MQ GLX Suspension

MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Pelister on Sun Mar 06, 2016 11:26 am

Hi,

I've had my Triton GLX dual cab for a bit over a month now and must say I am not very impressed by the ride quality. Now I understand that it is a truck designed to by used primarily as a working vehicle, so I admit that buying one as a daily driver with a bit of camping and towing chucked in here and there was probably not the best decision on my behalf, but even so I did not expect it to be this bad. Having 3 young kids who enjoy lots of outdoor activities, I really like the versatility of a ute, and I knew there would be a trade off with loss of comfort compared to a wagon, just didn't think it would be this drastic. I mean people are paying around 50k for an Exceed, and all the competition's dual cabs are even more expensive. Could such expensive cars really handle so badly, or does the Triton really perform much worse in the suspension department than the others. I have to say, I didn't even test drive any others as the price was a big selling point for me and the car I test drove performed well in the city.

All my driving to date has been unloaded on decent city roads and it seems to pick up every bump in the road, which I can live with, but I just took the family away for a day trip on some one lane country roads and I couldn't believe the harshness of the ride. The car was jumping around all over the place, I think we all have to go and get the fillings in our teeth checked out! I can't imagine what the ride might be like taking the car on a corrugated fire trail.

Checked tyre pressure at the servo and they were 34psi. Dropped them to 29psi as per info on driver side door. This seems pretty low to me, but doesn't seem to have made much of a difference anyway.

Trust me, I am not one for luxuries and all the latest and greatest gizmos, hence why I bought a stock standard white GLX, because it has all I need. Very happy with all other aspects of the car, just didn't expect the ride quality to be this harsh.

What are other peoples experiences with this ?

Does the GLX suspension differ in anyway to the GLS or Exceed ?
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Duck on Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:50 pm

well the sus in any of the dual cabs is looking for a bit of weight in the back, but as you stated the price was good & those savings have to come from somewhere. having said that there are plenty of aftermarket suspension options available which make a difference.What car have you come out of ?
I found my shocks got a bit softer over the first few months.

And I would suggest that most of us have bought the ute for mainly around town with the odd 4x4 & camping trips. Would not have bought a Triton if Ai was running a full time off-road adventure business but great for what I use it for.

not the best off road,not the best on road, but value for money hard to go past.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby schilgsy on Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:51 pm

Any leaf sprung ute is going to ride harsh unloaded, your only options are to put a few hundred kgs in the tray or get some comfort rated leafs in the rear.
With factory fitted tyres I would run the pressures advised by the placard and add a few psi to the rear when towing or heavily loaded.

You could also talk to a local suspension specialist about removing a leaf or two from the leaf pack but this will effect the suspension when towing or loaded. And you need to factor in future modifications like a canopy or bar work etc.

Good luck with it mate. I love my MQ glx and i carry a few kgs in mine for work so the standard leafs were fine, but unfortunately after fitting a steel bullbar and winch the front couldn't handle the weight. Thanks to the aftermarket mobs you can tailor your vehicle to suit your needs.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Pelister on Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:43 pm

Thanks for chiming in guys.

I've come from a Nissan X-trail.

I'll give it at least six months and see how the suspension settles before I look into any upgrades. I'll just have to get used to it I suppose.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby kitemanwest aussie on Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:52 pm

Yep. Get used to it.
Or spend some more money and hope.
X-trail is a 'soft roader'. Suspension like a wet biscuit.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby bobski on Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:07 am

I've had my GLX for 6 months and live in the sticks so all I drive are dodgy roads. Yep, corrugated tracks and rough roads do make it jump around a bit. However, with dual cabs its not an unusual experience and I find the Triton's on road manners are better than other dual cabs I've driven. A load in the back makes a massive difference. I think the suspension tune is a little too hard (which works in the city). I'll be looking at something in a few months to soften it up a bit. But going to a softer tune has the possibility of making it more wishy washy to drive. The GLX has a heavy duty suspension as well, so it might not ride as well as a GLS/Exceed (so I've been told).

