My 4.8 FaceLift
Posted: 22 Jul 2011 22:43
On a previous thread I mentioned the ‘mods’ I was busy with on my new Trol, and I said I would report on the end result – well here goes:
Besides a 2” lift (EFS), I have also added a good new set of takkies to the wagon. The cherry on top for me though is the look we achieved with the new front bumper, and of course, the ‘spots’.
I must say at this point that I kept my last Patrol, a 4.5 GRX, stock standard except for a Nudge’M front bumper and Warn winch. When I recently purchased the 4.8, though, I knew from the start that this car needed something to bring its magnificence to the fore!
Let me start with the suspension kit. JT, at Mackano4x4 in Centurion did the job, plus a few other goodies for me. The result, well, what can I say, the wife’s Jeep next to the Trol looks like a midget! It really looks great without being too overstated – what I have now is a very confident ‘body build’ to go with the awesome 4.8 stature. JT fitted the EFS ‘heavy duty’ 50cm lift kit. Don’t be fooled by the ‘heavy duty’ designation – this is a good improvement on the standard suspension that was resident when I bought the car. EFS also have a ‘medium’ and an ‘extra heavy duty’ set, but I can say that after testing the set-up, the medium would have been a little light (in my opinion, if you go high – you need to put a bit of beef into it).
The jammie looks great and I am really happy with the result – in fact, right now, while writing this post, sitting on my stoep overlooking Ponta do Ouro bay with a cold beer – I can say that getting here was really fun – it was an ideal time to test the suspension performance and the new tyres. Today, for a change, we came through Swaziland and into Moz at the border called Mhlumeni/Goba. Of course up to the Moz border the road was great. It was a welcome relief from the hassles on the Ermelo-Pongola stretch. On the Moz side, on the way down to Ponta, we had a bit of everything (as could be expected) ie soft sand, rocky parts, pot-holes etc. Ultimately it was just perfect for a quick test of the recent modifications. Suspension wise, I give EFS full marks, and I have absolutely no complaints in this department. What I need though is a new steering damper, which I foolishly did not change when we did the lift. The slight tell-tale wobble I had before, when braking, is still there!
The new 285/70/17 BFG Muddies impressed me no end. I generally run my pressures slightly low (2-2.2 bar max, even on tar) and this gives a good comfortable ride – but when we got to some hard, pitted, rocky surface patches I decided to let a little more air out – the improvement was tangible. The best part was the soft sand, and I can say that compared to the tyres I ran on my 4.5, this was impressive. I made a point of taking on the more difficult patches and at no time did I even consider using 4WD, even though I still had a non-optimal 1.6-1.8 bar. It was awesome – the low smooth growl of the 4.8, just gliding through the obstacles (only a 4.8 tiptronic driver will know what I am talking about here!).
Now, as I said before, for me the bumper is the cherry on top! The looks have changed dramatically, and the ARB ‘look’ I like so much is very evident. But it’s not an ARB! It’s a Summit4x4 bumper that sells for a fraction of the price of the ARB. A word of caution though, in this world you get what you pay for, and the compromise here is definitely on the quality side. If well managed though, you will end up with a very good and acceptable bumper, plus a few spare grand in your pocket for other ‘niceties’ for the Trol. I had a few ‘mods’ made to the bumper (and not finished yet!), which included a change to the less than impressive and slightly misaligned mounting brackets that come with the item, plus a heavy duty winch plate installed (ski-boat!!). Of course, a good metal worker can do wonders as you all know, and here Coenraad at Rasper4x4 did the necessary tweaking to make it work (until 02h00 in the morning before I collected the car for the trip to Moz – thanks Coenraad). What rounds it off nicely, in my view, is the colour coding on the powder-coat and the Hella 3003 (blue glass) spot lights I had a friend bring in from Sweden (were not available in SA). Oh yes, and thanks to JT for the red winch hook holder!
I will try to attach some pictures with this post.
Besides a 2” lift (EFS), I have also added a good new set of takkies to the wagon. The cherry on top for me though is the look we achieved with the new front bumper, and of course, the ‘spots’.
I must say at this point that I kept my last Patrol, a 4.5 GRX, stock standard except for a Nudge’M front bumper and Warn winch. When I recently purchased the 4.8, though, I knew from the start that this car needed something to bring its magnificence to the fore!
Let me start with the suspension kit. JT, at Mackano4x4 in Centurion did the job, plus a few other goodies for me. The result, well, what can I say, the wife’s Jeep next to the Trol looks like a midget! It really looks great without being too overstated – what I have now is a very confident ‘body build’ to go with the awesome 4.8 stature. JT fitted the EFS ‘heavy duty’ 50cm lift kit. Don’t be fooled by the ‘heavy duty’ designation – this is a good improvement on the standard suspension that was resident when I bought the car. EFS also have a ‘medium’ and an ‘extra heavy duty’ set, but I can say that after testing the set-up, the medium would have been a little light (in my opinion, if you go high – you need to put a bit of beef into it).
The jammie looks great and I am really happy with the result – in fact, right now, while writing this post, sitting on my stoep overlooking Ponta do Ouro bay with a cold beer – I can say that getting here was really fun – it was an ideal time to test the suspension performance and the new tyres. Today, for a change, we came through Swaziland and into Moz at the border called Mhlumeni/Goba. Of course up to the Moz border the road was great. It was a welcome relief from the hassles on the Ermelo-Pongola stretch. On the Moz side, on the way down to Ponta, we had a bit of everything (as could be expected) ie soft sand, rocky parts, pot-holes etc. Ultimately it was just perfect for a quick test of the recent modifications. Suspension wise, I give EFS full marks, and I have absolutely no complaints in this department. What I need though is a new steering damper, which I foolishly did not change when we did the lift. The slight tell-tale wobble I had before, when braking, is still there!
The new 285/70/17 BFG Muddies impressed me no end. I generally run my pressures slightly low (2-2.2 bar max, even on tar) and this gives a good comfortable ride – but when we got to some hard, pitted, rocky surface patches I decided to let a little more air out – the improvement was tangible. The best part was the soft sand, and I can say that compared to the tyres I ran on my 4.5, this was impressive. I made a point of taking on the more difficult patches and at no time did I even consider using 4WD, even though I still had a non-optimal 1.6-1.8 bar. It was awesome – the low smooth growl of the 4.8, just gliding through the obstacles (only a 4.8 tiptronic driver will know what I am talking about here!).
Now, as I said before, for me the bumper is the cherry on top! The looks have changed dramatically, and the ARB ‘look’ I like so much is very evident. But it’s not an ARB! It’s a Summit4x4 bumper that sells for a fraction of the price of the ARB. A word of caution though, in this world you get what you pay for, and the compromise here is definitely on the quality side. If well managed though, you will end up with a very good and acceptable bumper, plus a few spare grand in your pocket for other ‘niceties’ for the Trol. I had a few ‘mods’ made to the bumper (and not finished yet!), which included a change to the less than impressive and slightly misaligned mounting brackets that come with the item, plus a heavy duty winch plate installed (ski-boat!!). Of course, a good metal worker can do wonders as you all know, and here Coenraad at Rasper4x4 did the necessary tweaking to make it work (until 02h00 in the morning before I collected the car for the trip to Moz – thanks Coenraad). What rounds it off nicely, in my view, is the colour coding on the powder-coat and the Hella 3003 (blue glass) spot lights I had a friend bring in from Sweden (were not available in SA). Oh yes, and thanks to JT for the red winch hook holder!
I will try to attach some pictures with this post.
I like your spots and agree 100% on the performance of those KM2's 