Just as Toyota launched its latest range of Hilux bakkies in the Pilanesberg last week so SAC, a local after-sales vehicle performance company, has launched a suspension upgrade for the same vehicle to cure is skittishness on rough gravel or other unpaved roads.
And skittish they certainly are - like most bakkies - at least in two-wheel drive: the roads up by the Botswana border are not the best and city slickers can be caught out by families of potholes that can kick the rear wheels right or left – as indeed happened to me during the Toyota launch.
The 2.7-litre two-wheel-drive Hilux, cruising at a comfortable 85km/h on a long, straight stretch of dirt, was suddenly almost sideways and heading for the bush on the right-hand side of the road. Steering into the slide and then correcting once again as the horizon returned to its rightful place quickly ended the emergency.
Nevertheless, a less-experienced driver could have been in trouble – and all because, while a bakkie is a great way of getting around, its very design dictates that its tail will be, well, flexible.
The 2.7-litre two-wheel-drive Hilux was suddenly sideways.
SAC, in conjunction with suspension gurus Bilstein, has developed and, the company claims, perfected a suspension upgrade for the Hilux that not only alleviates that rough-road glitch but also improves the bakkies' overall ride and handling qualities.
More than 30 000km of on and off-road testing, including rigorous sessions at the Gerotek vehicle testing facility west of Pretoria, went into the final tuning.
The kit replaces all four shock absorbers with Bilstein gas-pressure units as well as different rear leaf springs and new bushing buffers. The kit is designed to improve the Hilux’s dynamics in all conditions – from driving unladen on a freeway to fully laden on the farm.
Not only does the kit improve handling, roadholding and the vehicle’s general dynamics but it also provides a softer and more pleasant ride, SAC says.
The kit takes less than two hours to fit and is transferable from one vehicle to the next should you upgrade to a new Hilux.
A less-experienced driver could have been in trouble.
Interestingly, a standard Hilux could not reach 80km/h over one tough, man-made suspension articulation track at Gerotek’s challenging suspension facility. With the conversion it managed to exceed 130km/h before it approached its limit on the strip.
The SAC Hilux was also significantly faster around Gerotek’s ride and handling track.
SAC, which is the abbreviation for Steve's Auto Clinic, has a wide range of services and products ranging from a wide selection of car and bakkie performance products to servicing, maintenance and tuning through its growing network of branches and franchises nationwide.
# For more info go to http://www.steves.co.za or call Steve Fischer on (016) 981-1033 or email info@steves.co.za
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