The wife's car is a Skoda Superb which is like a magic carpet to drive so I definitely notice it more when I've had a long stint in that haha.
Last edited by bobski on Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby sjf09 on Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:07 am

Im having massive issues with the ride in my Exceed.
Ride is so harsh, every imperfection in the road, makes the car shudder. Embarrassingly bad.
Its been back to Mitsi 4 times, and is booked in with the Victorian Regional Service Manager in two weeks time.

Freeways, Highways, suburban roads - bump, shudder, bump shudder!
Dirt roads- shudder, shudder, shudder!!!

Ive had the shockers tested independently, and they came back as working fine.
Tyre pressure correct. Wheels aligned.

Im not new to the Tritons. Owned from new both the ML (had it for 3 years) , then the MN for 6 years.
So been my daily drive for the best part of a decade.

I drive the same road to work, and my fav camping spots, and the suspension set up is so far behind the ML and MN for suspension comfort levels. I get super frustrated, as i know when the bumps are coming, and the sound the MQ will make, that shuddering sound is etched in my brain!!!

I LOVE everything else about the MQ, but the ride is shocking.

At first my dealer was blaming the ARB bar and the canopy, and maybe the ATR tyres.

The tyres where removed, along with the bar, and the difference was minimal. So we have ruled that out.

The other thing that annoys me is there are many reviews from magazines etc saying that the ride is better, and good for a dual cab.... I get livid!!! Its not right.

I don't expect it to super smooth and glide like a Bentley, but it should have better resistance to imperfections in the road than a skateboard.

When I take it off road, corrugations are a nightmare. My four year old was asking "whats wrong with your car dad?!?!".

So I don't know if to spend 2-2.5K on a decent suspension upgrade, that MAY fix the issue, or drop 7-10K on a new purchase and buy a dual cab that is enjoyable to ride in.

Im getting sick of writing about it, but in a strange way hoping that Im not alone with the issue.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Sapient on Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:39 pm

Your not alone, I have come from a ML which was average, but was hugely improved with some aftermarket shocks in the rear (just shocks, not springs)

The MQ is much worse IMO, so I agree with your comment about the reviews saying its an improvement, I dont get it. Anyway I am waiting for the suspension to settle a little more, and playing with tyre pressures, tub loads etc before spending any cash on fixing the problem, but I suspect that is exactly what it will come to, sadly.

On a side note, I drove a new Pajero Sport for the day today and its ride was only slightly better (and its a coil rear end!), seems Mitsubishi have a new company policy of very tight rear suspension on new models.......
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby schilgsy on Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:53 pm

As far as reviews go a lot of them are done on closed circuits and not the real world. Firm suspension equals better handling and cornering thus the high praise for it. I was surprised how jittery the ride was too when i first drove the MQ and that was on a highway run. Aftermarket suspension changed the whole feel of the car.

The new navara has coil rear but have you seen one towing a van, laughable, looks like a dog taking a dump.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby bobski on Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:53 pm

sjf09 wrote:Freeways, Highways, suburban roads - bump, shudder, bump shudder!
Dirt roads- shudder, shudder, shudder!!!


I do get shudder in mine on medium-heavy corrugations (shaking front passenger seat!) and that has definitely gotten worse. Yours sounds quite bad compared to mine and I do have sh** roads out this way so I could be used to it! Possibly some have it worse than others?
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Pelister on Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:15 pm

I'm glad I raised the issue, I was a bit weary of ruffling some feathers, but it seems I'm not alone.

Can't say for sure, but it seems the lower tyre pressure (29psi) has improved the ride a little. Hard to say for sure. I'll test it on the weekend on some bumpier roads.

What tyre pressure are you guys running ?

What kind of suspension mods can be made to get a friendlier ride ?
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Tasc4life on Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:33 pm

Pelister wrote:I'm glad I raised the issue, I was a bit weary of ruffling some feathers, but it seems I'm not alone.

