Can You Lift Too High?

[Scorpion]

First let me apologise for asking this here, but the Suzuki forums are well, shall we say, not exactly quick in responding to questions.

My Vitara has a 2" body lift with a 2" suspension lift at the front and 3" suspension lift at the back. It is fitted with Pro Comp shocks and it looks like a professional job was done modding it. The thing is it 'skips' when you accelerate quickly (pulls to the right) or decelarate (pulls to the left if you take your foot off the pedal too quickly).

It brakes in a straight line and doesn't wander when driven at a steady pace. Off road it performs brilliantly but on tarmac it's a bit of a bind. No shocks or suspension parts loose and the diffs are secure. I just wonder if it's too high and that is the cause of the problem. As always any advice would be greatly appreciated.

As you can see, it's a lot higher at the back.

[slobodan]

Every off road mod I do seems to affect on road driving.
Auto locker is no good on road.
Lift makes it more vague on road.
You need some traction bars to stop it veering on accel-decel
I am in the process of making some for mine.
They will stop the rear axle from turning when rotational force is applied
Espec. if you are leaf sprung rear.

[gary-r]

isnt that a JEEP

dont be silly - its a plant pot, theres a xmas tree growing out the bonnet

[smiffy]

Can't quite remember, but is there a kind of 3 point linkage on rear axle of a Vitara.Think the one on top of axle is a hemi joint or something and i'm sure theres a mod for it,maybe a spacer.

I may be talking 100% crapola,since i've had no sleep in 2 days and the deamon drink has possesed me.

http://www.bits4vits.co.uk/store/ind...d&productId=80

[Sancho]

Sounds like something in the transmission that's throwing it off balance. It may or may not be accentuated by the lift.

Am I right in thinking that Vitara transmissions aren't symmetrical and that one or both of the diffs is off to one side?

[Albannach]

That's probably torque steer. When it's in 2WD, is it RWD or FWD, or is it full time 4WD?

[gary-r]

hows the back axle held on - if its leaf sprung id guess the shackles are flexing on the high lift - does it jump to the side the same direction the prop turns.

only a guess but we used to get that problem in the starsky and hutch days with the trendy jacked up rear springs.

[Albannach]

only a guess but we used to get that problem in the starsky and hutch days with the trendy jacked up rear springs.

On MK3 Cortinas and MK2 Capris mostly? Those things just made shit handling motors into shitter handling motors

[gary-r]

On MK3 Cortinas and MK2 Capris mostly? Those things just made shit handling motors into shitter handling motors

my capri went through a hedge(backwards) on the cowie back road with its trendy lifted rear the axle used to tramp like mad and bounce it all over the road

[Albannach]

Capri's were junk, especially the German ones. I had a couple, including an RS 3.1 years ago, they were a hoot; until it got windy, or rained, or one had the tenacity to ask it to change direction.

[Spoggle]

Many moons ago, 42 years worth to exact. I had a Mk2 Cortina GT , and the back end of that used to shall we say hop around a bit under enthusiastc cornering and on night ended up on it's roof. When the garage re built it with a new body shell I had anti-tramp bars fitted to the rear suspension and it never fell over again. Having said that I didnt corner quite as fast either. Anyway Jim it's about time you got your 3rd Gen muddy

Sopggle

[Scorpion]

Ha! No chance of the street queen getting dirty, mate, that's what the Vitara is for. Thanks for all the helpful replies gents but it ended up as something really simple. Rear radius arm bushes shot to hell causing the rear axle to twist, how on earth it passed an MOT is beyond me. I'm getting me mate, who is an MOT tester, to give it the once over, just in case anything else has been missed.