Why I chose Outback Armour Suspension. Woolgoolgaoffroad and Outback Armour
- Woolgoolgaoffroad
- Feb 19
- 5 min read
Being a seasoned traveller I get asked a lot about what equipment I use on my 80 series including what suspension I run. Well a couple of years ago I changed across to Outback Armour Suspension components, and I can definatly say it’s some of the best gear I’ve used for the past 20 years, where I clock up tens of thousands of kilometres per year across multiple terrains Australia wide.
Jumping onto their website I chose the ‘Adjustable Bypass Expedition HD’ kit for my needs, as my 4wd is setup as an outback tourer, setup for remote outback missions, with drawers, fridges, recovery gear and enough gear to be off grid for weeks at a time. The HD Expedition kit ticked all boxes for my needs and was easy to install over a couple of hours. Supplied with coils, shocks front and back, steering damper, correction bushes and a shock service kit, there was nothing else I had to worry about.
To be honest, I’ve never had adjustable shocks before and I really thought that it was a bit of a gimmick, especially where 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 RTT, 270 awning and a shower tent on the roof. Clicking them up to 15, it made a huge difference where I had less sway on the roads, better control and less rebound bounce when soaking up bumps and corrugations. The 20 click adjustable bypass control setting on the shocks definatly works where I have fine tuned the ride to my comfort to take all degrees of terrain. It’s possible to dial the shocks right down to let the vehicle have a really soft feel on harsh terrain like rock crawling.
After two years with the Outback Armour suspension on my 80, I’ve travelled extensively through Arnhem Land, across the rocky terrain of the Flinders, through deserts where roads are littered with corrugations, right down to Tassie plus tackling hard tracks around the Coffs Coast. The only thing to date is the suspension has suffered from sand and rock rash, but this is all part of travelling on outback roads.
It’s recommended that once a year owners check the shocks as part as a maintenance program and if the shock dials feel notchy or clammed up, complete a service procedure. Online, Outback Armour runs through servicing and other suspension tips for their range of products. The adjustable bypass shocks that I chose have a massive 65mm body with a 40mm high flow piston and heavy duty internal valving, they come with a hard toughened cover over the top 18mm hard chromed shaft to prevent any stone or dirt damage. I’ve tried multiple suspension brands over my extensive 4wd lifetime, from ones that claim to be big bore to top of the range brands, but I’m putting Outback Armour up there as the best.
OUTBACK ARMOUR STORY
It was in 2012 that Outback Armour started in a Queensland garage where the founder first started making specialised suspension kits for armoured military vehicles that required to be tough and durable to survive any terrain that was thrown at them. These vehicles would be heavy with ballistic plating on and under them, but also loaded with gear inside and out. Thinking outside the box, the founder also knew that modern day 4wds needed specialised suspension to cope with heavy loads bolted such as steel bullbars, winches, canopies and internal drawer systems and where heavy gear was loaded into the back of working Utes. This was the beginning of Outback Armour ( the name derived from the focus on Armoured vehicles and the Australian Outback ).
Brad Bernard and Richard Catelan has led the charge from the start and the company now rank in some of the best 4wd suspension components on the Australian market. Today they also have branches in North America and the Middle East which allow them for real life testing in the military field in various weather and tough terrain conditions.
In their range customers can choose a variety of spring rates and shock variables for how much a vehicle constantly carries a load. There’s a Nitrogen gas filled shock which is the next step up from a factory setup that’s designed for improved on and off road handling, next there’s a Digressive foam filled shock which have high flow pistons for more improved handling especially over corrugations, and lastly Outback Armour offer their top of the range fully adjustable 20 stage setting shock where customers can fine tune their 4wd ride. This is done with a simple knob dial on the shock. The spring range is similar with three different load rates. The first is the Trail Spring which is better than factory, next is the Expedition which is for vehicles with only a few heavy add ons and last is their Expedition HD for 4wd’s that have many options added. Outback Armour also offer a GVM upgrade for many 4wd’s so you can stay legal but safely increase your load or towing capacity. Woolgoolgaoffroad and Outback Armour
Outback Armour backs itself with a 3-year unlimited-kilometre warranty, they are Australian owned and operated where their gear is tested in the harshest conditions around the world. All of their gear is designed and developed in house in Brisbane and goes through vigorous testing on vehicles before being certified to Australian standards. So this makes for us as 4wders the guarantee that we can be assured that Outback Armour products have been built for Australian conditions, where they have successfully bridged the gap between heavy-duty military engineering and civilian off-road performance at a quality price.
MORE INFO
I paid just over $2,200k for my setup, there are cheaper options through their range, but you’ll need to access what your needs are. All prices, suspension specifications, service requirements, dealer locations and other links are all on their website at https://www.outbackarmour.com.au/
Outback Armour also sell a range of 4wd recovery kits, components and accessories that comply to Australian standards, and some to military specs. Prices and certification for all their gear is available on their website.
They can be contacted online or through their call centre for advice on what they would recommend for your vehicle. Their Brisbane office is located at Unit 1, 151 Robinson Road, Geebung where you can pop in for advice and sales or call them on 07 32654142. In WA they can be found at Unit 2, 7 Mallaig Way, Canning Vale, or on 08 62879025
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