[wipikafish]

[31zook]

for what you want to drive, i don't think a RUF would be worth it, just chuck a standard spring lift in, and drive it.

[mnemonix]

I tend to agree with Josh on this one.
If your offroading consists of beach driving with the family and bashing over hills and between paddocks in the upper hunter, you won't see any real benefits from vastly improved articulation.

Pick tyres that suit your needs, then a basic spring lift to provide clearance as required.

a 2" efs/ome/brand of choice spring kit with matched shocks, some grinder and hammer work in the guards to provide clearance, and bobs your uncle.

Fit a recovery hook front and rear and throw some basic recovery gear, ie: straps/shackles in the back and you'll be sweet on the beach.
If the locations you hunt have soft paddocks, mud or tricky gullys to navigate, consider a winch bar and cheap electric winch (pm "Dank" on here) to suit. Or a hand tirfor if you're feeling fit.

Your rear lockrite will go a long way to stop you from getting stuck in these sorts of terrain.

[nato78]

Based on what you intend to use it for, I agree that a simple 2in spring lift will be more than adequate.

Lifted springs won't help your tye clearance at flex, so If you find your tyres still scrub after you've mashed all your seams flat and trimmed your front bar/mounts then go for either a 2in body lift or extend your bump stops by the same amount.

If, once you've used this set up for a bit, you decide that you want more articulation, start by removing your sway bar, followed by removing 1 or 2 leafs out of each spring pack.

Above is essentially the set up that I run, so if you wanna come round and have a look, feel free.

Nathan

[neofitou]

My first sierra ran 215s and I never needed anything else.
If you are not experinced (like I wasnt) I suggest starting off with just some 215s and the spring lift.
Ive had other bigger cars (Pajeros, a Land Rover) along the way, then went back to a sierra that was close to your proposed specs, now I'm back on 215s in the Jimny and driving some pretty amazing terrain over here.

Join a club, or go on some easy trips (with clubs or auszookers folk) and enjoy yourself, many clubs offer some training, they mostly cover high country/camping trip type driving, but its a good place to start.
Get some understanding of what terrain you are driving then decide on which way to go with the mods.


Some 2c on your actual questions.
You dont need a body lift for 31s, and the modifications (hammer, bumpstops, grinding) are a pretty good place to start learning Fab stuff.
If you are going to put on 31"s you will need new gears in your transfer case.

To do RUF to Engineered specs it is a BIG job, if you cant do it yourself or with some mates and want to do it engineered then be prepared to pay a lot.

[wipikafish]

Found these EFS springs in a kit on Ebay model number:
SUZ03E and SUZ05E
Would they be suitable for my needs?
Realy appreciated the advice so far!
Cheers,
Andrew