By Ross Ballot
Suspension, suspension, suspension. We’ve all heard it countless times: A vehicle is only as good as the suspension fitted to it, a mantra reigns true in recreational off-roading when maximizing traction is the name of the game. My 2018 Lexus GX460 was due for a suspension upgrade, and Elka came through with a setup that’s fantastic both in daily on-road use and in playing on the trails alike.
Big Time Upgrade
Ever living up to the kind Canadian reputation, Elka sent me their 2.5 Reservoir Coilover suspension kit (P/N 90116) to test on the rock-strewen trails and pothole-littered roads of the Northeast. The package includes 2.5 Reservoir shocks with 56mm anodized aluminum bodies housing internal hydraulic valving, a proprietary low-friction oil, and a beefy ¾” shock shaft.
The remote reservoir suspension is coilover style up front and with the shock and coil separate at the rear axle, making the only thing missing from the Elka kit the rear springs. To match the weight of the GX and its use case, I ordered Dobinsons C59-327 springs.
Newly Suspended
Initial impressions of the Elka suspension (uninstalled and waiting patiently on the floor of my garage) showed immediate high-quality craftsmanship and appearance. Actual care went into making these parts. It’s refreshing given how so much of the automotive industry is focused on volume exclusively. These parts look great.
I planned to install everything myself yet once again life had other plans. Instead, my trusted “local” shop tackled the job. They told me that installation of the Elka kit was very straightforward: Unbolt the old parts, bolt on the brackets for the reservoirs, install the new parts, and give it a test run. Done.
Tarmac time
Driving the GX home was a revelation. I won’t go so far as to say it rides like stock, mainly because I haven’t driven my or any GX460 in stock form in over 4 years, but it’s extremely comfortable on every surface. Any harshness is from the overly-heavy duty Load Range E tires. The Ironman4x4 suspension that was on the truck prior wasn’t “shot” per se, though it was definitely showing signs of being worn thanks to the rough roads in my area and the extremely rock-forward wheeling it endured. Compared to before, the Elka simply rides beautifully on tarmac, caring very little about uneven and pothole-ridden surfaces. Small impacts hardly make it into the cabin, and bigger bumps are controlled, single-motion events.
Trail time, too
I also put the Elka kit to the test on my local trails. Here, the compliance was also very present, however it was outshined by the amazing performance. The flex is excellent and the uptravel-downtravel balance is a strength of this setup and ride height. If there is a limiting factor off-road, it’s either the independent front suspension or KDSS tying everything together. The Elka suspension did great, doing its damndest to keep tires on the ground every possible second, and even though there’s plenty of settings to tinker with, I didn’t feel the need to.
Needless to say, the Elka suspension looks killer and feels truly premium. I do want to adjust the mounting location of the remote reservoirs at some point– perhaps up under the hood or behind the bumper for the front and in the spare tire well out back, so as to move them further out of harm’s way– but the truck looks and feels so much better that I genuinely love driving it again.
A New Contender Takes The Stage
I first heard about Elka when exploring suspension options for the ATV that I owned about 15 years ago. The Canadian company had a reputation for quality, and they really only started making a push into the truck and SUV world as of the last few years. While there’s plenty of options out there for the J150 Land Cruiser Prado platform, Elka’s GX460 setup is eye-catching, beefy, and extremely tunable without carrying an ultra-premium price tag.
Durability obviously remains to be seen, but it’s comforting knowing that the shocks are fully rebuildable, and Elka tells me they should be good for 50-60k miles before needing that service. Expect closer to a ~30k interval when frequent, harder off-roading is involved, but Elka also told me some drivers have put 100k on this or similar suspension before needing a rebuild, so YMMV.
Really, no qualms whatsoever to this point. Kudos to Elka for taking a swing at the GX460 platform and hitting it out of the park on the first try; this is a great upgrade for anyone going from stock to a lifted ride height or someone looking to change up their already-modified truck and put fresh suspension underneath the rig.
Kamil Kaluski