Advice for a noob Zooker

[da13ro]

Wooohooo, finally a proud owner of Teh Zook! (After many months)

Its only a 96 Coily, with a CD player. In the next few months though I hope to be building it up a bit, budget permitting ofcourse. I put to you, how do i go about putting 31's or 30"s on a 96 coily, what would you all suggest? And what is anything i should do before its general bush capable.

Open to suggestions all, I am a noob when it comes to this soo please hang with me....might even see you on the tracks in a few months when the baby zook is ready! Suppose a photo is in hand....



All the other photo's i suppose are self explanatory at this point haha!

Thanks guys for your time!

[suzuki boy]

All you really need to get out on the tracks is some decent tyres!

Don't know much about the coil sprung ones!(i think yours is coil sprung?)

As for tyres i guesse they have the same stock ratios and stuff and i would just lift it a few inches and put some 30"muds on it!

To get to 31's is a pretty expensive step as i'm finding out! You need the gearing, off set wheels and some other little things!

Maybe a welded rear and a lock right up front but it just depends what you want to do with it i guesse!

Mines on 30's with front and rear lockers at the moment and keeps up with cars with 35's etc and is heaps of fun in the bush!

Just keeps goin in the bush untill it gets stupid like this!


My 2c worth!

[smileysmoke]

firstly welcome to the wonderful wacky world of zooks mate
nothing like the bumpiest ride on a perfectly flat ride to know your in a zook
i would take out your stock zook and go for a drive.. you will soon know if you need to modify it and what areas.
do a lot of searches on suspension lifts, gearing and so on. take your time and best of all enjoy!

[da13ro]

Awesome thanks man for you input, im a youngin like you, 17 and this is my first car, yea 30's sound fine, are they new rims for that? Do people buy new or do i hunt some second hand ones down? Would a 2" body lift allow 30's do you think?

[nicbeer]

Do some searching and looking the bible and members rigs to see what other people are running on their coilys.

HRZOOK and Spamwells is a couple of them i know of in members.

if u go transfer gears remember to budget getting a leafy transfer and also the associated bits.

I would stay on 30s with rear locker maybe. generally 2" sus and 2" body will run 31's easy.

Welcome to zooks btw. and agree with smiley drive it till u cant go further and then will know what mods to go for.

Nic

[da13ro]

Thanks both of you for the advice, I know this is still day 1, but what is required for 30's? You think just a 2" body lift would do?

[suzuki boy]

I was 15 when i got mine and have now had my p's for just over a month and love wheeling the zook!

Drive it and get used to it then a 2"lift should let you clear 30's just!

Any bigger then 30's then you need the reduction gearing! 30's are just on the border line i think!

30's should be alright on your stock whells or else get some off set wheel from speedy rims -15 off set for $48 a wheel!

Just have fun for now!

[Gwagensteve]

I was 15 when i got mine and have now had my p's for just over a month and love wheeling the zook!

Drive it and get used to it then a 2"lift should let you clear 30's just!

Any bigger then 30's then you need the reduction gearing! 30's are just on the border line i think!

30's should be alright on your stock whells or else get some off set wheel from speedy rims -15 off set for $48 a wheel!

Just have fun for now!

PLEASE take this the right way - I admire your enthusiasm, and hope to see you along to a club meeting one day, but dude, coilers are very different to leaf cars.

da13ro, A coil sierra has very little parts interchangeability with a "normal" ie. leaf spring sierra.

A 2" BL for a leaf spring car will fit and will clear a 30" tyre with no problems and a 31" tyre with approximately a 12mm bumpstop spacer on the front. a 30" tyre will clear sotck, but will rub a bit when you flex it up.

However, coilers are taller geared than leaf cars- an aggressive 30 or a 31 will play havoc with your gearing. Coilers have a unique transfer case which is chain drive. Jimny reduction gears will work, but here are expensive and not altogether as effective as a rockhopper type kit for a leaf sierra.

One option is to fit a transfer from a leaf spring sierra - this is a bolt in conversion once you have all of the parts and will a) lower your gearing immediately and make 30' tyres pretty usable, and B) allow the fitment of a rockhopper later on.

IMHO, there are no decent suspension kits available for the coil sierra. stick with the 2" bl to run up to a 31, and see how you go from there.

There are basically no lockers available for the front of the coiler. All lockers that fit the rear of a leaf sierra fit the rear of a coiler, so there are no problems there.

Coil sierras are 35mm wider in track width than a wide track sierra. you will be able to use any wheel designed for a vitara or other IFS car (like a feroza or grand vitara) and it will fit fine. A -15 wheel will put the tyre outside the guards on your car. go with stock vitara offset wheels on your car.

Welcome to the world of suzukis - you will find you car has for more ability than you do and it will take you further than you possibly imagined. take it easy - spend you money once and wisely and listen to lots of different opinions.

Steve.

[suzuki boy]

I was 15 when i got mine and have now had my p's for just over a month and love wheeling the zook!

