Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Hi All,

I recently fitted an Old Man Emu suspension kit (shocks and springs) [R18700 from 4x4 Mega World Menlyn] to my 2010 Pajero Sport with 96k on the clock. The change in the drive and handling of the car is like driving a different vehicle entirely so I am very happy with the new suspension. I also got new tires as the vehicle still had the original Continental's that came with the car. The suspension resulted in a 25mm lift in the front and 60mm lift rear. (previously there was a 20mm difference between front and rear, now it is 50mm).

BUT

Immediately after the suspension change I detected a vibration in the drivetrain when the accelerator is pressed. This vibration is more pronounced at low speeds and above 120km/h tends to reduce. It seems to be getting worse (now 2000km later) and I am concerned that this will ultimately lead to a more serious problem. Unfortunately, the guys at Mega World are of no help and only suggested that it might be poor wheel balancing (done that with no change).

Has anyone experienced a similar problem?

Most likely cause is dry UJs on the prop shafts as the shaft angle will now be different to that of the past. Grease the joints and see if the vibration is reduced.

I'm not sure I can be of any help but I definitely share your pain.
A year ago I had a full EFS suspension installed by front runner (not impressed) on my 2012 PS which lifted the rear 40mm and the front 70mm. Needless to say the ride is completely wrong as the back should always be higher than the front.
After a year of back and forth I seem to be making some headway and have got Mistubishi SA involved directly with EFS, who have been very supportive. My car's booked in for this week Thu to see if we can resolved this once and for all.
A bit of a long story but what is important after the suspension change and / or new tyres is to do a full rebalance and wheel alignment. Also you are supposed to take the vehicle back to the fitment centre at about 500ks after the suspension upgrade - which apparently is quite important.

Good luck - I also would go straight to the importers as the fitment centre I have very little faith in

trekker1 wrote:Most likely cause is dry UJs on the prop shafts as the shaft angle will now be different to that of the past. Grease the joints and see if the vibration is reduced.

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this post. Sooooo after taking in your views and discussing the problem with three driveshaft outfits here in Pretoria, my vehicle mechanic and 4x4 Megaworld there is basically very little I can do. The problem is because of the change in the angle of the driveshaft relative to the universal and diff. It is not really possible to lower the universal. It is possible to change the angle the of the diff BUT this could be opening a whole new can of worms.

In the end I took Trekker1's advice and gave the prop and universal a good lube-job. The shuddering is reduced but not gone. I suspect somewhere down the line my universal and diff will play-up.

This must be a common problem with suspension lifts. I think 4x4 Megaworld / OME should acknowledge this and not lift the vehicle 70mm but maybe only 40mm? I am still very happy with the new suspension as the original suspension really sucked.

I also had OME suspension fitted to my 2011 Pajero Sport - also at 4x4 Megaworld Menly. I have not had any issues and have driven 40 000km since fitment.
For what it is worth my opinion on OME for Pajero Sport in general:
The ride improved on higher speeds such as gravel and tar - especialy in corners.
Innitially it seemed more rough at lower speed on bumpy roads but ride improved through time.
Roadholding was fantastic on gravel roads in Namibia - but it did feel rough.
All considered, I would probably go for a cheaper suspension upgrade given the choice in future.

i had the main prop shaft lengthened by 20 mm: raised suspension shortens the insertion depth of male/female splines, loosening the fit, causing lateral vibration.

Barry Grewcock wrote:i had the main prop shaft lengthened by 20 mm: raised suspension shortens the insertion depth of male/female splines, loosening the fit, causing lateral vibration.

Thanks Barry. How did you lengthen the prop shaft? Is this a simple or complex operation?

FarcaX wrote:I also had OME suspension fitted to my 2011 Pajero Sport - also at 4x4 Megaworld Menly. I have not had any issues and have driven 40 000km since fitment.
For what it is worth my opinion on OME for Pajero Sport in general:
The ride improved on higher speeds such as gravel and tar - especialy in corners.
Innitially it seemed more rough at lower speed on bumpy roads but ride improved through time.
Roadholding was fantastic on gravel roads in Namibia - but it did feel rough.
All considered, I would probably go for a cheaper suspension upgrade given the choice in future.

I agree that the improvement in road handling at high speed is fantastic, and I feel makes long distance travelling so much safer. Also, handling under load is dramatically changed. Improve clearance, reduced/no-bottoming out, more comfortable drive - only now do I realise how <censored> the standard suspension was. If I was to buy a new Pajero Sport again I would change the suspension immediately.

Why does Pajero not fit higher spec shocks and coils as standard?

snorstadsurfer wrote:

FarcaX wrote:I also had OME suspension fitted to my 2011 Pajero Sport - also at 4x4 Megaworld Menly. I have not had any issues and have driven 40 000km since fitment.
For what it is worth my opinion on OME for Pajero Sport in general:
The ride improved on higher speeds such as gravel and tar - especialy in corners.
Innitially it seemed more rough at lower speed on bumpy roads but ride improved through time.
Roadholding was fantastic on gravel roads in Namibia - but it did feel rough.
All considered, I would probably go for a cheaper suspension upgrade given the choice in future.

Why does Pajero not fit higher spec shocks and coils as standard?

Because 99% of the vehicles sold worldwide won't do anything more than tar driving so why add the extra expense?

snorstadsurfer
lengthening the prop shaft is certainly precison work: prop shaft master did a good job, especially the balancing. R1800
my suspension was raised at 100k & the vibration became a concern at 400k, so the wear rate is very slow.
you can do a simple test: put the car on the hydraulic lift, all wheels off the floor i.e. suspension at max extension; feel for lateral movement where the prop spline enters the box. if its >1mm, the teflon bush will be taking the brunt of the vibration & quickly wear away, increasing the lateral movement & vibration