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Seems like all others brands offer a coil/shock upgrade/lift.
Why are we only seeing body/frame lift kits?
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Honda Passport is not deemed offroad worthy by aftermarket manufacturers? Honda sold 75,652 of these in 2019/20 total. 4Runner sells 130K a year, Tacoma sells 240K a year. Even if you add Pilot into the mix, the numbers are not impressive. I wonder how many people actually take Passports offroad. I mean take Passport offroading enough to justify spending a few thousand on coilovers.
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There are suspension options for Subaru for example. So you don't have to have a body on frame to buy aftermarket suspension components. I think the main reasons are that Passport is too new and not many people take it offroading. Honda obviously does not provide any support for offroading enthusiasts either.
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The Ridgeline has been out for some time and still no suspension kits? The reason I ask is that "most" aftermarket suspension kits are comparable in price to relatively basic frame lift kits.
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It looks like King Off-road Racing offers custom shocks. Get a quote for a custom set with a 2 inch lift and report back with the estimates!
"At King Shocks “custom” is our normal procedure. If you don’t see it, ask for it. Every shock we make is built for your particular application. When you order your shocks, our sales consultants review the information provided on your pre-order form to come up with the configuration you will need. They then guide you through the over thirty different options available to come up with the ultimate set of shocks tailored to your vehicle, driving style, and personal preferences. Almost every component on our shocks has a custom option available. Body and shaft lengths and diameters, rod end styles, hose materials and lengths, bump stops, seals, single or dual rate springs and of course custom colors and finishes to make your vehicle stand out from the crowd or blend into the terrain, we even offer camouflage if that is what you desire.
If you can dream it, King can build it. We provide solutions to any damping demands you might have regardless of what you are building or your vehicles intended use. Whether you are restoring a vintage racer, building a monster truck, or in the conceptual stage of a brand new chassis, we have the knowhow and the tools necessary to help you accomplish your goals. Don’t let your ideas become compromised by having to run shocks designed for who knows what. King can provide whatever you need to fit your unique design with the ease of adjustment, serviceability and controlled ride quality that we are known for. When it comes time to prove your design in the dirt, King will be there too with our unmatched service, support and tuning services."
Shocks are only a small component for a serious off road vehicle. A serious off roader will replace the brake system and steering components. Will install heavier duty transfer case components, drive components and rear differential components as well as drive shafts. Roll cages, bumpers etc. For the serious off roader you can even buy full frames and body parts to replace the frame with or even build you own serious off roader from the frame up.
Not a lot of stuff like this for the unibody crowd to choose from.
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It seems like overlanding created a lot more interest in softroading which does not technically require a body on frame vehicle or extreme upgrades. Also, with the rise of the crossovers, there is an expectation that these vehicles should be able to handle some light off-roading or rougher gravel roads. An increasing number of vehicles from various brands are well-represented by aftermarket manufacturers: Jeep Grand Cherokee, Subaru Outback, Crosstrek and Forester. Other car manufacturers are just jumping into this market and I am sure aftermarket will follow, for example baby Bronco (Ford Bronco Sport) and Toyota Rav4 TRD, Jeep Cherokee.
I am not really sure why Honda Pilot went soft or why Toyota Highlander never became associated with off-roading. That said, Honda pitches Honda Passport as an off-roading vehicle and it does have some off-roading chops. It will be interesting to see if the aftermarket will follow.
That is the thing, too many people equate off roading with:
There are several types of off roading. Some require a lot of modifications, others do not. The above requires several modifications and the strength of body on frame is pretty much a requirement.
Overlanding doesn't require the strength of body on frame, but the driver needs to be aware of the capabilities of the vehicle, the terrain and the proper method of driving the vehicle in such conditions. I do some overloading and I equipped my vehicle with skid plates, front and rear. No need IMO for the gas tank plate. In a vehicle such as a Passport I should not be getting into the kind of situation that requires a fuel tank skid plate.
If you check out the Pilot forum there are numerous people who are outfitting their Pilots for overloading. Mostly 1st and 2nd generation Pilots.
As for the Highlander, I can understand why it didn't take off as an overland/offroader.
This is one reason:
And the successor:
You kind of answered you own questions. How are you going to use a body on frame lift kit when you can not separate the body from the frame, hence unibody.
This is a 3" body lift kit.
It will lift the body of the vehicle off of the frame.
With a unibody vehicle you can't lift the vehicle off of the frame, hence no need for a suspension kit like this.
Since you can't raise the body of the Passport there is no need for undercarriage restructuring components for adjusting the steering and drive train for extreme height modifications.
Since the Passport was not built for top rock crawling, rock racing, ultra 4ing, and rock bouncing, the best you can do is look around for a custom suspension manufacturer to get fabricate stiffer springs and install stronger shocks.
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Traxda makes 2 and even 3.5 inch lift kit based on spacers. It does provide more ground clearance but it does not address the OEM shocks. You can order a custom coilovers from King and they can add a 2 inch lift. It will be more expensive than just throwing 2 inch spacers but you will get a much better ride quality offroad at the expense of the ride quality on the road.
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I have been using Traxda for the past 6 months and it has been a great experience on off-roading.
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