Drive it and get used to it then a 2"lift should let you clear 30's just!

Any bigger then 30's then you need the reduction gearing! 30's are just on the border line i think!

30's should be alright on your stock whells or else get some off set wheel from speedy rims -15 off set for $48 a wheel!

Just have fun for now!

PLEASE take this the right way - I admire your enthusiasm, and hope to see you along to a club meeting one day, but dude, coilers are very different to leaf cars.

da13ro, A coil sierra has very little parts interchangeability with a "normal" ie. leaf spring sierra.

A 2" BL for a leaf spring car will fit and will clear a 30" tyre with no problems and a 31" tyre with approximately a 12mm bumpstop spacer on the front. a 30" tyre will clear sotck, but will rub a bit when you flex it up.

However, coilers are taller geared than leaf cars- an aggressive 30 or a 31 will play havoc with your gearing. Coilers have a unique transfer case which is chain drive. Jimny reduction gears will work, but here are expensive and not altogether as effective as a rockhopper type kit for a leaf sierra.

One option is to fit a transfer from a leaf spring sierra - this is a bolt in conversion once you have all of the parts and will a) lower your gearing immediately and make 30' tyres pretty usable, and B) allow the fitment of a rockhopper later on.

IMHO, there are no decent suspension kits available for the coil sierra. stick with the 2" bl to run up to a 31, and see how you go from there.

There are basically no lockers available for the front of the coiler. All lockers that fit the rear of a leaf sierra fit the rear of a coiler, so there are no problems there.

Coil sierras are 35mm wider in track width than a wide track sierra. you will be able to use any wheel designed for a vitara or other IFS car (like a feroza or grand vitara) and it will fit fine. A -15 wheel will put the tyre outside the guards on your car. go with stock vitara offset wheels on your car.

Welcome to the world of suzukis - you will find you car has for more ability than you do and it will take you further than you possibly imagined. take it easy - spend you money once and wisely and listen to lots of different opinions.

Steve.

Thats why the first post i said i don't know much about coil sprung ones!

But really we all by our zooks to enjoy and get out in the bush! I didn't think they would be that much different but obviously they are!

[da13ro]

Thanks Steve, Paul, Suziboy and Nicbeer, ill do that I think Steve. Drive it how it is for a few weeks untill there is the need and time to mess with it. Im still up for doing a body lift as it seems like a simple and cheap mod for what its worth, although I appreciate your advice there Paul. Source down a transfer case, and some wheelies and that will get me out with the boys on the trails then i hope

I cant wait to take it for another drive tomoro Had a ball today, soo nice to drive! Such a good toy Cheers for all your time and advice, if anyone else has there 2c worth I would love to hear it, I need all I can get as you probably all have gathered

[da13ro]

Great suggestions everyone, I have alot of trust in what is been said. Thanks Greg, ill do that, some new wheels and tires will be the first thing with the body lift. Ofcourse with plenty of driving in there.

@ Ric, your right, I enjoy working with cars and under them, but driving them is where the fun is at, just need to get the car up past the stock standard so i can have all the fun, and learn slowly, while on a semi capable rig.

Thanks again, this is exciting, anymore advice will be happily taken onboard!

[sanger]

Speaking from my own experience i would stick to tires and a BL for sure. But if you plan driving alot of rock i would look into reduction gears as it gives you alot more control when climbing and is a lot easier on your clutch. Also look into some sliders to protect those nice looking sills,

From there you can add lockers as you gain experience.

Sanger

[bartlettmoto]

lol... u said it and i will

[St Jimmy]

just enjoy and get a 4wd driver training course to learn how to drive it to is full potental old fart talking

[Highway-Star]

I'm with Ric, spend money driving it, worry about modding it later. I've owned mine over 2 years, she's basically stock, and when I actually get a chance to go wheeling, I love it. You don't need a comp rig to have fun.

That said, once you feel comfortable, you know you enjoy it, and you decide you wan't the car long term; start customising. Also consider 'armour' first, for vehicle preservation and also so if you get springs later they suit you vehicles weight. Even though I've said this, I believe tyres are the most important performing part of the car, you must get traction or else every other mod is in vain (i.e. get a good tread pattern to suit where you use it).

[sierrajim]

Maybe look at joining your local Zook club?

This will give you a bit of a head start into the wonderful world of the Zook. And the deranged mind of the zooker.

[cjdeane10]

Very informative - seeing as i am in the market for my first zuk!

I have had hilux's, landcruisers, and even a feroza... but with my old man buying a bush property late last yr, it means i need something small and agile, not long, lumbering and thundering! (and the missus has only allowed me limited resources)

Ok, so coilys are harder to find parts, harder to upgrade, etc.

One question: i have scanned the bible, but couldnt find any comparison between 'wide track' and non- wide track...
How do i know if i have a widetrack model?

[lay80n]

WT started around mid 88. They have the larger flares, and the springs are outboard of the chassis rails. These are probably the easiest ways to check.

Layto....

