Lovells suspension

[Cuppa]

Just wondering if anyone has any Lovells gear under their Patrol? If so what do you think of it?
Next week mine will have Lovells gear all round (as below). Not sure that I would choose non adjustable shocks if buying them separately, but the whole package is required to get the GVM upgraded.

Cuppa

WHAT AMOUNT OF INCREASE SHOULD YOU EXPECT?
Officially sanctioned GVM Kit provides:
GVM to 3900kg
GVM increase of 500 kg

WHAT COMPONENTS COME IN THE GVM UPGRADE KIT?
Kit includes the following:
2 x Lovells Heavy Duty Front Coil Springs
2 x Lovells Heavy Duty Rear Leaf Springs
4 x Lovells Gas Legend 36mm Twin tube, Long Travel Gas Shock Absorbers
1 x Lovells Urethane bush kits to suit leaf spring eyes and shackles.
4 x Lovells High Tensile U-Bolts
2 x Lovells Anti-Inversion Greasable shackles
2 x Lovells Greasable pins
1 x Lovells Adjustable Front Castor Urethane Bush Kit
1 x Compliance plate with revised GVM of 3900 kg
1 x Brake Load Proportioning Valve Adjustment Warning Decal
1 x Tyre Placard (Decal) with revised axle capacities
1 x Fitting Instruction Manual

Edit:
Once done I will hang on to the Old Man Emu shocks for spares, but will have OME front coils & HD (constant load) rear leaf springs (10 leaves with greasable anti inversion shackles) going spare if anyone is interested. 2" lift.

[pearcey]

The only thing I dont like is the Urethane bushes I much prefer rubber as it`s quieter, lasts a lot longer and dosen`t require grease which attracts dirt IE wear. The adjustable shockers well unless you can control them from inside the cab would be a waste. Only my opinion
The rest I would be very happy with.
Pearcey

[Cuppa]

The only thing I dont like is the Urethane bushes I much prefer rubber as it`s quieter, lasts a lot longer and dosen`t require grease which attracts dirt IE wear. The adjustable shockers well unless you can control them from inside the cab would be a waste. Only my opinion
The rest I would be very happy with.
Pearcey

Thanks, that makes me feel a bit happier about it. Lovells springs have a 5 year warranty which suggests they are of reasonable quality, but I don't recall anyone here ever mentioning having them, which made me wonder if they were not well thought of. I'm stuck with the urethane bushes, just as I am with the rest of the kit. Of course I can change things down the track once I have the compliance plate, but will use it as is until wear dictates renewal. It does seem crazy that the stuff being removed is probably much the same as that being put on, but the complete kit is needed to get the compliance.
When thinking about adjustable shocks, I was thinking more about adjustment being able to compensate for wear over time. On our bus I have Koni adjustables & after about 50,000kms found they had softened up a bit. Adjusting them by one 'notch' tightened things up nicely.

Cuppa

[pearcey]

Lovells have been around a long time and do quite a bit in the race car industry and are well thought of there.
Don`t know who makes their gear but a 5 year warranty is good, not to many, if any do that

[happygu]

Cuppa,

I bought Lovell's for the rear of mine, but I did go for the heavy duty coils as I carry a fair load and I hate bum draggers, and they are quite hard with a harsh ride unladden.....can't blame to springs for that though.

Haven't sagged in three or four years...pretty happy.

The shocks should be OK too if they are matched with the springs and spring rates, as I presume they would be.

[Cuppa]

Thanks happy, good to hear. The camper will provide a constant load so hopefully harshness won't be a problem. It isn't with the current constant load HD OME springs.

Cuppa

[my third 256]

got lovel coil springs all round very happy

[paps01]

Cuppa, I have just been through this with mine and I was pretty sure Lovells emailed me to say they DID NOT have an approval for the 4.2 ( which I'm pretty sure yours is), only the 3 ltr from 2007 onwards. This may have changed but I'd get that clarifed before you go to to much trouble. Paps.

[paps01]

GVM Upgrade - Nissan Patrol GU Y61 DX 3.0 litre Cab Chassis.

Just copied this from their web site

[healy]

I had Lovell springs in the old GQ were good and I will soon have them in GU so your answer is rite there

[Cuppa]

Cuppa, I have just been through this with mine and I was pretty sure Lovells emailed me to say they DID NOT have an approval for the 4.2 ( which I'm pretty sure yours is), only the 3 ltr from 2007 onwards. This may have changed but I'd get that clarifed before you go to to much trouble. Paps.

