Suspension Recommendation (1 Viewer)

[GXNoob]

I have an 07 GX470 with KDSS and I have had no real issues with the drivability of the vehicle until this weekend. I was driving my friend to the airport when I noticed my ride went from a smooth and comfy one to bouncy and harsh. Every bump felt much harder, and the car felt bouncy. I tried stopping and pumping up the air suspension, and it took a second for the car to go from N to H. It did pump up, but I heard a pop of sorts, and then the car lower again while parked. I have noticed that when I would get out of my car after turning it off, I would hear a hissing noise of sorts, but from reading forums, it seems like its just the airbags equalizing in pressure. Either way, I'm assuming my suspension / airbags are shot, but have yet to verify. I've wanted to lift the car moderately either way (2.5-3") and am unsure of the "better route" to take. I'm not sure whether it would be smarter to swap out the airbags and check the shocks to make sure they're not shot, or ditching KDSS altogether and getting something aftermarket. Any recommendations/ personal experiences on trying to salvage the KDSS vs swapping out? My current uses for the car are:

1. Daily Driver
2. Plan on taking long road trips (currently live in FL so it takes a bit to get anywhere). When offroading, mostly dirt roads and light crawling, and camping.
3. Plan on adding aluminum skids and bolt on sliders
4. Plan on upgrading wheels and tires (currently stock). Looking around a 32" tire.
5. As its my daily driver, I'd like to maintain decent (I think im at like 15 mpg right now) mpgs and cv if possible
6. Still be drivable and comfy for the long road trips
7. When I do take it offroad, I'd like to be relatively comfy, but I also understand I will be driving on dirt as well lol
8. I also have an aftermarket towing package installed, as it was installed before I purchased the car (hitch and brake controller)

As I'm as as familiar with offroading (coming from an STI), what suspension brands/models are the go to for offroading with my kind of desires? I've heard of Dobsons, King, ironman, Old man Emu, FOX, but am unsure what is a good middle ground between paying for a quality suspension setup, vs paying for the name brand vs going to break at 100k miles. I wouldn't mind spending 3-4k on the suspension if I was getting something quality out of it, but from the reading I have done, I feel like that would be overkill for my applications. Also with Black Friday / Christmas around the corner, I wasn't sure if now was better time to pull the trigger on a suspension setup.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

-GXNoob

 

[Sky Soldier]

I just finished raising mine with an OME medium lift kit from Rocky Road. It rides great so far. Didn't cost an arm and a leg. Came with 4 shocks, rear springs, front springs, the hats for front struts, and new Upper Control Arms. I bought the KDSS spacer kit from Treaty Oak as well. Also purchased Metaltech air bag deletion kit. Money well spent - I'm not hardcore rock crawler just average off roader. Everything seems well balanced in my vehicle now. Would recommend to average wheeler.

Edit - I also purchased a Dobinsons panhard bar for rear axle.

 

[Jstawgn]

Suspension are identical whether you have KDSS or not. The selection would be the same based on weight and budget.
If you are pretty close to standard wight then you could buy standard/comfort suspension. Don't buy heavy duty suspension for light load. How heavy are you when you travel? If the load change soo much then you might need adjustable. But adjustable can be confusing and set wrong it can actually perform worse than fixed suspension. Rubber bushing still highly recommended for quite performance. Racing suspension normally are noisy and requires a lot of maintenance.

My recommendations from cheapest to medium price
Eibach would be good for standard load. They come complete with rear spring conversion kit. Monotube with matched spring but come with limited spring option.
Dobinson twin tube would have much more spring option if you are a bit heavier.
I run Toughdog adjustable. They are one step above basic, foam cell with 9 steps of adjustment.
Dobinson IMS are Monotube with front coilover height adjustment.

As for of road comfort, adjust your speed and tire pressure accordingly. Aluminum skids and rock Sliders add appropriately 200 lbs.

 

[Prado GX460]

Hey we have some key similarities. I come from the NASIOC world as well. Had a '06WRX which was my baby. Your situation is similar to mine. I went with Dobinson's after doing tons of research. I would ditch the air suspension, but keep the kdss if you're only going to do a mild lift. Check out my post:

Dobinson's Lift on VTX Wheels

Guys, I just got lifted and put on some new kicks. I waited 3 months for Dobinson's which was on backorder across North America. I also got the Dobinson's UCA's which are built with Sankei 555 ball joints. This gives you 3 degrees of forward caster giving you the clearance to avoid dreaded body...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[McDuff123]

KDSS has nothing to do with the problems you describe.
KDSS is a hydraulic system that controls sway, by ”firming up“ the front and rear sway bars when necessary. It has other benefits as well, but does not have anything to do with ride height, suspension firmness, etc.
What you describe sounds like a classic “my rear airbag(s) is leaking.“ The hissing is NOT equalizing noise...it’s air leaking from a failed bag once the compressor shuts down.
You can fix the stock system with new airbags (expensive, gains you no lift but does retain the ride-height controls), OR you can ditch that system and upgrade to a spring and shock set-up. You’ll lose ride height, and shock dampening control, but you’ll gain lift and a firmer, sportier ride.