LANDCRUISER 200 | Rear Suspension setup for TOWING, TOURING and 4x4’ING | ARB OME BP-51 GVM | Airbag

In todays video I talk specifically about the suspension in the rear of my Landcruiser 200 series. I go over all the components I’ve added to my system for the best handling on and off-road, towing and day to day.
I’ve categorised my rear suspension into 3 systems:
ARB 400kg springs and BP-51 shocks (GVM upgrade)
Airbag Man airbag helper bags
Adjustable Rear Panhard Rod
After releasing modifications videos in the past on my LC200, I’ve received several questions about this suspension setup. So in today’s video I discuss why I chose each of these items, how they have performed over the last year and whether I would change anything if I had my time again.
In my opinion, suspension is one of, if not the most important system to get right on any modified 4WD. Suspension will significantly effect the handling of your 4WD and provide reliable and predictable reactions in emergency or unforeseen situations.
Owning heavily modified 4WD’s and then switching between day to day unladen driving to fully loaded and towing caravans, it can be hard to find the right system to suit all situations.
I believe I have found a great compromise to allow my vehicle to handle well in most situations.
I hope this video can give you some idea’s to think about when setting up your LC200 suspension. If you have any questions or queries, send a message through to XPLORINGOZ on either Facebook or Instagram and I’ll get back to you.
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[@rattler4102]

Great advice Nath! Love your work mate!

[@XploringOz]

Cheers mate, glad you enjoyed it.

[@snoordman4831]

Very informative as usual!

[@XploringOz]

Thanks mate.

[@marcstrauch2061]

Great video and very informative. Thank you!

[@XploringOz]

Thanks Marc, appreciate the feedback. Cheers, Nathan.

[@travelling_two]

Another great vid, as always combining educational content with factual delivery. Like you I have a 3,845kg GVM upgrade - when talking to ARB they said they are happy to recertify the vehicle to 4,015kg for the cost of an inspection and new modification plate (~$150) because the components used are exactly the same between both approvals and it is only how they treat axle loadings that differs. The 3,845kg GVM allows 1,870kg on the front axle and 2,145kg on the rear (i.e. 110% of factory rating), but you can't load them both up to that at the same time - the 4,015kg GVM allows 110% of factory rating on both axles at the same time - the problem being that to use all of your 4,015kg GVM you'd need to have the additional load kept toward front of the car which is not always practical.

[@XploringOz]

Thanks mate, I have heard the ARB have been offering this. Unfortunately my local dealer has shut down, however it's something I'll look into in the future. I hear you about the even axle load. It can be hard to distribute that much weight up front. Not sure I'm ever going to need that 4015kg, however its encouraging to hear I have the correct hardware. Cheers, Nathan.

[@overlandphotography]

Very informative Nath and its nice to see the experiences of others! Thanks again for sharing. I have a similar setup on my 200 but I never got the airbags or the panhard rod. ARB did however install the 600kg coil springs ( without my knowledge) and the ride was really firm and uncomfortable. I took it back and without question, they changed the setup back to 400kg and I'm very happy with the setup now. I have the same suspension and GVM upgrade ( however, I did manage the 4015 kg) but don't intent to load it up.

[@XploringOz]

Thanks Jim. Interesting to hear your thoughts on the 600kg springs. Are you running similar modifications on your cruiser as I am, more or less? Glad to hear you have worked out a good solution for your setup! Suspension has got to be one of the most important things and something that really makes the vehicle a comfortable tourer. Cheers.

[@overlandphotography]

@@XploringOz .... Hi Nath. Pretty much the same setup. We're setting it up to tow a caravan offroad around Aust for a few years so watching your vids has been a wonderful resource. Again, thank you so much.

[@kaibintech]

Great video! subscribed.

[@XploringOz]

Awesome, thank you!