Apparently it has changed paps,at least in Victoria. Their web site says for the 3 ltr & it also says that it's only possible if fitted prior to first registration. However my local Lovells supplier/fitter reckoned that there had been some recent developments (in Victoria at least) which now allow retrofitting. He checked this with Lovells who confirmed it. Also the issue of me having a 4.2 can be 'got around' because the chassis is the same, but I have to pay extra to have an engineer check it & sign off on it. The supplier/fitter has liaised with the engineer who has given his go ahead. It seems that I may be lucky to have a local engineer who is familiar with the Lovells gvm upgrade kits. Basically it's new suspension all round, plus fitting a different brake proportioning valve. Tyres have to be over a certain load rating (my current ones are ok) & a brake test has to be passed. This test is carried out prior to going to the engineer & a certificate provided. I'll breathe a sigh of relief once I have the compliance plate. It's going in for the fitting next Tuesday/Wednesday, & I'm hoping I might be able to see the engineer on the Thursday.

Cuppa

[paps01]

Gee the brake test will be interesting if mine is anything to go by. Don't have any more than 35 psi in the front tyres. Ive just had mine done through Carrolls who make EFS. There isn't any of the brake stuff. Just supension. 3940 kg's for $2,600. Best of luck. Paps.

[Cuppa]

Gee the brake test will be interesting if mine is anything to go by.

Aren't the brakes the same on mine as on the 3 ltr coil/leaf cab chassis?. If so they must be considered good enough to pass the required test (although I do acknowledge that I have felt better brakes)?

[paps01]

Don't know. I've got a 4.2 but with all the weight on the back, mine could stop better than it does. There's not enough weight on the front wheels. If they alter the distribution to be more on the front it would lock up earlier. If to the back, I don't know. Would it stop better with more braking to the back?

[Cuppa]

Well I guess I'll find out. I *think* the change is to more braking on the back. I am a tad worried I must admit. A front brake upgrade could be fairly exxy I imagine. That said, driving with the full load on with the current configuration wasn't too bad. I was driving in some fairly steep country, but was aware of the weight & driving accordingly so the proprtioning could always be reverted to standard I guess. At the moment I'm just putting faith in Lovells knowing what they're about, they provide full set up instructions, including adjusting the brake proportioning as part of the kit.

Anyone had any experience of front brake upgrades on a GU?

Cuppa

[threedogs]

If you need a brake up grade a place down my way called Hopper Stoppers
can fix anything, or fit drilled & slotted rotors with Kevlar or green pads

[paps01]

My main problem is the amount I have behind the rear axle. I have a 2.4 mtr tray and the camper is right at the back. It weighs about 1000kg. I run 55 psi in the rear tyres but only 35 in the front. Any more than this and the front locks up to easily on gravel.

[Cuppa]

35/55 wow! When full I'm running much higher pressures than that on the advice of a local tyre joint. I'm using 40/70. (10 ply 235/85 - max rated pressure cold is 80psi). For day to day running (i.e. with a fair bit less weight ) I've been dropping the rears to 55 or 60 & leave the fronts at 40. I do have weight at the rear (2 fridges/slides & two spare tyres are the heaviest items behind the rear axle) but most is over or in front of the rear axle. (Batteries, water, hws, tools, recovery gear, most of the food, solar panels, etc etc). I was runnng 55 in the rear when ful, but the tyres were bulging too much & I had too much 'leaning' on corners. The extra pressure corrected both. What is your all up weight when packed & ready to go?

[paps01]

Around 4,100 kg's. Weighed at the local steel merchant ready for a two week trip. So even with the GVM upgrade possibly slightly over. (who isn't). I have the 285/75 BFG all terrains that seem to be OK with 55. I hadn't considered more than that necessary. But certainly less in the front helps to stop it. I've just been through your build blog. You are a resourceful man. I hope it all works out for you. Paps.

