HELP surspension !---> Hay guys

[Oz]

Rite his the prob i got £500 for a lift/surspension kit for my samuria what should i get? where should i get it from?

[ben.williamson]

very cheap are shackles off ebay about £40

but i would ring specialist lesure cause they are the experts or google it

[markyb]

500 quid will get you a lot for your sammy mate.

so hang on for a few peops to advise,

i would guess a locrite for the rear and a lift plus some other goodies could be budgeted for

[V8MoneyPit]

Personally, I would not recommend long shackles. Screws up your steering geometry and reduces approach and departure angles. But they are a cheap way to get a lift.

Springs are a more 'correct' way to do it. There are many varieties on the market. I have the 3" ones from KAP Suzuki. They give a great stance, but they are *very* harsh on the spine!! They eventually soften up a little once you give them a good pounding though.



If I remember correctly they are £125 + VAT a pair. So with dampers as well, you will be getting close to maxing out your budget.

[Popeye]

I have heard SMJ springs are very good but like all lifted springs are very hard to start with but flex very well given time.

[Oz]

3" Suspension Lift. Designed by K.A.P. Superb quality. £145 + VAT per pair. they the only one i can find on K.A.P.     http://www.kapsuzuki4x4.co.uk/samurai.asp Are these the once you were talking about?

How do u fit them?
do u take the leafs off?

[rollazuki]

set of jeep springs, spring over axle conversion, new shocks.

Check out rocky road outfitters in the USA.

Other than that, get onto rubbers suzuki and wave cash at them, they make nice gear.

[wheelspinner]

Depends how handy with the spanner you are?
 
IMHO steer clear of the shackle lifts for all the reasons explained before.

Id go remove the front anti roll bar,then a 3 lift (SMJ or KAP),new shocks Pro comp or Vauxhall Astra shock you need and adapted inboard shock mounting bar.
Could also try the D link set up.

Dont forget to budget for extended brake lines and i would replace the suspension bushes with poly's while i was at it.

Regards

Steve

[Oz]

Hay cheers for the help..  ddo u guys no how spoa work eg do leafs get taken off? have any you guy got spoa could u post some pics? rocky road outfitters

[V8MoneyPit]

3" Suspension Lift. Designed by K.A.P. Superb quality. £145 + VAT per pair. they the only one i can find on K.A.P.     http://www.kapsuzuki4x4.co.uk/samurai.asp Are these the once you were talking about?

Yes.

How do u fit them?
do u take the leafs off?

Yes! They are replacement leaf springs. If you choose to go to KAP, talk to Darren and he will advise what you need.

Longer brake hoses - Yes, forgot about those. You will need these. Again any of the suppliers will be able to provide these with your springs/dampers.

With the KAP springs, I cut off the rear shackle movement limit brackets. The standard shackles bang against them with the 3" lift springs. They have never gone over centre, so appear not to be needed.

Some suppliers will offer propshaft spacers. I haven't fitted them and haven't had any problems.

I am using the Pro Comp ES3000 shocks. Not cheap, but nice quality.

[V8MoneyPit]

Hay cheers for the help..  ddo u guys no how spoa work eg do leafs get taken off? have any you guy got spoa could u post some pics? rocky road outfitters

It literally takes the axles and hangs it under the springs instead of sitting it on top of them.

Spring over axle can make for 'interesting' road manners. Fine if you are only using it for off road, but I wouldn't use it for a car that gets used on the road. It seems to favoured in the US for roack crawling. There are many kits that vary from basic DIY ones at around £200 to proper welded ones at nearer £500.

They generally give about 5" of lift I believe. I believe, you will definately need propshaft spacers, longer brake hoses and a drop pitman arm.

[Oz]

AH so i take it u use the standard leafs?  how do this give u more articulation

[V8MoneyPit]

AH so i take it u use the standard leafs?  how do this give u more articulation

It doesn't. It gives it a lift. If you use the 410 springs they do articulate quite nicely.

On that subject, you would be initially horrified by the lack of articulation of KAP springs (my wifes Freelander embarrasingly twists more!), but they do soften up over time. But even then, they are still not great. You just have to change your driving style to allow for lots of three wheeling  :lol:

[Oz]

hmm ok any idea on a kit that does both

[rollazuki]

A spring over does give more flex. Because of the axle now being about 5 inches further out than it was, it exerts more leverage into the spring and can thus flex it harder. downside is that you can then break springs, get more spring flex(and thus axle hop), and as usual, something breaks.

Id buy a kit that you know will work, otherwise you start on the slippery slope to total vehicle modification.

[Oz]

lol cheers mate what kit do u know of that works

[V8MoneyPit]

You are fundamentally limited with leaf springs. They can only 'stretch' or 'shrink' their length so far. This in turn limits how much vertical travel is available.

You can use one of the extending shackle products like D-flex, but all this does is allow the unsprung mass to drop lower. Once the shackle starts extending, there is no spring force acting downwards into the ground. It is just the weight of the axle, hub and wheel applying the force through the tyre contact patch. Having said that any mass bearing on the tyre contact patch is better than nothing.

Alternatively, forget extending shackles and fit diff lockers so that you don't need 4 wheels in contact with the ground.

If you really want to lift the car, then I would suggest choosing which route you want to take. Fit it and try it as it is. If you find you get stuck still, then ascess the best way of improving it further. it might simply be changing the way you drive the car! When I first started driving the Zuke, I wasn't at all impressed compared to my V8 Land Rover. But I soon found a different driving technique and it's a laugh a minute!!

[Oz]

sounds like a plan sound like hard work and more cash than lifting etc?  any idea where to look

[V8MoneyPit]

One question you should ask yourself is 'what is wrong with the vehicle now?'.

What I mean is what do you consider are it's limitations?

Once you have established it's limitations, you should investigate what solutions are available to you.

What do you use it for? Mud? Rocks?
What tyres are you using? These are single most important item you can invest in.

[Oz]

mud/ very small bit of rock mainly mud.  but there are a lot of axel twisters some i have a bit of a problem with the rest are ok. tyres are Colway 4 X 4 M T Range. so what do u guys think would help

[V8MoneyPit]

Well your tyres are suited to your use just fine.

Axle twisters - If you want to crawl across them and show off your vehicles articulation, you need some more flexible springs, etc. Alternatively, you adjust your driving style and carry a tiny bit more speed through the twister and that's it. Sammys are very capable on 3 wheels. You just have to get the balance between speed and control right. See avatar to the left for a practical demonstration!!!

[Oz]

ok kewl cheers mate you been a load of help.. ah one more question what spring etc do u recomend

[V8MoneyPit]

Well, as I said, it depends on what you want to achieve with the vehicle.

If you feel you need more altitude, then look at the various lifted springs mentioned previously. Or SPOA if you prefer, but bear in mind what has been said about this.

If you want more droop travel, just to keep the wheels on the ground, look at extending shackles.

If you want ultimate grip, look at diff lockers. But, personally, I think these should be considered later rather than as a first option.

[fudge]

I Can Do A Reliant Impression Too

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