm and the rear 590mm. The result is a nice amout of rake, not excessive and not completely level (level is not good in an IFS vehicle) and the sloppy feel from the rear was vamoosed. Ride and handling is miles better than any stock Triton, and there's a bit of additional ground clearance and load carrying ability added to the mix.
So now there's a more modest suspension lift option available, one that's been designed around making the Triton more lovable on a daily basis, by improving ride quality, comfort and handling, without making it look like it's got it's nose in the ground, sniffing something a bit whoofy!
Loaded4X4 Forty20 Lift Kit - PRODUCT LISTING HERE
Loaded4X4 MR Triton Build - READ MORE HERE
Loaded4X4 Dynamic Tune - READ MORE HERE
About Loaded4X4 Suspension - READ MORE HERE