Patrol 4x4 - Nissan Patrol Forum banner

TB48 for big trip around OZ

7K views 34 replies 15 participants last post by  BeNos 
#1 ·
I have a dilemma, the Mrs and I have decided to pack up the kids, rent the house out and go for the big lap round, for 18-24months, with a 22ft off-road van. Will be taking the van as far as we can, and taking day-trips, and overnighters to places we cant drag the van. Wont see everything, but will definitely see alot!

Now the van will weight in at 3.2-3.5t and at this stage I plan on towing it with our 2005 TB48 auto. It has about 200k on the clock and I'm thinking about weather or not its up to the task, for 50 000km+ of heavy towing??

So Im thinking that will definitely might be up for a quick auto freshen up with a valve body upgrade, TC lockup and BIG cooler. Dont know if it might be worth opening up the engine for a good once over. I reckon its almost preventative maintenance to a certain extent, because the next 50k are going to be much harder than the previous 200k.

Or do I cough up for a 200 Series??? That will tow it better, be more comfortable and use less fuel?

I have looked up a few threads, but cant find any conclusive info on what kind of fuel consumption to expect, towing a heavy full size van, with a auto, 4.1 gears, 33's and a roofrack. I have done my budget based on using 35l/100km.

Thoughts???

Cheers
Dave
 
See less See more
#2 ·
35l/100?

I don't think you have too much to worry about.

Do you love your Patrol?

YES

Can you imagine doing this trip without your Patrol?

NO
 
  • Like
Reactions: Paddy16
#3 ·
Yep they are thirsty but not that thirsty for 50,000k.

To the OP. Mate the 4.8 is a rock solid engine especially if it has been maintained well, I wouldn't worry about the engine internals, if all the other mechanicals are up to the job, the engine certainly is.
 
#5 ·
I'm regularly getting 23/100 towing my 1.5t camper on my lap around oz with my 48. So I'd expect 30/100+ towing 3.5t.

I'm not sure id tow 3.5T around Australia with a 4.8. I have to work mine pretty hard going up moderate sized hills and that's only with 1.5T on the back. Mines a 04 auto running 3.9s, 33s, roof rack, TCC lockup etc etc she's fully loaded.

And on the 200 series from what I've heard are still fairly heavy on juice when towing but will tow 3.5T better than the 4.8. If i were you I'd look at the Y62.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
Y62 was my next choice, but I hesitate going with a y62 for a couple reasons:
Will still use 35L/100km
needs premium ULP
is relatively unproven in towing big and heavy long term
IRS + long term towing is something that concerns me
not much aftermarket support, hard to find info on how best to set it up.

200 is a proven, known entity, with plenty of help and gear available.

Also I realise I have accidentally dropped this into the GQ area, could a mod please throw it into the GU area where it belongs, thanks.

Cheers
Dave
 
#9 ·
No offence dude but what a load of baloney.

The 200 is a proven pig.

The 62 doesn't need premium
It won't use 35l/100, I think you will find it will use the exact same as a 200 if driven like a 200. Tow your 3.5t van like a hoon and it will drink up though. Price you pay to overtake things. The 200 won't overtake anything with that on the back..
The 62 is a proven tow rig, you need to listen to actual owners not journos.
With a lift yes the rear alignment needs special attention but there is a bush kit available now.
Plenty of after market support, what exactly do you think you can't get?

I don't like steering people away from the forum but the oz62 fb page is a wealth of knowledge.
 
#11 ·
I don't know much about the characteristics of the 4.8, but with using 33s would changing the diffs to 4.3 or 4.6 make for better towing at maxxed out weight?

I heard on the grapevine that the highway boys are focussing heavily on GCM of rigs these days.

You need to be aware that being fully laden in the tow vehicle and the van you will be over.

Time for a Silverado or similar I reckon, rather than a 200 or Y62 both of which do not address the GCM problem. Duramax grunt, economical towing, heaps of interior space for when the family is living in the vehicle a lot of the time.

Park the Patrol for the time, buy a Silverado, do your trip worry free, sell the Silverado when you are finished.
 
#14 ·
3.5t just in the van is alot of weight, as mentioned either loose the huge van or start looking at the imports. The only problem with the imports is there big, and when going down a tight track you will be calling the nearest detailer to polish it
 
#16 ·
Hell, an older Australian delivered 7.3 Powerstroke F250 will make a joke of a 3.5t van all day long if its got a good service history, good injectors and a transmission cooler it'll love it. These motors are known to be bullet proof and many regard them as highly as the 6BT Cummins.

Not as nice as a new Silverado but nowhere near as expensive either and you wont cry as much if you scratch it. Thing will probably be worth the same when you finish your trip so its win win IMHO.
 
#19 ·
Hmm you think?
Tuned up and all maybe yes, but stock they are a joke. Lots of niggly issue as well.
Friends traded theirs for a 5.7 v8 petrol tundra. Tows better and is the same on juice.

No doubt everyone's experience differs with them.
 
