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lifting the sj ??

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:41 pm
by zukzuk
want to lift the sj.. read about spoa ,, d-flex shackles ,, normal shackles and reverse ones would like to do spoa but it seems a lot of work and have not got the skills needed for welding ... also ive seen a kit from the off road armoury does any one know what is in this kit ??...

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:13 pm
by Tramp
are you sure you want to lift it? why dont you buy soem mud tyres and see how you go before you decided you need to lift, its worth while talking to different people and then you can make your own mind up, i went for a complete lift kit from l.a.supertrux, i went for the calmini 3.5" lift cause i didnt want the hassle of pieceing a kit togther myself, its good and strong and proved totally reliable at the end of the day its downto your own taste, most people cut there teeth on extended shackles and then never go back, in fairness the most effective cheap lift is the add a leaf springs if i didnt have the kit already fitted i would use add-a-leafs

Luke

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:29 pm
by ScottieJ
Hi matey
As luke said its sometimes a good idea just to start with a good set of mud terrains as you'll be suprised what a standard height suzuki will do on a good set of tyres.
you could always do a 2" body lift to squeeze some bigger tyres on? as the main thing you want to improve is your ground clearence and bigger tyres are the only thing that really improve this. obviously though, the bigger the tyres the more lift you need!

I would avoid extended shackles at all costs all they do is destroy your springs and get you stuck because they reduce your approach angle!

If you go to the offroad armory website http://www.offroad-armory.com/suzukisuspension.html it has details of what is included in each of their lift kits, all of them are based around the shackle reverse system that does work well.

In my opinion i wouldn't go for add a leaf as from my experience they can make the ride quite harsh and sometimes dont flex that well, I think its worth spending the extra on a good set of lift springs myself you can pick up a set for about £200.

All Dflex shackles do are increase you droop travel and unless you get the 2" extended ones they won't add any lift, but then you get the same problem as lift shackles, i'm not really a huge fan of these either personally as they can make road handling a bit of a nightmare!

you could however go down the route of bedford rascal rear springs and then rear springs up front with missing link shackles as that provides a bit of lift

personally I just run a set of 2" lift springs, longer shocks, extended brakelines and 31x10.50 tyres on wheels with a big offset and i fid it pretty much perfect, its not too high, got plenty enough flex and i don't really get stuck that often!

Scottie J

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:04 pm
by Kirkynut
Hi there,

Have a look at the pictures of our standard SJ10 in the Lakes on Colway 195/15 MT's.

This shows what a standard SJ is capable of. You'd be suprised.

If you really want to lift it, the springs to get at the minute are the 3" lifted ones from KAP.

Our friends have fitted some of these and they have not sagged and they change the ride from crashy and bangy to not too far from coils! The articulation they offer is good too!

I've bought a lifted Jimny now so I'll not be spending more money on our old SJ, but if I were to, thses would be the srings I'd buy!

Kirkynut

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 9:59 am
by Caesens
Hi,

I've bought recently a Suzuki SJ413 and also want to lift the car,
I'm looking at the Calmini 3" suspension system as it seems to be a complete lift kit
with dropped pitman arm etc.

Do you think it's a good kit? We live in Belgium and I'm searching for other options
or dealers in Europe to buy the kit from,

Can you guys help me out?

thanks!

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 10:16 am
by Jordi
Mountain goat performance?

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 12:16 pm
by ScottieJ
Most people say the calmini kits ride quite stiff. Personally I'm not a fan of shackle reverse on SJs either, I don't think they perform as well off-road and they also limit the tyre size you can run because the wheel moves closer to the bulkhead during compression, with the shackles up front the wheel moves away from the bulkhead increasing clearance.

I would just go for some 2" lift springs with longer shocks and brake lines. You won't need to change anything on the steering that way either.

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 12:35 pm
by Jordi
Age old question of what size tyres you want to run?

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 7:24 pm
by stevepsj413
Jordi wrote:Mountain goat performance?
Dont think he's trading anymore, I kinda know him, wrapped up a year or so ago.

Re: lifting the sj ??

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:03 pm
by SherwoodNash
stevepsj413 wrote:
Jordi wrote:Mountain goat performance?
Dont think he's trading anymore, I kinda know him, wrapped up a year or so ago.
Mountain Goat Performance Ltd Company status: Dissolved on 15 December 2015
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07494654