Get a quote
We’re here to help you with any inquiries.
Suspension and GVM
4WD Suspension Repairs and GVM Upgrades, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast
Sitting low under load, bottoming out on the corrugations, or already over your plated GVM? We diagnose, repair and upgrade suspension on 4WDs, utes and light trucks at Oxley in Brisbane and Warana on the Sunshine Coast, and we stock the kits that go with it. Tell us how the vehicle actually gets loaded and we spec it around that.
Fitted at Oxley and Warana
Load assessed before we quote
Parts shipped Aus-wideStart here
If the truck is just tired, that’s a repair. If it runs heavy every day or drags a van, that’s a matched spring and shock package. If it’s already carrying more than the plate allows, that’s a GVM upgrade. The sections below sort out which one you’re actually after, then point you at the parts or the workshop.
Suspension repairs and upgrades at both workshops
Both branches do the whole job in house: diagnose what is worn, quote it, fit the kit, set the ride height, torque it to spec and tell you where the wheel alignment sits. Same trade, same brands, two ends of the south east. Booking in takes a phone call.
Oxley, Brisbane
291 Cliveden Avenue, Oxley 4075
The Brisbane workshop for suspension repairs, lift kits, load-rated spring and shock packages, tow and tour setups and GVM fitting, on 4WDs, utes and light trucks. Bring it in the way you run it and we will assess the load before quoting.
Warana, Sunshine Coast
29 Production Avenue, Warana 4575
The same work on the Coast: worn shocks and springs replaced, lift kits fitted, touring and towing packages built to your loaded weight, and certified GVM upgrades supplied and fitted. Book straight into the Warana workshop.
What tells us it needs looking at
If any of these sound like your truck, book a suspension check before it costs you tyres or control.
- Rear sagging, or a nose-up stance when loaded or towing
- Bottoming out over bumps, gutters or corrugations
- Wallowing, body roll or a floaty feel at highway speed
- Nose-diving hard under braking
- Bouncing that keeps going after the bump
- Tyres wearing uneven or quick on one edge
- Clunks, knocks or rattles over rough ground
- Steering that wanders or feels vague
Not sure which branch, or what it needs?
Send us the vehicle, the rego and a line about how it gets loaded, and we’ll tell you whether it’s a repair, a kit or a GVM job before you commit to anything. Get a quote, or call the branch nearest you.
Choose by load, not by looks
Height is what you notice. Load is what decides the parts. A kit that’s right for a bare-tray work ute is wrong for a fully kitted tourer, and both are wrong for something that only ever carries a driver. Four honest cases, and most vehicles sit in one of them.
1
Stock height, just worn out
Shocks fade, springs settle, bushes and ball joints wear. If the truck is not carrying anything unusual and you just want the ride back, that’s a repair, not an upgrade. Quality replacement shocks, springs and bushes at factory rate, and you’re done.
2
Constant load
A tray, a canopy, drawers, a toolbox, gear that never comes off. The weight is on the vehicle every day, so the springs have to be rated for it rather than helped along by an airbag. Get this one wrong in the soft direction and it sags. Get it wrong in the hard direction and it rides like a wheelbarrow when empty.
3
Towing
A van or a boat puts tow ball weight on the back axle intermittently, which is a different problem to a constant load. The answer is usually a rear rate matched to the ball weight, shocks valved to control it, and air helpers where the load varies a lot between trips. The aim is a rig that sits level and stays settled at highway speed.
4
Touring
Long-range fuel, water, a fridge, recovery gear and corrugations for days. This is the setup that punishes cheap shocks fastest, because heat is the enemy on a long dirt run. Damping capacity and a spring rate matched to the fully loaded weight matter more here than any number on the ride height.
5
Where lift height fits in
Lift is a by-product of the spring rate you need plus the clearance you want, not the starting point. Two inches suits most touring and work 4WDs and stays inside what the steering and driveline angles are happy with. Go higher and you’re into supporting work: correction bushes, longer brake lines, panhard rods, sometimes a tailshaft. We will tell you straight what your build needs, and we set the ride height and advise the alignment after fitting.
Bring it in loaded
The fastest way to get this right is to turn up with the vehicle set up the way you actually run it. We weigh up what is on it, look at how it sits, and spec from there instead of guessing off a model name. Get a quote and tell us what it carries.
Brands we fit and stock
We fit gear we’re happy to warrant and stand behind, and we hold it in the online catalogue as well, so you can buy the kit outright or have us supply and fit it. Three ranges cover most of what rolls through the workshop.
Tough Dog
The workhorse range. Broad coverage across Australian utes and wagons, a spread of spring rates for constant load and towing, and adjustable shocks where you want to dial the damping to the job. This is the range we reach for most often on work and tow builds.
EFS
Strong on touring and constant-load setups, with several damping levels across the range so the kit can be matched to how hard the vehicle actually gets worked. Good pick when the vehicle spends real time on dirt rather than just looking like it might.
