low mu:(

[quack]

yesterday i went on a trip with my mate in his surf down to lake rotoiti by nelson

the surf was a lot higher than the mu and it made all the difference, the mu bottomed out everywere!

so now im looking at giving it some more clearance.

im a newbie at this as im used to lowering cars not raising trucks ;D

just wondering how high is enough, im not going full hard out but do love 4x4ing and go as much as possible.

i was thinking something like 50-70mm.

starting with the rear im guessing new leaf springs and maybe longer shackles and the front just a wind up.

what about shocks, are they necessary? i take it the give articulation by allowing the wheel to extend out further? ive been reading up and sounds like the Monroe Adventure are the way to go?

if anyone has any rough prices on this it would be handy too.

what about removing the swaybar altogether? i know its not WOFable but have read lots about it not being picked up? how much on road handling would i expect to lose?

and also body lifts? apart from making room for tyers is this going to help?is this just simply 4 blocks at the points of the vehicle to raise it?

is there any other problems i might have? i.e brake lines?

any help would be appreciated!

[geeves]

What tyres are you running and what is your measured hight at the top of each wheel arch.
With a 31 inch tyre the standard hight is about 870mm with 235mm under the rear diff and transfer case guard. As the springs are getting quite old now they have probably sagged.
If they have sagged a 30mm lift will give anything up to 100mm in reality A 30mm spring lift on my bighorn saw 70mm by the time it was fitted.
Resetting your current springs or fitting new springs and winding up the front has no WOF issues. The std shocks are good for up to 50mm lift so you can lift this much and put off the new shocks till you can afford them. Should be no issues with brake lines but always pays to check.
Shackle lifts should be certified but Ive yet to here of a well made shackle being turned down at Wof time.
Removeing the sway bar is a bit extreme. There are several designs for sway bar disconects that have the same effect that only require a pin to be put in at the end of the day. To see what difference it makes remove the linkage at one end of the sway bar and try it out. Sway bar disconects fall into the same category as shackle lifts You would be unlucky to be caught.
Any suspension lift does cause 3 negative effects 1 Bump steer As the tie rods are now on an angle any bump will cause bump steer. Not usualy a problem at 50mm or less but only fix is to fit a steering stabaliser if it is a problem. 2 Cv angles are increased increasing the chances of blowing one. Mudlark has 50mm and has never broken one nor have I but other people break a cv every second time out. Depends a lot on driving style. 3 Wheel alignment can be difficult and may require a ball joint flip. A ball joint flip is good anyway as it improves wheel travel. (even worse on cv joints)
Body lift is 12 blocks not 4 and longer bolts and maybe bending the transfer case lever. It does give more room for tyres without lifting the center of gravity quite so much and doesnt stress the drivetrain as much as a suspension lift of the same size. There have been a few cases of floor pans cracking at the mounts on Mus with body lifts. Body lifts also need cert but frequently get passed by the Wof man.
Always let your insurance co know about any mods or they might turn down a claim in the future.
Costs cant realy help My springs were $320 4 years ago

[mudslinger]

i brought monroe adventurers that have 46 mm extra travel for $265. i managed to snap a standard shock. i also have no front sway bar have no wof issues if it aint there they cant say anythin. doesnt seem to affect handlin much.

[quack]

sweet thanks for that.

its on 31's and the front is 870 but the back is more like 860 but there is a sub in the boot:)

i think ill look into getting some new springs then, should i get 50mm lift ones then, after i get some new shocks ill get longer shackels to bump it up to 70mm of lift.

would the monroe adventure shocks be suitable for 70mm of lift? went to repco and theyr about $180 a pair but ill beable to get a discount on that.

might trade in the 31s and get some 32 as well.

[quack]

mudslinger did it make much difference offroad without the swaybar?

[mudslinger]

the front is more independant if there is such a thing beta artic.

