Story by Mark Baker

The best way to create a vehicle that meets the demands placed on it day-in and day-out is by having a clear understanding of what its role will be: weekend warrior? Hard-working tradie’s mate? Long distance off-road tourer?

It’s a question that has engaged the best brains in the industry for decades – and even manufacturers can’t deliver the perfect vehicle for a given role.

But by spending time gently probing their customers on the subject and developing a clear picture of what the vehicle will carry and what it’s asked to do, the five person team at Goosey’s 4x4 Customs in Pukekohe are producing exceptionally capable four-wheel-drives.

That initial scoping conversation is critical, says owner Anthony Dunk. After all, with a parts inventory of 12,000 individual items available to them from a wide variety of manufacturers, understanding the purpose of modifications is the difference between a sublimely developed vehicle and a patchwork mess.

The most important thing

“The most important thing a customer needs to bring is a clear understanding of what they want to do with their vehicle.

Even a simple DIY shock absorber bolt-on can create an ill-handling or even dangerous vehicle – or invalidate the vehicle’s warranty.

“We will sit with the customer and look at what is being carried, understanding the demands made on the vehicle. Then we will look at options to help the vehicle carry out its function and make a recommendation from there.”

Anthony gives the example he sees a lot of: proud owner of a new four-wheel-drive who wants more offroad capability and proposes starting with a suspension lift – or worse, a set of bigger wheels and tyres. Just bolting-on a winch and bullbar can add 100 kg to a vehicle – all of it ahead of the front bumper. This means the vehicle’s handling and all-terrain capability are compromised from that moment forward.

Whole vehicle solution

“By starting with the intended purpose, we can create a whole-vehicle solution. Heavier main springs, helper springs, an airbag array (with on-board compressor) – the permutations are endless,” says Anthony. This is where the ‘custom’ process comes in.

While some will bring new vehicles to the workshop for immediate upgrading, others will use their trucks in ‘OEM’ specification first while they gather their thoughts about what they want to improve.

“In some cases we’ll get the owner to go away, take out all the equipment they want to carry and weigh it so we get a very accurate idea of what we are dealing with.”

As an approved regional stockist of the extensive Ironman 4x4 product range, Goosey's can start with a bolt on-bolt off shock absorber upgrade that focuses on the expected role of the vehicle: comfort (for regular loadings up to 250 kg over empty), a performance spec the runs up to 300 kg over standard and then Constant Load, which caters for vehicles with 300-500 additional kg of equipment or load. Beyond this, there is a ‘Mining’ spec that is far beyond what any private four-wheel-drive would encounter in New Zealand.

GVM Upgrades

In fact, Goosey's can upgrade the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of a vehicle right up to a level where a heavy transport Certificate of Fitness (CoF) safety process kicks in to replace Warrant of Fitness. Low Volume Vehicle Certification is arranged for vehicles but is not carried out onsite.

By far the most telling innovation in the range is Foamcell, a close-packed foam block which holds shocks absorber oil until compressed and then releases it as the shock absorber is compressed. This maintains the integrity of the oil by controlling the temperature better than similar non-foam designs and offers the best combination of performance, practicality, reliability and robustness for a touring 4WD in real-world offroad touring conditions.

Adding helper spring sets – LoadPlus for drum brake rear ends or the Add-a-Leaf setup for disc brake rear ends – creates further options for owners, while airbag suspension-assist setups with optional on-board compressor improves load capability without compromising ride quality when travelling unloaded.

“With so many options, the importance of that initial discussion becomes clear.”

Using that quality input at the beginning, Goosey’s can use their experience and expertise to create the right application for the vehicle, creating a safer, stronger, smarter four wheel drive.

To read the full story in the December 2018 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (November 17) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.