Pilgrim

Member - Broodie H3 commented:

Just a quick query how old is your tow vehicle, and why would you need a complete suspension upgrade, If it wa me I would go and talk to a suspension expert or two and get some new opions. we are heading out that way next week,and I am driving a Pathfinder ti 550 and towing a 21foot Roadstar, and from all the info I have been able to gather from this forum and web searches it is not a dangerous drive with a standard suspension. I would get a second opinion just for peace of mind. Broodie H3

Cravenhaven commented:

it depends on how much offroad driving you are expecting to do. Upgrading the suspension for offroad work can be considered in the same way as upgrading the tyres from the standard production setup.

The patrols and other 4wd's are sold with road type suspension and are not well suited for offroad work. most people who are using these vehicles for offroad work will replace the springs and shocks and in the process do at least a small lift of about 2 inches to help with ground clearance. the difference in performance between standard and even a low end 4wd aftermarket suspension upgrade is quite obvious. the vehicle feels much firmer when cornering and bounces less when on rough roads. if you have kids in the back they are less likely to suffer from car sickness etc.
there are many suppliers of equipment for this purpose but the big names to start with would be ARB and TJM.

On the other hand, if you are only travelling on well made gravel roads such as the Oodnadatta track then a standard car setup is just fine.

Member - Pilgrim commented:

We will only be on the the Oodnatta and Birdsville tracks, I will see a suspension expert, Thanks for your reply, Pilgrim

lizard commented:

Shouldn't need upgrade , unless approaching GVM

Michael L2 commented:

we just did the oodnadatta with a bog standard 2005 pajero towing a 16 ft offroad van prior to it being graded in any fashion ( very rough ) and had no trouble . deflate the tyres to around 26 psi and drive carefully and you will be fine. this obviously assumes that there is nothing wrong with the suspension to start with.

Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) commented:

Pilgrim
You don't mention how old your Patrol and CT are, nor what make and weight your CT is.
This makes it hard to answer. However, as long as your shocks are fine and you aren't going near the GVM you have been told a lot of rot by someone keen to sell you products you won't need.
Without a CT, and wil just two people in it you can do those tracks (don't know where you are going to at Lake Eyre) in a Commodore or Ford if the road is dry and you drive sensibly.
Assuming your vehicle and CT are sound, tyres are always your first consideration.
Lift- NO, springs- NO, new shockies/dampners- maybe, tyres probably if they have < 50% tread (you can always put the old ones back on when you get back).

Mark

Member - ROADKING commented:

We Travelled both the Birdsville Track and Oodnadatta track last year towing a camper trailer and found both to be in good condition and past plenty of sedans and what i would call unmodified vehicles towing , ditto the others regarding vehicle and trailer condition and tyres are the main consideration. drop the pressures and keep the speed down and even if the roads have not been graded yet you should not have any problems.