[Gwagensteve]

Also, WT's have rectangular dash vents and the handbrake is on the rear wheels, NT's have round dash vents and the hadnbrake is a drum on the back of the transfer.

I you are not planning on exceeding maybe a 30-31" tyre and most of your use will be pottering around a property, there is no real reason to buy a WT IMHO.

If you plan to drive hard terrian and build a bigger car as part of the plan, ther eis an advantage in a WT as the added axle width makes the car a bit more stable and easier to fit a bigger tyre to.

However, the wider spring spacing Lay80n referes to on the WT is a (small)disadvantage , so really, it's up to you and your plans.

Steve.

[da13ro]

Spent most of this morning playing around with the zook, cleaning up some surface rust around some spots...basicly just prettying it up a bit. Removed one of the rear seats for now, the other seat will go soon aswell when there isnt any need for it.

Just one problem I have found....when you turn the headlights on....the fuel level drops then you turn them off and it rises again....is this a earthing issue? Or somthing that is normal?

[cjdeane10]

thanks guys, I feel a bit better knowing what to look for.

If the fuel level drops when your lights are on, i suggest looking at the connectors in your ignition / steering column.

A poor earthing or a frayed / loose wire should be all it is.

you got a good battery?

[da13ro]

Not sure about the battery, only had the car 2 days now, the battery seems fine, i dont know if that would cause this though, its very weird I think it might be a earthing issue but not sure where i should run the multimeter over first :s

[Gwagensteve]

da13ro, engine running or off? engine on, I would look to the regulator/alternator.

Engine off - I have never checked, but it owuldn't surprise me if this happened due to voltage drop.

You might have a less than perfect battery , which might be making the problem worse. I owld have thought if the volt dprop was bad enough to make the needle pull down with the engine on, the battery woudl not start the car.

Steve.

[da13ro]

Just ran a multimeter over the batt, its looks fine. Does the same thing engine running or not. Sorry its just the parkers lights too...i figure....when you crank all the lights on it does it to, but it also does it with just parkers, i suspect its the parkers then?

edit/ does it draw power constantly (the fuel guage) because when the car is off it still reads out the fuel? which i found odd...is that normal?

[smileysmoke]

look in the general section i think someone else is having the same issue as you are.

[nicbeer]

the fuel gauge and temp gauge run on a 5v rail on the back of the cluster. i beleive that is from the alternator output.

make sure it is charging at around 14v ish at the battery.

[suzuki boy]

Also, WT's have rectangular dash vents and the handbrake is on the rear wheels, NT's have round dash vents and the hadnbrake is a drum on the back of the transfer.

I you are not planning on exceeding maybe a 30-31" tyre and most of your use will be pottering around a property, there is no real reason to buy a WT IMHO.

If you plan to drive hard terrian and build a bigger car as part of the plan, ther eis an advantage in a WT as the added axle width makes the car a bit more stable and easier to fit a bigger tyre to.

However, the wider spring spacing Lay80n referes to on the WT is a (small)disadvantage , so really, it's up to you and your plans.

Steve.

I agree with this! Mine is a NT and unless you don't like scraping along banks and stuff and don't care about your pannels there awsome!

One wheel in the rut and the other in in the middle of the crown!

When i go to 31's i think that will be tall enough with out going wider axles!

[Gwagensteve]

Suzukiboy - (and sorry da13ro for the hijack)

The comments I was making about the NT were mostly in regard to farm/property type work. On eroded, technical tracks (i.e big ruts) NT sierras really do it hard, as you pointed out - they spend a lot of time jammed into the banks.

Additionally, the narrower track makes the car less able to articualte, and harder to keep the tyres off the shock mounts/inner guards.

31's and a fairly flexible suspension (like Christover's car) will require a 2" bl and lots of offset on the rims (Christovers only have about 2" of backspacing) which keeps the tyres out of the chassis/springs/guards but massively increases scrub radius, making the steering heavy, requireing more hammering/chopping of the firewall/guards and shortening wheelbearing life.

Christover is keen to stay with his NT diffs as they are already geared and locked, and these parts are not transferable into WT diffs.

Bear in mind that most aftermarket parts (disk conversions, chromoly axles, double tough CV's etc) are only availale for WT diffs as the US market never really had the NT.

Just more things to ponder before you get too far into you car.

A bunch of us Vic Club guys are going 100mm wider than WT to improve the backspacing/scrub radius thing even more, but this is a lot of work and involves custom axles/housings etc.

Steve.

[suzuki boy]

Thanks for that!

The narrow track is awsome in mud and most stuff really because you only have one wheel in the rut!

I should be able to get 31's on with a 2" lift and extended shackles because the 30's clear every thing easy at the moment!

The down side will be the center of gravity and the steering with front and rar lockers!

Will have to get to a zook club meeting and join up so i can check out some other zooks! Spewin i missed the last one!

[Gwagensteve]

I've moved this to a new thread as it seems like a hijack of da13ro's thread, and it is a relevant topic.

Steve.