Change shocks and Springs for Softer ride or???

[silverhawk_usa]

I have a one year old Toyota Vigo GR Sport 4x4.  I know the suspension is supposedly for "performance" but it is much stiffer than any other 4x4 I have owned. Every crack in the road is felt and will literally give a passenger a headache after a while.  Will just softer shocks make a difference? Any suggestions?  Draw backs? Where?

[transam]

Have you got the right tyre pressures, it may sound daft, but on that ride a couple of PSI can make a lot of difference.

I did try after market, so called, improvement shocks on my Vigo, I took them off, put new stock ones back on.

The Vigo "sport" may have stiffer shocks, put standard shocks on, B-Quik stock standard shocks at a good price for a Vigo...????

[PR3]

Agree with transam, every vehicle I've ever bought here the tyres leave the showroom at the max pressure shown on the tyre wall, which gives an interesting ride. I recently bought an adv350, the first thing I did when getting home was check the tyre pressure and remove 7 and 9 psi from the front and back respectively.

No idea why this seems to be so common here. 

Always check too after a service, sometimes they come back over inflated again.

You're always or often up against the "that's the way I does it" technicians here.

And having a decent tyre pressure gauge is a must living in LOS. 

 

Regards 

 

PR3

 

[OneMoreFarang]

6 hours ago, PR3 said:

Agree with transam, every vehicle I've ever bought here the tyres leave the showroom at the max pressure shown on the tyre wall, which gives an interesting ride. I recently bought an adv350, the first thing I did when getting home was check the tyre pressure and remove 7 and 9 psi from the front and back respectively.

No idea why this seems to be so common here. 

Always check too after a service, sometimes they come back over inflated again.

You're always or often up against the "that's the way I does it" technicians here.

And having a decent tyre pressure gauge is a must living in LOS. 

 

Regards 

 

PR3

 

higher pressure = lower noise and less fuel consumption. But less grip and less comfort.

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

7 hours ago, silverhawk_usa said:

Any suggestions?  

Try softer tyres.

 

I see some pickups over 100,000 kilometers on the original tyres, they must be made of a very hard compound.

I read most accidents in Thailand are pickups, no wonder, these tyres must under perform on wet roads, brake hard in the wet, then aquaplane into the vehicle ahead 

 

[quake]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I see some pickups over 100,000 kilometers on the original tyres, they must be made of a very hard compound.

I read most accidents in Thailand are pickups, no wonder, these tyres must under perform on wet roads, brake hard in the wet, then aquaplane into the vehicle ahead 

 

Yes very true.

Also look at the way the Thai's behave in pick ups,  on a wet roads. 

Crazy drivers.

 

 

 

 

[RanongCat]

Try a couple of good sized sand bags in the rear of the tray.

[quake]

10 hours ago, PR3 said:

And having a decent tyre pressure gauge is a must living in

Yes, the air pressure gauges at some gas station are out by 5psi most of the time. 

I bough a small air pump and a tyre pressure gauge.

do it all at home now, car/bikes.

 

[JoeW]

11 hours ago, silverhawk_usa said:

I have a one year old Toyota Vigo GR Sport 4x4.  I know the suspension is supposedly for "performance" but it is much stiffer than any other 4x4 I have owned. Every crack in the road is felt and will literally give a passenger a headache after a while.  Will just softer shocks make a difference? Any suggestions?  Draw backs? Where?

You're right the GR Sport uses different shocks and incredibly stiff springs (part of the GR Sport Package). If you change the shocks and springs to standard Toyota OEM Spec, then the ride will probably get a bit softer. Sell the GR Sport shocks online for 20,000 baht (that's how much they are going for).

[transam]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

higher pressure = lower noise and less fuel consumption. But less grip and less comfort.

 

And get thrown around the inside of your ride...........????

[silverhawk_usa]

Thanks for the responses.  I have been around performance vehicles all my life and tire pressures were checked  and adjusted by me the day I brought it home from the dealer.  I have my own compressor and quality gauges.  The Bridgestone Dueler HT tires are also not an issue

 

 

[silverhawk_usa]

3 hours ago, JoeW said:

You're right the GR Sport uses different shocks and incredibly stiff springs (part of the GR Sport Package). If you change the shocks and springs to standard Toyota OEM Spec, then the ride will probably get a bit softer. Sell the GR Sport shocks online for 20,000 baht (that's how much they are going for).

Good to see you familiar with GR Sport and I agree with what you said. The Omni Shock and spring changes are one of the selling points on the GR but it is more extreme than I care for.  I had "Rancho" brand adjustable shocks installed on my previous Hilux 4x4 but my source is now gone.

I think I will try to source some quality after market shocks although hard to find in Chiang Mai.  My main question is which has the most affect, the shocks or springs.  Where did you see GR Sport Shocks for sale?  Thanks.

[TheFishman1]

I would change your shocks and also you may have tires that are meant to be driven off the road you need to have tires that are for the regular pavement that you drive on like in the city. Also, my tire pressure says 35 in all four tires, I am not putting 37 and all tires and the tire mileage I get in the tire wear longer so I want to change the soft and you’d be surprised to extra pounds in inch tires you get better gas, mileage.