Can't say for sure, but it seems the lower tyre pressure (29psi) has improved the ride a little. Hard to say for sure. I'll test it on the weekend on some bumpier roads.

What tyre pressure are you guys running ?

What kind of suspension mods can be made to get a friendlier ride ?

29psi just seems do low, but I checked the door panel today and saw it!

I've been running about 34psi in mine which seems okay? Better than the 39psi it started at!

I've got the Ironman suspension in mine and not entirely happy with them (as a whole) but the suspension is much better now there is some weight in the rear.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby sjf09 on Tue Mar 08, 2016 7:49 pm

Would love to see what suspension upgrades people are trying and liking, for COMFORT.
I carry 50-100kg in the tray, so my main priority is comfort.
Im leaning towards Old Man Emu, due to the fact they are promoting the ride qualities over the lift -
TJM has 20% until later this month, but have heard ZERO mentioned about their suspension.
Pedders are telling me they can get the ride much smoother for $2600.

What is the popular opinion?
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Dunga71 on Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:10 pm

sjf09 wrote:Would love to see what suspension upgrades people are trying and liking, for COMFORT.
I carry 50-100kg in the tray, so my main priority is comfort.
Im leaning towards Old Man Emu, due to the fact they are promoting the ride qualities over the lift -
TJM has 20% until later this month, but have heard ZERO mentioned about their suspension.
Pedders are telling me they can get the ride much smoother for $2600.

What is the popular opinion?

Just had OME put in my MQ and I'm happy with it and I gained more height than expected,25mm above standard height with all my accessories,so not bad
Believe all ya see and half what ya hear
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby schilgsy on Wed Mar 09, 2016 2:23 pm

sjf09 wrote:Would love to see what suspension upgrades people are trying and liking, for COMFORT.
I carry 50-100kg in the tray, so my main priority is comfort.
Im leaning towards Old Man Emu, due to the fact they are promoting the ride qualities over the lift -
TJM has 20% until later this month, but have heard ZERO mentioned about their suspension.
Pedders are telling me they can get the ride much smoother for $2600.

What is the popular opinion?


I love the TJM suspension in my MQ glx, only done a few thousand klms so far. In my ML glx I tried OME and the front went soft really quickly, sagged below standard height and they weren't interested in replacing it because it was fitted by a qualified mechanic I know instead of their "professional fitters". Tried Dobinson but was too stiff even with steel bar and winch and Tough dog was pretty good. As for leafs the OME comfort springs were awesome and I highly recommend them but after putting on a steel tray, more toolboxes, under tray battery etc. I went with EFS medium duty leafs that were great.

So far the TJM upgrade is my favourite but that could be because the MQ rides and handles better than my ML from factory.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby sjf09 on Wed Mar 09, 2016 6:40 pm

So you would say the TJM made the ride more comfortable?? Less shuddering?
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby schilgsy on Wed Mar 09, 2016 6:48 pm

Simply, yes. It now drives the way you expect a new car should. With the bonus of a little better ground clearance.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby sjf09 on Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:46 pm

That's the good news I've been wanting yo hear! These forums are brilliant! Thanks for the heads up
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby mobile2 on Mon Mar 14, 2016 12:34 pm

My GLS is the same - abysmal. It has settled a bit after 5000km, but looking forward to new suspension, like I did on my ML. I'm looking at the Tough Dog option which should be out around now. Have the ARB Summit front bar fitted by the dealer which has dropped the front, so looking forward to that coming up to spec +25mm, as well as much-needed ride improvement!
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby RHKTriton on Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:28 pm

The ride some of you guys are scribing is matching my ml with its shot suspension at nearly 180kms. :lol:

Front suspension feels like the struts are welded solid. You'd reckon the mitsi could get the shock/spring rates spot on by the mq series.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby deermaster on Mon Mar 14, 2016 7:30 pm

Pelister wrote:I'm glad I raised the issue, I was a bit weary of ruffling some feathers, but it seems I'm not alone.

