[Jesse44]

Will putting a three inch suspensions lift on my vitara make It roll heaps moe around corners ??????

[kenn]

It depends on the quality of the system and how we'll it's installed !

[Jesse44]

Has anyone installed a calmini system and if so how well did it perform?

[Gwagensteve]

I can't speak for every suspension lift, but I can say that the Calmini 3" kit does increase body roll, and in the case of a Vitara, that's a very, very good thing.

Vitaras handle TERRIBLY in standard form. There is a large mismatch in roll centre front to rear, (with the front roll centre being very low) and as a result they do corner flat and turn in really well, but the high rear roll centre makes the rear of the car feel like it has a high centre of gravity. In standard form, vitaras feel tail happy, and in my opinion they do spin far too easily. An ex GF had one with standard suspension and it made me very nervous to drive (and at the time my road car was a lifted hilux, so I wasn't comparing it to a road car)

3" of suspension lift raises the front roll centre a lot., but the rear roll centre doesn't come up at all. This makes the car slower to turn in and body roll more (it feels more like a 4WD and less like a car) but the handling is much more predictable and you can feel cornering load on the front tyres much more effectively. In short, I think a 3" lift can make a Vitara handle correctly.

Do some research on the Calmini kit. Lots of parts in the kit are pointless/of poor quality, but the front arms and springs (depending on your car weight) are good.

Don't be tempted to stack spring spacers and do other hack stuff to get 3" of lift using the standard front arms. 3" of lift really requires an aftermarket front A arm to get the alignment and spring position correct.

I disagree that there is any way you could "install" a 3" lift which would increase body roll.

Steve.

[suzukiboy]

I can out drive many road cars through the corners in my Vitara, never felt it wanting to tip over, feels bit like a go cart.

Vit is just lacking any sort of power.

[Gwagensteve]

suzukiboy wrote:

feels bit like a go cart.

And that's precisely the problem. A vitara shouldn't feel like a go kart. Go karts inherently want to leave the track backwards at high speed, which is exactly what a stock vitara will do.

Steve.

[kenn]

What drugs are you on Steve ? I've been driving Vitaras since they were first realesed and none of them have ever made me fell like they were tail happy. Either your ex had a dud one or you don't know what you're doing with a steering wheel.

[jimnynutter]

Love my lifted vitara I can corner super hard at the last second and it never feels like it wants to tip.
So you can sail through roundabouts with a fair bit of speed too(Canberra has heaps). If I lose the back end in the wet(has to be really really wet) it's really predictable and with some work and bloody quick hands you can bring it back inline and keep it going and power out and away. Makes you feel like a hero recovering from a tail side but in reality outsiders probably think you look like a twat.
I lost it massively once, was my own stupid fault when i carried way way too much speed Into a sharp right hander, managed to clutch kick it and floor it but swing the wheel the other way and bring it back miraculously was a fuckin miracle I didn't die, the car grabbed some ponies hidden somewhere to help me out.

[Gwagensteve]

All the stock SWB vitaras I've driven must have been "duds" then Ken, because they have all felt terrible. Very difficult to assess the limit of front and rear grip - they feel really disconnected. In that sense, they feel a bit like a WRX - another car with a low front COG and roll centre relative to the rear that doesn't handle properly.

A LWB with OME struts and Calmini arms and springs in it felt lovely though, and I reckon it's mostly because of the low front spring rate and raising the front roll centre.

Steve.

[just_cruizin]

Why are these boostcruizin boys driving vitaras and not 180SX's. they are a 4wd not a sports car and should be driven as such. Take it offroad and wheel it. Then yes a 3" lift will make it tip easier but also drive a lot better also

[Gwagensteve]

^This.

[kenn]

Yeah Steve you booster, with your WRX's and driving Vitaras to hard that they go backwards out of corners. Obviously I don't drive hard enough to notice these handling problems you have with Vitaras, oh well I'll just put it down to my lack of experience then.

[Gwagensteve]

I guess Suzuki felt they were fine too, they lowered the rear roll centre heaps on the GV for no reason.

[Bucket]

You two need to take your bad blood elsewhere and stop letting it spill over onto the forum.

Your both respected guys, take it somewhere else.

[Gwagensteve]

With respect bucket, I'm taking task with Kenn over this because he's not adding any helpful tech and is principally adding confusion by, for example, claiming that handling might only be negatively affected if the lift is incorrectly installed.

