“Just got my new w ute mate. ““Looks good, ‘bro. Bit plain though?” “Reckon. Still, , I’ll get some new wheels, a nudgie udgie and whack one of those canopies nopies on, she’ll be all goods.” “Yeah, mate, but what’ll that do to your payload?” ?” Good to see someone knows what he’s talking about. The range of accessory items for the working vehicle is as diverse as the businesses usinesses that buy/lease the vehicles hicles – and all will certainly help p when it comes to carrying cargo, o, but – and it’s a proper Jennifer Lopez L ‘but’ ‘b t’ – you could be loading your vehicle beyond what is legal, and that’s before you start putting stuff in it. Every ute payload is calculated by subtracting the kerb mass of the vehicle from the gross vehicle mass as the vehicle leaves the factory, and that payload is often less than 1000kgs. So you decided to upgrade your factory steel wheels to larger alloys, put some chunkier tyres on those, add a nudge bar and then throw a canopy on, you’ve already started to eat into your payload. Now N add dd you, a workmate k t or two, a box worth of tools, gear or whatever, well, there’s another 300 to 400kg of payload you’ve just lost. Call your accessories a conservative 200kg, and your 1000kg payload is now closer to 400kg – possibly less. And you haven’t started using the ute to carry anything yet! Is there a solution? Glad you asked; yes, there is. It comes from SAS Autoparts, a familyrun business, specialising in suspension solutions. SAS Autoparts has partnered with leading Australian suspension specialist Pedders, to t import i t and d exclusively l i l distribute Pedders’ new GVM + suspension upgrade kits here in New Zealand. Developed with operators of constantly loaded light utility vehicles in mind, the kits contain everything you need to increase the payload of a range of popular utes (both wellside and cab/chassis with deck) by up to 700kgs. Approved by all relevant authorities in New Zealand and Australia, the kits comprise new, heavy-duty front struts and coil springs, new rear leaf springs and shock absorbers, all the necessary bolts and bushes, and – when fitted by an approved installer – come with a two-year/40,000km Pedders’ warranty and a compliance plate. Codie Banks of SAS Autoparts says the GVM+ Kits are proving very popular across the Tasman. “Buyers – be they tradies, recreational users, or fleet operators – are asking more and more of their vehicles, particularly their utes. By and large, the manufacturers are delivering, hence why they are so popular, l b but t like lik everything thi there are limits, which a lot of people are finding, even in everyday use. “What we’re saying is: ‘hey guys, we get it. Here’s a product tailor-made to help you get your ute or van – which you are regularly overloading to the point of being illegal, but which is otherwise doing the job for you – able to do carry what you need to carry, without breaking the rules or the vehicle.” For more information, visit the www.sasgroup.co.nz website.