[oneinkedgeek]

having wrecked my truck, im considering going to a LWB GV in order to make taking the kids away a better experience (camping, towing, sleeping) In terms of models... is there a model which is prefered ?

Older without Airbags and ABS ?
Newer with Airbags and ABS ?

How about engine, 4cyl 2.0 L, V6 2.0L or V6 2.5L ?

Of course personal prefrence will always come into it, but i just wanted some input from people with LWB GV's who do have "X" and wish they got "Y" because of "Z"

Thanks

[vitzookman]

i had a 5 door GV and thought it was great but always found it cramped with having 2 kids and a dog plus our camping gear.

Now i have the XL7 i have a massive boot for the gear and love it

i would not touch a 5 door 2L , in the 5 seater its 2.5L all the way

[klutched]

I have a 99 GV, glad I have it because it doesn't have ABS or Air bags which means I can body lift and have custom front bars that don't need to be air bag approved.

Defs get a 2.5L, I can imagine the 2l 4cyl would be so shit O.O

[Chop]

I'm gonna say get the 2.5 as I test drove a 2.0 when looking for mine it it was noticeably different. I'm bias towards the updated models, they got the new interior more power on those upgrades. mine has airbags but no abs on an 03 model.
IMO bodylift leads to fitting bigger tyres and bigger problems down the track.

[zoukshin]

My '04 2.5 GV does a great job for what is. I have an ECB (ABS ok) bar and a few other mods, enough to take me places.
I have seen, and have been told, that the XL7 (2.7L V6) has got more space, which is nice, but has some limitations in terms of mods.
As many have said before, the 2.5L is the must-have. But gosh I wish we had the 1.8 Turbo D they have in Europe
Mine has got the new dash, which is pain for custom radio/cd player updates, but other than that, it's great !

[klutched]

If you didn't want to fit big tyres then you wouldn't body lift. What problems does body lift cause?

[zoukshin]

klutched wrote:

If you didn't want to fit big tyres then you wouldn't body lift. What problems does body lift cause?

Could be, from what I have heard around and read in some threads here, to do with center of gravity shifting, making the thing more wobbly and cause more stress on all the moving parts ? legal issues as well maybe

What I got from it was that bigger tyres with a suspension lift was clearly a superior choice to body lifting. But that can be argued of course

[atari4x4]

klutched wrote:

If you didn't want to fit big tyres then you wouldn't body lift. What problems does body lift cause?

it's not the bodylift that causes the real isses, it's the ability to fit even larger tyres that does the damage & yours is a prime example of it shitting itself regularly.

[klutched]

zoukshin wrote:

klutched wrote:

If you didn't want to fit big tyres then you wouldn't body lift. What problems does body lift cause?

Could be, from what I have heard around and read in some threads here, to do with center of gravity shifting, making the thing more wobbly and cause more stress on all the moving parts ? legal issues as well maybe

What I got from it was that bigger tyres with a suspension lift was clearly a superior choice to body lifting. But that can be argued of course

Yeah it does move your center of gravity a bit, I can still get on some pretty scary angles.

But yeah depends what you want to do. I need a fair bit of clearance to drive the terrain I want to drive hence the body lift to clear 32s. Some people only want to drive beach/mild terrain and only need 2" lift with a bit bigger tyres.

[just_cruizin]

Centre of gravity is affected more by suspension lift then BL, pretty simple when you think about what's moving. A good suspension lift won't provide tyre clearance, in fact if it works well it will actually decrease clearance.

From previous posts on this forum a few years ago I thought the 2.0 4 cyl was a good engine

[atari4x4]

just_cruizin wrote:

Centre of gravity is affected more by suspension lift then BL, pretty simple when you think about what's moving. A good suspension lift won't provide tyre clearance, in fact if it works well it will actually decrease clearance.