[@iandibley2985]

Hi Nathan I have a 2017 LC model Altitude. I have an ARB springs and shocks 50 mm front lift 40 mm rear gvm upgrade 3650 kg with 250 kg rear springs no bags .I weighed the cruiser yesterday fully loaded ready to travel 3,230 kg + 280 kg towball weight total 3,510 kg about 140 kg under .the tow tongue is 550 mm off the ground. I find the ride is good and tows the 2500 kg Matrix easily we have just returned from around the Gulf and Cape York no issues. The thing is with gvm upgrades no matter what the rear axle loadind is still 1950 kg It is an interesting exercise to check the rear axle loading a job in the near future. Also 4" lift is a no no in Qld without an Engineering mod plate . Cheers a great vid Ian

[@XploringOz]

Thanks for sharing mate! It is amazing how quickly these vehicles fill up when we hit the tracks! I hear you about the axle loads, without certification, there really isn't too much we can do about this other than attempt to consider where in the vehicle we pack of gear to try and even out the weight. Glad to hear that your suspension has worked well for you setup. So a 4" lift in WA is also illegal, however this is officially measured and recorded at 2" from ARB, therefore accepted and approved without engineering and modifications plates. Cheers, Nathan.

[@jayiyer9789]

Thanks for another great video Nathan! Was the Panhard rod an OME product? Ta

[@XploringOz]

Thanks, the pan hard rod is aftermarket, made by a company called Roadsafe. Cheers.

[@glenod]

I did 500 KG springs in mine, draws, long range tank, 2.5 ton van on.... it travels great.. its a tad over sprung with out the van on, but i got used to it.

[@XploringOz]

Awesome mate, as long as it works for you, that's all that matters. Cheers.

[@jcnh665]

Great vid 👍 who sorted your inflation toggles and install for the air bags ? Do you need the air tank as well ? Cheers James

[@XploringOz]

Hey mate, so these toggles were purchased as part of the air bag man kit and installed by a fitter here in WA called Ultimate 4WD Equipment in Bibra Lake. You certainly don't need the air tank, it can be nice to have a little extra, but I don't think it would make a significant difference to be honest. Cheers, Nathan.

[@dustyfarmer]

Toyota Landcruiser & Hilux springs are notorious for sagged out stock springs. I had a 2004 VZN167R Hilux and the rear springs were sagging by 70K so airbags fixed that. My VDJ79R has the LOVELLS 3900 GVM upgrade so no problems there. I see plenty of "lowered" Landcruiser's getting around still on their stock springs.

[@XploringOz]

Yeah, this would make sense. I'm definitely glad for the upgraded suspension, more clearance much safer and more comfortable ride. Cheers, Nathan.

[@peterj5751]

The lift is dependant on the load. So I suspect that the 400kg spring would have given closer to the advertised lift if you had a constant 400kg load. It certainly doesn’t look too high in the back now you have the accessories on it.

[@XploringOz]

This is true, however I've found the lift hasn't sagged much in the rear, even after the accessories were added. Either way, I'm happy with the look, extra clearance and comfortable ride from this suspension setup. Cheers, Nathan.

[@hedrusvanderMerwe]

Hi I enjoy your videos thanks, very informative. I just fitted BP51 too and found the vehicle much higher than specs suggested. I expected 50mm in front and 25 at back as brochures suggested. I have a question though if I may. The installers did not adjust the front strut assembly and fitted it as it came from factory. In other words, there are 20mm thread exposed. I gather from installation manuals if you have a diesel , no bull bar or winch it should have been set at 10mm. So What is the nett effect now? Should I ask installers do take it out and fix. are my ride just higher and firmer? What would change? I often read other owners writing about BP51 set to 2 inch... Well mine ended at 3, is it because of the adjustment that was not done? The car still has a serious rake.and I also dont want to drop the front to have a bigger rake, but I suppose its also because I haven't loaded it yet. I got the 2723 (400Kg) and the lift at the back is more than double I expected. I wanted a 25 mm , I did not really want to go too high to fit Panhard rods and control arms. My tyres 285/65/18 looks also too small in the wheel well. Any suggestions? Tx

[@XploringOz]

Hey mate, so yes I had this exact issue when I had my suspension fitted. I did note that it did take a couple of weeks for the suspension to 'settle' and come down a little from its first installed height. I found that once I added some modifications and gear to the rear, it did help the rear of the vehicle come down a little, but I too was disappointed by my ARB fitters as they didn't adjust the front struts to the correct length. I had the issue where they were not adjusted high enough. If it was my vehicle, I would wait a few weeks to see whether the suspension does settle a little and see what happened when you are fully loaded for a trip. This might help give a realistic feel for the suspension. I know what you mean with the tyres, they definitely become dwarfed with the larger lift, however without a change of tyres, not much option there. Give it some time, re-assess and maybe re-visit the ARB dealer and state that this front rake and excessive rear lift (if still present) is not what you had ordered... Cheers, Nathan.

