If you're going to spend any length of time driving off-road, then you're going to need some sort of suspension lift. Sure, you can tow your trailer and maybe tackle a few easy dirt roads or sandy tracks with the standard springs and shocks under your rig, but if you want to get much further off the beaten track in search of that desert oasis or perfect coastal campsite, you will need to upgrade your suspension.

In fact, a lift is one of the most important modifications we make, as it has to support the weight of our chosen accessories. Not only does a quality suspension kit keep your vehicle's sills from dragging along the rocks, but it can also make your fourby handle better as well as enable more travelling gear to be thrown in the back without it looking like a squatting dog – high in the front, low at the back.

But how high do you go? There are really arguments for each different lift, most of which are largely dependent on what you want out of your 4WD. If all you're tackling is some fire trails and occasional beach work, then a mild lift is probably right up your alley. If you need to be able to go touring with the family while still being able to handle the A-Grade trips with the club, then do you go a little higher?

So just which suspension set-up should you be running? Do you keep it reasonable and raise your vehicle up by an easy couple of inches, or does more lift really benefit you that much more after you've locked the hubs in?

To answer this, we put the call out to you guys and spent a day with four of our readers and their GU Nissan Patrols hitting the tracks and putting the lifts they were running to the test. We also measured the off-road angles and put them up the 4WD Action travel ramp to see who had the most travel. Read on to see how each suspension lift did, both on paper and on the track.

WORKING THE ANGLES

Before getting into the fun stuff, we broke out the protractor and yardstick and got to work figuring out the off-road angles of each 4WD. We modified our measurements to remove any discrepancy between the individual tyre sizes to show the angular difference between the suspension lifts only. It should also be noted that your approach and departure angles may differ to our measurements depending on variables like barwork and the weight of the accessories fitted to the vehicle.

Interestingly, the wheelbase of the Patrol's was smaller on the highest lifted truck than the stocker by about an inch. This is because as the vehicle is raised, the trailing arms start moving through the downward arc that they would travel under normal suspension droop. The wheels essentially act as a pendulum and swing toward the middle of the chassis, resulting in a slight wheelbase reduction. Many people with significantly lifted Nissans opt to buy aftermarket arms that are slightly longer to push their wheelbase back out to counteract this effect.

WHICH LIFT AND WHY?

A 2in lift, with the right offset rims, on a GU will easily fit some 33s and you only need to go a little higher to squeeze some 35s into the arches. So why do people lift their 4WDS higher? More distance between your upper and lower coil towers means that longer shocks can also be used, which increases travel. Coupled with the increased clearance between the top edge of your tyre and the inner wheel arch, this allows a higher degree of up travel.