West Coast Suspensions
The heavier end. Monotube and remote reservoir damping for sustained corrugations and heat, plus certified GVM upgrade packages for vehicles that have run out of plated capacity. Where a standard kit is not enough vehicle, this is usually the next step.
Suspension parts by type
If you already know what you’re after, go straight to it. Everything here ships Aus-wide, and anything on this page can be supplied and fitted at either workshop instead.
Struts and shocksCoil springsLeaf springsLift kitsAirbag kitsGVM upgrade kitsBushings and fitting hardwareUpper control armsPanhard rodsSteering dampersSway barsTorsion barsU-boltsSuspension componentsBrowse all suspension parts
Confirm the fit before you order
Suspension is matched to the body and the build, and the same model often takes different parts either side of a mid-life change. Send the rego or VIN with your order and we check it by hand before anything ships. Send it through here.
Vehicles we set up most often:
- Toyota HiLux
- Toyota LandCruiser
- Toyota Prado
- Ford Ranger
- Ford Everest
- Isuzu D-Max
- Isuzu MU-X
- Mazda BT-50
- Nissan Navara
- Nissan Patrol
- Mitsubishi Triton
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
- Volkswagen Amarok
- Holden Colorado
- Land Rover Defender and Discovery
- Light trucks and work utes
GVM upgrades
Gross vehicle mass is the maximum the vehicle is legally allowed to weigh, loaded, on its compliance plate. A GVM upgrade is a certified package, usually springs and shocks and sometimes more, that raises that number.
1
When you actually need one
Add a bull bar, a winch, drawers, a canopy, long-range fuel, water and the family, and a lot of standard utes are over their plate before the van is even hooked up. If the sums put you over, no amount of new springs makes it legal. Only a certified upgrade does.
2
It is a legal change, not a spring swap
A GVM upgrade has to be an approved package for your exact vehicle, fitted as certified and documented. That’s what separates it from simply fitting heavier springs, which changes how the truck sits without changing what it is allowed to carry.
3
What Willys does
We assess the build, work out whether you need an upgrade or just a better matched kit, then supply and fit the certified package at Oxley or Warana. You get told which pathway suits your vehicle and what it involves before anything is ordered.
4
Do the weights first
Before you commit, get the vehicle over a weighbridge loaded the way you tour or work. Knowing the real front, rear and total figures is what turns this from a guess into a decision, and it often shows the axle limit bites before the GVM does.
Book a suspension assessment
Two Queensland workshops, one way of working: we look at the vehicle loaded, tell you what it needs, and quote it before a spanner touches it. Pick the branch nearest you or send the job through and we will come back to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do you repair worn suspension as well as upgrade it?
Yes, and it's the more common job. Shocks fade, springs settle, bushes and ball joints wear. If the vehicle isn't carrying anything unusual and you just want the ride back, that's a repair at factory rate rather than an upgrade. We diagnose what's worn, quote it, and fit it at Oxley or Warana.
What is a GVM upgrade and do I need one?
Gross vehicle mass is the maximum your vehicle is legally allowed to weigh when loaded, as shown on its compliance plate. A GVM upgrade is a certified package that raises that number. Add a bull bar, a winch, drawers, a canopy, long-range fuel, water and the family, and plenty of standard utes are over the plate before a van is hooked up. Fitting heavier springs on its own changes how it sits, not what it's allowed to carry.
How much lift should I get?
Lift is a by-product of the spring rate you need plus the clearance you want, not the starting point. Two inches suits most touring and work 4WDs and stays inside what the steering and driveline angles are happy with. Go higher and you're into supporting work such as correction bushes, longer brake lines, panhard rods and sometimes a tailshaft.
Can you set my ute up for towing a caravan?
Yes. Tow ball weight sits on the back axle intermittently, which is a different problem to a constant load. We match the rear spring rate to the ball weight, valve the shocks to control it, and add air helpers where the load varies a lot between trips, so the rig sits level and stays settled at highway speed.
Where do you fit suspension?
Both Queensland workshops do the full job in house: Oxley in Brisbane at 291 Cliveden Avenue, Oxley 4075 on (07) 3377 3421, and Warana on the Sunshine Coast at 29 Production Avenue, Warana 4575 on (07) 5619 7869. Diagnosis, kit supply, fitting, ride height set and alignment advice, at either branch.
Get in touch
Our Locations
Sunshine Coast
P: (07) 5619 7869
Text us : 0485 885 957
E: sales@willysworkshop.com.au
29 Production Avenue, Warana, 4575
Customer Service Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday – 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Brisbane
P: (07) 3377 3421
Text us : 0485 885 957
E: salesbris@willysworkshop.com.au
291 Cliveden Avenue, Oxley, 4075
Customer Service Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday – 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
