2" lift on 3rd Gen - Questions

[da SLUG man]

If your worried about cv angles, get a front diff drop kit. They are 1" spacer blocks that drop the front diff. This decreases the cv angles almost back to stock.

You could also go for 275/75's or 285/75's. They will fit, but may need some trimming if you are into heavyduty offroading, but should be fine for light wheeling and street driving.

The panhard is not necessary, but is an easy mod. It will reduce the chances of rubbing with bigger tires.

Roughtrax are working on a 2" suspension lift for the 3rd gens at the moment. A 2" sus and 1" body will allow for big tires with no rubbing and is not too expensive.

The panhard and diff drop are not needed if you go for the bodylift.

Whats the prices of the explorer stuff, for the front and rear shocks and struts?

i reckon you'll need spacers on the front for 285s... but then my steels have a smaller offset so perhaps not... also shave a bit from the front arch trim.

[kite surf]

Cheers Ciaran,

Might consider the Diff kit if its not a big job and i can get the parts easily!
What does it involve?

The Panhard i will wait and see the extent of the offset first - if its 10 mm it shouldn't be too obvious....i was thinking of spacers anyway....30mm perhaps?

Where do you get the panhard bracket from?

I'd heard of balljoint spacers but not diff - are there no problems with the driveshafts if you space the diff?

This was only supposed to be a little job...haha!

Tyres wise - i'm on a fairly new set of BFG AT's at the mo and will not change in a hurry!

[da SLUG man]

Cheers Ciaran,

Might consider the Diff kit if its not a big job and i can get the parts easily!
What does it involve?

The Panhard i will wait and see the extent of the offset first - if its 10 mm it shouldn't be too obvious....i was thinking of spacers anyway....30mm perhaps?

Where do you get the panhard bracket from?

I'd heard of balljoint spacers but not diff - are there no problems with the driveshafts if you space the diff?

This was only supposed to be a little job...haha!

Tyres wise - i'm on a fairly new set of BFG AT's at the mo and will not change in a hurry!

have a look at roger browns site for the diff spacer... look easy to make, but he goes more in depth write up on them.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/DiffDrop.shtml

[Cmar]

The best place to go for info on the 3rd gen is Yotatech.com

There is a wealth of info, but sometimes can mean a bit of searching the old posts! But you'll find everything you need to know there.

[Rob]

I think i will be trying them out shortly!

I will let you know...

I have been offroad in Les Arcs in France and a little in mid wales (harsh)when i lived there, but i mainly use mine to take my kitesurf gear to the beach!

I often get up North (where i'm from) and fancied trying the Pennines or south Lakes!

I fancied trying the tank tracks over Salisbury way but have no-one to pull me out if stuck! Perhaps we should hook up for some laning when i find some!

Great, looking forward to finding some new lanes. Would definitely like to have a play on the plain. Andy Dawson lives over that way and also has a 3rd gen. I might get round to sorting out some tow straps and decent recovery points at some stage too!

Does anyone know who makes the Roughtrax springs btw? I think I'm gonna have to stop by their shop next time I'm in Bristol....must have loads of cool stuff in there!

[kite surf]

I have a big tow rope with shackles on it as a last resort!
Oh and a pressure washer!

Roughtrax are selling ProComp springs and shocks.

I'm gonna give him a call shortly!

D

[kite surf]

2" lift complete!

Rear was a doddle and with compressors, managed to change both a blown shock and both springs in about 3 hours - lifted by an actual 2".

The springs were not handed and had very little if any difference in the spring height....the car sits fractionally higher on passenger side now and i may pop them off and swap them around to see if it cures it! (not visible unless you measure it)

Wierd i thought that the rear replacement springs were actually shorter than std's by about 1.5" - but they did the trick and lifted an overall height due to the stiffness.

The fronts are coil-overs on the 3rd Gen and proved to be a complete arse!
The compressors were hard to fit in the gap between coils .....and once in, didn't compress as far as needed to get the MacPhereson back on the car.
(The new coils were about 1.5" higher than std - the opposite to the rears!)

I ended up with a 4ft piece of 3x2 jammed into the bottom wishbone, kneeling on it, whilst trying to fit the bottom bolt to the shock! Interesting!
....and yes the Anti-Roll Bar was disconnected!

Next time i will hire a better set of compressors! Also achieved 1.5 - 2" front lift!

Will post pictures of before and after when i get a mo!

Handling is far stiffer, cornering firmer and handles more like a car on the road - offroad the small bumps still shudder a little (i guess its the use of MacPheresons as my 1st Gen didn't do this), but on big hits it was a dream!

Far superior handling on green lanes now if not a little harsh on roads!

I also had no 'top-out' with the rear std shocks with a 2" lift so i'll wait and see how they perform before replacing!

New A Bar - 3" stainless fitted...now for the side bars and perhaps wheel spacers!