Gross Vehicle Mass increase? Reinforcements?

[navigare]

I got this idea from Australia, where it is apparently possibly to upgrade your GVM. I am in Europe, so I'll need to do my own research regarding the legality aspects. But I wonder if anyone has experience with the technical side of long-term running our LR4s close to or even above the official GVM. Would you say that the vehicle is, in principle, capable of pulling it off? Have you had any specific issues, other than the expected increased tear and wear of parts? Have you done any reinforcement to key components, and have those worked for you? Assuming things were OK, where would you draw the line - at 3.5 t, or perhaps 4 tonnes?

If you have such experiences or engineering knowledge, please share. But please refrain from stating the obvious - that the heavier the vehicle, the more the laws of physics and man apply. I know that, I am just looking into the issue. The context being that I want to do looong trips, for which I nead a lot of stuff, and it is extremely difficult to be perfectly within the official limits. And a trailer is not a convenient option for many reasons - price, logistics (cargo containers), safety (attracting attention) in some countries, offroad performance, you name it.

 

[Stuart Barnes]

It’s a great idea,

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mo...overy-4-armoured-protect-diplomats-20355/amp/

the armored version is good at almost 4 tonnes apparently, so someone has done the calculations. I seem to remember reading about the brakes being bigger and suspension being an updated version as well.

Good luck with the project though.

 

[navigare]

”...the air suspension was modified with beefier springs, retuned dampers, and thicker anti-roll bars. The final product weighs nearly four tons (7800 pounds)…” - that is some hint.

 

[avslash]

I'm not gonna lie. An up-armored LR4 would be the cats ass.

As a side benefit, I have read that the armored versions do not "benefit" from the "smart" charging system that we plebes must contend with.

 

[navigare]

Oh, I don't really mean to armour my car. I'd simply like, if possible, to refit it ever so slightly, so I can legally carry a bit more weight on long overlanding trips. Even only a quarter tonne would mean a lot.