Suspension upgrade - can someone confirm please?

[2013Pajero-GLX]

Hi,

I am about to order my new suspension based on a fair bit of research and some recommendations from this forum. I have pasted the description of the kit I am looking at from bushskins below. Keep in mind, I will be installing in the near future: bash plates, an 81litre long range tank, a water storage tank, portable battery in the rear, 55litre fridge, and I have an arb winch/ bulbar installed.
If I keep the aux fuel tank filled up I should have enough weight for when it's not fully loaded correct?

Does anyone have this setup and how do you like it?! Thanks in advance for your help.

Steve


Smart (Assembled) Strut Full Kit Bilstein- Lovells HD Raised F&R [NMNW-BLHDassembled] $1,436.40

This high performance kit is arguably one of the most popular for the LWB NM, NP, NS, NT and NW model Pajero's on the market . The German engineered 46mm monotube Bilstein shocks and the premium quality heavy duty Australian made Lovell's coil springs. This kit includes fully assembled front struts with new strut tops and rubber spring insulators similar to the factory setup which helps reduce harshness. This kit is designed for petrol & diesel motors with bullbar and/or winch, dual batteries and 300kg-GVM load carrying capacity in the rear. (Need atleast 100kg constant load in the rear to smooth the ride)

[HSV Rangie]

I run the Lovels HD + 50mm

Bilstiens.

Ride was brilliant.
Dual Bats, ARB BB, winch, up front.

Rear seats removed and the well is full of recovery gear, tools, ect.

In the back there is a shelf and bushman fridge.

Under car full set of bushskinzs plates + fuel tank guard from Isreal


None of this stuff is ever removed.

Michael.

[2013Pajero-GLX]

I run the Lovels HD + 50mm

Bilstiens.

Ride was brilliant.
Dual Bats, ARB BB, winch, up front.

Rear seats removed and the well is full of recovery gear, tools, ect.

In the back there is a shelf and bushman fridge.


None of this stuff is ever removed.

Michael.

Thanks for the speedy reply. This confirms what I have been told thus far. One question about your bash plates... Does your rear bumper plate provide sufficient protection? I am not sure whether to look into a rear bar for more protection? Departure angle is a killer on these things!

[HSV Rangie]

the rear plastic bumper has caught once left side, pulled it out a bit, must fix one day but its been like it for 18+ months now.


I find deprture angle aceptable formost times. I used to leave tow bar in to protect rear but it caught on to much now I just live with it.

if it scrapes it scrapes.

MIchael.

[Aussie_Dan]

I have exactly the same setup in my NP. Lovells HD +50's and Bilsteins all round. Suspension wise, there is no difference between the Gen 3 and the Gen 4....
I also have the 81L LRA tank.
With the Aux tank full, the HD springs coped well. However, with a full Aux tank, and fully loaded for a trip away, the HD springs on their own weren't enough. Same deal if the Aux tank was full and I hooked my camper trailer on, the rear end needed more help. The solution is to add a set of airbags.
As for rear bumper protection, the Aux tank sits just a little lower than the rear bumper and hence provides good protection. My Aux tank copped a beating in the Simpson last year but I came out the other side with no damage to either the rear bumper or the tank. Those LRA tanks are bl00dy good! Without the tank, I would have ripped off my bumper for sure.
So my suggestion is to go for the suspension you are looking at, but add a set of airbags to give extra help when you are loaded.
Wait until you have the tank installed and see how you go, before committing to any rear bumper protection.
Cheers, Dan.

[grhyso]

I bought the exact kit you are looking at a few months back. I currently have no accessories fitted apart from intercooler, sump, gearbox, t/f case bashplates. It sits a bit high but quite a comfortable ride surprisingly, you notice they are HD's on things like corrugations though. I fitted the kit due to plans for a bullbar, second battery and probably a winch as well as hopefully some drawers in the rear.

I would recommend giving Kieron a call at bushskinz and tell him what you are going to fit, he has helped a lot of people out on here and had a paj previously so knows what springs suit what loads.

Also, after fitting the suspension in my last car (Pathfinder) and how bloody painful the front struts were to assemble I ordered the smart kit for the Paj. I had the front pair in so quickly it wasn't funny, the rears were more or a pain but I did manage to fit them without needing to get the spring compressors from the shed.

Good luck!

[Nik]

I would suggest air bags as well with all that weight.

With the long range tank you're not likely to be taking off the rear bumper as it will provide quite a bit of protection for it from underneath. I had the rear metal rear bar on one of my NPs and they do provide quite a bit of protection and are really handy for standing on. But they don't provide as much on the gen4s as they do on the gen 3s anyway as they don't come around or out as far.

[pauld]

Leave the tow bar in, protects the rear bumper well

[4wdvet]

Ditto to what everyone else said. We have much the same setup on our NW. When we did a test pack before our CSR trip ( full aux tank, 70L water, full 90L freezer and all our gear) the back end was a bit too low for our likely. The other half got a set of airbags sent express from Bushskinz and these sorted it out. Still drives nicely even with a much lighter load

[treads]

I run the Lovels HD + 50mm

Bilstiens.

Ride was brilliant.
Dual Bats, ARB BB, winch, up front.

Rear seats removed and the well is full of recovery gear, tools, ect.

In the back there is a shelf and bushman fridge.

Under car full set of bushskinzs plates + fuel tank guard from Isreal

I think we'll be doing similar in the near future.

I'm actually pretty disappointed in the standard suspension and tyres. Having come from a '95 Defender I was thinking that the ride would be a lot better than it is

Once the bullbar, winch, dual battery system, tow bar and cargo barrier go in I can't see the stock setup getting any better....

[pt3021]

Don't forget that you will probably need these offset bushes to be able to get your rear camber back into negative camber. http://www.nolathane.com.au/product_detail.php?part_number=46345[/URL]

http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_detail4.php?part_number=W63429

regards steve

[peterfr]

I think we'll be doing similar in the near future.

I'm actually pretty disappointed in the standard suspension and tyres. Having come from a '95 Defender I was thinking that the ride would be a lot better than it is

Once the bullbar, winch, dual battery system, tow bar and cargo barrier go in I can't see the stock setup getting any better....

I just had my set of Lovells HD with Bilsteins fitted today. After fitting got at least 60mm lift & the ride is much improved after. Especially given the front was carrying a steel ARB bull bar, Dual batteries, 1200lb winch & Bushskinz bash plates. 👍👍👍

[Brash]

Hi Steve, I live in Pakenham and have the same suspension you are chasing, front TJM winch bar and rope winch, bushskinz intercooler guard and second battery fitted, very welcome to come and have a look if you can PM me. Could not be happier and Kieron was excellent to deal with.
Cheers Brash

[markpeh]

Don't forget that you will probably need these offset bushes to be able to get your rear camber back into negative camber. http://www.nolathane.com.au/product_detail.php?part_number=46345[/URL]

http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_detail4.php?part_number=W63429

regards steve

I don't. I wonder if many do? I haven't read of too many people needing this.

[pt3021]

Hi Markpeh

After being involved with three different later model pajero's nt-nw we found with a 2" lift the rear camber blows out to around 1deg positive even with the factory adjuster maxed out. You would probably find most wheel aligners would say something along the lines of its pretty close and will get better after the springs sag or you put some load in the back and it will be alright .If you want it right these offset bushes will be needed to get back somewhere near negative camber. Any body with a lift can check this themselves using a spirit level .If the top of the tyre is out further than the bottom it has positive camber which is not good .
regards steve