In 2009, Off-Road Magazine teamed up with Suzuki to see what they could create from a stock 2009 Suzuki Equator. They started with the optional RMZ-4 off-road package that includes a strong Dana 44 rear axle, Bilstein front and rear shocks, skid plates covering the oil pan, transfer case and fuel tank, 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in BFG Rugged Trail P265/75 tires.
From there, they turned to PRG Products and their Nissan Titan suspension since the Titan shares a similar platform with the Equator. The kit that PRG owner and designer Greg Gagnon put together for Off-Road Magazine is modified from the kit you will find on his website. The kit uses 2.5-inch PRG/Sway-A-Way coilovers, PRG upper control arms with Aurora uniballs and FK rod ends, PRG steering extensions, PRG/Sway-A-Way axles, stock Nissan Titan OEM lower control arms, 2.25-inch PRG/Sway-a-Way piggy-back reservoir shocks, and a custom-designed Deaver spring pack, only available at PRG.
The use of a stock OEM Nissan Titan lower control arm pushes the track width of the truck out 2.5 inches per side. This allows the truck to move through the increased travel properly and also provides a perfect mounting base for the new coilovers. Once again, the similar Nissan platform allows the Titan arm to bolt in without modifications.
The installation of the suspension is straightforward and can be done in your driveway. If you are installing this on a 4WD truck, we suggest having someone around who has experience removing CV boots and axles. You don’t need to be a certified mechanic, but you do need a little automotive know-how.
The new PRG spring pack is leaps and bounds ahead of the stock pack as far as performance is concerned. The new springs combined with shocks allows the rear end to move 11 inches while lifting the rear of the truck 2.5 inches. They bolt on in stock locations; only new U-bolts are required.
The PRG/Sway-A-Way 2.5-inch piggy-back rear shocks are custom built by Greg at PRG. He orders the parts, builds the upper mounts, valves them, and machines custom inner parts to make the work properly. Greg valves each shock himself to his specifications for each model truck. The new shocks bolt into the stock locations. On top of the obvious benefits of having a larger shock under your truck, the new shocks are completely rebuildable. Unlike stock shocks which can fall apart from abuse, these shocks will take a severe amount of beating and if they ever do fail, all parts can be replaced with ease.
The new suspension makes a truck look great, but the ride is what its all about. The Equator now rides like an off-road truck. With some creative fender well trimming, they were able to fit BFGoodrich AT KO 285/75R16 tires. They tested the suspension on a trip to Ocotillo Wells, California, where they pushed the new suspension to the limits. In the dirt, the new suspension and tires allowed them to push the truck harder and faster than possible when stock. Whoop sections that would’ve once spelled death for this truck have now become smooth and controlled. The truck now grips the terrain and flows through rough sections when previously the terrain seemed to move the truck. The increased wheel travel and width up front gives it a new found stability. The removal of the OEM anti-swaybar allows each side of the truck to move independently as an off-road truck should. The truck now sits 3-inches higher in the front, and 2.5-inches higher in the rear. The front coilovers can be adjusted via the coil collar and CV angles don’t seem to be a problem.
With the suspension taken care of, it was time to for a new front bumper, The guys at Carli Suspension offered to lend a hand and twist some metal around the front of the Equator. Knowing that a beautiful front bumper was going to be built, they knew they had to adorn it with something special like KC HiLites KC-Pods. The Pods are 70 watt HID lights (double the wattage of most HIDs) and are housed in carbon fiber.
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