[bitingmidge]

Gidday,

All is just hunky dorey with the lift, EXCEPT I've half scrubbed the outer of the two new Pirelli Scorpions on the rear since leaving the coast 4,000 k's ago! The fronts are going just fine.

The guys that aligned the suspension gave me a bit of paper which triumphantly proclaimed that they'd managed to get to standard specs without using camber pins, but clearly the rear doesn't like that. Could be a combination of load and a bit less than standard camber required methinks. (or I somehow belted the rear simply completely out of whack somewhere - which is unlikely despite where we've been. )

Some of the wear is due to running low pressure on gravel (2,500 ks of that so far), but not all and I'll be lucky if they aren't cactus by the time I get to Adelaide, where I can get someone to look at it!

(No one on the Oodnadatta track that I'm aware of knows jack about Suzis... )

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, although I can't guarantee I can get back to the internet for a day or two or three.

Cheers,

P

[Bad_zook]

could you give me some details of your lift? my missus has an 08'and were keen to lift it 40/50mm and run 235/70r16's probably.. cheers.

[zook37]

Ok. being all indpendant I am thinking it could be a camber issue? I am not too familiar with the new generation Vitaras. Do they only have adjustable toe front and rear? or do they have adjustable camber. If they have adjustable camber, it could be load positioning issues?


If they are like the older zooks, they don't tend to like big suspension lifts too much without adjustable camber pins being fitted (just started a topic of my own on the same subject in the front end of mine ) The downward pressure of the lifted springs on the control arms tends to play merry hell with independant setups.




On the other side mate... Thumbs up for modifiying your late model!!

Looks tops! We are looking at a newbie for the missus very soon. .........As long as I can customise it!!!

[bitingmidge]

Thanks for the responses.

I've used Dobinsons springs (40mm) which measured at 40 front and 50 rear however I had the back seat and wheel cover off at the time so around 60 kg less weight in the back.

Currently the car is loaded to within 100 kg of GVM (I'll write about that when I get back) but is equipped with fridge, 100AH battery, drawer unit, second spare tyre, provision for 60 litres of fuel (empty) and 30 litres of water (mostly 15 litres carried). The seats are out, but the second spare and battery pretty much replace them weight wise. Much of the load is aft of the axle line (fridge and drawers), but it's not radically unbalanced.

As you can see from the pics it hardly sits down at the rear from memory 20 mm under load, (I'll check my notes tomorrow) much less than the standard springs.

I am as happy as can be with the lift and the springs, we've just travelled to Birdsville, had a brief foray into the Simpson, then up to Boulia, across the Plenty Highway to Alice Springs, did a bit of low range stuff over the hills and out at Palm Valley, down the Mereenie loop to King's Canyon and Uluru, now heading down the Oodnadatta track to Lake Eyre and the Flinders Ranges.

I haven't changed the shocks as yet, but will do so before the next big trip, although these have been fine. Only a couple of whinges after hitting a few potholes too hard, and coming off a rather large rock in the hills.

I too think it needs less camber than standard. I think when the suspension comes off load it's dragging the wheels under more than standard because of the lift, will find a suspension specialist in Adelaide when I get there. Does anyone have a recommendation?


Cheers,

P


The

[ODA1]

i would not think so as the struts and shocks are still factory and would prevent that.

[gravity_powered]

Is the rear toe in/out adjustable on the new GV's?

[zukigeorge]

What a great trip - how about posting some more info and pictures.
Would be good to know a little of roads conditions and where you needed extra fuel etc..

Are you having a look at Lake Eyre quite a bit of water at the moment so I'm told.

If you go up the Strzelecki to Innaminka the Coongie Lakes are worth a look also - so I am told.

I am planning to go to Innamicka and Coongie Lakes in my "not so Grand Vitara" in July

Cheers and have fun.

[steak_knife]

Get an alignment with your load in, it`s a pain in the butt cause you`ll have to get another when you get home, but it will save ya tyre`s fa now. The new GV`s were rear`s anyway, align them all you want, but every time your right foot get`s heavy the bum squats, pull`n a neg camber. nicer to drive lifted tho.

[bitingmidge]

Thanks again, will get the alignment with the load in, but what I can't figure is that it's the OUTSIDE that's wearing, if it was the "squat" surely it would be the inside?

I will definitely post some pics shortly, am in Coober Pedy currently, but trying to get to lake Eyre tomorrow before a rain front comes through and closes the roads for a few days.

Cheers,

P

[steak_knife]

I must of missed you saying outside, sorry. toe is adjustable but very limited.



Have fun away.

[felix]

if the tread is looking a bit feathered then i'd be leaning more towards too much toe in on the rear, however i dont see how this would've changed by lifting it.

if its just worn, then more towards camber, which is more likely with a lift.

Best is as others have suggested, get the car aligned when loaded up.

[gravity_powered]

I still think that if you have chewed out the outside edge of your tyres in just 4000km, it has to be waaaaay to much toe-in.

Either that or you've experienced lots of oversteer......

[bitingmidge]

Well it's just under 7000 k's and I've made it to civilisation, (some might argue with that definition I suspect) but the nice chaps at Bridgestone Mt Barker did the whole electronic diagnosis thing.

6mm too much toe in on the rear!

That might explain the half a litre or so per hundred k extra I've been using as well.

There's enough tread to get me home - just, it's all legal, but I'll be crossing my fingers in the shaley bits, but I carry two new spares just in case.

Then I'll have a word to the "experts" who set it up just before I left home, and after giving them a chance to explain themselves, I'll name names.

The Bridgestone guys have confirmed pretty much what I already knew:

There was nothing loose, and no way the adjustment can just "work" itself out.

Fronts were out as well, but not as badly.

Shame I couldn't have had it fixed when I noticed it in Bidourie eh! Might have saved two tyres.

On a brighter note, I've been very happy with the way the Pirellis have handled the gravel and rocks and they have also been terrific in the sand and on the road. Don't fancy their chances in serious mud, but where we have been and are going, serious mud stops bulldozers!

Cheers, and thanks for all the input.

P

[bitingmidge]

300 k's down the highway, and we're using one and a half litres less per kilometre than for the last 8,000 k's.

Let me see... at an average of $1.70 per litre where we've been, do you think the alignment guys will cough up the extra $130 their error has cost?

What about contributing to the tyres?

It will be an interesting conversation we have in a week or two.

On an unrelated note, my battery died today, a bit disappointing after only two and a half years, probably a combination of heat and vibration on all those corrugated roads methinks.

Cheers,

P

[gillett68]

which pirelli scorpions were you running and what size?

[bitingmidge]

225/70 x 16 And they are ATR's

Apart from the misalignment, which wasn't the fault of the tyre, they've been terrific. Great in the sand and gibber country and terrific on road as well.

Cheers,

P

[sblazely]

Juist a quick question where did you carry your second spare?