[tazzie]

I have lovell Springs under My GU cab-chassis, best i have ever had, i carry heaps of weight and tow heaps too, the lovells r gr8 in my opinion

[Cuppa]

Well I have a fixed grin on my face at the moment. I picked up my car from the springworks this afternoon with the full Lovell GVM upgrade kit having been fitted & the engineers examination completed & passed. :bananarock: Just have to wait for him to complete his paperwork & return to get the compliance plate attached.
Apparently the brake testing was quite thorough. Firstly the brake proportioning valve had to be adjusted giving a little more bias to the rear. (The front has taller coils than standard to help compensate for this). The braking system is then pressure tested & has to meet minimum specified pressures for both front & rear. Mine easily exceeded the requirements. Then the car was subjected to what I think were called 'brake inertia tests'. Apparently this involved 19 different tests, including dynamic on road tests with some sort of data logger in the vehicle whilst it was subjected to 60kph to 0kph and 100kph to 0kph stops within a specified distance without locking up. Apparently very little adjustment to the brake proportioning was needed, suggesting it had already been done when Telstra had fitted the OME heavy duty lift kit. The idea of giving more bias to the rear brakes is something that doesn't seem immediately logical to me, but with more weight at the rear & a matched suspension set up it seems ok. Not spectacular, but it never was anyway, but good enough. I tried a (we are camping this weekend) fully loaded 'emergency stop' on gravel road this evening & managed to stop acceptably quickly in a controlled manner with no lock up.

I hadn't expected the car to feel much different as the Lovells gear that has been fitted looks almost identical to the OME stuff it has replaced. I had been happy enough with the OME suspension previously, but with all the new stuff, the car feels far more 'sure footed' on the road, both on the blacktop & on corrugated dirt road, to the extent I found myself pushing harder than previously, just because I could. The OME set up had been a 2" lift, but with the new 2" kit it now sits approx 20mm higher all round.

Cuppa

[happygu]

Good to hear Cuppa,

Sounds like a great result in the end.

[jack]

Great Cuppa,
Bet you're relieved, now you can enjoy the trip with confidence.

[Cuppa]

A bit of additional info for any others thinking about GVM upgrades.
I was told that being able to get the upgrade on a non new car is ony a recent development in Victoria, (mine only the second my local springworks has done) not yet promoted on Lovells web site, & only available through selected Lovells dealers. It is Victorian state compliance, not federal compliance. This makes me 'legal' throughout Australia, but if I were to sell the car interstate it is possible that the buyer would have to get it 're-engineered' to retain the GVM upgrade - depends on that state's requirements. I don't know if other states allow for 'retro' upgrades like Vic now does.
I believe the process was made a lot easier because the engineer was already familiar with the Lovells upgrade kit, avoiding the need for testing that another engineer unfamiliar with the kit might require. (Nevertheless his fee was still $1200 on top of the kit!).

Cuppa

[GU CAMPER]

Hi Cuppa
Thanks for that info
I have just emailed Lovells and asked about a GVM upgrade to my ute that's registered in NSW
Hopefully they will be able to upgrade it.

Cheers Andy


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[Cuppa]

Hi Cuppa
Thanks for that info
I have just emailed Lovells and asked about a GVM upgrade to my ute that's registered in NSW
Hopefully they will be able to upgrade it.

Cheers Andy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Andy, when I get the compliance plate (next week hopefully) I should get all of the paperwork that goes with it. Will let you know more then if I can.

Cuppa

[GU CAMPER]

They got back to me

Apparently they think I should be able to get it done locally by one of their installers. He said some engineers will only sign off on 3700kg GVM but most will sign off on 3900kg GVM

Now to save some cash

Cheers Andy


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[threedogs]

Sounds good Cuppa the suspension will get a little bettle after it settles.
Price wise I think thats acceptable with the amount of testing and accredition given.
Now get out there and get it Dirty

[Cuppa]

Had a call yesteday from the springworks to say that all the paperwork etc was back from the engineer. Went in this morning to get the new compliance plates fitted, & then on to the VicRoads office to 'register' the new GVM. All easy & straightforward - now have a new rego sticker & certificate stating a Tare weight of 3400kg (wasn't a great deal they could remove when weighing it) & a GVM of 3900kg.
I learned that this 'retro fitting' of GVM kits has only been possible for around 6 months so far, & the bloke reckoned that it should be available in Vic, NSW & QLD. Not sure if it's in other states yet, but should become available soon I'd reckon?

Cuppa

[Winnie]

Good outcome Cuppa! Glad you got it all sorted so you won't have the issue of being overweight niggling in the back of your mind.

If you're happy and you know it tap a post!

[Maxhead]

Good outcome Cuppa, peace of mind now when traveling.

When I bought my caravan I had all my accessories fitted at the factory so when it rolled out it had the tare weight with everything fitted. Lots of people make the mistake of fitting bits and pieces after they buy and run into trouble with the weight...