Nissan Patrol for Towing

Hi Neil

Plenty do it but they are far to slow for me before towing anything.

I had a mate who towed a 3.5 ton drill rig everywhere with his till it smoked at around 200k which I thought was a pretty good effort.

I lot of these things depend more on your whole senario though.

The best Patrol by far for towing performance is the Petrol GU 4.8 and some here have swapped 3lt for them.
(Also lowest cost)
(2005-2006 is best, first of new facelift models)

If its on gas which has been done properly then you win at both ends.

The 3lt patrol have smaller brakes etc as well so not the best as a tow rig but can be done and you probably should go for the auto , but again its an old 4 speed unit not the slick 5 speed the petrol has.

Hi Neil, This topic has been posted that many times!!!! The patrol will tow the trailer w/out any problems. We have just returned from the "Big Loop" and there was a plethora of duel cab utes & Pajeros towing vans & c/trailers.....Patrols were scarce. Only you can decide if putting more $$$$ into the 80 series is worth it. I have a friend who spent $5500 years ago putting an after market turbo onto a 100 series. He tows his 2.5 tonne van at 80 K/pH. . I have driven his cruiser & it is slow compared to our Pajero......NOW, there's a thought...why not test drive a 3.2 auto diesel Pajero? The best cruising & towing vehicle I have ever owned. Don't be fooled by off roaders who suggest the Pajero is "A Ladies car" it will go places where others struggle. Great Killerwasps & Bert Newtons of torque. Very stable on the highway when I tow my 2.7 tonne van at 90 to 95 K/pH. Don't forget the Patrol 3 ltr has only 118 Kw of power & the auto diesel can only tow 2.5 tonne. Rob

Others will know if the Patrol is ok for towing better than I. My only advice is check www.patrol4x4.com which has a lot of feedback.

Things to satisfy yourself with might include
-Fuel use in the post 2008 CRD versions can be good or woeful for some reason.
-There are more than the usual unhappy experiences with Nissan's service.

For experience on adding a turbo to the 80, go to www.lcool.org for lots of Toyota owners feedback.

My experience is that first gear in manual trans is too high for towing in 3litre patrol.many owners have difficulty moving off from rest with a van on, some resort to low range 4wd with the manual hubs unlocked.Also the fluid flywheel and clutch is notoriously weak, known to fail early and very expensive to replace (I suggest you get a quote before purchase , My last one was around $3000 , the 4 speed auto is known to use extra fuel )
Suggest you check nissan patrol forum for other owners experiences...BTW you may find in excess of 800 seperate postings re excessive fuel consumption of 3 litre patrols...worth a read.

Spend $5-7k turbo/intercooler/mech upgrade on your 1hz and it will eat any 3l patrol for towing and general cruising. My old one put down 170k.w. and was an all round amazing engine. Certainly got through the diesel at an amazing rate if you wanted to find all of those ponies though.

Neil
I tow a 1.2 tn trailer with a 2008 3lt patrol. I find it moves off okay from rest and will sit all day at 100k. I do find it lacks oomph, it you want to pass or accelerate quickly it takes time. Remember I live in wa so most of the roads are flat, I have no idea how it goes in the mountains of the eastern states.

Fuel consumption towing on our flat roads is approx 17lt/100 km. not towing I get about 13l/100. As a earlier post mentioned fuel consumption figures differ greatly between people. I have kept records since new and I have a 13lt/100 overall since new. It does however chew up fuel if you push them, so I do drive rather sedately.

Alan

Neil I love my patrol! 2008 St manual with 110k, but don't mention fuel economy!
We are today in Longreach sweltering, already 27deg, have had a great trip from our Riverina home, via Condobolin, Cobar, Bourke, Cunnamulla, Thargomindah, Quilpie, Adavale, Barcaldine to here. Knew when we left fuel consumption would be the issue, have a full ARB rack & Tvan behind (1080kg with load). By Cobar I was beginning to think that the money spent last week on fractured water gasket ($3000) & new clutch & pressure plate ($3700- fitted by mechanic) was a waste. However, I also fitted a scan gauge & despite any protestations to the contrary it does work. From Cobar to Bourke I was relaxed & watching the scan gauge, within the first 100km worked out that if I leave fifth gear in the closet & travel at 85 to 94 kmh I reduce my fuel consumption by 7 to 8 litres per 100km's, back to 16/17 LHK.
I have discussed this problem with mechanics & 4wd shops, no one seems to have the exact answer & like someone else said look on the patrol forum for nearly ten years of discussion.
The ride is second to none IMO, you must remember that (with the Tvan) I am over 3 tonnes in weight, so its a big ask of any three litre. Get an honest answer from an owner of the new landcruiser V8 & its the same. My local 4wd shop owner sold his patrol 3 litre CRD for the V8 - heaps more torque but just as heavy on fuel. Unless unloaded on skinny tyres & driven like a nanny (his words).
Good hunting for a miracle though