[sammie]

hey guys my name is sam and im from perth, recently i purchased a 94 suzuki vitara 2 door soft top and bitten by the 4x4 bug so my plans are a lift and sum bigger wheels and rubber, i hav talked to a suspension place abouta 2 suspension lift which they said should raise the car 40- 50mm my aim is to fit 30x9's on is this achievable or ? i will also be buying new rims 15x7. any thoughts would be great and one last thing can anyoen explain coil spacers ? and if im struggling for clearance would that be the next option anyway cheers fellas

sam

[royce]

hi sam welcome to auszookers

ther are a million options for lifts on a vit and alot depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to achieve from it

1 recomendation I would make is to include OME front struts (get them from ARB) as they are about the only ones that are longer than stock so you actually get more travel than stock, others will leave you effectivly with less travel day to day

rear shocks you can go with any name brand 4x4 shocks for the vit or do various mods to fit longer ones from a Commodore or aftermarket like rancho or pro comp

Springs will depend on what you want, nice ride with no extra load capacity or stiffer springs to help cope with extra like dual batteries and bull bars and such, I have stock GV springs cause I'm stingy and also have a lot of weight in the front of mine but lots of people like OME again and kings springs

coil spacers are basiclly that, a urethane spacer you put between the chassis and the diff to raise the car up, IMO they are only to help level a car out a bit and not for lifting as if you graph out your suspension you may well get 50mm static height but trying to compress the suspension that extra 50mm on the front at least will require you to place an extra 350 odd KG of force on that wheel, we worked that out to be only possible on a 60 degree downhill slop and 40 degree side angle, in other words you end up with less travel but no extra load capacity (other than if you like to jump things)

if you really want some (and after bagging them I have them in the rear of mine) PM Bruce on here, he will do you a better deal than anywhere you may see them on ebay or any other online shops

[sammie]

hey mate thnx for the advice my vit is pretty much exactly like urs in ur pic but a soft top i was quoted by my dads mate a grand to fit wilksinson suspension coils, and shocks for those who live in wa and that is alligned as well, he rekens i should fit 30x9's however im a bit skepticle about that as i dont think it will fit and ther ecould be some major rubbing as the lift wil only be between 40-50mm and my budget is extreme and not stingy lol willing to buy brand new parts

cheers again

sam

[sp1086]

Ok when I first got my Vit I put in a so called 2" lift which comprised of King Springs all round + OME front struts and rear shocks about $1k worth. I then got a set of 30 x 9.5 Maxxis Mudders on 7" rims which rubbed on the rear guards when the wheel traveled up into the guard. This could be due the rim offset but this was fixed by getting some of Bruce's spacers in there and a little angle grinding.

I now have a set of CALMINI 3" springs which I rekkon acctually raised the car more like 5"

You will need a genuine 50mm lift to get the size tyres you want. I have since found a place in Sydney who will freight you stuff and their prices are great. I recomend Tough Dogs for the front as they are 80mm longer than standard Vit struts and are cheaper than the OME ones.. Oh and you get some cool yellow covers + Camber adjustment pins are included.

Check out -- > http://www.bbmotorsports.com.au

I just lifted my mate DaVo's vit on the weekend here are some pics.

The Before Shot.


Front Tough Dogs, King 2" Springs & 25mm Spacers. Thanks Bruce!


Rear Rancho 9000x adjustables, Knig 2" Springs & 50mm Spacers.


The After Shot.

Hey thats me fixing the diff breather..

My Vit with CALMINI Springs OME Shocks but extended.


Hope this helps.

[cj_zuki]

sp1086 wrote:

I recomend Tough Dogs for the front as they are 80mm longer than standard Vit struts and are cheaper than the OME ones..

Have Tough Dog changed their struts to a longer travel strut like OME or are they still using a stock length strut with an extension?

[sp1086]

The Tough Dogs as seen above are 80mm longer than standard Vitara struts. I think my OME struts are only 40mm longer than standard.

