To
keep the increase in GVM? Are you saying that you already have an upgraded GVM? Or are you assuming that the ARB Old Man Emu suspension fitted by Telstra gives an increased GVM? If the latter, this is not so. GVM (legal total weight of vehicle including everything it carries) is not the same as ‘load carrying capacity’. It is my belief that Telstra, renowned for carrying heavy loads, would have commonly run these Patrols at over the GVM & that they likely took the view, as a large corporation, that if any claims were made against them resulting from any accident where weight was considered an issue that the risk of a payout was probably less costly than compliancing all of their vehicles. As I don’t have a corporate bank balance I felt it more prudent to get the GVM increased (3400kg to 3900kg) & to stay within it.
As far as I know there are only two companies who do bolt in kits to increase GVM, Lovells & another who’s name escapes me at the moment. These kits are made for the 3.0 litre Patrols (same chassis & brakes as ours) & intended to be fitted before the vehicle is first registered. However they can be fitted to our vehicles to gain an increased GVM but because it is retrospective & being fitted to a different model it requires inspection & approval by an engineer, obviously costing over & above the kit. The same could be achieved without a kit, but the engineering costs for such a one off would be horrendously high. Note that getting a complianced increase in GVM is probably not going to increase the load carrying ability of that provided by the OME HD 10 leaf suspension, but it does make it legal for insurance purposes. Nice to know in the event of an accident. If the OME suspension is knackered (likely) the new suspension all round (springs, shocks, bushes etc) will make quite a difference. Cost to me was $5200 to have the full kit fitted, brake proportioning altered & all the ‘engineering’. (Engineering was $1200 - Some folk have used engineers who charged less, depends upon the luck of the draw as to how much the engineer local to you charges). Since then I fitted the wider tyres & upgraded front brakes. So not cheap ........ but it’s a much better car.
Before doing anything else you should load your vehicle as it would normally be, including full water & fuel tanks & get it weighed (including yourself). I reckon you might be surprised at how heavy it is. Most of the blokes here would be looking at up to 3 tonnes in everyday use, & up to 4 tonnes fully packed for occasional trips. I’m guessing you will be close to 4 tonnes most of the time like me. There is a price to pay for this weight - every kilo means additional wear & tear on the vehicle.
The following two threads may be of interest:
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...-stressful-day!
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...lls-suspension
Cuppa
