FORUM

THE RIGHT STUFF

I have never given much thought to aftermarket suspension upgrades. In fact, my attitude has always been that if there was a need for a suspension upgrade, the manufacturer would have fitted one.

All this changed last month. I was driving my fairly heavily loaded Prado 95 short-wheelbase along a deep sandy track on the way to my farm near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The Prado is a so-called “grey” import from Japan. The previous owner had fitted a JAOS Steel fuel-tank guard. Unfortunately, this had a sharp open end on the forward side which became hooked under a strong mogonono tree root, and was ripped right off from underneath the vehicle Upon investigation, I discovered that when they were fitting the JAOS, they had removed the original tank cover plate. The tank now had no protection! If I hit something solid, it might puncture, and I would lose all the fuel. I had to reduce the load quickly and drive carefully. Luckily, I made it safely to and from the farm.

I knew immediately that I needed to increase ground clearance. I drive along this track very often; in fact, it is one of only two tracks leading to the farm. In addition, I always carry a load.

I have since fitted the Ironman 4x4 suspension upgrade, which gave me an extra 45mm of ground clearance. I think I have lost a little bit of stability, but that I can live with. The Prado is