[redzook91]

Hi all,

New to this forum and seeking some advice about lifting an LWB vitara. I don't have the dosh for a proper lift kit or a body lift so my best option (as far as i can see, anyway) is a set of spring spacers. I'm just wondering if there are any horror stories/good reports of these things.

Cheers for any help

[royce]

dont bother, save your money for some decent shocks and springs so you get a decent ride and better wheel travel, spacers are useless

[dezook]

Definately worth saving for. I fitted o.m.e.'s to mine and you wouldn't believe the difference it makes to the handling. You only get what you pay for.

[redzook91]

righto, cheers guys.

Dezook - my vitara is pretty much yours in standard from, same colour and all. love what you've made of it

The dilemma i have is whether to get an auto-locker for the front or the lift. This is why i was looking at the spacers cause good lifts are so damn expensive, the locker and the spacers is sort of like a 2-for-the-price-of-1 thing...

[royce]

lift isnt dear, shop smart and read lots on here

locker will just pop the alloy front diff

[atari4x4]

hey redzook91, welcome to auszookers.... glad you made it over here.

[redzook91]

Fair enough, gonna have to read around. I hear that a lot about the front diffs, are they really that weak? i dont put a heap of pressure on it when im off road, more look for the best line and take it slow, try to get some good flex and make a mockery of much bigger trucks haha. alternatively are auto-lockers as effective in the rear?

Man, i should have come to this forum first...

[redzook91]

and ATARI, cheers for the invite and welcome

[dave07]

if your into chosing the best line then rather get a 2 inch body or suspension lift and then save for some mud terrrains. 30's run well without having to go into reduction gears. Mines still open diff and dont intend to get them locked. its more of a challenge more technique is needed and more concentration. My little shorty goes where the big rigs go just more thought of choice of line.

also if your good with your hand u could make your own body lift kit pretty easy done mine like and its been through the pits and totally legal saved heaps and put that money towards some bigger rubber

[redzook91]

mate for that kind of thing my hands might as well be feet.
mine's the same, i may have to sit and look at the track for a bit longer but give it time and some thought and the little bugger goes great. i'd still like a locker though, cause of the ifs .
I've already got some good tyres - not muddies but 29'' 235 A/T's, which have heaps of grip.
Cheers for the input mate

[dave07]

Thats the fun with ifs....trying to keep all fours on the ground

[redzook91]

just done a bit of reading around and i reckon you're right.
my favorite part of the vitara is it's 2wd capability. one trip we were going up a farily steep rutted track with a triton and a prado up our clacker and when we got to the top they pulled up and said 'shit that was a bit hairy, but the little zook did it so we had to have a go'. should have seen their faces when i said i was still in 2wd haha

[rob_macca67]

Just curious.....

What sort of $$ have u got to spend ?? and what typre of 4wheeling do u do ??

[redzook91]

rob_macca67 wrote:

What sort of $$ have u got to spend ?? and what typre of 4wheeling do u do ??

Quick answer - not much and a bit of everything; beach, mud, rocks, rutted hillclimbs... whatever the trail turns in to .

With the $$$ side of things it's really a case of one thing or the other. I really just want the cheapest option that will get me the furthest, just like everyone

[Bucket]

Hey mate, welcome to AZ! You should start a thread in the rigs section so we can follow whatever you decide to go with.

From what I gather, steer away from coil spacers. Thres a lot of good options out there; OME, Ironman, commo shocks/something spring combo. Do a bit of searching because there's a lot of vitaras on here using different setups. Sure you'll find something within your price range.

As for the auto locker in the front, you'd definatly have to replace the front diff with a GV housing or it'll just bust with the extra strain from the locker.


Goodluck mate!

[redzook91]

Cheers for the info bucket, I'll have a read around at what other blokes have done. Thanks for the welcome too

[rob_macca67]

redzook91 wrote:

rob_macca67 wrote:

What sort of $$ have u got to spend ?? and what typre of 4wheeling do u do ??

Quick answer - not much and a bit of everything; beach, mud, rocks, rutted hillclimbs... whatever the trail turns in to .

With the $$$ side of things it's really a case of one thing or the other. I really just want the cheapest option that will get me the furthest, just like everyone

When I got my LWB Vit, I was in a similiar sort of place and just went for King Coils all round and some Co-Fab shocks & Struts with spacers in the Front(20mm) & Rear(30mm) to get my lift I wanted....
This was OK for awhile until I got use to the vehicle and wanted to try harder tracks, etc. This is where I really started looking into it more and changed what I had.... a little.

Rear: To get the Rear Wheel Travel in my Vit I went for Commodore shocks with Dobinson XL7 HD Coils. These coils have a longer longer free length in them than GV or Vit Coils which enabled me to remove the spacers in the rear and keep the rear same height. From here I fitted Gabriel Ultra Commodore Shocks and a 35mm Helm spacer above the rear diff. This enabled me to get the most wheel travel from the shocks w/o too much stress on the Helm Joint (Note: The XL7 Coil is not too heavy and still gives me a comfortable ride)

Front: I pretty much kept what I had in the Front (King Coils) but changed from a 20mm to a 30mm spacer and also did a Top Strut flip. This is not the best but will do until the struts wear out and I'll replace them with OME. Regarding King Coils and Spacers.... I'll probably leave them as is or until I decide whether I want a winch or not.... then I may research what GV Coil would meet my needs....

This is just what I did and it currently meets my needs but I'm sure others will have differing opinions &/or better ideas

[redzook91]

Rob, thanks for that. You've pretty much described what i want to do . how are the kings and struts price wise?

Luckily i do have a mate that progresively lowered his vs commodore and has springs of varying lengths, so i'll look into how these would fit (didn't even think of them possibly fitting old Suzy haha). one question though, is it the front or rear springs that fit the vitaras? or is it so easy that the front fit the front and the back fit the back?(i doubt it, nothing is ever that simple in 4x4 mods haha)

[rob_macca67]

redzook91 wrote:

Rob, thanks for that. You've pretty much described what i want to do . how are the kings and struts price wise?

Luckily i do have a mate that progresively lowered his vs commodore and has springs of varying lengths, so i'll look into how these would fit (didn't even think of them possibly fitting old Suzy haha). one question though, is it the front or rear springs that fit the vitaras? or is it so easy that the front fit the front and the back fit the back?(i doubt it, nothing is ever that simple in 4x4 mods haha)

I think u may have misunderstood what I was saying...... I used Commodore Rear "Shocks" only for the rear of my Vitara. Use the ones from a Commodore that has a Solid Rear Diff and NOT the Independant Rear Suspension ones. These are way TOO long and need modifying to fit.

As far as the Rear Coils.... I used the ones for a Suzuki XL7 but I went for the Dobinson Brand as these have a longer Free Length to them......

[redzook91]

Oh righto, my bad.

Cheers for that mate, i'll have a shop round

[DSzuke]

redzook91 wrote:

Luckily i do have a mate that progresively lowered his vs commodore and has springs of varying lengths, so i'll look into how these would fit (didn't even think of them possibly fitting old Suzy haha).

you've probably read somewhere that Holden GEMINI springs fit in the rear. I have some diesel ones in mine and they are good.