Hi all,
This is probably a good example of the "If it's not broken, don't fix it" mantra, but it's now done and I thought I'd share the story plus a couple of pics.
I have a popup trailer I want to tow with the Montero, but I didn't feel comfortable with the trailer's standard 13" wheels and tires, so I upgraded to BFG AT's in 195/75/14 D-load (smallest size I could find). This enabled me to go from 1360lb max load tires to 1710lbs. Since the trailer is something around 2500lbs, I really wanted the extra breathing room. The main driver for this change was not lifting the trailer, but just having a bigger safety margin (and hopefully avoiding trailer blowouts) and using more commonly available tires (13" trailer tires are not common around here). The lift was a necessary side effect.
Given that the new tires are 25.5" OD (vs standard 24") I also added 3" spacer blocks between the torsion axle and the frame of the trailer. In the end, I lifted the popup just over 4" (tire+lift block). This gave me enough clearance for the tires (just) but also meant that the trailer was no longer level with the truck, as it was now sloping forward.
Enter OME. This situation provided the necessary impetus to upgrade my old springs (2003 NP with just under 110,000km / 70k mi) and replace the worn shocks. I went with OME "light" springs on the front and the +200kg ones on the rear (2914 /2917) and KYB gas-a-just dampers all around.
Success! (kind of). The trailer is now almost perfectly level (with a 2" drop hitch) with the truck. Side effect is that the larger tires mean much smoother towing. Since the trailer is now way higher, the rearview mirror is useless but the sideview mirrors are still good, and I'll add extensions if needed.
I have attached a couple of photos.


Now for the related issues:
* twitchy handling: When unladen, the truck now handles, in a word, horribly. It darts nervously into corners and follows with the threat of snap oversteer and an audible howl from the rear tires at the slightest curve at highway speed (80km/hr+ / above 50mph). It also howls in low speed maneuvers (think parking lot) but of course it's not as scary there. It was aligned after mounting the springs, but I'm hoping a realignment after the coils have "set" a bit will help. It's only done about 160km / 100mi of paved roads over the couple of weeks they have been mounted. I'm hoping some additional negative camber at the rear will help (maybe some camber and toe correction at the front as well). While towing it's just fine.
* Ride height: obviously it's taller, but it is noticeable in step over height. Would not recommend removing running boards until you try it if you have smaller children or adults with reduced aglity who use the car with any frequency. Of course this will not apply to many, just something to keep in mind.
* Ride comfort: actually better than OE springs + worn OE shocks, so no real issue there.
Hopefully I'll report back with some good news after I get it realigned. This seems to be an exceptional case as I have read nothing but good stories from others who have done similar modifications.
Thanks for reading!
This is probably a good example of the "If it's not broken, don't fix it" mantra, but it's now done and I thought I'd share the story plus a couple of pics.
I have a popup trailer I want to tow with the Montero, but I didn't feel comfortable with the trailer's standard 13" wheels and tires, so I upgraded to BFG AT's in 195/75/14 D-load (smallest size I could find). This enabled me to go from 1360lb max load tires to 1710lbs. Since the trailer is something around 2500lbs, I really wanted the extra breathing room. The main driver for this change was not lifting the trailer, but just having a bigger safety margin (and hopefully avoiding trailer blowouts) and using more commonly available tires (13" trailer tires are not common around here). The lift was a necessary side effect.
Given that the new tires are 25.5" OD (vs standard 24") I also added 3" spacer blocks between the torsion axle and the frame of the trailer. In the end, I lifted the popup just over 4" (tire+lift block). This gave me enough clearance for the tires (just) but also meant that the trailer was no longer level with the truck, as it was now sloping forward.
Enter OME. This situation provided the necessary impetus to upgrade my old springs (2003 NP with just under 110,000km / 70k mi) and replace the worn shocks. I went with OME "light" springs on the front and the +200kg ones on the rear (2914 /2917) and KYB gas-a-just dampers all around.
Success! (kind of). The trailer is now almost perfectly level (with a 2" drop hitch) with the truck. Side effect is that the larger tires mean much smoother towing. Since the trailer is now way higher, the rearview mirror is useless but the sideview mirrors are still good, and I'll add extensions if needed.
I have attached a couple of photos.


Now for the related issues:
* twitchy handling: When unladen, the truck now handles, in a word, horribly. It darts nervously into corners and follows with the threat of snap oversteer and an audible howl from the rear tires at the slightest curve at highway speed (80km/hr+ / above 50mph). It also howls in low speed maneuvers (think parking lot) but of course it's not as scary there. It was aligned after mounting the springs, but I'm hoping a realignment after the coils have "set" a bit will help. It's only done about 160km / 100mi of paved roads over the couple of weeks they have been mounted. I'm hoping some additional negative camber at the rear will help (maybe some camber and toe correction at the front as well). While towing it's just fine.
* Ride height: obviously it's taller, but it is noticeable in step over height. Would not recommend removing running boards until you try it if you have smaller children or adults with reduced aglity who use the car with any frequency. Of course this will not apply to many, just something to keep in mind.
* Ride comfort: actually better than OE springs + worn OE shocks, so no real issue there.
Hopefully I'll report back with some good news after I get it realigned. This seems to be an exceptional case as I have read nothing but good stories from others who have done similar modifications.
Thanks for reading!
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