Obviously just my opinion(s)
Jezzza wrote:
Suspension
1. I want to lift my SWB Vitara - Lets say around 3" total
Would it be better to go 2" body lift, with a 1" lift kit, or go a 2" lift kit with a 1" body lift? Whats the pros and cons?
3" is a fair bit of lift. Body lift is strictly for fitting tyres. Suspension lift alone does not fit larger tyres. 1" suspension lift kits or body lift kits aren't commonly available.
I can't see the point in a 1" body lift. It won't make a significant difference to anything.
Choose suspension based on your use. Choose body lift based on your tyre size.
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2. What brand suspension?
Have heard Dobinsons and EFS are way to go.. But how about brands like Ultima, KYB and Pedders? Some reputable shops sell these brands
You've left out OME. They'd be getting my money. I believe they make the best struts.
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1. Is it true that G16B blocks are susceptible to cracking? Or only certain G16Bs?
G16B's in vitaras do seem to crack. In a vitara the heads can crack, I have seen some blocks crack between the bore. There is a (plausible and credible) theory that this is due to coolant flow as Balenos don't seem susceptible to cracking, the biggest difference being coolant flows from one end of the motor to the other in a Baleno, but out and back in a Vitara.
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3. Will a cat-less exhaust increase or decrease power?
It will likely do nothing for power if your cat is in decent condition. The potential fines for removing a cat are pretty savage though.
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4. Is it worth getting extractors and exhaust?
Maybe. The engine pipes in G16B vitaras are prone to collapse internally (they're a double skin design) the cast section of the manifold is prone to crack and the cat is probably well past its best. Most of any performance increase will be from fixing things that are broken rather than improved flow.
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Forced Induction
1. If I want to run ~5psi turbo setup, will the stock ECU handle it with a rising rate FPR?
2. Will I need bigger injectors?
3. What piggyback fuel computer has a pre-made harness? AEM FIC? eManage?
Depends whether you want a Facebook spec hand grenade or a proper car. Broadly, yes, you'll need all of those things to make it work and last. budget $8-15K form those who have done it properly.
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Tyres
1. Whats the benefit to going bigger tyres? What are the negatives?
This is a bit "how long is a piece of string" question. all these answers are "potential" benefits: Increased potential traction, depending on terrain. Increased floatation, depending on tyre and whether you really want that. Increased sidewall height allows more deformability at low pressure which increases traction and keeps the suspension in contact with the terrain, adding traction by itself. increased ground clearance from increased tyre diameter. (This is the ONLY real ground clearance improvement worth talking about) increased durability from a heavier construction tyre.
however. All of these things are relative. In some situations, a bigger tyre is just a liability.
So, Negatives:
Reduced braking performance from increased unsprung weight and leverage.
Reduced acceleration from increased unsprung weight and leverage
Reduced ride quality form increased unsprung weight
increased wear on all steering and suspension components
Increased NVH (noise, vibration harshness)
Reduced traction in some instances depending on tyre choice (shock, horror!) through reduced ground pressure (imagine walking on wet grass in dress shoes. Then try it in footy boots. THAT's ground pressure at work)
Reduced directional stability/steering response due to available tyre sizes. This is an interesting one. The fashion of wide floatation tyres pioneered by predominantly Californians n the 1970's has led to an all-pervasive belief that 31X10.5, 33X12.5 et al are the be-all and end-all of tyres. This was only true if you were in southern California in the 1970's and had a jeep with no gearing and drove nothing but fire trails and sand. The poms and the japanese knew that a 7.50 R16 was what worked all along. The Americans have now mostly worked that out, albeit on a much larger scale. Have a look at the height/width ratio of a 7.50 R16 and compare it to a 37 or 39 12.5 (or even a 43 13.5) - they're relatively tall and skinny. That's because a narrow, long footprint is more efficient to drive through the terrain and offers the best steering response. The square footprint of the short/wide common sizes do nothing for drivability.
And last, gearing. Tall tyres reduce effective torque at the wheels. The is evident everywhere, but most noticeably on the highway, where you might loose 5th gear almost entirely, and when you are driving technical terrain offroad and you can't slow the car down enough. A G16B powered vitara already has the lowest commonly available diff gears, (5.12) so you can't easily correct the gearing on road for taller tyres. This is a big deal.
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2. Currently my car is running 235/75/15 (~28"). Will my car be noticeably less power (on/off road) with 31" tyres?
Yes.
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3. What rims and offsets are people running which require flares? Will 15x7 -10 be too aggressive?
Yes in my opinion. you want round +13 IMHO.
Just my thoughts.