[geeves]

Only positive thing a sway bar does is reduce body roll. On most Isuzus the rest of the suspension still does a fair job of controlling this but always check the results yourself before commiting to a fairly major susspension change. I say major not because it is hard but because it completly removes a major component.
On anouther forum I belong to a Isuzu drive said his 93 bighorn still cornered almost the same after a sway bar removal. His previous Pajero though rolled so much he had the sway bar back in within a week.
Articulation improves as there is no longer a shift of up force from one side to the other meaning one wheel can fully compress at the same time as the other wheel is at full drop.
Im going to try this on my wagon one day

[quack]

sweet mite take it off tomro morning and take it for a wee test drive up a local track. will let you know how it goes on and off road.

[quack]

took it off this morning, took a bit longer as i thought as i didnt wont to take off the bummper.

anyway on road was hardly noticeable, if i didnt know it was taken off i would of never new. offroad made a little difference, although i sill had front wheels off the ground a few times.

the front has hardly any travel compered with the back! if i put longer shocks in the frount will that help?

also what is the most that i can wind the font up? i take it 50mm but if there is longer shock can it be more or is there somtihng else?

[geeves]

The front shocks are plenty long enough for any normal lift so no help there.
You can cut the bump stops which can help You can also remove the top ball joint and remount under the A arm.(ball joint flip) These help by allowing the wheel to drop further but there is a cost in that you increase CV angles effectively weakening them. Up to 50mm lift this isnt much of a problem but beyond that you need to lower the diff which takes away some of the advantage of the greater lift. Some sites make kits for up to 3 inches for suspension lift and then add anouther 3 inches in body lift which allows up to 34 inch tyres or 35s if you trim the gaurds but then your gearing will be so far out that you have to fit crawler gears to raise the ratio and you will have huge stress on the CV joints which will always be a weak point. I have been told that our cv joints are identical to live axle landcruiser ones but have never checked.
Nearly all vehicles with IFS rely on the rear for most of the travel

[quack]

so how much is it ok to cut the bump stops, i think with cars you need 14mm is that rite?

so balljoint filp will give more travel but will it raise it? as i wont be raising the back for a few weeks.

[geeves]

The suspension is a little different to most cars as there is a top and bottom bump stop. The top bump stop you leave alone This is I think the one your referring to. The smaller bottom bump stop is the one you cut or replace with a low profile bump stop. Your not interested in how far the wheel will compress into the wheel well as you would be on a sportyer car. You are interested in how far the wheel will drop if the diffs on the ground.
On the isuzu the ball joint flip does not change hight This does not apply to non isuzu vehicles. I belive Surfs lift 10mm with this mod alone. It does affect wheel alignment so do it at the same time as the lift and get a wheel alignment done.

[quack]

went to repco today, they didnt have isuzu in the maxitrac selection but i remember reading somewere(i think) that they were the same as the holden rodeo. the price was $435 for the 2 back leafs with a 50mm raise, i can get bit of a discount on that tho.

rodeo greasable shackels(standard lentgh) were $28

does the rodeo stuff fit??

[geeves]

Its all the same but do not get the heavy duty ones You dont need them or want them they will be too stiff. You also need the bushes for front and rear and maybe new front pins which repco also do in a greaseable version. Because those springs were made for the heavyer ute you might see more than 50mm

[quack]

so if they end up being higer then what would happen if i left the standard shocks in there untill i could aford them?

[geeves]

It would depend on how well the new springs work. If they are good the shocks will act as lower bump stops. This isn't recommended but on most coil setups its the shock that acts as the coil retainer so in the short term no damage likely although you might not get the full benefit of the new springs. If there is a problem it will be the shocks so the worst that can happen is that you have to buy new shocks sooner than expected. I have some old ones here in Wellington to give away if the worst happens but youd have to pick them up.

[quack]

oh yeah thats what i was thinking, thanks for the offer but i should be ok, ill just wait till i get the new shocks before the install.

[skip]

Im still after a lift for my MU. ARB qouted me $806 for a 30mm lift . That price does not include shocks (not that i need new ones).
They said with the torsion bars that was all they could do.

How are the blokes at repco getting 50mm? Does that price include install? Thats a pretty reasonable price i must say.

cheers

[quack]

nah thats just for springs, ill put them in myself wont be hard