ARMED FOR THE OUTBACK

ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS CAN SOUND LIKE MARKETING SPIN, BUT TWO YEARS OF REAL-WORLD TOURING HAS PROVED OUTBACK ARMOUR'S ADJUSTABLE BYPASS EXPEDITION HD SETUP DELIVERS CONTROL, COMFORT AND GENUINE TUNABILITY

- KEV SMITH

Being a seasoned traveller, I get asked a lot about what equipment I use on my 80 Series LandCruiser, including what suspension I run. Well, a couple of years ago I changed to Outback Armour suspension components, and I can definitely say it's some of the best gear I've used for the past 20 years, over which time I have clocked up tens of thousands of kilometres per year across multiple terrains Australia-wide.

Jumping onto the Outback Armour website, I chose the Adjustable Bypass Expedition HD kit for my needs, as my 4x4 is set up as an outback tourer, configured for remote missions with drawers, fridges, recovery gear and enough equipment to be off grid for weeks at a time.

The Outback Armour HD Expedition kit ticked all the boxes and was easy to install over a couple of hours. Supplied with coils, shocks front and back, a steering damper, correction bushes and a shock service kit, there was nothing else I had to worry about.

ADJUSTABLE BYPASS SHOCKS

I've never had adjustable shocks before and, to be honest, I really thought they were a bit of a gimmick, especially as the ones I ordered had a 20-setting range. Initially I had the front and rear set midway (10 clicks), but found them a bit soft on the highway and outback roads, as I have a rooftop tent, 270 awning and a shower tent up top. Clicking them up to 15 made a huge difference, with less sway on the roads, better control and reduced rebound bounce when soaking up bumps and corrugations.