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Tough Dog gear for Australian 4WDs. Foam cell and adjustable shocks, coil and leaf springs, shackles, bushes and full lift kits.
Pick by load, not by how it sits. Most of these kits are listed against a constant load rating. A tourer with a canopy, drawers, water and a second battery wants a very different spring to a dual cab that tows the boat twice a year. Tell us what you carry and we’ll match it.
Adjustable shocks let you wind them up when you’re loaded and back off when you’re empty. Foam cell handles long corrugated roads without fading out.
Lift height is regulated and the limit changes by state and by vehicle. We fit to what’s legal for yours, and we’ll tell you where that sits before you spend anything.
Fitted at Oxley or Warana, or shipped Australia wide. Also see Struts and Shocks, Coil Springs and Leaf Springs.
Tough Dog by vehicle
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What Tough Dog is for
Tough Dog build 4WD and ute suspension for carrying weight and covering rough roads: shocks, coil and leaf springs, airbag helpers, steering dampers and the bushes and hardware that go with them. It is the largest suspension range we stock, and it is deep enough that you can lift a vehicle out of it or just replace one worn shock without touching anything else.
Coverage is strongest on Toyota and Nissan, especially LandCruiser and Patrol, then Ford, Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Mazda across Hilux, Ranger, Navara and Triton. If your vehicle is not one of those it is still worth asking.
Foam Cell, Big Bore or adjustable?
The shock is the main decision. Foam Cell is the most common in the range and uses a foam insert instead of a gas charge, which helps it resist fade on long corrugated runs. Big Bore uses a larger piston and shaft to move more oil and shed heat. Adjustable lets you change the damping between empty and loaded instead of compromising on one setting.
Choose on how the vehicle actually gets used, not on which sounds toughest. Corrugated outback touring rewards fade resistance. A ute that swaps between empty during the week and loaded on weekends rewards adjustability.
Matching springs to the load you actually carry
This is where most suspension builds go wrong. Springs are sold in load ratings, not one-size-fits-all. Rate them for a permanently loaded tourer and fit them to a vehicle that is usually empty, and it rides harshly and wears the rest of the suspension. Under-rate them and it sags and bottoms out.
Rate the springs for the weight the vehicle carries most of the time, then use adjustable damping or airbag helpers for the heavy days. Tell us your bar work, drawers, water and towball weight and we will rate it properly rather than guessing from the model.
What a lift needs besides parts
Changing ride height changes the alignment, so budget for one. Skipping it is the quickest way to ruin a new set of tyres. Bigger lifts can also need attention to brake lines, driveshafts and steering geometry, and past a certain height they need engineering certification, with the limit set by the state your vehicle is registered in.
We fit and align in our own workshops at Oxley in Brisbane and Warana on the Sunshine Coast, so tell us the lift you are after and we will tell you what else it drags in.
Tough Dog suspension FAQs
How much lift can I fit without engineering?
Rules on lift height are set by each state and depend on how the lift is achieved and what the vehicle is. Small lifts are commonly fitted without certification while larger ones require an engineer, and a GVM upgrade is a separate certification again. Tell us your vehicle and state before you buy and we will tell you what applies.
What is the difference between Foam Cell and a standard shock?
A Foam Cell shock uses a foam insert instead of a gas charge to keep the oil under pressure. The practical benefit is resistance to fade, which is what you notice on long corrugated roads where a conventional shock heats up and goes soft.
Do I have to replace springs and shocks together?
Not always, but it is usually the better buy. Shocks and springs work as a pair, and fitting new springs to tired shocks wastes most of the benefit. If you are only replacing a failed shock, we can match a single item to what is already on the vehicle.
Will a lift kit affect my vehicle warranty?
Fitting quality suspension is common and widely accepted, but terms differ between manufacturers. Check your own warranty conditions, and talk to us about a clean, correctly specified install.
Are airbag kits an alternative to heavier springs?
They solve a different problem. Airbags let you add support only when the vehicle is loaded, which suits a ute that spends most of its life empty. Heavier springs suit a vehicle that carries weight permanently. Many touring builds run correctly rated springs plus airbags for the towing days.
Can you fit it, or is this supply only?
Both. We ship Australia-wide, and we fit and align suspension in our own workshops at Oxley in Brisbane and Warana on the Sunshine Coast.
We fit suspension, not just sell it
Suspension is a fitting job as much as a parts job, and we do both. Our suspension and GVM services page covers what a lift, a GVM upgrade and an alignment actually involve.
