Chel replied:

We have a nissan patrol wagon. Recently had tough dog foam cell shocks and 2inch lift coils put on. Made a huge difference in driving and handling.All for the better. Mind you the vehicle is 5years old and was in need of some work on suspension. cost was $1,100. we drive 60-70% on dirt roads as our everyday driving.

Tim replied:

Michelle: when you say off road I reckon you really mean off bitumen ? If this is the case you will almost certainly ok with the standard set up .. As you travel around you may get a better grip on things and if you are taking it easy ... as anyone would in normal circumstances, you may wish to upgrade, but chances are you will not need any 'upgrade', so take it easy and as they say these days: ENJOY !!!

Tim

Stuart - All Terrain 4WD Adventures replied:

Michelle,

If you are going to be doing any long term travel around OZ then I would consider a suspension upgrade for the following reasons: 1.your loaded vehicle will probably sag in the rear on standard suspension reducing ground clearance and handling. 2.the standard shocks and springs would probably fade driving on corrugated roads. 3. even easy 4wd tracks can have washaways/ruts requiring that extra lift an aftermarket suspension kit can provide. 4. spending $1200-1400 on this modification to your vehicle will also cater for the extra weight of accessories like bull bars, dual batteries, roof rack + gear, winches, people, fuel, water etc.

Whilst your car may appear suitable in standard trim unloaded it will probably be a different beast when loaded. Why not try loading it up with all your gear and then see how it looks. The other side of the coin is how long are you going to be traveling for and is it worth the expense.

Stuart

luke replied:

michelle i am assuming that the car still is under warranty so with the suspension in a ute it should be ratedx to take a ton so why would you upgrade because if it fails it will be covered under the warranty so no matter how many times it fails it will be fixed for free

rich replied:

Everybody here has some good points. I've just upgraded my shocks, springs and put a 2" lift, all for the better. BUT I waited 'til my original suspension was worn out (and damn near undrivable! v. naughty).
I would use what you have considering its probably warrantied and still in good nick. You'll soon know if you should have upgraded, (which you can always do on the road), but you never really know if those thousands spent upgrading were worth it without first knowing the difference from your original setup.
The test is as already stated - load your car up and throw in the kids and dog and see if the rear droops past the horizontal; jump on the towbar, is there any 'bounce' left?

Good luck have fun.