[royce]

how long are they compressed? I think what cj is getting at is they may be longer but still have the same travel as stock, which kinda defeats the purpose for anything bar show off height

[cj_zuki]

Tough Dogs (unless they have changed) use just like Calmini, a stock length strut and space it down. You gain no more total travel than a stock strut provides but it is repositioned to suit the lift. That is you get a little more droop but lose a little on compression unlike the OME struts which actually offer more total travel and even Calmini are bringing a longer travel strut out to address this issue. The other factor to consider is the valving and OME at this stage seems to have the best valving rates. Another strut option that does offer more travel is Dobinsons (and they're priced pretty good too) although I have had no experience with them but their springs do seem to be a bit on the firm side along with others like Kings. A lot of people seem to think that spring rates are the only thing that effects the ride but the valving of the struts and shocks also plays a major part. This has been noted buy some who originally went with a cheap option and then later swapped to a better choice and enjoyed a much improved ride. There are plenty of cheap ways to alter the Vitara suspension but that doesn't always equate to being the equal of some of the more expensive options. It is quite often (but not always) a case of you get what you pay for. Having said this if Tough Dog have changed to longer travel strut I would be most interested to know the open and closed length measurements.

[sammie]

hey mate thnx for the info so pretty much if no one can gurantee me a 50mm lift ? im not likely gona get 30x9's on if so i might have to do more researching im always hesitant when buying off the net especially as im new to 4x4 im used to it with my skyline lol but hate when you order something and take it toa workshop and they say its wrong :/

sam

[sammie]

if anyones from perth do u know what kind of springs and shocks wilkinsons suspension use il try find out

[royce]

you wont get a 50mm off the shelf lift simply cause you cant do it to a vit easilly, you need longer struts and camber pins and then you get issues with too much load on the cv's and no wheel travel

so they all do 30mm, lot cheaper to make and garauntee
you can look at USA 4x4 or whover they are over there for a calmini 3" kit, its pretty well done for the money

[cj_zuki]

There are options such as using lwb or GV etc. spring options. On my 2.0 V6 lwb the OME XL-7 front springs gave 3" of lift. On my 1.6 lwb I used the HD lwb springs and 20mm (2x 10mm) of coil spacers. On my swb 1.6 the Calmini 3" springs gave even more than 3".

Fitting 30x9.5's can be done but it depends on what rim width and offset you run and what trimming and/or hammering you are prepared to do to make things fit. We had one guy in the club fit 33x12.5's on a swb Vit with no bodylift and minor suspension work but a lot of cutting and hammering. 235/75R15's are only a touch smaller than a 30x9.5 and they fit on a stock Vit. You may find that on top of the basic suspension lift doing things like adjusting the steering stops a touch, rolling the guard a little, fitting a small coil spacer or maybe a bumpstop extension such as the OME XL-7 20mm bumpstop spacer may be enough.

[sammie]

i looked at the calmini option quite expensive i guess il hav to just put smaller wheels on then maybe i got quoted for a calmini 3' lift fitted is 2700 bucks lol quite a fair bit i was aiming for around 2 grand or just over for a lift and new wheels, when i was at the workshop he put a 30x9 up against my car and said witha lift we should be able to fit them but there wil be a chance of scrubbing as i would of thought so what else can i do once i hav the lift in to ad clearance would it be struts? how abot coil spacers to

cheers for info helping alot

sam

[sammie]

cj_zuki so there are quite a few options to get clearance then i scanned read that lol read properly then maybe its best i got for the lift then see what happens?

[steve]

Make sure you get Chris's "sill lift" too

[sammie]

haha his car looks good ! and his work he did on his mates car looks sick right now for me is getting the right lift or parts :/ lol dont wanna spend the cash and not be able to fit the wheels i want and for the rims im plannign on getting are 15x7's same style as the pic above

[Grantlington]

gday sam.

im from perth too and just picked up my 3 inch calmini lift today.

im looking to fit 16x7 inch rims with 255/70 tyres.

whwere abouts from perth are you from?

