Suzuki Club UK

SPOA is too much work for my liking. Gives more flex as the axles gets more leverage on the springs.

In return you get twisted and warped springs. Makes the Zuk very tall too. Still needs new brake lines. Modified bump stops. Probably ok on shocks as the shock mount doesnt really move in real terms. Depending on how you choose to do it i suppose.

I'd only go this way on very big tyres and uprated springs. You need to be a dab hand with a welder and do some pretty accurate maching to get it right.

For the work involved there are much better options available. Thats just my thoughts.

Jordi

to the club

Add a leafs are ok for a cheap lift. Check out http://www.llama4x4.com/page5.htm for some ideas.

you can get a bolt on spoa kit here but it can get very expensive after but brake hoses shocks and U bolts and i still wouldnt be too sure on the bolt on kit...

http://www.rocky-road.com/bolton-samurai-spoa.html

yeah sorry i mean spring over axle (SPOA) lol i can weld pretty well but like you say i dont wanna ruin anything inside the axle.....

Okay so on a tight budget and only 20years old what would be my best option for abit of offroading but still used everyday for work....

People do do the SPOA Lift (spring over axle) as you get 5 - 6" which is good if you have big tyres, the downside is that you have to weld new perched onto your axles to mount the springs, you also need new brake hoses and a method of steering as your drag ARM doesn't have enough movement to accomodate the extra height, generally speaking spoa is too high for your everyday SJ, its good to have the weight down low and with spoa you make your SJ unstable, you can run wheel spacers to help with this. also if you are doing spoa properly its a good idea to fit a 'bam bar' or 'anti tramp bar' as otherwise you can regularly damage your rear springs, If your dead set on a lift Id recomnend a simple +2" lift spring mod although this will make your suspension a lot harder and harser

it all depends on what sort of offroading youll be doing, i built mine for mainly road use but i plan to do a bit of green laning, so all ill be doing to mine now is fitting some A/T's and thats all...

SJ's are good for offroading even when standard, its just my alloys came with road tires...

hi jay 18 is that yours in the pic? doesnt look standard height what have you done to it?

the height is standard, i have recently fitted brand new springs all round but that did raise it 2"/3" but that was because of the old springs being so warn out, i have Suzuki Vitara Fatboy Alloy wheels which are 3" wider than the standard SJ wheels, this makes it handle alot better on the road as it doesnt have so much body roll

the arches have been shopped out and i made the wheel arches bigger in width by 3" and i also made the arches bigger internally which turned out to be known as a "Virtual lift" this means i can fit bigger tires, i plan to fit 30" A/T's...

Cheapest would be add a leaf. Doesnt guarantee an amount of lift. Depends how tired your existing springs are.

What kind of condition is the body work?

Virtual lifts are dead easy. Mine was free to do just a bit of graft required. Good enough for 31s and used as a daily drive.

Jordi

some decent 29 inch (ish) tyres and then fold the seam over on the bulkhead will get you through most green lanes and any pay and play that isn't a rutted clay quagmire.

Shackles - Cheap, easy to fit, ruin approach angle, eventually damage springs

Add a leaf - Cheap, easy to fit, adds some lift, harsher ride, eventually ruins springs

SPOA - Cheap if you can weld, lots of lift, flexes well, potentially dangerous if done incorrectly, eventually ruins springs.

Shackle reversal kits - differing reviews, causes tyres to foul bulkhead more easily. retain softer ride of standard spring.

Lift springs - Expensive, generally harsher ride (depends on setup), springs will last forever, its the proper way really

Virtual Lift (cutting back arches) - keeps center of gravity low, keep all other original setup, looks damn sexy, time consuming, can't be bought

Body lift - Quite expensive unless you DIY, Raises center of gravity, Causes problems with other parts not being long enough or fouling. can provide many varied ammounts of lift, cant really mess up the fitting


I'm sure some others can add to this list. Maybe tidy it up turn it to a sticky to refer others too in future?

Dan