[@peterj5751]

Did you find any impact from the airbags on the ride? I had these on a Prado and it made it ride like a a ute even with no pressure in them at all. Interested if it was my set up in particular or an issue you have found as all.

[@XploringOz]

Negative, I've found that when lowered to around the 5PSI mark, it still retained relatively good handling. In fact, on the Prado, I found that it helped reduce body roll (my model didn't have the KDSS). The 200 series, being a much heavier vehicle has been even more comfortable again. Cheers, Nathan.

[@boxheadmr]

Have u thought about upgraded sway bar in the rear to help with sway with the weight?

[@XploringOz]

I haven't done too much research into this, however I don't think it would be necessary on this vehicle as it has KDSS anyway. The hydraulic control over the sway bay works well at control the vehicle over all types of terrains. Cheers.

[@crispyinasia61]

Another very informative video Nathan. How often would you adjust your shocks from say your trekking to your around town. I have a Lovells GVM upgrade to 3800 and the shocks around town without load are hard and a little uncomfortable. Just wondering whether I can overcome this hardness with adjustable shocks and then switch them to a firmer setting when going bush?

[@dustyfarmer]

Try lowering your tyre pressures, I find even a few P.S.I makes a big difference to how my COOPER Discoverer st maxx tyres ride on the dirt and on the tar. Funnily enough, lowering the pressures doesn't seem to affect fuel economy, I'm currently running 38 P.S.I all round unloaded, I'll experiment with 37 & 36 P.S.I. (55 P.S.I fully loaded to 3900kg)

[@crispyinasia61]

@@dustyfarmer thanks for that, I’ve always ran mine at 40psi and certainly if I ran it 10% less or so that may be interesting to see if that makes a difference. I’ll give it a try. When I have all the gear in the back it feels fine and smoother, so will see.

[@dustyfarmer]

@@crispyinasia61 I used to run 44 unloaded, then 40 P.S.I but was getting too much tread wear in the center of all tyres, I'm pretty happy with 38 but I think 36 P.S.I might be the go as even at 38 it's much softer on the dirt than 44 where you feel every bump & rock, mine are 10 ply tyres though.

[@crispyinasia61]

@@dustyfarmer these are the Coopers that are 10ply? At the recent 4wd show I spoke to the Coopers rep and he explained the multiple ply as compared to the BF Goodrich and said they were very similar. But he did mention that they guaranteed at least 80k kms from them. I’m battling to get that out of my current tyres. So as I’m coming up to a change within the next 6 months it may be worth a crack. 👍

[@dustyfarmer]

@@crispyinasia61 Did the COOPERS rep. tell you that to claim on that 80K warranty you need to get a wheel alignment every 10K and rotate every 5K. I rotate mine every 10K and I reckon I might get 60-65K before they get too low to be safe in the wet on tar, you may get 80K out of a set to near bald but they are spent, useless in the mud and dangerous in the wet at 90% worn. I'd buy them again but not at $330.00 a tyre, I'll try the TOYO AT2 OPEN COUNTRY next.

[@jordangerolemou4584]

Hey Nathan, Your videos are incredible bro... I would like to know when I'm going to tow my camper trailer on soft sand, what gear selection should I choose? The camper will weigh 1950 fully loaded.. The trailer will follow my tyre tracks while towing which will make towing easier.. I have a 200 series Landcruser.. I have standard Oldman emu suspension with Airbag Man installed as well.. Regards Jordan

[@XploringOz]

Cheers mate, appreciate that 👍 Glad you are enjoying them. In relation to gear selection, there are a couple of variants and would heavily depend on just how soft that sand is and tyre pressure. Tyre pressure is definitely king and makes the world of difference. If you are only travelling slowly (less than 40km/h) I would probably start in 2nd gear low range and work from this point. Any faster than 40km/h then you would want to jump into high range. My advice would be find a gear that sits on the higher side of the RPM range. This gives you a little more power if/when required when getting into those really soft sections. If you sit too low in the rev range, when you accelerate a little more, the vehicle won't have enough power to turn the wheels quicker, it will then down change and you've now lost a chunk of momentum. My advice is don't rush it, find a happy medium speed that sits well in the RPM range and gives you consistent forward momentum. Hopefully this helps. Cheers 👍

[@jordangerolemou4584]

