Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

I decided a thread of it's own. My dad has past the kitting out decisions to me

Notes
Camper weighs around 1000kg and takes around 200l water.
Trips planned across Africa to Europe and Asia - ambitious yes. If they do it even better.

- Tyres (stock 235/85/16) they rated till 112 load. Spec is 4.5 bar loaded. So far very impressed in mud, road, no sand
I read an article that stated / "proved" thin and high is better than fat for offroad. I'll post a link and maybe separate thread. What I need opinions on are what tyre for a trans africa trip. The stocks are Dunlops and a mix of a mud terrain + all terrain, quite good looking actually.
- Bullbar, leaning towards local Lynx4x4?
- Rock sliders?
- Bash plate, Peters?
- Shocks? Should I shouldn't I? Camper guy reckons remove couple springs and add air bladder and OME?
- CB Radio fitment where?
- Navigation / GPS looking at this http://www.stopshop.co.za/buy-nissan-35 ... n040-.html can I put T4A on it?
- Seat covers?
- Winch or just make up a wheel winch?
- Fit ARB RDL with compressor?
- Fit the tyre monitor thingies mentioned here on forum
- Fit LED / Spots? Which ones, if so on roof or bar?

What I am missing? Their first recce trip is planned for March.

I will not sukkel with back syspension it is made to work ! By taking springs out and losing a airbladder somewer in africa you are giving the patrol a limb mode and you don't want to do that !!!!!!!! The japs made it to carry at least a ton some canopy king can't know better . Look at boegmans patrol has done plenty hard trips still. 100 after 200 000 km
Will go for front eton locker back is lsd all ready depends if your dad is going to get rain in central africa
Get canvass seat covers just good for packing behind seat more compartments and aa dash one it works for me the lady in centoroin will custom make them for you
Good to keep a eye on tire pressue can fix before you lose a tire it works for me espesially with 1200kg on the back
Put airbags on to keep more stable not a bad idea it will stop swaying at speed with topheavy ccamper
Mabe come and feel the ride with proper rubber and then deside if you keep the takkies or change wwill arange with christo if you want
The shocks are fine work then finish first
Good spots is a must

Roy, I was speaking to the guys at Gerotek about tires on saturday. I certainly didn't agree with everything they sayd, but apparently for sand there is an ideal ratio, and that is that the contact patch (with tire deflated) should be at least 30-60% longer than the width.

My personal belief is that you fit the largest diameter tire that will work without having to do extensive mods, irrespective of the width. I believe that there are certain conditions where width helps, and other where its a hindrance, but on a real overland trip you will get lots of different terrain. Staying with 7.50/16 has an advantage that they are very freely available. I do believe in tire pressure monitoring equipment, as it pays for itself the first time you save a tire.

Bullbar: Whether you even need one depends on what you are planning to do. If you don't expect to bundu-bash, I'm not sure it's worth it.

Things like rock sliders and lockers are in my limited experience seldom needed in overlanding conditions, except for Lesotho and Swaziland. They may come in handy once in a while, but it's a lot ov money that could be better spent going on a trip?

My bash plates will fit, but I'm not prepared to say they will be necessary. It depends on your dad's personality, same as lockers etc.

I believe good aftermarket shocks matched to the springs are money well spent.

Try the suspension with the camper on and loaded before you decide what to do about the suspension. I believe the standard suspension should cope well with the load and the load should sort the ride pretty well too.

With regard to radio/gps's, I believe in a dedicated GPS, preferably one that can work in your pocket if you want to go walkabout.

Spots on the roof are illegal, your dad has to decide whether he wants to take the risk. I would put them on the bar but behind mesh.

Hello Dieselfan,

- Bullbar, leaning towards local Lynx4x4?
Tend to agree with PC here
- Rock sliders?
Personal preference and a lot depend on how you intend to use the vehicle. Typically when you require rocksliders you also require less top-heavy weight, lets use for example a 1 ton camper.
- Bash plate, Peters?
should you decide to fit these, definitely the PC models... However, I agree with PC's advice
- Shocks? Should I shouldn't I? Camper guy reckons remove couple springs and add air bladder and OME?
I would suggest to first see what it performs like with the camper on, then decide if it is required to change. If it works well bog-standard why change?
- CB Radio fitment where?
Do you intend to travel in convoy? Yes => see lots of forum discussions. No => wouldn't spend money if there is no-one to talk to.
- Navigation / GPS looking at this http://www.stopshop.co.za/buy-nissan-35 ... n040-.html can I put T4A on it?
Lots of discussions, thoroughly debated topic. Also buy a good old fashioned map and compass for the day the electronics pack up.
- Seat covers?
I'm not an expert at all to advise here, my trol was 2nd hand and this is not a great concern for me.
- Winch or just make up a wheel winch?
Or buy a spade for now. When required a winch is fantastic, but with good experience and a commonsense radar this will seldom be required. The wheel winch is in practice not as simple as it seems and can be limited due to circuimstances.
- Fit ARB RDL with compressor?
With a winch I will not bother. In fact, I very seldom use my rear locker and have no front locker. Does this trol not get kitted with a rear lock as standard? IMO not worth the money on these items.
- Fit the tyre monitor thingies mentioned here on forum
Yes, this is one sensible and potential cost saving device.
- Fit LED / Spots? Which ones, if so on roof or bar?
Typically you do not drive at high speeds at night, as even if you can see the Kudu's and kadoefels I do not want to swerve with a camper on the back. Reduce night time speed a little and the standard lights will be sufficient. then rather buy a hand-held spot light for game viewing.

These are all my opinions, and I would seriously suggest you start playing with the troll prior to spending money blindly on advice from other peoples experience, build your own experience and determine your own needs first. Chances are extremely good that your Patrol will see you through your overland trip in standard guise, so carefull to buy too much weight additions at great cost that will seldom work to justify their existance.

Enjoy the journey!

Marakasmalan

Roy i spoke to christo boegman and he will gladly assist you to look at the tire or spring combos he has 2 with different tires on and yours with standard ones you can load a gen on or a 1000kg water tank and then you can feel the diff without spending money on shocks and modifying springs the bigger tires give better ride with less swing and better foot print but as i say have a look see before you take anyones word for it (ps he has a crane handy at his spot so we can do it all at one place )

marakasmalan wrote:Hello Dieselfan,

- Fit LED / Spots? Which ones, if so on roof or bar?
Typically you do not drive at high speeds at night, as even if you can see the Kudu's and kadoefels I do not want to swerve with a camper on the back. Reduce night time speed a little and the standard lights will be sufficient. then rather buy a hand-held spot light for game viewing.

Enjoy the journey!

Marakasmalan

There is as far as I am concerned only one justification for a normal overland traveller to risk travelling at night in Africa excluding RSA, and that is in the event of a sudden medical emergency such as a scorpion sting or snakebite.

In which case I reckon a couple of good spots could come in very handy.

Agree, sir!