From previous posts on this forum a few years ago I thought the 2.0 4 cyl was a good engine

this x 2

[just_cruizin]

zoukshin wrote:

Could be, from what I have heard around and read in some threads here, to do with center of gravity shifting, making the thing more wobbly and cause more stress on all the moving parts ? legal issues as well maybe

What I got from it was that bigger tyres with a suspension lift was clearly a superior choice to body lifting. But that can be argued of course

This is the type of mis-information that sees people doing the wrong thing and causing issues.

Ok, I sell BL's but they are not for everyone or all applications. However some logical thinking about position of mass, stability of long coil springs and drive line angles would draw attention to the "benefits" of high suspension lifts

[fordem]

Just be aware that the XL-7 uses a larger rear diff and there are no lockers available ...

[Sco-tie]

2.5 V6 GV I've got the 04 manual which has abs, air bags, steel diff and all the mod cons. Will be way bigger than your current SWB. XL7 if you really want to tour but the over hang and modding them can be a bit tricky. Good all rounder is the 2.5l LWB GV. Depends what you want. You can get an earlier model and do a BL dont have to do a 2in can just do a 1in and fit bigger tyes with bumpstops will get you most places. That plus locker shouldnt have any trouble if you pick your line right.

[Built4thrashing]

fordem wrote:

Just be aware that the XL-7 uses a larger rear diff and there are no lockers available ...

Not Yet

[ZUZUKI]

Had our 1999 5 door 2.5 V6 manual from new - fantastic jigger, had & continue to have a great run and fun from it.
Test drove the 2.0 4cyl at the time & while it seems to be a good enough engine, it didn't seem to be quite enough engine for the 5 door wagon.
Have found situations where the 106kW of the early 2.5 has been barely enough.
Ours is a "Limited" which came as a package of alloy wheels, gold badges, leather trim abs & dual airbags - almost wish we went for the std car without airbags as it has restricted my mod plans over the years, but then again, we haven't crashed it & if we did, I'm sure we would have thought the airbags were the right call.
Did fit a TJM alloy airbag compatible bullbar, OME suspension lift, 225/75R16 tyres & skid plates and it consistently surprises people I 4WD with, about where it will go.
It is a bit tight in the cargo area, but I'd prefer that to the ramp over & rear overhang limitations of the XL7 - for the 'push it to it's limits' 4WDriving I do from time to time.
Auto cars had an alloy front diff, which is a weakness but not hard to swap for a manual versions steel diff. I've found it too low to the ground for deep sand & not very sand-proof.
The V6 suffers from timing chain/adjuster/lifter wear (can go for years sounding yuck, but has been known to turn engines into scrap if chain lets go) and an oil leak from the L/H/F of the engine (crankshaft bearing cradle - no problem, just leaks). Both big & complicated jobs to fix
These are getting affordably cheap now - $5k upwards.
A second generation JB Grand LWB seem to start at $12k. I think the earliest ones didn't have traction control (could be wrong there), but with it, they seem to be reasonably capable, but not ultimately as 'modifiable' as the 1st gen cars, which have a chassis & live rear axle.
Have fun, Michael

[Chop]

Later model GV's with the upgrade have a steel diff in the auto models. My 03 has one.
And it loves the sand!

[Joe]

I have both 2L swb SQ and 2.5L lwb SQ both auto
If it's just me and the misses going away for the weekend the swb is fine with all our gear and towing the quad and trailer (400kgs) it sits on 110 nicely does have 5.12 diff gears and 245/70r16's
If we have the kids or are towing the camper we use the lwb the extra power tows with ease

[christover1]

Chop wrote:

Later model GV's with the upgrade have a steel diff in the auto models. My 03 has one.
And it loves the sand!

Might be my next project

[Built4thrashing]

christover1 wrote:

Chop wrote:

Later model GV's with the upgrade have a steel diff in the auto models. My 03 has one.
And it loves the sand!

Might be my next project

You already have the steel diff and twin lockers so just get an earlier model. ..... All you will have to do is a diff swap, drop in some lift and your set.

[christover1]

It is my after winning Tatts idea

Or realistically just fit a bigger engine in mine.
J20 is the most likely.
Conversion kits are available.