Can't say for sure, but it seems the lower tyre pressure (29psi) has improved the ride a little. Hard to say for sure. I'll test it on the weekend on some bumpier roads.

What tyre pressure are you guys running ?

What kind of suspension mods can be made to get a friendlier ride ?


Mine has had a 2inch lift and all new suspension and runs beautiful, even better than my wife's Mazda. I run 30PSI in my 265s 16inch wheels Great in the rough and great on the bitumen too. Mine was done by Fourbys at Moporooka, they set them up to whatever load your generally carrying and then when you load it right up, it still feels the same the way the springs are set up.. I also have a shitload of stuff in at all times. Like dual batteries canopy and big tool box full of stuff like axes and shovels etc etc a Engle fridge lives in the back too and a big drawer full of tucker and cooking gear. It has a bull bar, winch side bars tow bar etc etc.
Only trouble I have found is one the squeak even in the new springs, but Inox fixes them, but there are heaps of squeaks in the actual front of the truck. Going to check later but might be something to do with body mounts or whatever they are. Just haven't had the spare time to check her right out as spraying Inox all over everything in the front fixed it for a day and then its back again?? :o
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Sapient on Mon Mar 14, 2016 8:41 pm

mobile2 wrote: I'm looking at the Tough Dog option which should be out around now.


Spoke with the Tough Dog guy on the stand at the National 4X4 show in Brissy on the weekend. He reckons they are just waiting for stock of springs to show up and they are ready to launch, so about a week.

Interestingly he also drives a Triton and has said the kit will sort out the shudder and vibration with a 25mm lift, and he is confident because it fixed his completely, but it does require a modification to the centre bearing carrier (same as TJM and Ultimate). Also offering a performance or comfort option.
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby deermaster on Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:08 am

Sapient wrote:
mobile2 wrote: I'm looking at the Tough Dog option which should be out around now.


Spoke with the Tough Dog guy on the stand at the National 4X4 show in Brissy on the weekend. He reckons they are just waiting for stock of springs to show up and they are ready to launch, so about a week.

Interestingly he also drives a Triton and has said the kit will sort out the shudder and vibration with a 25mm lift, and he is confident because it fixed his completely, but it does require a modification to the centre bearing carrier (same as TJM and Ultimate). Also offering a performance or comfort option.


I got the 50mm lift 2" and had the tailshaft made into a single shaft and did away with center bearing, so no replacing them ever again. It runs that smooth people who get into mine say it rides better than their cars. I can't even remember the type of suspension they fitted now as its been too long :oops:
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby Sandee11 on Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:27 am

bobski wrote:
sjf09 wrote:Freeways, Highways, suburban roads - bump, shudder, bump shudder!
Dirt roads- shudder, shudder, shudder!!!


I do get shudder in mine on medium-heavy corrugations (shaking front passenger seat!) and that has definitely gotten worse. Yours sounds quite bad compared to mine and I do have sh** roads out this way so I could be used to it! Possibly some have it worse than others?


I have the same problem, the front passenger seat is shacking! I have already upgrade my 4 shocks to OME and King coil front Springs. Just wondering if the shaking problems can be fix? What actually causing the shaking front seat? Is driving me crazy..... Thanks
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Re: MQ GLX Suspension

Postby mobile2 on Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:53 pm

Sapient wrote:
mobile2 wrote: I'm looking at the Tough Dog option which should be out around now.


Spoke with the Tough Dog guy on the stand at the National 4X4 show in Brissy on the weekend. He reckons they are just waiting for stock of springs to show up and they are ready to launch, so about a week.

Interestingly he also drives a Triton and has said the kit will sort out the shudder and vibration with a 25mm lift, and he is confident because it fixed his completely, but it does require a modification to the centre bearing carrier (same as TJM and Ultimate). Also offering a performance or comfort option.


25mm over stock would do me nicely. Don't want to go to further mods for a bit of height increase and don't need vibration issues - I'd be swapping one problem for another! My main issue is the ride quality but a bit of extra height under the front would be nice.
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