@@XploringOz Hey Nathan, Yes that makes a lot of sense.. I appreciate your advice bro.. Take care

[@XploringOz]

@@jordangerolemou4584 No problems mate, all the best and hopefully we'll see you out there one day 👍

[@jordangerolemou4584]

@@XploringOz Hey Nathan, thank you..I'm going to Stradbroke Island in November staying at main beach from the 16th to the 23rd.. Take care

[@ausguy4385]

Do you know the hub to wheel arch heights of standard? What lift amount would you need a UCA? Got the Lovells 4.2t kit and it did not have them somehow 🤦‍♂️

[@XploringOz]

Hey mate, unfortunately I don't have these measurements anymore. UCA's aren't always required, however I have spoken with some people who state that it helps provide more opportunity to provide the best alignment for castor and camber after a lift. There are many people running a 2" lift without UCA's, however again, reviews Ive seen are those who have later installed UCA's note a difference in handling. I can't comment on how the vehicle would handle without them though, as I had them fitted at the same time as the suspension. Cheers, Nathan.

[@andylo727]

@XploringOz Nathan, need you help here. I want to have the identical setup like yours with my newly installed rear helper bag. I know you have a ARB compressor in quad panel already. Can you kindly name the parts you have used on the paddle switch, the air pressure gauge, if there is any internal components to distribute air from compressor to the bags, I really need to know what they are too. I have done a coil conversion with support bags in my rear of my Prado Kakadu, but the current basic setup (with a pair of external air inlet) make it too hard for me to adjust on the fly. What you got is absolutely perfect for me! Thanks in advance mate.

[@XploringOz]

Hey mate, so I've used the setup as purchase in the package linked: ebay.us/uyB0Bu I can't confirm whether that will include absolutely everything that is need to connect to the ARB compressor as I had my kit fitted by a 3rd party installer. I bought this exact kit and provided the installer this package. I hope this can help somewhat. Cheers, Nathan.

[@andylo727]

@@XploringOz Thank you Nathan. You always very helpful :)

[@XploringOz]

@@andylo727 No problems mate, always happy to help. Cheers.

[@cayman9873]

If your adding a lot of weight with a trailer. What is the tongue weight of the trailer ? I would think you could limit the tongue weight to 200 to 350 lb.

[@XploringOz]

Yes, this is true. Keeping a close eye on your tow ball weight is definitely important. However, when optimising loading and weights, you want to keep your tow ball weight to about 7.5% to 12.5% of the trailers total weight. So if you are towing a 3.5t caravan, you would want to tow ball to be about 270kg minimum. Cheers, Nathan.

[@EditzByjimmy]

Hi mate, Great video I have watched all your videos. I have booked my 200 in for new suspension next week. I went for OME as well but I just went for the nitro sports shocks with a 4015 upgrade and 400 kg springs. I would have loved the BP51 but I just struggled to afford it because all my money went into a new caravan. Just wondering mate did you run the nitro shocks on your other 4wds because I was just wondering how you went? Also did you install UCA in the front? Thanks mate

[@XploringOz]

Thanks mate, I'm glad you have got some value from these videos. So yes, in my previous cars, when running the ARB suspension, I've run the Nitroshocks and had no complaints. The Nitroshocks worked exactly as designed without any issues. Saying this, the BP-51 is definitely a step above, however I completely understand that it's not in everyones budget and it also not necessary for everyones type of driving. I'm sure you will still love the feel of upgraded suspension to suit your vehicles load. So yes, I have installed Blackhawk UCA's in the front of the 200, I can't comment on whether or not this made a difference with the lift, as it went in the same time. Cheers, Nathan.

[@EditzByjimmy]

Yep cheers mate, thanks very much some great feedback. Look forward to your next video

[@cayman9873]

The rear tires and rims dont add weight to the truck since they are resting on the ground.. not on the frame. So the truck may be heavier. But not the suspension loading.

[@XploringOz]

Yes, I hear where you are coming from. The wheel and tyres do add weight to vehicle overall, however this is often referred to as unsprung weight as it doesn't need to be taken into consideration for the suspension setup. The wheels and tyre weight still need to be taken into consideration for GVM loading and capacity.

[@sellers8922]

that bolt on your torque rod looks like it has lost the nut

[@XploringOz]

Are you able to let me know at what time in the video you saw this? I’ll look into it further 👍