[sammie]

hey mate i live in kallaroo and how much did ya pay for ur calmini ? as my zook is just a daily drive im not to keen on spending alot lol but yeah my aim is to fit 30x9's if u got any ideas or places i can see in perth let me know cheers mate

sam

[Grantlington]

i paid 1755 for just the kit. (cost me 1955 due to it needing some mods as i got the widetrack vitara) fitting thru them would be about a grand so im looking around but i got some offers from perth4x4 blokes to help me do it myself.

[cj_zuki]

Grantlington wrote:

i paid 1755 for just the kit. (cost me 1955 due to it needing some mods as i got the widetrack vitara) fitting thru them would be about a grand so im looking around but i got some offers from perth4x4 blokes to help me do it myself.

It's pretty straight forward and you'll do it in a day. Have it booked in for a wheel alignment straight away, it'll need it. You'll actually need to adjust the toe-in yourself to drive it there. As long as you get the it fairly close it'll be ok for driving it to them. Also make sure you lube the bushes well or it will squeak like a %$#^%. Do your tightening up of the control and trailing arms with the car on the ground, not up on stands. You will need a grinder handy too.

[atari4x4]

Grantlington wrote:

i paid 1755 for just the kit. (cost me 1955 due to it needing some mods as i got the widetrack vitara) fitting thru them would be about a grand so im looking around but i got some offers from perth4x4 blokes to help me do it myself.

hey grant, what did 4wdusa change on ya calmini kit??

did they shed any light on the installation issues??

[cj_zuki]

The only things that need changing are the two front diff drop brackets as the mounting points on the chassis are wider apart.

[sammie]

well i showed my dads mate at the suspension workshop this thread and was quite amazed lol he made a few phone calls around perth and lots of ppl dont reken its safe .. but i said to him alot of ppl hav managed to fit 30x9's on a vit some even 31's so hes going to do some research whilst i help him to im thinking of trying the set up in the first page with the tough dog front shocks and rancho rears with spacers ? not many ppl in wa recomend spacers they all say its to dangerous etc, however if i can get a hold of some he cant fit along with a 2 susp lift once we find out what type of shocks and coils will get me a genuine 50mm lift along with spacers to help for clearance anyoen got prices for that set up on the first page cheers again guys lots of help !!

sam

[Grantlington]

yeah the tyres im going for are a 255/70/16 so i think that works out to be a 30.25x10 or soemthing like that.

cant wait to see what it looks like but.

And i picked up my rims today - 16x7 with 0 offset and they dont bloody fit! pissed off ay. so im looking at either getting new rims, (ie getting the people i bought them off to take it back) getting them modified or shaving the caliper (not something i really want to do )

[sp1086]

OK my mate DaVo got his tyres fitted yesterday. They are MAXXIS BIGHORN's 245/75/16 on black sunraisers..

Had to do a little grinding of plastic bumper on the front but even on full lock they dont hit the chassis rails. I havent adjusted the stopers either..

We still have to lift the front aup a bit more. We think that we got the wrong springs in the front.. Im thinking that they are from a 92 Vit not for a 98. But it still looks tuff.

[sammie]

hey nice work any pics perhaps ? i just got my 15x7 ranger wheels powder coated today and anychance u could list the susp type,coils and spacers used maybe wher ei can get them from and how much cheers again mate

sam

[sammie]

lol there is a pic sorry !

[sammie]

anyone know where i can get a hold of 25mm spacers ? like in the first page

cheers sam

[Bruce]

sammie wrote:

anyone know where i can get a hold of 25mm spacers ? like in the first page

cheers sam

I'm assuming you are talkin about the 25mm yellow spring spacers?????
I make them from 10mm to 50mm
The one on the first page are the one that he got from me.

[sammie]

hey bruce thanx for the info and everyone else i dont think il be doing anything to soon, as of yesterday my zook is a right off due to a dickhead truck driver :/ i managed to survive witha beaten up face broke my nose, gash over my eye and bruised forehead anyway cheers for the help

sam