LWB vitara 4.5' spring lift help

[vitman]

Hi all i have a 1.6l 1993 lwb vitara and have been running a 1.5 spring lift for the past year and the time has come to go a bit higher (larger tires ECT ) i have purchased 4x New FTS 3'' lift springs and longer pro comp rear shocks.
I have fitted the rear 3'' lift springs with my 1.5'' bits4vits spacers to give a 4.5'' lift can i run this much lift on the front end and what modifications do i need to carry out it allready has 1.5'' strut extensions will this be enough ?? (i am currently looking for diff drop brackets) cheers,

[Pico42]

What size tyres are you looking to run?

[crzyfl]

I ran FTS 3" springs and 1.5" bits4vits spacers until recently. I had FTS diff drop brackets, FTS struts, and strut spacers. Keep breaking cvs because of too much cv angle and down travel on the struts. I'm taking my spacers out and going to run that for a while.

Running kl71 31" tyres.

[vitman]

my trucks curently got buckshot 235/75r15s but am looking to go for a real meaty offroad 30.9.5r15 rather than 31's because due to it being a stock 1.6 i still want a bit of get up and go for road driving,
i was planning to put diff drop brackets in but leave the struts only at 1.5' longer than factory but unshure if this will work or not due to possibly causing the shocks to keep topping out ???? i need to keep as much articulation as possible due to the terrain it gets taken over (big rocks/ruts e c t) cheers,

[crzyfl]

Got a body lift?
3" suspension lift will be a cert. Might as well put a body lift in at the same time. Alternatively, just cut the guards, or do the Hagen or both. What is your diff ratio now? If you have got 4.69 diffs going to 5.1 will make a difference. Find a gear ratio calc online and check the difference between 30 and 31". Suspect it is not much, but worth a look. I guess the 30" tyres fit on standard zuk rims?

Broken any cvs with the spacers?

If the shock bottoms out you will be up for a new one in a pretty short timeframe, could put bump stop spacers in to prevent this.

[vitman]

No no body lift been considering a 1" body lift to give the sills a bit more clearance but I see no point in big body lifts because it doesent increase ground clearance and it makes for a lot more hassle (brake lines , gear levers, even more body roll around corners ect ect ) and no I have not broken any cb joints yet and it's taken a fair hiding (crawling up rocky hills in 1st gear low box with all wheels spinning ) . I am unsure of diff ratios but don't really want to go that far into it as have only just replaced the rear diff head ,I have looked at 31s next to a 30" and the 31" was a fair bit taller. Cheers

[keithal]

going from a 235/75 to a 30x9.5 your only gonna gain approx 13mm of diff clearance
seems a bit pointless to spend all the money on an extra 3" of suspensioin just for 13mm especially when you think of all the extra strain on the ifs system with a 4.5" suspension lift all up


just my 2c

[Pico42]

No no body lift been considering a 1" body lift to give the sills a bit more clearance but I see no point in big body lifts because it doesent increase ground clearance and it makes for a lot more hassle (brake lines , gear levers, even more body roll around corners ect ect ) and no I have not broken any cb joints yet and it's taken a fair hiding (crawling up rocky hills in 1st gear low box with all wheels spinning ) . I am unsure of diff ratios but don't really want to go that far into it as have only just replaced the rear diff head ,I have looked at 31s next to a 30" and the 31" was a fair bit taller. Cheers

Body lifts don't increase clearance directly, but they generally allow bigger tyres which does increase clearance. There is an increase in CoG which may affect body roll, but the body roll is a function of the suspension. In fact, the CoG will also increase with taller tyres and raised suspension, more so than a straight body lift because the weight of chassis etc is also raised.

Brake lines don't present any real issues to adjust. The gear levers are the only real issue, but can be overcome.

My gut feel is that 4.5" suspension lift up front is going to have you chewing through CVs pretty quickly, even once you have drop brackets.

I would wholeheartedly agree with upping tyres to 31", they make the Vitaras very capable.

[vitman]

thanks for all the advice the reason im staying away from 31'' tyres is the power issue but could get the camshaft ground for a bit more get up and go ?? the 235/75r15s are due for replacement anyhow,
and yes you are right i suppose 4.5'' would stress the cv joints a bit much and due to where i take it it needs to be reliable might just go the FTS 3'' springs and some 15mm spacers for up the front,
whats the benifets from the hagen widening mod ? cheers.

[crzyfl]

Front wheels are shifted forward in arches, but stub axle conversion must be done at same time. Stub axle is where you make a stub axle to be able to use passenger side cvs on both sides.

[vitman]

Ok yea that makes sense, I fitted the fts 3" lift springs with 15mm spacers it's got some good front ground clearance but the springs sit out on quite a bow and touch calipers at full lock, how have you people resolved this issue in the past. Cheers

[Pico42]

Ok yea that makes sense, I fitted the fts 3" lift springs with 15mm spacers it's got some good front ground clearance but the springs sit out on quite a bow and touch calipers at full lock, how have you people resolved this issue in the past. Cheers

I wound out the bump stops some.
Then I replaced the control arms with Calmini ones.
Some people cut & shut their control arms to alter the spring seat angle.

[vitman]

Are calmini arms verry pricey. ? Modifying spring seats shouldend be to hard though come to think of it , thanks