Home/Suspension Specialist Perth
Suspension is the whole job here, not a sideline. From a knock over a speed hump to a full touring build with corrected geometry, Airborne diagnoses the cause, quotes the fix in writing and sets the vehicle up for how it is actually used.
Most workshops replace suspension parts. A specialist works out why the part failed first, because a shock that has blown at 60,000km usually has a reason behind it — a worn bush letting the shaft work sideways, a vehicle carrying permanent load it was never sprung for, or a lift fitted without the geometry being corrected.
Every suspension job at Malaga starts with the vehicle on the hoist and a look at the whole system: shocks and struts, springs, bushes, ball joints, control arms, sway bar links, steering components and tyre wear pattern. Tyre wear in particular tells you more about a vehicle's alignment and load history than the owner usually can.
The result is a quote that fixes the cause rather than the symptom, and a written explanation of which items are urgent, which are worth doing while the corner is apart, and which can wait.
Any one of these is worth a look sooner rather than later — worn suspension changes braking distance and tyre contact, and a failed component usually takes its neighbours with it.
The single most common mistake in suspension selection is buying on lift height or brand name instead of on constant load. A dual cab that permanently carries a canopy, drawers, a second battery, water and recovery gear is a different vehicle to the one that left the factory, and it needs spring rates chosen for that weight — not for an empty tub.
Before recommending anything, we want to know what stays in the vehicle permanently, what goes in for a trip, whether you tow and what the towball weight is, and what proportion of your driving is bitumen versus gravel versus sand. A rig that is sprung correctly for its real load rides better empty and loaded than one that has simply been given the heaviest springs in the catalogue.
We install Bilstein, Dobinsons, Tough Dog, FOX, BDS, Direction Plus, HPD, Method Wheels, Outback Kitters and Manta — chosen on merit for the application rather than on margin. Different platforms and different uses suit different products, and a kit that is excellent on a LandCruiser touring build can be the wrong answer on a lightly-loaded daily-driven ute.
Included with every suspension kit: a free vehicle inspection and a wheel alignment. Alignment is not an optional extra on a suspension job — changing ride height changes camber, caster and toe, and skipping it is how new tyres get ruined in a few thousand kilometres.
Questions
A knock or clunk over bumps is most often a worn rubber bush, a sway bar link, or a top strut mount rather than the shock absorber itself. Because several components make similar noises, the only reliable way to find it is on a hoist with the suspension loaded and unloaded so the play can be seen and felt directly.
Yes. Any work that changes ride height or replaces a steering or suspension component changes the wheel angles, so an alignment is part of the job rather than an add-on. A wheel alignment is included with every suspension kit we install.
A straightforward shock and spring replacement is usually a same-day job. A full lift kit with geometry correction, or a build that involves waiting on parts, generally needs the vehicle for longer — we confirm the timeframe with your written quote before you book in.
Yes, and it matters more than lift height. Spring rates should be matched to the load the vehicle carries permanently, plus what you add for a trip and your towball weight. Springs chosen without that information either sag under load or ride harshly when empty.
Yes. We set up 4WDs and touring rigs, performance cars and coilover-equipped vehicles, and ordinary daily drivers and family cars. The diagnosis process is the same regardless of what you drive.
Related
Areas we service: Malaga · Wangara · Balcatta · Morley · Midland · Osborne Park · Perth CBD and the surrounding northern and north-eastern suburbs of Perth.
Tell us the vehicle, what it carries and what it is doing. You will get an itemised quote before any work starts — no upsells, no surprises.