The Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon is an old school 4×4 that has garnered quite the reputation as a trusty off-road vehicle. The 100 Series Amazon offers plenty of bang for your buck, with the model traditionally one of the slowest-depreciating vehicles on the 4×4 market.
We’re huge fans of the Land Cruiser. The popular 4×4 vehicle is a wonder of Japanese engineering that – with the right improvements – remains a fantastic vehicle to drive both on the road and off. One of the first things to work on as a Land Cruiser owner however has to be its AHC suspension system…
A brief introduction to AHC suspension
Auto, Active or Adjustable Height Control (AHC) suspension is one system that the Land Cruiser 100 Series Amazon is known but not necessarily loved for. While not all 100 Series models have it – it was considered an upgrade at the time – AHC enables Amazon owners to control and adjust their ride height and damping efficiency to suit a variety of scenarios.
A low ride height for instance is great for loading and unloading, while the extra ground clearance of a high ride height is ideal for off-roading. The AHC can be set to neutral to suit a wide range of other driving conditions.
The problem with AHC in Cruisers
The removal of the AHC system and the fitting an Old Man Emu (OME) suspension kit has become a really common requirement for this particular model. As the vehicle gets older, the AHC system becomes increasingly unreliable. Resulting failures are extremely expensive to fix and maintain.
There are AHC fans out there; with many Cruiser owners agreeing that, if working properly, having AHC brings more positives than negatives as this excerpt from the iH8Mud forum details:
“AHC is awesome if it is properly maintained. The ride, and range of stiffness is great for highway driving and off-road. It isn’t going to beat huge suspension lift off-road, but AHC is a nice jack of all trades. You get a 2″ lift if and when you need it, on command. You get stiff highway driving suspension in sport mode. The system is very versatile and last a very long time compared to most suspension systems.”
Getting a handle on your AHC system once and for all, and replacing it with a complete, premium suspension kit – like this one from Old Man Emu – however ensures better ride quality, predictable handling and fewer safety issues.
How to delete your AHC system
The OME kit can only be fitted to models with Toyota AHC suspension by disabling the AHC system, making it suitable as an AHC delete kit or for non-AHC models. Thanks to its development as a complete system, you’ll find all the parts you need to guarantee a safe, comfortable and durable outcome.
Deleting your AHC system and replacing it with OME suspension involves the removal of your shocks and torsion bars, before the installation of new torsion bars, rear suspension and other necessary components can be undertaken.
For further advice and support regarding the deletion of your Cruiser Amazon’s AHC system and the fitting of new suspension, please contact our award-winning engineers today.