Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Can anyone tell me what the measurments are for a standard '93 LWB Vitara. Measuring from the middle of the hub to the guard. Or from the bottom of the rim to the guard (15" Sunraysias)?

Reason I'm asking is I have got 2" susp. lift (new coils and struts in the front and new coils in the back) and the back has gone up about 40mm but the front only 15mm by my measurments. This is after taking it back already once and getting a second set of springs put in as the first set only raised the rear by 15 -20mm!!!

I'm currently talking to the suspension place now while they try to figure out how to get the front to lift. I didn't think it would be this hard. Simple I thought, pay the money, get new struts and springs in the front and new coils in the back. 35 - 40mm lift to clear the bigger tyres I bought and hit the bush!

The brand of springs being used originally were Pedders.
The brand currently under there is KingSprings.

Any advice or measurements of other Vitaras before or after lift would be great!
I also upgraded the tyres at the same time to 235x75x15 Pirelli Scorpion AT.

Centre wheel hub to top of arch unladen

Front 455mm

Rear 460mm

What struts?

Is that stock or lifted?

The front struts are Pedders brand.

Those measurements are what was supplied by Suzuki for compliance in Australia for a stock lwb.

Your struts are only stock length then. What are you going to do when you get all your lift in the front? Do a strut mount flip or make up up some spacers? OME would have been the go really.

Thats great info!
Mine measures the same.

I have already got the 2" lift springs in the front and did the right thing and got them to do the struts as well. Looks like they havn't upgraded the struts to suit the 2" lift springs. This would explain my situation?

OME springs or struts?

The Old Man Emu struts are the best IMO and they also have more travel. All the others are basically a stock length strut maybe with different valving.Not what you want with a lift. And yes I think a complete OME package of springs, struts and shocks would probably have been your best option for mild setup. They are make a nicely balanced package that I found rode better and handled better on and off the road. That's not to say that there aren't other options available but you would need to create your own blend whereas this you can just fit and forget off the shelf. You also haven't mentioned what you are doing about longer shocks in the rear to suit the lift either.

Thanks for the info.
The blokes at Pedders rekon that the shocks at the rear will handle the extra spring length. Am starting to doubt it now. Its got to the point where they are asking me what I think will lift it at the front. The reason I took it to a suspension 'specialist' was cause I thought I was doing the right thing.

Originally when I got the Pedders 2" lift in the back with the 235x75x15 they scrubbed out when I went up the local shopping centre carpark!

Two questions:
1. Would the struts be stopping the springs from lifting it?

2. I have measured a point on the front bumper and it has only lifted about 25mm after adding bigger tyres and 2" suspension lift. This in my opinion is only the lift from the tyres (205x75x15 original tyres). I am arguing to them that i have not received any lift in the fron via suspension.

Am I wrong?

My Vit had Pedders shocks in it when I got it and they were cr@p. Got Tough Dogs (Springs and shocks) and it made a HUGE difference in articulation/travel. I kept the original struts, just did the springs when these pics were taken.

Pedders springs and shocks.

Tough Dogs.

On the flat - Pedders.

On the flat - Tough Dog.

Carefully aj you don't what the dog to be come a speed hump.
haha

Rob

Those pics say it all! Thanks.

At least now I don't have Pedders springs.

Will update the post tomorrow when Pedders get back to me about what the next attempt is to lift the front.
Am happy with the rear now. Changing from Pedders to KingSprings was a huge difference. Still yet to test it out for travel tho.

Any more info or advice welcomed.

robsjimny wrote:Carefully aj you don't what the dog to be come a speed hump.
haha

Rob

Nah, she's spent plenty of farm time Rob.....very vehicle concious

Watto wrote:
Two questions:
1. Would the struts be stopping the springs from lifting it?

2. I have measured a point on the front bumper and it has only lifted about 25mm after adding bigger tyres and 2" suspension lift. This in my opinion is only the lift from the tyres (205x75x15 original tyres). I am arguing to them that i have not received any lift in the fron via suspension.

Am I wrong?

1. No, but you will lose downtravel when you do get it lifted.

2. Yes, the new tyres will have lifted the front bumper 25mm from the ground. It would appear that you have not got any suspension lift yet.

Am learning so much, thanks for the info.

Pedders have come back to me saying that they can tweak the springs to get the front lifted 2" but if they do that then the front strut is not going to have enought travel in it and will likely break. ie I am constanly using the travel in the strut and gain clearance, but loose downward travel.

The strut breaking???? This to me makes no sense. I have seen many 4x4s with their front wheels off the ground. Surely in this situation the front strut is holding the wheel up?

It sounds like Pedders are trying to talk me out of them touching my Vitara for a 3rd time.

So my options are:
1. Leave it as is and keep the downward travel in the strut.
2. Get them to lift it by redoing the front springs and then not have a lot of downward travel and risk breaking the strut? (is this likely)
3. Is there a brand of strut for a vitara that will have the extra travel in it?

Opinions???

cj wrote:The Old Man Emu struts are the best IMO and they also have more travel.

If I was you I would maybe try telling them to take it all off as it has not delivered the desired results and then go and get an Old Man Emu suspension kit fitted.

If you draw a line along the gap between the door and sill it more or less intersects the top edge of the free wheeling hub in stock form. A good lift should have you at least 2” above the hub remembering the spring might sag half an inch after awhile.
Go with the OME struts at the front their the best choice all round.

Do you need to fit some strut spacers?

I think that the OME struts with their extra travel sound like the go.

Considering that they replaced my old struts with these new ones then tell me that the new struts wont work with the 2" lift from the coils they also fitted, for a suspension specialist thats a bit stupid. If I was using my old struts then strut spaces could be an option.

I'm gunna tell them to fit some OME struts tomorrow. Anyone konw what the ballpark figure is for the cost of OME struts for a Vitara???

ARB's prices for Old Man Emu

Struts $428 pair + $ 70 Fitting

Shocks $288 pair + $35 Fitting

Coil Springs (x4), Struts and Shocks $1180 + $276 fitting

Cool, about the same as what I was charged for the pedders struts. Should be able to work something out. Wish I knew all this a week ago, would have went straight to a kit from OME or ToughDog.
Will let you know how it works out.

CJ, you are starting to sound like me I had to check the author of some of those posts...

A comment about front lift - if the car has more rear lift than front (known as "rake") then even with the front moderately lifted, the front bumper will measure stock or lower than stock becase it is pivoting around the front end.

The best way to measure is from the ground to the top of the guard through the hub.

If you want to remove the effect of larger tyres, measure from the centre of the hub to the top of the guard.

Steve

Heya Steve,
Luckily I took both of those measurements before I took it in. The only difference between the ground to the guard in it now and then is the extra height in the tyres + 15mm.

Gwagensteve wrote:CJ, you are starting to sound like me I had to check the author of some of those posts...

Yeh ... but you still need to flop another time to catch up Must be something about spending time in that shed

Finally got some photos of the end result. Am happy with it. First two photos are before, second two are after 2" Suspension lift and 235x75 r15 Pirelli Scorpion AT tyres and sunnies.

The final result:
FRONT: Kingsprings (they had to send them back to the shop and get them reset) with OME shocks.
REAR: kingsprings and standard shocks. Will update the rear shocks with OME soon.

Thanks to all for the advice when I was dealing with Pedders. A tip to all, don't go to Pedders to lift ya vitara. Fit it with OME springs and struts/shocks first up. If I had my time again, I would definetly do that.

BEFORE



AFTER