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QUICK DRIVE: TJM NAVARA ST-X
the brake for the moments going over a ledge and restricting
the brief decline, I tippy-toed my way up and around and over in
both directions. Amazingly the ramp-over angle didn’t register
a touchdown telling me underbelly clearance was good despite
the lift in the kit providing only a claimed 40mm of extra daylight.
Doesn’t seem like much but it obviously helps.
I did manage a touchdown though on the rear step bar and
left some Shale Grey bark behind on the rocks when I’d turned
too soon. Later on a section of washboard ironstone marbles at
80km/h in high range, there was a fair old transfer of corrugations
through the suspension and into the cabin, but I’m putting that
down to the wheel and tyre combo again, the sidewalls not flexing
enough to soak up the bumps. I reckon I could have tuned that out
with a 20 percent reduction in pressure.
The rear coils were rated at the heavy end, the 600kg constant
load capacity that TJM offer (there’s also a 150kg for a modest
carrying capacity or a 350kg intermediate version). If I were buying
for myself, as my weights are up and down like a yo-yo, I would
have opted for the 350kg spring to maintain some ride quality.
However this set-up demonstrated to me that heavy springs can
still be compliant on a range of surfaces. As for the rest of the fitout
it was a quality piece of kit. So was it improved?
The answer is obviously yes, for while Nissan has devoted a
fair chunk of R&D on the suspension revision, the aftermarket can
still extract that little bit more and that my friends is a good thing
in building a better D23 or anything else!
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