Climax shackles?

[Zack]

I have heard from numerous sources that Climax shackles are bad.

But i would like to know why??

[christover1]

I have heard from numerous sources that Climax shackles are bad.

But i would like to know why??

they dont allow springs to twist much, too rigid. and suspension travel is better when a spring pushes down, rather than flopping down. rather expensive, too, when a small shackle extension works well at a fraction of cost..just my opinion, others will differ, christover

[grimbo]

do a search on here there have been numerous discussions about them

[Barathrum]

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... ght=climax

try this thread
there is a few peoples comments

[Zack]

How do they affect on the road 60+kph wandering??

[Barathrum]

i haven't had any problems, but then mine are just on the rear. I do tend to drive around without the pins in. just don't go really hard into any bends. and don't go flat out over speed humps when your mall cruising (cause they will open up and you do get a large bang went the weight of the vehicle rests upon them again)

[Zack]

i haven't had any problems, but then mine are just on the rear. I do tend to drive around without the pins in. just don't go really hard into any bends. and don't go flat out over speed humps when your mall cruising (cause they will open up and you do get a large bang went the weight of the vehicle rests upon them again)

so yours have pins to lock them into position to stop them from opening up when on road??

[Barathrum]

yeah, my climax have the option of putting in a pin to secure them on road. i don't tend to do this. but it is a really handy feature for when your going down really steep hills. you can lock the shackles closed so they don't unload and want to cause an arse over tit, sooner then it needs too.

[grimbo]

in my opinion they are gimmicky ways of getting flex on the ramp. You will be better off spending the money on decent springs and shocks ahead of these types of shackles. They can destroy springs on a car as we witnessed on a club trip last year. In the space of a day the shackles caused the springs to bind up in new and exciting ways. They can suddenly unfold causing strange weight transfers causing the car to get into strange angles. Uncontrolled flex is worse than no flex. Flex is also overated, it is good to have enough but too much is in most cases a detriment as you loose contact pressure and at worse you will have all 4 wheels spinning with no progress.

A well thought out spring and shock combined with lockers will in most cases outperform a super flexy rig

[Zack]

Yeah well i just brought the zook and it came with the Climax shackles already installed so i will probably modify the shackles with locakable pins as atm they don't have them.

Any chance of getting photos of your locking mechanism Barathrum??

[Barathrum]

in my opinion they are gimmicky ways of getting flex on the ramp. You will be better off spending the money on decent springs and shocks ahead of these types of shackles. They can destroy springs on a car as we witnessed on a club trip last year. In the space of a day the shackles caused the springs to bind up in new and exciting ways. They can suddenly unfold causing strange weight transfers causing the car to get into strange angles. Uncontrolled flex is worse than no flex. Flex is also overated, it is good to have enough but too much is in most cases a detriment as you loose contact pressure and at worse you will have all 4 wheels spinning with no progress.

A well thought out spring and shock combined with lockers will in most cases outperform a super flexy rig

i agree with this, i probally would have spent my money else where if i'd new better at the time.
A locker and series III rockhopper has made more difference to my offroad ability then the climax ever did.

[grimbo]

Yeah well i just brought the zook and it came with the Climax shackles already installed so i will probably modify the shackles with locakable pins as atm they don't have them.

Any chance of getting photos of your locking mechanism Barathrum??

so my zuk came with 215s on it but I got rid of them because there were better options. I would get rid of them and go for a complete suspension but hey thats just me

[Zack]

yeah well atm is's got 4" inch suspension lift and 2" inch boody lift so i'll probablly leave it as it.

as i'll be driving it to school evey day and atm it handles quite nicely on the road.

[DeWsE]

I will try expand on what grimbo just said. I highly suggest you searh as some people on this foram are very happy with what the shackle does. From what I have read and witnessed first hand if you are planning to use these as a first mod for extra flex then you will be faced with a few problems. First of all you will need to change your shocks to suit the extra drop, secondly some longer brake lines will be in order. Now you spend 800 four a set of four, then 500 on shocks and some brake lines. And all you have is a spring setup that drops. Now when you look at this price you will realise that its the same as a set of 50"+ OME springs and shocks. So its not a cheap option if thats what you are thinking. The advantage of the OME springs is the improved ride, ride height and you will achieve a good amount of flex. The answer to "do they pin up" is yes and it should be do before hitting the road.

Just noticed what you have and if that doesn't provide enough flex for you , you should look at playing with the spring pack and maybe even taking some leaves out. What size tire are you running?

[DeWsE]

damn it took me so long to type you answered alot of questions. If you have them already just make them work for you then you can give us your opinion.

[greg]

damn it took me so long to type you answered alot of questions. If you have them already just make them work for you then you can give us your opinion.

or you could sell them off to make some money to spend elsewhere on the car - or just to give that money to me if you like

[Guy]

A well thought out spring and shock combined with lockers will in most cases outperform a super flexy rig

AKA droopypete ...

[Zack]

Okay, the story is that i brought the zook about 3 days ago.

It is a 95 model
1.3 engine,
has 31" inch tyres,
2" inch body lift,
4" inch suspension lift, (so i have been told, not sure how long or brand??)
lock rite rear diff,
Rockhopper series 3 transfer case, (got to love the whine)
climax shackles, (although they have no pin to lock them????)
extended brake hoses,

However i am not sure about longer shocks??

