New Frontera owner has Q's about suspension setup

[fiik]

Hi guys I have a '99 model Frontera Sport and am interested in doing some suspension work to make it a little more capable off road. Not after insane amounts of lift or anything, just some extra clearance. After having used the search tool and read all of the posts available these are the conclusions I have come up with.

1. Crank the front torsion bars.
2. Spring lift at the rear...2 inches.
3. Extended shox.
4. Body lift.

Is this correct or are there others things to consider? Not looking for an extreme rig just want to be able to go through/over most things without getting caught up. Suggestions/ comments.

Cheers guys,

Will

[Westoztroopa]

Welcome to the forum!

You missed one which is tyres. Larger tyres are the only thing that will give you the clearance over the diffs which are one of the main things that gets caught up. A 2" suspension lift with 32" tyres will get you over most things fairly comfortably.

Correct me if I am wrong but doesnt the Frontera sport have coil springs rear?

Noel

[fiik]

Cheers for the reply noel...
it certainly makes life a bit easier with someone who knows whats going on...

I see your point about the tyres... makes alot of sense. is there a good tyre you can recommend? Also are the standard rims that come on the truck strong enough? they look a bit soft to me? is it better 2to replace them with something bigger/stronger?

You are right about about the coil rear end, had the truck up on the hoist at work today and shock horror?!. I'm assuming there is a way to get more height out of the back... maybe bigger/longer coils and shocks, i couldn't find anything in our parts register that leads to that, but it mainly contains industrial items...

I prob should mention that i'm a diesel fitter by trade, tower cranes mostly and know stuff all about off road vehicles...

If you know of anything that works etc it would be handy to hear from you.

I do apologise i have asked alot of q's. it makes me realise how much i don't know

Thanks
Will

[DAZZ]

A 2" lift is a good amount for a Frontera. 31x10.5s will fit with this amount of lift with a bit of front mudflap mod. This size tyre won't fit on a std rim so 15x7 Navara offset steelies would be the go.

Did I mention that I have a pair of coils and front and rear RS5000 Ranchos that would fit a Frontera!!!

[fiik]

when you say you have these parts dazz i'm assuming they come with a price???

Again with the q's i'm sorry.
1. are the navara steelies the best option due to price and availability?
2. when you say mud flpa mods do you mean removal or actually mods?
3. whats involved on changing the coils and shocks?

i do apologise for raiding you guys for info but my souces are a bit weak on 4x4 info and for some reson i feel i'm going to get stung by a parts salesman... no offence intended to any salesmaen!

[Westoztroopa]

Cheers for the reply noel...
it certainly makes life a bit easier with someone who knows whats going on...

I see your point about the tyres... makes alot of sense. is there a good tyre you can recommend? Also are the standard rims that come on the truck strong enough? they look a bit soft to me? is it better 2to replace them with something bigger/stronger?

You are right about about the coil rear end, had the truck up on the hoist at work today and shock horror?!. I'm assuming there is a way to get more height out of the back... maybe bigger/longer coils and shocks, i couldn't find anything in our parts register that leads to that, but it mainly contains industrial items...

I prob should mention that i'm a diesel fitter by trade, tower cranes mostly and know stuff all about off road vehicles...

If you know of anything that works etc it would be handy to hear from you.

I do apologise i have asked alot of q's. it makes me realise how much i don't know

Thanks
Will

Tyres really depend what sort of 4x4ing you are into or are going to get into. If you plan to get into some of the medium to harder stuff you should consider a set of muddies. BFG muds used to be the ones to get but have dropped a bit in popularity and the Goodyear MTRs are all the rage at the moment. Otherwise go for a good all-terrain such as the BFG or Cooper. I have a set of the bfg muds which I leave on for everyday driving but are good for mud and rocks and also not too bad on sand.

With rims remember that the Isuzu stud pattern is generally the same as Landcruisers and Patrols etc so there should be plenty of options out there. Not sure about Navara offset steelies but also consider that the Frontera sport is a fairly different vehicle to the Frontera so different rims may fit.

Someone on the Ozzuzu forum was going through the same thing with his Frontera Sport recently and found out that ARB and TJM do a lift for the F/sport. This would be longer coils and shocks and torsion bar crank.
Infact you could maybe join the Ozzuzu group to find out a bit more. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OzZuZu/?yguid=79863830

No probs with the Q's. Thats what this place is for...

Noel

[DAZZ]

Frontera SWB and LWB are simular in suspension design. So most parts are interchangable. Navara Steelies are a good offset as PAtrol\Cruiser are spaced out to far, and $45-50 a rim, are cheap. I used BFG All Terains (31x10.5) on my F'terra. But use BFG Muds on my jack.

I havn't worked out a price for my F'terra bits yet as I have beena bit flat out. Will check if they fit a SWB. As for RS5000s, they are a great shocker, just fairly firm on the ride. May be a bit firm for a SWB.