by NowForThe5th on Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:06 pm
Back in the day, when they were worth only 15% of the value of my house, rather than 50%, I had a Torana which had a set of adjustable shock absorbers that used the same system.
The rears, particularly, were very good at turning the already firm suspension into something that had the springiness of a steel girder and enabled the car to actually leave the ground when running over anything more substantial than a cigarette butt. Awful.
That said, on the lowest settings it did tighten up the rear somewhat which worked against the sway bars in a rather interesting fashion.
On a Triton, upgraded leaf springs in the rear will probably carry an increased rating of about 300kg. That means that you'll have to have close to this amount of weight in the back before they start acting anything like the OEM leaves (without the invertedness). Stiffening up the shocks as well probably won't do anything for the ride while doing the same for the front means you're further reducing the precious little movement that this system has.
Maybe after a couple of hundred thousand kilometres the ability to adjust the valving will have some benefit in prolonging the life of the shocks, or maybe a seal will just go and you can then chuck them in the bin.
I tried a few different systems on the Triton (but only one on the Pajero) and the best way, by far, is to find a suspension supplier who can make a suspension to specifically suit your vehicle weights and your needs.
Once I'd done that with the Triton I had no further issues. I did it from new on the Pajero, and still get other owners commenting on how good the ride is, seven years later.
Chris
If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay us to do it?