"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
07/05/2018 at 05:50 • Filed to: None
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"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
07/05/2018 at 05:50 • Filed to: None | 4
| 5 |
The refreshing of a low mileage 16 year old Ni ssan Patrol ute is continuing. And today was a big day...
New boxes, old springs
Suspension! Up until today, the Patrol handled like a ship at sea that was always bouncing in a reef. Cornering was an exercise in leaning, skipping and oversteering . Pursuing a straight line was more like accepting a constant random wobbling weave .
As the ute has a tipper conversion and a steel tray it runs with a constant heavy load. Combine that with a chronic pattern of overloading and the original springs were flat. The plan to fit a steel bullbar and winch (that were already in th e shed) would only add to that.
So we made the decision to fit a heavy weight spring set (coils at the front, leaves at the back with greasable shackles) put together by Tough Dog along with a set of their 41 mm foam cell shocks and a return to centre steering damper. And it all turned up this morning.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit it. Too much of my gear is in storage and the rental has no feasible work area. So I had a local shop do it. And picked it up this arvo.
Post installation height
The only issue is that the kit involved a 2" lift. Not entirely practical for a working vehicle. The actuality is even worse. The front came up 50 mm (2") but the back came up 90 mm (nearly 4"). This is a reflection of how truly buggered the ol d rear springs were. In fact they didn’t even rebound much when they were removed. The front will come down under the weight of the bar and winch but the back will take longer. But at least now it will safely carry a decent load.
Coil over!
The new rear spring pack has three more leaves in it than the OE versions
The best it will ever look...
The best thing about all this is how it drives. Having driven a few of these when they were new...it’s much better than new. Despite the heavy duty nature of the setup, it’s not jiggly when unloaded. It steers straight, corners without leaning and is surprisingly comfortable for what it is.
It wasn't cheap at just over three grand but I suspect it was worth it.
farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/05/2018 at 06:42 |
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didnt know patrols came in ute..
only ever see the 2 doors
nice looking trucks (also roughly 98% more truck than you need in my country)
pip bip - choose Corrour
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/05/2018 at 06:49 |
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$3k for suspension will be oh so worth it when you’re out and about.
speaking of which, i have to get my Lancer’s shocks done again
duurtlang
> farscythe - makin da cawfee!
07/05/2018 at 07:37 |
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I have seen them used by market salesmen and other people who have to tow relatively heavy trailers.
BJ
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/05/2018 at 08:52 |
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You could have a leaf taken out to reduce the height a bit at the back, no? I guess it depends how much weight you expect to put on there on a regular basis.
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> BJ
07/05/2018 at 09:28 |
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True. And yet it will get loaded up from time to time.
As I said in the post, I suspect the total height increase is more a reflection on how stuffed the original leafs are. The replacement springs are designed for a 2" lift at a 500kg constant load over its dry weight (which it has due to tipper unit, steel tray, bull bar, winch and towbar). Remove a leaf and I potentially compromise the load capacity...so I have to live with the height of it .