new to suzukis advice please

[kale]

Hello all had pajeros before this suzuki this one soa, vitara engine fitted the suspension set up is really annoying me add a leaf and new shocks are needed i think would like some advice . it is very sound rust wise small spot passenger side floor it runs great ,will be making new roll cage and fitting bucket seats i would also like to cut up the wheel arches great site looking forrward to some ideas and advice

[ROBBIE]

hi
they look like d-flex shackles which are supposed to open up to give more flex, but normally the close the other way

[ROBBIE]

nice looking truck by the way

[ScottieJ]

to :suzuki:clubUK

They look like some homemade drop shackles, I would bin them and fit some standard shackles and then see what it's like.

how have the shocks been set up? are they limiting up articulation?

[kale]

I wasthinking they was some homemade effort i was thinking about fitting standard ones plus add a leaf springs and new shocks what would be best budget ish shocks for job cheers

[ScottieJ]

Personally I don't like add-a-leafs, they aren't really designed to lift but to increase the spring rate for carrying extra load, lifting the vehicle is more of a side effect, they'll stiffen the suspension up quite a bit as well.
I know others will argue they work but that's just my opinion. I think you don't really need the extra height if you are already spoa anyway as that's already 4-5" lift and more than enough for some large tyres.

As for shocks you can get some rough country shocks at £42 a corner or the cheap alternative is some mk2 astra gas shocks, these are a direct fit on the front but you might need to lower the axle shock mounts depending on how they are set up and also either run an adapter bar on the rear or cut the top pin off and carefully weld on an eye style mount so that they fit the existing upper rear shock mounts.

[kale]

Cheers scottiej my front springs are flat what would you do about them thanks

[dan_2k_uk]

The standard front springs are pretty much flat when they leave the factory so I wouldnt worry about them untill they are inside out.

Have you checked the bump stops have been extended as that will help stop the springs over flexing.

Dan

[kale]

Ill check them tonight cheers dan

[Anton]

I have to agree with Scottie about the add-a-leafs.

When my neighbour built his lifted hilux, he shoved stiffer leaf springs under the truck. Roughly the same as using add-a-leafs. The result was a harsher ride, and nearly no articulation. The truck *looked* like it could go anywhere, but on an RTI ramp, it didn't do any better than my Toyota Yaris. I'm not kidding either! I did actually put the Yaris on the RTI ramp, and it did as well as that Hilux, and *better* than one that was lifted even further.

IIRC, the winner that day was Mrs. Spark's's hybrid Hilux, which - although only on 31's, and on a shortened chassis, got higher up the ramp than any other vehicle.

If I remember rightly, it had surf/4-runner/LC LJ80 suspension parts - that is, it'd been converted to coils.

Is it just the "flatness" of the springs that annoys you, or something else? Because flat springs are normal on an SJ. The Toyota boys keep telling me they're not, but I've seen a Suzuki manual that says they are. Just can't remember where I saw it...