Balancing Act

Tough Dog’s Air-assist Suspension Kits Provide Touring 4x4 Utes With The Best Of Both Worlds.

- Justin Walker

A 4X4 DUAL-CAB ute is, in the ideal world, viewed as the ultimate off-road multi-tool A real jack-of-all-trades when it comes to offering the versatility needed by a large number of tourers. Being able to lug your – or your mate’s – furniture to a new abode, carrying bikes, watercraft, camping gear, the family pan-licker or just the shopping are, along with improvements in ride, handling and safety, some of the reasons behind the explosion in dual-cab sales over the past five years. But the truth is, a dual-cab is still a compromise. A balancing act, if you will, and one that owners strive to get right, in no more important area than being able to take advantage of that load-carrying capacity, while minimising any sacrifice in ride comfort and overall handling when their four-wheel workhorse is trundling around with no load out back.

KEEPING IT BALANCED

SUSPENSION is key to ensuring the best middle-ground in terms of balancing the demands of load-lugging with unladen driving. Go too heavy-duty underneath and you and yours will be bounced and bumped all over the place when tootling around town with no load; go too light and, when the time does come to load up, the vehicle’s rear will drop low, impeding ride and handling, with the roll-on effect being a potential compromise to occupant safety.