Recommended Lift Kit For My Y61 gu Patrol

[MyTrol]

Hey guys, i am looking into getting a lift kit for my y61 Patrol but cant decide which to go with. I am thinking 2 or 3" but cant decide as all the info i read on each brand and size have both pro's and con's. I am going to be 4wding in a lot of rocky terrain but also a bit of sand here and there, I also want a comfortable drive on the roads too. Any advice will be appreciated.adv

[happygu]

It is hard to quantify what others gauge as a comfortable ride, as the weight carried in your car could vary by as much as 500Kg to another and peoples views of comfortable vary a lot. Do you have any mates with Patrols and similar lifts and similar weight - go out with them and see if their suspension ride works for you.

I know that with my first GU, the sales Rep took me out in his car and that sold me on the Old Man Emu kit at the time. It was soft and plush, and I would have called the ride super comfortable, but loaded up it dropped a fair bit in the rear.

Now I run heavier rated springs do that when the car is unladen it is a bit harsh, but it is fantastic when it is all loaded up - so I think anyway, as I hate having a bum dragger as a car.

I can thoroughly recommend Kings Springs and Koni Shocks, as I have run them for years, but I also liked the Old Man Emu gear as well.

Rocky terrain you want to be as high up as possible to clear over the rocks - sand driving doesn't matter - so 2 inches would be fine.

There is also a large cost difference between a true 2 inch and 3 inch lift, as there are more components that need to be changed for a 3 inch lift.

Mic

[MyTrol]

thanks mate, very helpfull info.

another question, would you recommend foam cell or gas charged shocks?

[MudRunnerTD]

Old Man Emu Gas Charged every day of teh week

Foam Cell are junk

[MyTrol]

does old man emu do a kit with the gas charged shocks and springs together?

[Morton]

if you are unsure what you really want in lift size, a cheap option for 1-3 months is fit 2" spacers to the top of the springs, your standard shocks should be able to handle this for a short period anyway, this will help you gauge the height you need for rocks etc, 2" lift & 33's will get you most places, if it is not working then you know you need to go higher, if you are reasonably mechanically minded they are easy to fit front & rear, rear takes 15-20 minutes only, then you can make an educated quess on how big you really want/need to go, a 3" lift may require the rear brake line to be replaced, this is not the case on mine but I was lucky, 4" & above need considerably more mods & pricing starts to climb for a safe ride, take into account before purchasing any lift kit what you are actually doing & carrying, this is extremely important as steel bullbars & winches are heavy, choice of product is always personal, I am a Toughdog fan for bush bashing but I punish them mercilessly, Old Man Emu are a fantastic longterm touring system & for most 4wding,

[MyTrol]

if you are unsure what you really want in lift size, a cheap option for 1-3 months is fit 2" spacers to the top of the springs, your standard shocks should be able to handle this for a short period anyway, this will help you gauge the height you need for rocks etc, 2" lift & 33's will get you most places, if it is not working then you know you need to go higher, if you are reasonably mechanically minded they are easy to fit front & rear, rear takes 15-20 minutes only, then you can make an educated quess on how big you really want/need to go, a 3" lift may require the rear brake line to be replaced, this is not the case on mine but I was lucky, 4" & above need considerably more mods & pricing starts to climb for a safe ride, take into account before purchasing any lift kit what you are actually doing & carrying, this is extremely important as steel bullbars & winches are heavy, choice of product is always personal, I am a Toughdog fan for bush bashing but I punish them mercilessly, Old Man Emu are a fantastic longterm touring system & for most 4wding,


Thanks Morton, i have decided on 2". do you have the tough dog foam cell shocks? if so how do you find them?

[MudRunnerTD]

does old man emu do a kit with the gas charged shocks and springs together?

Hi mate.

Old Man Emu IS the complete balanced package built in Australia, For Australian conditions with Matched sets of hi end Coils and Nitro Charger Gas shocks! The Best coin you will ever spend on your car if you are happy with 2". Stop Looking, OME all the way.

[BigRAWesty]

Hi mate.

Old Man Emu IS the complete balanced package built in Australia, For Australian conditions with Matched sets of hi end Coils and Nitro Charger Gas shocks! The Best coin you will ever spend on your car if you are happy with 2". Stop Looking, OME all the way.

X2. Just get the spring rates matched to your vehicle setup or future setup and you'll be set.

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[lorrieandjas]

Hey guys - how much for an OME 2" lift (springs and shocks) fitted in your opinion?

Jas

[BigRAWesty]

$1000...

Again Jas, make a weekend of it and ill fit the lot... :D

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[jack]

Can you get the OME kit anywhere else other than ARB and what should it cost if you fit it yourself?

Cheers

[MudRunnerTD]

OME is ARB. You will save $300 to $400 fitting the kit yourself. 4 to 6 hours if you have never done it before

[Morton]

Thanks Morton, i have decided on 2". do you have the tough dog foam cell shocks? if so how do you find them?

Mate I just ordered new shocks for my GU, all TD but have ordered foam cell for the front only to try them out, if they fail I will toss them to a mate & try something different, I have ordered adjustable for the rear as the rear weight changes all the time, I am always too heavy &/or too harsh on them, sometimes I am 0-200kg on the rear, sometimes 2-300kg plus camper depending where I am going & who & what I am taking, I think I need to seriously look at airbags, I am also thinking of getting rid of my steel bullbar & busted winch in favour of a stock alloy bar again, I am still in the whole process of resetting up my GU so I am playing around with all sorts of things to see what works for me & what doesnt, I want to try the foam cell on the front with & without the weight of bar & winch

[Steve4wdin]

Morton, is there really that much difference in weight between steel and alloy??? To it would have to be greater than 40-50kg to warrant changing.

[threedogs]

Koni are great, pricey and rebuildable, Speak to your suspension guy as to what you want to fit like batteries ,winches, bullbars etc and he should tailor a system to suit your needs. Flexy coils are great too

[Morton]

I ended up fitting foamcell on all corners & couldnt be happier so far, off road they are fine & they are built for touring so all should be good