My understanding therefore of kens point is that stock vitaras drive really well and lifted 3" vitaras drive really well so long as you use unspecified components and install those components "correctly"

I think that's nonsense. Ken normally offers wise advice but I don't think he is adding anything to this thread, he's just using it as an opportunity to disagree with me without anything to actually assist with.

[JrZook]

What I believe G-banger is saying is that the miss-matched roll centers on a stock vit causes very heavy tire loading on the rear so when it does break loose, whether it be dry or wet, it will have the tendency to abruptly hook and spin therefore being very unpredictable and quite a handful.

Kenn just because you haven't felt this/don't understand/have a grudge against gbang cause you're JB's assistant doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If you don't have any technical aspects to add just STFU. You make yourself look like a nob just fishing to argue for the sake of it. Yea G-bang found the limits of the vit and determined it's response which is not a bad thing at all. Better then finding it when you hit a patch of diesel on a wet road for the first time and having no idea how it will respond or to correct it.

[Marko_SJ]

Everyone always wants to jump down each others throats here. Ya really wouldn't wanna have a different opinion to "the mob".

Yes I did not add anything to the thread. I will say that I have had hairy moments in a vit.

They roll around heaps and slide like Steve said.

But then again, that was with a person driving like a complete knob. I did not feel safe in the car, nor would I if it was around me when I was driving my own car.

They should be driven carefully as Ken said.

Ken and Steve both make good points. Easily solved by not pushing your 4wd hard onroad, and sierras for everyone instead of silly vits

[joeblow]

Pssssttttt.....Let you guys in on something.

SWB ANYTHING is famous for a twitchy ass end. That's a no brainer. This "twitchyness" can also vary depending on load and tyre pressure in said vehicle.

Suzuki have done really well with that model. There are far worse handling vehicles in the SWB arena, Jimny and Sierra to name but a few.

The miss-matched roll center thingy......That's an inherent problem with IFS. Again though, the Vitara is one of the better vehicles.

Any suspension lift can be worse or better. Way too many factors involved and way too many components to try. A reputable lift will give you a great compromise between most varying conditions. A bad lift will do what a bad lift does and make driving the vehicle and it's "feel" a lot harder on the driver.

Again, if a reputable lift is fitted, tyre pressure, vehicle weight and most importantly the asshat driving it will play an equal amount in the way the vehicle handles.

And last time I checked an early GV roll center was negligible compared to that of it's earlier Vitara stable mate. Many things come into play here amongst the slight variation in suspension setup. Those include wider track, heavier weight, uprated springs, better roll due to panhard and elimination of the center ball joint for control arms with bonded bushes. The main difference in handling is the increase in bulk of the GV.

[joeblow]

JrZook wrote:

cause you're JB's assistant

I rekon I'm getting old grumpy and slow (i just noticed this) . Don't take this the wrong way. Don't fucken name names and get me involved.

Like myself, we all have our history with others.

Back to the tech, or wives tails, same thing .

[jimny_timmy]

Man I didn't even think there was hate in this thread... I could see the tech coming from both sides.

Needs a keensy type hissyfit to get my attention lol

[jimny_timmy]

And just to throw a calmer note... I think you need a new avatar Joe

[kenn]

I just wish to clarify one thing, I'm Joes friend, not his assistant, I run my own business.
See not everything you read on the internet is true.
Bye, bye.

[henno]

So, to summarise for us newbies... Vitara suspension is bad, kinda maybe but sorta not? And kenn doesn't work for joe but everyone should do a centre roll in the rear with a g-banger while boosting a WRX with an ex girlfriend. Got it.

[droverdave]

22 posts, has anyone actually directly answered the question.

I think its surfice to say that if you increase the centre of gravity of the sprung weight of the car by 3" it wont make it roll less in corners.

[Gwagensteve]

Correct. I maintain in the case of a vitara, that improves the handling and feel of the car, even though body roll has increased and outright cornering limits (for the front) have been lowered.

I highlighted the unusual suspension design of the vitara that permits this to be the case, because it's not normal.

Steve.

[Jameszook]

If u put them tite into a corner they do mad skids when u floor it

[Gwagensteve]

For sure. I reckon they generate poor traction out of the rear end I general- on and off road.

Steve.

[joeblow]

jimny_timmy wrote:

And just to throw a calmer note... I think you need a new avatar Joe

I agree. I can picture it now.........Me, a SWB Vitara......a dirt road.......get my "drift"?

I'd do it in one of my many Vitaras (surlely JB doesn't own Vitaras or should comment on handling).........but I do respect my vehicles. Would make a great shot though.