[Eddy]

Bit frivolous I'm sure, but ....

Has or does anyone (successfully) run 31s on a vitara?

A quick glance says it would be a tight fit but ...

My 94 JX LWB is almost on slicks.

2 inch body lift, 15x7 rims, currently on 265/70r15 Michelin LTX.

Reason for thinking 31s is that the Mazda Bravo is on 31x10.5r15 desert duelers, about 40% tread remaining.
The thought was I could give the Bravo some new boots and slip the duelers onto the Vit.

Thoughts?

[vet 180]

You should be able to fit as is (due to body lift) with maybe a little trimming.


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[Gwagensteve]

They will pretty much clear fine with a 3” BL. The gearing on the other hand....

[Eddy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

The gearing on the other hand....

yeah, that crossed my mind.

At a bit of a crossroads ATM. I turned 60, so not into maximum lift off and snappy acceleration. Been there years back with a GTHO and a couple other toys. Mostly be used to get me and the arsenal to where the feral critters are at, so no big load to tow, and happy to take it a bit easy. Up until now I been using a 720 datto ute on 33s, (there's a gearing issue) but can't drive the manual tranny no more, so the auto Vitara gets the nod.
Just a bit keen on that extra little bit of clearance and rolling radius through the mallee scrub and drift sand.

If it gets to the point where I decide to get serious and go back to using it for trips again, I got a mate with some 5.2 (??) gears hiding out in his shed.

[Gwagensteve]

Oh, sorry- I meant 2” BL.

[Gwagensteve]

5.2?

I think there’s a 5.38 in the American market but it was never available here, you already have 5.12 gears.

[Eddy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

5.2?

I think there’s a 5.38 in the American market but it was never available here, you already have 5.12 gears.

hmm ok. Maybe that's what it was. he did bring a couple of containers back from the US.

If not, underpowered don't faze me at all. Hell;- I've driven a Perkins powered ... ermm ... equipped truck, Darwin to Albury.

[Gwagensteve]

The issue is with stock gearing and 31’s the converter will barely ever lock and you’ll be between 4th unlocked and 3rd on the highway. It’s sucky and highlights the (huge) gaps between the gears.

If you genuinely have access to USDM 5.38’s that’s cool because nobody else does.

[Eddy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

The issue is with stock gearing and 31’s the converter will barely ever lock and you’ll be between 4th unlocked and 3rd on the highway.

ah ok that'd make sense ... now that's the kind of info that could be worth something.

Maybe I would be better off going with the little fat 265/70s after all.

Quote:

If you genuinely have access to USDM 5.38’s that’s cool because nobody else does.

yeah well I dunno now. All I can recall is him saying "five point two or something"
I was just thinking it was cool coz for some reason I thought I was on about 4.8 ish.

[SierraDan]

Run 30’s. I thought they were brilliant on my Vitara.
Gearing sucked on long steep hills fully loaded but otherwise it was great.
I didn’t crawl a great deal with it though.

[Eddy]

SierraDan wrote:

Run 30’s. I thought they were brilliant on my Vitara.
Gearing sucked on long steep hills fully loaded but otherwise it was great.
I didn’t crawl a great deal with it though.

Kinda where I'd been leaning, but being a bit of a cheapskate had the idea of giving the new boots to the "flash" car etc .... ya know how it goes. Full set of new tyres cost more than the value of the poor ol Vit.

I had a great run with the 265/70s, and they're within a few mms of 30s in OD, and a bit wider. They actually came off the Bravo when I put the 31s on it, so the precedent was already set for the hand-me-down system ...



And .. it turns out my ol' mate's got a set of "five one twos" ... not "five point twos" so there goes that plan as well.

[ZUZUKI]

31" fit ok on a LWB vitara - with a 2" body lift + a bit of guard trimming - can look neat if you spend the time.
The Seriously Suzi grey Lwb runs Federal Couragia M/T in this size fine.
Does have transfer case gearing - which only helps in low range.
High range is sort of ok unladen - slow away from the lights & power mode button is always on.
With a load in it & at highway speed, it spends most of it's time screaming in 3rd, unless getting a tow in the wake of a truck, or going down hill, when it will snick into 4th O/drive.
There is a 5.72:1 aftermarket gearset, from the US, but the pinon has 8 teeth = not a lot of contact patch. not sure how they hold up, but doesn't sound like you are going to give it to much of a hard time.
The gearset + installation will be worth more than the car though.
The tyre size you are currently running works out to be 29.6" - so not a huge step away from 50% worn 31/10.5R15 anyway.
Chuck em on & see.
Rgs, Michael

[Eddy]

ZUZUKI wrote:

The tyre size you are currently running works out to be 29.6" - so not a huge step away from 50% worn 31/10.5R15 anyway.
Chuck em on & see.
Rgs, Michael

actually they're at 28.7" ... did I mention slicks

Tread wear indicators are making good contact with the road surface!

I probably will put some 31s on just for shitz'n'giggles. Got a set of Firestone M117s I'd like to try anyway. Even if only for the sake of a photo or three.

I have a machine, so no real expense ... just a bit of time to change over.

[vet 180]

Tbh used 31 desert duellers will measure up smaller than most 30 inch muds. Don’t over think it, put the new boots on the new truck and wack the duellers on the vitara. There will be very little difference in gearing to the 265/70’s you currently have.

Mid you were thinking of putting a tall 31 inch mud then yes gearing will become an issue, but you will be running a lightish tire that measures small for its size.


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[Eddy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

... you already have 5.12 gears.

But do I ??

losfer wrote:

i am compiling a list of every diff ratio suzuki ever bought out in every car produced.
hopefully this can be the resource of all resource

Suzuki Vitara

Suzuki Vitara 1.6 8v. carburación. 5.125:1 1.816 / 1.00
Suzuki Vitara 1.6 8v. inyección. 5.125:1 1.816 / 1.00
Suzuki Vitara 1.6 16v. inyección. 4.875:1 1.816 / 1.00
Suzuki Vitara 1.8 inyección. (*) 5.125:1 1.816 / 1.00
Suzuki Vitara 2.0 V6 24v 4.625:1 1.816 / 1.00

[fordem]

How about you jack the car up & check it? The internet is an absolute gold mine of "misinformation", and different markets sometimes got different gears sets.

Chock the front wheels to prevent the car rolling, jack one rear wheel off of the ground, transmission in neutral, handbrake down - mark the drive shaft flange where it enters the rear axle and also mark the tire rim - now rotate the tire TWO full revolutions whilst counting how many times the drive shaft turns - 4.875 gears will give you just less than 10 turns of the drive shaft, 5.125 gears will give you just over.

Edit...

There's a mistake in the post above - for two full turns of the wheel, 4.785 gears will give you just less than 5 turns of the drive shaft, 5.125 gears will give you just over.

[vet 180]

fordem wrote:

How about you jack the car up & check it? The internet is an absolute gold mine of "misinformation", and different markets sometimes got different gears sets.

Chock the front wheels to prevent the car rolling, jack one rear wheel off of the ground, transmission in neutral, handbrake down - mark the drive shaft flange where it enters the rear axle and also mark the tire rim - now rotate the tire TWO full revolutions whilst counting how many times the drive shaft turns - 4.875 gears will give you just less than 10 turns of the drive shaft, 5.125 gears will give you just over.

Yeah do this.


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[Gwagensteve]

All Australian market 1.6 efi Vitaras have 5.12 gears.