Whilst you may have owned your 4WD for a couple of years and hitting the tracks is an occasional occurrence generally it’s a good idea to inspect your suspension components quite regularly, checking for wear and tear, as well as for any loose parts, this will ensure that you don’t have any issues with steering components, or suspension failing you when you need them to perform at their best!

When researching online, manufacturers recommend getting your suspension components replaced anywhere between 4-5 years or 40,000 – 80,000 kms, but with such varying figures, you shouldn’t just replace your suspension until you really need too.

We are going to give you some tips and hints on working out for yourself whether or not you are ready to replace your suspension components with a top quality RAW 4X4 Suspension Kit from 4WD Supacentre!

First up you should look for any damage to the shock absorber struts, this includes any dents or leaks, as well as rusty and pitted shock absorber shafts (if you can see these easily), these symptoms will give you a heads up that your shockies may be cooked and ready for replacement.

The next thing to check is how much (if any) your ride height has sagged, you can generally find out this information online, and your vehicles manufacturer will have a measurement from your rim to the wheel arches both front and back, this will give you an idea of how much your springs have lost in upwards travel, generally fitting accessories like a bull bar and winch can weigh down the front of your vehicle causing it to sag prematurely on the front end.

Other symptoms that your suspension probably needs updating is if your tyres are badly cupped or if you find that you are getting tyre shake or wheel shimmy after hitting a bump.

Noticeable clunking and rattling on rough roads or whilst reversing, or even an undamped bouncy feeling ride.

Another symptom is excessive body roll or sway through corners, this can be uncomfortable, and symptoms exaggerated at speed, and tends to be the same issue as intense nose diving when heavily braking.

Some people talk about a “bounce test” which involves intentionally pushing the vehicle side to side to see if the dampers stop any oscillations, however this can be difficult in heavily sprung (high GVM vehicles and produces mixed results depending on the vehicle and the person performing the test.

If your vehicle displays any of the above symptoms you can prevent it getting any worse or dangerous by getting your hands on a purpose made all inclusive suspension kit from RAW 4X4, these kits come in a range of load ratings from “MEDIUM LOAD” and “CONSTANT LOAD” which are tailor made for your vehicle’s specific weights suspension travel and even the variable spring rates that are included in the kits!

Installing a RAW 4X4 Suspension Kit is simple, simply jack up your vehicle loosen the suspension components and replace with the ones in your kit, it really is that simple and can be done in a weekend in the shed or in the driveway with simple hand tools – this saves you hundreds in mechanics fees,  and with the new springs and shockies your 4WD should be sitting pretty, you’ll be surprised and just how much ground clearance you have gained with the sagged factory springs and the approximate 50mm of lifted height not to mention the enhanced road holding ability of your 4WD and the ability to stay in control no matter what the weather or tracks throw at you.

Not only will your 4WD feel new, but with all of these benefits, and the massive savings you’ve made on buying RAW 4X4 Suspension you’ll be glad you spent the money on your offroad suspension upgrade!