Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Here's the deal... i requested and bought what i understood to be 3" lifted springs for my 1995 LWB GQ Nissan Patrol. I'm in the UK the springs were shipped from Oz. All arrived Ok.

I measured the springs on their arrival and notice that there was a 1" difference in length from the RH side to the LH side on both the front and rear springs.

I send an email to the sydney branch of this spring retailer and was advised the differnce in lengths is normal because the GQ Patrols are not evenly balanced from one side to the other. Not being an expert I accepted this knowledge.

Today I went to put the springs on my Patrol. First thing I noticed was that having measured each corner from the centre of the axle hubcap thing, to the top of each wheelarch, the distance was an equal 21" [533mm] for each corner. After I put the rear springs in my wife noticed the lean first [as I was under the car] and so I measured the distance again from the same points. So the RH rear now measures 23.5", a gain of 2.5" [not the 3" I requested] and the LH side rear measures 22.5", a gain of 1.5" [not the 3" I requested]. This puts a mockery on the information I was previously told for the springs not being of equal length in the first place. Now... I've got a 1/4 tank full of fuel and my fuel tank seems to be equally distanced from RH side to LH side and so I can't say the LH side of my vehicle is carrying excessively extra amounts of weight.

So my questions are these....

1. is my patrol a very rare instance of being equally weighted from right hand side to left hand side?

2. have i been given dud springs and should they have originally been of equal length?

3. I'm not being stupid am I when I understand that the large spring manufactuers like Dobinsons, Carroll's, EFS etc do make different length springs so If i request 3" lifted springs I should get 3" lifted springs and not one that provides 1.5" of lift and another that provides 2.5" of lift?

Thanks
Harv.

GQ/GU Springs are longer on drivers side to allow for Spare wheel hanging on rear corner and driver and battery at the front corner.
Why it is not even or not what you asked for is a different story!

That SUX! What rate are the springs? The softer they are the more differential needed between sides initially.

Their can be up to 140kg of extra weight in the RHS while driving, in a couple of months it should start evening out and then go the long haul, better than ending up 4 months later with an irreparable RHS droop.

But if your numbers are correct and judging by my experience you have got a dud deal either a mistake or just a set of springs that are sold not meeting the lift they state.

This was the reason I decided not to buy a package deal and sourced front/rear individually from manufactures catalogues and with solid numbers straight from them.

If you decide to buy again send me a PM and I will look into something that may suit better. I don't sell them or any 4wd stuff.

cheers fnq

Harvey,

Where in Australia was the vendor located. Maybe one of our OL members who lives nearest to the vendor can do some bidding on your behalf.

You never know, they may be more amiable in addressing your problem if they know the locals are knocking on their door.

It is the least we can do for our poor cousins across the waves.

Thing is I ordered directly from Dobinson's Sydney Branch in Smeaton Grange NSW. I went to them directly because of a recommendation. I have sent them an email and their manager has advised that i put the front springs on and then give feedback as i stopped after I noticed the issue with the rear springs.

The manager has said that instead of putting the longer spring on the DS in the front, to put the longer springs on the passenger side. He said this will even out the lean but still.... putting on the front springs, it won't increase the lift at the rear will it?

well.... i figured that distance shouldn't be a problem to sort this out and why should i send the retailer emails when we've got those things called telephones!

So i've just phoned the retailer and spoken with the manager and he was, imo, excellent. He's offered to do one of two things... either send me coil spacers to even things out or he's said he'll talk with his UK contact to see if the UK will pay for the frieght on his next order and send over for me two new springs for the RHS of my vehicle so i'll have equal length springs all around - which is what i had originally and I had no funny lean issues there. I've opted for the springs because personally i think it's better to have equal length springs on all sides and no lean issues than unqual length springs that are causing the lean issues.

On another note he said to me 'look from my perspective its all about service and if i was in your position i wouldn't be happy either so i'm sorry you've got the problems' - very nice for him to say i thought.

He also said that for dobinson's springs not to give the lift they're designed to do is very unusual but he said there's always going to be those 1% instances and it would appear i'm that 1% Still all's well that ends well and i'll just have to be patient a bit longer before i can post photos of 'stage 1 of The Widow's Rebirth' with her suspension lift.

Finally, and on a different note - what a difference it makes to the droop of the axle when the sway bar is disconnected, i was really shocked! And because of that i'm not going to reconnect it because i never had a sway bar in the old RR Classic and with careful driving around corners it was never an issue with that so i don't suppose it'll be an issue with the Nissan either.

fnqcairns wrote:That SUX! What rate are the springs? The softer they are the more differential needed between sides initially.

cheers fnq

The rates are 320lb front [C45-108] and 305lb rear [C45-129]