Hi, I'm a new poster here, I have some questions regarding the budget lift. I have a 96 Geo Tracker 2dr with a soft top and I'm quite intriqued by this "budget" lift, me being a poor student and all. anywho will the GV springs fit on the 2door? and will the ride be excessively harsh? we got potholes everywhere here so that's not cool. Another thing. I need a cheap lift so I can slap some 235s on it thats all so are they're any other options besides sprinting for an expensive aftermarket lift. Also would springs off of another small suv work? say a rav4 or vitara, or the front coils off a small truck like an s10 or something?
GV springs work finebecasue the are the right length (any more than 2" and serious problems occur. ). The spring rate is higher than a stock 2-dr Kick, but so are the other off-road springs (OME, etc.). One of the things you want out of a off-road spring is a higher weight capacity, and a frim ride to suck up BIG bumps, especially when you are carrying that extra weight.
All lifted rides befome "firmer". The set of springs we had in the 4-dr in write-up road down the road rather smooth. Suspension seemed tight and responsive.
For what it is (budget lift), it rides plenty smooth. Add some bumpers, maybe a winch, a heavy hi-lift jack, some trail spares, a big spare tire, can of gas and what not, you'll want the extra carry capacity.
Now, this is about the best way (IMHO) to lift a Kick on a shoestring. While spring spacers accomplish the same lift, they can cause the spring to over compress which will destroy coil springs quickly. Obtaining the entire 2" of lift thru the springs alone in the ideal way to accomplish "budget" lift.
I say budget as the lift in not engineered. An IFS is a complicated equation. Spring travel/length is just one of the factors of the equation. Yup, you can change it 2" and fidge some other stuff and it will work. But it's not ideal. CV angles run at a more extreme angle, and the wheel track actually narrows from stock form.
That is why there are lift kits and lifted suspension systems. The extra money that goes into something like the 2" and 3" CALMINI system gains the redesigned control arms, or A-arms. These keep the wheeltrack and suspension geometery near the stock configuration. The diff drop brackets keep the CV angles within the designed degree of operability. This change also impacts the suspension geometery and another reason the redesigned A-arms are needed.
And if you ever look at a stock arm and a 'MINI arm, you'll know why they are better, even if they weren't designed for lift.
So yeah, pick up some GV springs from a junk yard or a Zooker who lifted their GV. This is the cheap-n-easy way to lift. Throw on on 235's (29's), or even 30x9.50's for that matter. Go thrash the hell outta it and if your rig and/or nerves hold up, then think of a
system down the road. When you do, you can off the GV springs to another guy looking to lift his/her Zook on a dime.
My 2 cents.
