The Prado 150 is the most popular touring wagon in Australia for a reason: it is comfortable, it is roomy, and it goes almost anywhere. It also leaves the factory with rear springs that were chosen for an empty car on a smooth road. Add a bullbar, a drawer system, a fridge and a family, and the rear sits low, the headlights point at the trees and the ride turns floaty over corrugations. A 2 inch lift kit fixes all of that, but only if the kit is matched to the vehicle and the load. Here is how the main 2 inch Prado 150 kits compare, and how to pick the right one.
Before comparing brands, three things about the 150 decide what will and will not work.
Which 150 do you have? The 150 was sold here from late 2009 to 2024, with facelifts in 2013, 2017 and 2020. Springs and shocks are common across the run, but a few later-model parts differ, so we always confirm the build date.
KDSS. The VX and Kakadu (and some GXL option packs) have Toyota's Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, which links the front and rear sway bars hydraulically. A KDSS Prado can be lifted 2 inches, but the system has to be bled and reset correctly during the fit, and some spring combinations lean the vehicle if the process is skipped. Tell us if you have KDSS and we will supply the right parts and the fitting notes.
Kakadu rear air suspension. The Kakadu runs rear air springs from the factory. They are comfortable when new and expensive when they fail, and they do not lift. The usual path is a coil conversion using a Kakadu-specific rear spring such as the Tough Dog Prado 150 Kakadu rear coils or the matching Kakadu rear shocks. Our Prado 150 Kakadu parts finder lists everything that fits.
Every 2 inch Prado kit is available with a choice of spring rates, and the rate matters more than the brand. A rear spring chosen for a bare wagon will sag under drawers and a fridge; a spring chosen for a constant 300 kg will ride like a truck when the car is empty. Add up what stays on the vehicle all the time:
Front springs are usually offered for standard weight or a bar and winch. Rear springs come in comfort, medium and heavy ratings that correspond to roughly 0 to 200 kg, 200 to 400 kg and 400 kg plus of constant load. If you regularly tow a caravan, our guides on suspension for towing a caravan and whether you need a GVM upgrade cover the extra questions, and airbag helpers are worth considering if the load changes a lot between trips.
Bilstein's B6 monotube shocks are the reference for a Prado that spends most of its life on the road and dirt roads, with weekend tracks in between. Monotube damping runs cooler over long corrugated sections and stays consistent, and the ride is controlled without being harsh. The Bilstein 2 inch lift kit for Prado 150 pairs B6 shocks with coils in your choice of rate. The Bilstein Ultimate kit adds the remaining hardware for a complete build. If the rear is fine and only the front needs sorting, the Bilstein 2 inch front lift kit is the same shocks and springs for the front only. Our Bilstein 4WD shocks buyers guide goes deeper on the range.
Dobinsons offers three levels on the 150, and the difference is the shock.
The Dobinsons Nitro Gas 2 inch lift kit uses twin-tube gas shocks and is the value pick for a family wagon that tours a few times a year. It is a big step up from factory and the springs are the same quality as the dearer kits.
The Dobinsons IMS monotube 2 inch front kit, paired with the IMS rear shocks, moves to a monotube design with an internal floating piston. That is the one to choose if you do long outback trips loaded, because it resists fade over hours of corrugations.
The Dobinsons MRA 2 inch lift kit is the top of the range: remote-reservoir monotube shocks with three-way adjustable damping, so you can soften the car for the school run and firm it up for a loaded trip. It costs roughly twice the Nitro Gas kit and is worth it for a Prado that is heavily built and driven hard.
Dobinsons front and rear coils are also sold separately with lift and load options - front coils and rear coils - if you are keeping good shocks and only need to fix the sag. Our foam cell vs monotube guide explains the shock types in plain English.
Tough Dog is the budget-conscious option, with the widest choice of shock types and a strong reputation on working vehicles. The 150 range is sold as components rather than a boxed kit: assembled front struts that bolt straight in, front coils, rear coils for SWB and LWB and rear shocks. Assembled struts are worth the small premium because they save the workshop compressing springs and let you fit the front in an hour or two. Our comparison of Dobinsons, Tough Dog and Bilstein covers how the three brands sit against each other.
| How the Prado is used | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Daily driver, bullbar, occasional camping | Dobinsons Nitro Gas or Tough Dog |
| Regular touring on dirt, drawers and fridge fitted | Bilstein B6 or Dobinsons IMS |
| Heavily built tourer, long outback trips, towing | Dobinsons MRA |
| Kakadu with failed air springs | Kakadu coil conversion plus any of the above shocks |
The 150 has independent front suspension, so a 2 inch lift takes caster with it. The result is a wagon that wanders on the highway and wears the inside edge of the front tyres. Aftermarket upper control arms fix it: the Blackhawk upper control arms for Prado 150 and Tough Dog upper control arms both restore caster and ball-joint angle. We explain why in our guide to upper control arms and caster correction. Diff drop kits, extended sway bar links and bump stops are covered in what else you need with a 2 inch lift. Finish with a full wheel alignment with the vehicle loaded the way it normally travels.
In most states a 50 mm suspension lift is allowed without engineering, with limits on total lift when tyres are included and rules that vary between states. Our guide to lift kit legality in Australia has the state-by-state detail. If you want to go higher, see 2 inch vs 3 inch lift kits for what changes.
Rear sag under load, a floaty ride on corrugations, bottoming out over washouts and nose-dive under brakes are the four we hear most, and all four come from tired factory springs and shocks rather than anything wrong with the vehicle. We covered them, and how to tell worn shocks from soft springs, in Prado and FJ Cruiser suspension problems and signs your 4WD shocks are worn.
Every Prado 150 part we sell is listed in the Prado 150 Series parts finder, and the complete kits sit in 2 inch lift kits. Tell us the build date, whether it has KDSS, what is bolted to it and whether you tow, and we will confirm the spring rates before it ships. For what to expect on the day, see how a lift kit is installed and suspension lift kit cost in Australia.
Yes, to 2 inches, provided the KDSS system is bled and reset during the fit. Tell your workshop it has KDSS before they start.
If the shocks are original and the car has done more than 80,000 km, replace them. Lifted springs on tired shocks give you height with no control. If the shocks are recent quality units, springs alone will fix sag.
Fitting aftermarket suspension does not void a new-car warranty in Australia. A dealer can decline a warranty claim only if the aftermarket part caused the fault.
A 265/70R17 or 265/65R18 fits comfortably on a 2 inch lift. Larger sizes may need guard trimming and can push the total lift past the legal limit in some states, so check the rules first.
Related guide: how to choose 4WD coil spring rates
Add your favourites to cart
Log into or create your Afterpay account, with instant approval decision
Your purchase will be split into 4 payments, payable every 2 weeks
All you need to apply is to have a debit or credit card, to be over 18 years of age, and to be a resident of country offering Afterpay
Late fees and additional eligibility criteria apply. The first payment may be due at the time of purchase
For complete terms visit afterpay.com/terms