Now the way i see at is that due to it being used as a daily driver with some weekend 4wdriving. i was wondering if i will notice the handling improvments if i was to modify them for a pin locking mechanism (for on road) or to take them off and reinstall the original shackles??

Also would it be possible for somone to take some photos of the pin locking mechanism on thier climax shackles??

[Barathrum]

i'll try and post a couple of pics tonight when i'm at home. also some pics of them in action.

[Zack]

thanx for that Barathrum

also i am quite happy with the zook's off-road capabilities atm and aren't really wanting anything more

just as the zook already has the Climax shackles if they don't create massive problems and aren't VERY detremental to on raod handling i would like to keep them

[grimbo]

Okay, the story is that i brought the zook about 3 days ago.

It is a 95 model
1.3 engine,
has 31" inch tyres,
2" inch body lift,
4" inch suspension lift, (so i have been told, not sure how long or brand??)
lock rite rear diff,
Rockhopper series 3 transfer case, (got to love the whine)
climax shackles, (although they have no pin to lock them????)
extended brake hoses,

However i am not sure about longer shocks??

Now the way i see at is that due to it being used as a daily driver with some weekend 4wdriving. i was wondering if i will notice the handling improvments if i was to modify them for a pin locking mechanism (for on road) or to take them off and reinstall the original shackles??

Also would it be possible for somone to take some photos of the pin locking mechanism on thier climax shackles??

You may want to get the t/case checked now as it shouldn't be whining, you don't want it blowing up as replacement is a bit $$$

I don't know of any 4" springs for the Zuk, anyone care to shed some light on who makes them.

If you are going to be using it as a daily driver I'd ditch the climaexs as it may affect your insurance.

[greg]

Okay, the story is that i brought the zook about 3 days ago.

It is a 95 model
1.3 engine,
has 31" inch tyres,
2" inch body lift,
4" inch suspension lift, (so i have been told, not sure how long or brand??)
lock rite rear diff,
Rockhopper series 3 transfer case, (got to love the whine)
climax shackles, (although they have no pin to lock them????)
extended brake hoses,

However i am not sure about longer shocks??

Now the way i see at is that due to it being used as a daily driver with some weekend 4wdriving. i was wondering if i will notice the handling improvments if i was to modify them for a pin locking mechanism (for on road) or to take them off and reinstall the original shackles??

Also would it be possible for somone to take some photos of the pin locking mechanism on thier climax shackles??

First up - congrats on the purchase - sounds like you've got plenty of goodies in there to get started on without having to buy them on top of your original purchase price...

Secondly, welcome to the board - it's always good to have another suzuki owner on here (except for you Dewse ).

As for the shackles - locking them in place will make very little difference to on-road performance. However, i guess from a safety point of view it would be nice to have them pinned in place.

Removing them is very simple - two bolts per shackle = easy... Put the old shackle on - or get a custom length shackle made up (which you may require due to longer springs)...

Where abouts are you located Zack? No doubt someone on here will be able to wheel with you / come and have a gander at your new car...

[Zack]

You may want to get the t/case checked now as it shouldn't be whining, you don't want it blowing up as replacement is a bit $$$

Straight-cut gears are the cause of the whine i believe as they are used in the rockhopper series three lower high range

[grimbo]

You may want to get the t/case checked now as it shouldn't be whining, you don't want it blowing up as replacement is a bit $$$

Straight-cut gears are the cause of the whine i believe as they are used in the rockhopper series three lower high range

I have the series 3 and they don't whine in mine

(no funny comments from the peanut gallery about how could they when the car just sits in the shed )

Just suggesting it would be worth checking out but hey if you don't want too fine. You don't like hearing peoples answers do you, already got your mind made up

[Guy]

dont see any strait cut gears here .. ??

[Zack]

Ok i will have a look at the t/case

what is the normal reduction for series three rockhopper in high range??

i come from the foothills of the Barrington tops about 45 min north of singleton which is about an hour inland of Newcastle along the new England highway

and what is the minimum suspension lift with 2' inch body lift that 31" inch tyres fit under??

and how much would u have expected to pay for my zook
the engine runs sweet

[Barathrum]

the reduction is something like 20%. but i don't know what the ratio is. i'm sure someone can tell you

[Guy]

Ok i will have a look at the t/case

what is the normal reduction for series three rockhopper in high range??

i come from the foothills of the Barrington tops about 45 min north of singleton which is about an hour inland of Newcastle along the new England highway

and what is the minimum suspension lift with 2' inch body lift that 31" inch tyres fit under??

and how much would u have expected to pay for my zook
the engine runs sweet

The normal reduction is 22% not exctly syre what the actual gear ratio is
with a 2 inch body lift 31's will fit, no suspension lift ..
There are a few Zuks in Newcastle .. you should be able to hook up with and get all the low down on what you have ... (which is a real good start to the world of Zuk 4wheeling by the way .. thats a sweet setup ..)

Got pics ???

[Zack]

no pics of it in action as i've only had it for 3 days or so

but i can take pics of it sitting thier if u want to see them

O and it has a snorkel too but the exhasut heat exchange pipe is not blocked off so taht needs fixing

[Guy]

no pics of it in action as i've only had it for 3 days or so

but i can take pics of it sitting thier if u want to see them

O and it has a snorkel too but the exhasut heat exchange pipe is not blocked off so taht needs fixing

you will also want to address the bit of pipe in behind the gaurd .. it is perforated with a bit of material "stuff" covering it ..

A "non" action pic is OK .. will help figure out how high it sits and what size the spring lift really is ...