[Tropposurfer]

15 hours ago, PR3 said:

Agree with transam, every vehicle I've ever bought here the tyres leave the showroom at the max pressure shown on the tyre wall, which gives an interesting ride. I recently bought an adv350, the first thing I did when getting home was check the tyre pressure and remove 7 and 9 psi from the front and back respectively.

No idea why this seems to be so common here. 

Always check too after a service, sometimes they come back over inflated again.

You're always or often up against the "that's the way I does it" technicians here.

And having a decent tyre pressure gauge is a must living in LOS. 

 

Regards 

PR3

 

Tyre pressure is extremely important as noted by others.

 

Brand is also important e.g.'s Pirelli are hard tread a walled, but compared to the next tyre noisier, but a very durable compound, Michelin are a tad softer but between the two in durability, Yokahama are a softer wall, quieter tread noise and give a softer ride but wear out maybe 15 to 20% faster than Pir's, Continental make a superb tyre also in a good range of patterns and performances.

Like others have said you can replace the shocks but you need to consult a suspension specialist not some local dude with a shopfront as horror stories abound of ignorant fellas changing out stock shocks for some fancy thing that 'bottoms out' (eventually blow out) or rides way too soft and interferes with cornering stability.

 

[silverhawk_usa]

3 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

I would change your shocks and also you may have tires that are meant to be driven off the road you need to have tires that are for the regular pavement that you drive on like in the city. Also, my tire pressure says 35 in all four tires, I am not putting 37 and all tires and the tire mileage I get in the tire wear longer so I want to change the soft and you’d be surprised to extra pounds in inch tires you get better gas, mileage.

Apparently you didn't read my post above. But thanks for your input anyway.  It is not the air in the tires or the type of tire.  I am not new to this game. 

 

3 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Tyre pressure is extremely important as noted by others.

 

Brand is also important e.g.'s Pirelli are hard tread a walled, but compared to the next tyre noisier, but a very durable compound, Michelin are a tad softer but between the two in durability, Yokahama are a softer wall, quieter tread noise and give a softer ride but wear out maybe 15 to 20% faster than Pir's, Continental make a superb tyre also in a good range of patterns and performances.

Like others have said you can replace the shocks but you need to consult a suspension specialist not some local dude with a shopfront as horror stories abound of ignorant fellas changing out stock shocks for some fancy thing that 'bottoms out' (eventually blow out) or rides way too soft and interferes with cornering stability.

 

Thanks, yes I agree.  I was hoping someone may have experience here with a shop that is not, as you state, "some local dude with a shopfront".

[AgMech Cowboy]

Vigo... I'm just going to stick my nose out a little on this. My guess is that you've got leaf springs. My experience tells me you're going to be riding rough. The smooth riding 4x4's have coil springs, but in Thailand those type vehicles get taxed at a higher rate making the vehicle much more expensive.

[JoeW]

On 9/21/2023 at 10:55 AM, silverhawk_usa said:

Good to see you familiar with GR Sport and I agree with what you said. The Omni Shock and spring changes are one of the selling points on the GR but it is more extreme than I care for.  I had "Rancho" brand adjustable shocks installed on my previous Hilux 4x4 but my source is now gone.

I think I will try to source some quality after market shocks although hard to find in Chiang Mai.  My main question is which has the most affect, the shocks or springs.  Where did you see GR Sport Shocks for sale?  Thanks.

There are a bunch of Toyota Revo groups were those shocks and springs are being sold second hand. Many Thai people want them, as they aren't available new from Toyota. You could look up the brand profender (Thai brand). I have them on my Ford Ranger and it's night and day. I also added one extra leafspring in the rear (Ironman) and Ironman springs in the front. Ride is now as comfortable as a pickup can be.

[silverhawk_usa]

1 hour ago, JoeW said:

There are a bunch of Toyota Revo groups were those shocks and springs are being sold second hand. Many Thai people want them, as they aren't available new from Toyota. You could look up the brand profender (Thai brand). I have them on my Ford Ranger and it's night and day. I also added one extra leafspring in the rear (Ironman) and Ironman springs in the front. Ride is now as comfortable as a pickup can be.

Thanks, so don't keep me guessing. ???? Where did you get the shocks?

 

Edit: I did some searching and there are some shops listed in Chiang Mai.  I'll have to go see.  I checked a YSS shop today but they said "not available yet" for my GR Sport, which I find hard to believe.

[DavisH]

There are a number of profender dealers in the northern region.

https://profender4x4.com/en/dealer/north-region/

Profender was recommended to me when I was considering getting mitsu pajero sport. see their website, there is an english page also. 

[HauptmannUK]

I imagine Toyota have specc'd siffer springs (leafs on rear - added a leaf too?) and corresponding higher-rate dampers (shock absorbers). Dampers should be matched to the spring rate of the springs so that 'critical damping' is achieved.

Not sure how well chosen the aftermarket setups are.

IMHO overly firm springs on these pickups are a safety hazard and causes the vehicles to be skittish on bumpy roads. Coupled with bump steer from leaf-sprung rear its not a good recipe...