Driving with GOE Rods

[morpheus]

Hi guys,

So I finally got around to putting my GOE rods on after having them for about a year. Although I had lost the installation instructions they went on pretty easily (the old ones took a bit of encouragement to come off though).

Now that I have them on I wonder what everyone's experience has been driving with them in the extended (ie normal = old extended) mode? Do you leave it this setting when driving on dirt at speed (say up to 80-90kph) or is it only used when you want to drive above the old 50kph limit on trails and the like and not be annoyed by the car telling you to slow down.

I do a few trips up to Marree and surrounds - hope to do a Simpson crossing in the next year or so - so I'm interested to hear how others use them.

It will definitely be useful when driving around my folks cattle station as the old 50kph limit was pretty annoying and the raised height was certainly welcome on the old station tracks.

James

[morpheus]

Sorry for the poor quality - it took a lot longer to get the old ones off so it was dark when I had finished. This is new off-road height (old extended off road height).

[LandyAndy]

Yet to use mine.
I had more issues with the crap tyre size than ground clearance.
The 50kmh thing is when they would come into their own.
Andrew

[AnD3rew]

Do you mean off road height or extended height? With the rods and the setting at normal or on road height you will actually be at off road height and the at off road height you will actually be at extended height.

Gordon, the maker of the rods does not recommend running at extended or off road height at high speeds for extended distances due to potential for damage to airbags and CV joints etc. also the vehicle is at higher risk of rollover etc, but obviously these issues will be worse at extended than off road.

I have Llams and I do run the car at reasonable speed at off road height if there is a large central hump in the track but it is otherwise in good condition. I would be reluctant to do that at extended height. The nice thing about Llams is that it also has an extra intermediate setting which is higher than normal but not as high as off road, I have done distances of several hundred Klms at 80+ kph at this intermediate height where there was a solid based track but central hump, with no obvious ill effects.

[morpheus]

That's the kind of feedback I was after - thanks. I guess on a smooth dirt road - say the Lyndhurst-Marree road or Oodnadatta and Birdsville tracks you would probably run in normal (ie proper normal). But station tracks or even the Inside Birdsville Track at offroad (ie old offroad- new normal with rods). Make sense? More wine...

[SimmAus]

The more wine, the more confusing the "off road, extended height" references etc becomes!!!
I did the Simpson last year.
Rods in lift, and normal electronic height (i.e. Vehicle now at std off road ) was sufficient and used through the desert. Only on the very odd occasion was electronic lift (i.e. Now in extended height) needed.
On tracks before and after, I generally used rods in normal position; and occasionally needed electronic off road height and stayed below 50kph.

I have driven at speeds below 100kph in off road height (i.e. Rods in lift, normal electronic height selected) for a couple of 100 kms - wouldn't speed too much due to before mentioned stresses / changes in CoG.

I Wouldn't do speeds greater than 20/30 kph in extended (i.e. Rods in lift, electronic off road selected) - mainly due to stress on drive train.

Either way, great bit of kit. Easy to use, cheap and reliable

Cheers

[rocmic]

As the others have said, gravel roads such as Strezlecki etc, normal height is fine, but the rods come into their own when on tracks where there are high humps or occasional ruts. When on th rougher tracks it is nice to be able to get to extended mode by the flick of a switch rather than waiting until you ground, but on these sort of tracks you are not going fast.
Cheers
Mike

[Fred Nerk]

My guideline (and it is flexible).

If you have lowered the tyre pressure for the activities "off road" then raise the car with the rods.

When you finish "playing" and put the air back in the tyres, return the car to normal with the rods.