#21 ·
if ur rig is on gas then I would sell it, otherwise:

- a full service for the engine, including compression test, cooling system flush and check
- a full flush service for the trans, bypass the radiator and put the biggest cooler you can get ur hands on and a temp gauge to monitor it, tcc lock up (do a search on here and you can make one yourself, very easy job), valve body - maybe
- suspension upgrade due to weights.
- I too would allow 35l/100km but would not be surprised to see you returning figures about 28-30 with that tyre size and diff setup.

The 4.8 auto is a great tow rig but everything has its limits. Is your van really 3.2-3.5T? the max towing capacity of a 4.8 auto is 3.5T:
- I would also be looking at the ball weight to make sure the towbar can handle it.
- what rear tyres/suspension do you have on? can they handle the loading with the van on.

I guess the point I am trying to make, and has been made by a few others, if the van stays then you might want to consider a bigger rig to pull it. The other option is to cut the size of the van and keep the patrol.

A very difficult decision if ur in love with both your toys
 
#23 ·
The van tares at about 2400, has a GTM of 3500, with ATM of 3320, So it has about 180 ball weight in full battleship mode, but I aim to have that as my absolute max. But its pretty easy to see how the weights add up, chuck in clothes for a family of 4, bedding, food, water (360L), grog, 4 bikes, annex walls, 2 spares, few bits and pieces, a sneaky belly tank with an extra 80l of fuel, plus I will be adding a extra battery.

The way Interpret the rules for Light Vehicles; the mass of the two axles of the vehicle with the trailer attached must not exceed the GVM, then the two axles of the trailer must not exceed the plated ATM. Many LV's do not have a plated GCM. Its very much a grey area... But I will always be keeping it legal, mate just got the book thrown at him over his boat he tows with a 8t Isuzu 4X4, its going to cost him a few thousand $$$

Cheers
Dave
 
#24 ·
I went and test drove a Y62 today, 2013 ST-L with 44k km on the clock, its a damn nice ride, just so smooth and quiet and spacious, pure luxury. They really are a whole step above the cruiser for a long distance tourer. Comfortable. Putting miles in the bank effortlessly. Dealer asking $54k.

I drove a 200 on Friday, 2014 GXL with 82k km on the clock, dealer asking $66k, was very impressive, roomy, quiet, very comfy.

I would still lean towards a cruiser over the Y62 though. Solid rear axle and the diesel appeal to me. They have a auto TC lockup kit for the 200 that transforms the gearbox, apparently. Though on my test drive, with zero load, I couldn't fault it.

As temping as a shiny new (to me) rig is , I think i will put 4.1's in the diffs, freshn the auto with a nomad valve body and big cooler and manual TC lockup and see how we go. Still got until the end of the year, to sort it all out.

Cheers
Dave
 
#25 ·
Towing 3.5T i would put 4.3 gears in it for sure. I have 3.9's and wish i had 4.11's without towing. Do the "cruise manual mod" by cutting a wire in the drivers foot well which enables you to use tiptronic with the cruise control. When you see a hill you put it back in 4th.

If you get 4.11's just keep it in 4th all the time. They do not use more fuel just because the revs are higher. The engines sweet spot is around 2,500rpm. No point having it rev lower and forcing it to lock the torque converter and load up the engine more.

In regards to the other vehicles. My good friend just towed his 3.2+T van to QLD and back. Got around 25L/100km sitting on 110 and down to 22L/100km other times. He doesn't need or want to lie as its all put on the work fuel card. If your not in a hurry you could probably get better. I'm sure a lot of the 200 series figures are from old guys sitting on 90km/hr.
 
#30 ·
I have found even with 3.9 gears if i have a headwind the Patrol will not lock the TC in 5th and that is not towing. Sitting on 100m/hr on flat ground in 5th my throttle position is around 11-12%. The torque converter will unlock at around 15% so you have very very little to play with. Don't tow in 5th with the 4.8, not because the box isn't strong enough but the TC will be unlocked, use more fuel and trans temps high.
 
#32 ·
After a lot of research, test driving and talking to different people, the general consensus seems to be that the 200 Series is the vehicle of choice for this application. We have decided to downsize the van a small bit to 3-3.2t ATM also. In terms of comfort, safety and affordability it was either the cruiser or y62, and after driving both, I think the cruiser has a clear advantage in its live rear axle. Whilst I accept fuel use for both examples is highly variable and subject to bias and will forever be a topic of debate, I simply preferred the diesel option. I like the power delivery and generally everything else about the cruiser. Gearbox is not great out of the box, but I drove one with an auto TC lockup kit and it was flawless, pulled a 3t van beautifully.

Briefly looked into F250's, Rams's, Silverado's and denali's, but they are out of our budget.

Cheers
Dave
 
#34 ·
How's the solid rear axel a clear advantage?
At least you have driven both, 99% of people I know who drove both had the crusier at a very distant second place and couldn't stomach the price of an over sized corolla.
Same old story
Toyo owner swear the 200 is the king.
62 owner know they have the king.
:)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top