Why Tough Dog Suspension is the right choice for your 4WD

29/07/2020

It’s an attractive proposition.. buy a 4-wheel-drive and see the country. You’ve seen the adverts on telly, and watched some of the popular new lifestyle shows of teams battling their way through the red centre, but whilst most modern off-road vehicles are up to the task on the highways of Australia, many of them fall short once the going gets tough..

The truth is that there is no failure on the manufacturer’s behalf, the reality is that the vehicle is designed to perform the way it spends the bulk of its life - on the road. Very few four-wheel-drives spend more than a fraction of their life off the tarmac, so the ride is designed to be comfortable with a car full of people and often, very little else.

The challenge comes when the car is fully optioned for those driving experiences that very few parts of the world outside Australia offer. A bull bar to mount some serious lights for night driving (and potentially a winch for recovery) and to protect the front of the car from wildlife and the scrub, a roof rack to carry camping gear and then all necessities for a couple of weeks away camping under the stars - not to mention fuel and water.. oh, and possible a camper trailer!

Throw in four adults and suddenly your off-roader’s factory suspension is hopelessly overloaded and quite likely to fail at the first serious challenge.. As for a caravan, that’s another issue entirely, but an issue that also demands a serious solution.

Enter Tough Dog Suspension.

Since 1985 Australia’s Tough Dog Suspension have been battling these issues and working to design a solution to suit the needs of fellow off-roaders to combat some of the world’s toughest conditions, their pioneering efforts leading them to develop several products that are recognised the world over as amongst the best on the market.

This was a reputation that led Regos Plus to their door, Pat Lenehan and his team believing that an Australian designed and manufactured product put together by a truly Australian company would be the perfect fit to the market in the region around Parkes.

“They’re off-roaders and have been for more than 35 years,” Lenehan explained. “When you live in the country, you drive its tracks and get an understanding of what the market is looking for, then you have the ability to meet the expectations of the customers - which is exactly what we strive to achieve every day.”

Tough Dog are aware of the challenges presented by the off-road experience, and of ensuring that the suspension each driver has is structured to the way they use their vehicle - whether a highway hauler, a tow vehicle for a mobile home (caravan) or as a part-time off-roader designed to show the family the beauty of the Australian outback. As a result, they’ve mastered the art of not just transforming a vehicle’s ride, but ensuring the safety everyone in that vehicle.

“As much as anything, safety is the prime concern,” Lenehan added. “As an example - big wheels and tyres are becoming a more and more popular addition to a four-wheel-drive, but aside from weight, the change from the factory wheel and tyre combination can also alter the steering geometry which means the car can often track off centre.

“Tough Dog have recently added a range of Upper Control Arms designed to return a vehicle’s suspension and steering geometry to standard after a [ride height] lift, such is their awareness of the market, which is one of the things that gives us, and our customers, the confidence to keep asking for their products.”

Control Arms aside, Tough Dog’s reputation stems from a lot more than their ability to read the trends, they also have a worldwide reputation for quality suspension products, sourcing the best in technology and materials from around the world to put together packages that are tailored to the needs of each vehicle.

“From 9-stage adjustable shock-absorbers that can allow you to alter your vehicle between highway driving and serious off-road challenges, to coil and leaf spring systems that suit just about any application including the loads tradies put on their utes - steering dampers, urethane bushes (tougher than rubber), torsion bars and more - it’s an extensive range backed by some serious experience, and a big reason why we recommend nothing else,” Lenehan confirmed.

Whilst a degree in rocket science might be useful in determining the best solution for your four-wheel-drive, for the team at Regos Plus they can call on both their own experiences, and the advice of the Tough Dog team in Sydney to develop the perfect package, no slide rules or calculus required.

“With so much experience in the field, they have developed packages that suit just about every off-roader on the market, whilst we can tailor their wide range of products around those that aren’t already available, at the same time being able to tailor-make something that might suit a specific requirement, so it’s a great product to be involved with,” Lenehan admitted.

“We stock a large range of their products, but what we don’t have on the shelf can be sourced directly from Sydney within a day or so, so there’s really no delay in being able to convert any vehicle to run the Tough Dog package.”

For more information on the range of Tough Dog Suspension packages available, visit; https://www.regosplus.com.au/4x4-upgrades/tough-dog-suspension or call the team at Regos Plus Tyre and Mechanical on [02] 6862 2811, alternatively email; service@regosplus.com.au

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