ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: mbmarkyb on August 25, 2004, 08:03:01 PM
-
Hi Guys, To save me taking them off and measuring them.
Does anyone know the length of the body and the travel on the calmini 3 " super articulation lift shockers please. Calmini don`t seem to want to tell me :-)
My plan is dislocating cones and 3 inch longer shock as need more flex :-)
-
I will have a look tonight, I have a couple on the kitchen floor at the mo ;D
-
cheers mate :-)
-
The shocks that came with my Calmini kit are Procomp 3000 series part number 32651 and are 27" long at full extension, 17" long compressed.
-
The shocks that came with my Calmini kit are Procomp 3000 series part number 32651 and are 27" long at full extension, 17" long compressed.
I asked Calmini too about the specs of their shocks but .....
At last ........  I was asking for  this info in a recent post of mine....  T H A N K   Y O U  Rhinoman  !!!
The only question I have is that what lift do you have ?
As I can see ,your vitara/sidekick has 2" springs lift as you say.Is there a case that the 3" lift comes with longer shocks ?
-
The 2" lift is on the car. The 3" lift is in the kitchen ;D only arrived 2 days ago. The 2" kit I have on the car comes with longer shocks but not as long as the ones with the Calmini kit, the Calmini top linkage allows more travel.
-
cheers rhinoman, might need 30" travel then :-)
-
cheers rhinoman, might need 30" travel then :-)
30" of travel, that would make the shock about 6ft long :o :o  You're gonna need more lift to get that under there  ;D ;D :P :P
-
how long is the crown vic spring that eric uses and recommends?
-
I have news....... I have the Calmini 3" suspension lift and I have just used a Nissan forklift to raise the truck from the rear right wheel.
The compressed right rear shock was 15,35"  and the extended (wheel on the air) rear left shock was 23,23 "
any comments ???
I m thinking of installing a pair of SkyJackers Series Platinum  17" comressed but 28 " extended .
(http://www.jackit.com/Shocks/Images/skj_platinum_shocks_sm.jpg)
What do you think ?
-
Can you read a part no. off the shocks? The Procomps have the part no stamped on. Of course its possible that Calmini don't always supply the same shocks. I measured the shocks off the vehicle from the centre of the bottom eye to between the two rubbers as best as I could.
-
Mine are around 15" compressed, 23" extended will look for part numbers later but Rhinoman yours have travel similar to the '99 F150 4x4 16" to 27"
-
These numbers were on mine C04106J and 658489
-
Can you read a part no. off the shocks? The Procomps have the part no stamped on. Of course its possible that Calmini don't always supply the same shocks. I measured the shocks off the vehicle from the centre of the bottom eye to between the two rubbers as best as I could.
I also measured from the center of the bottom eye to between the 2 bushings.Its really a clear 15.35" compressed and 23,23" extended.
Rhinoman ,don't get me wrong,but even if Calmini doesnt always provide same shocks,is it possible shocks for the same lift kit (and you said you have the 2" !!!)  to have such a difference ???? I mean its 2" when compressed and almost 5" when extended ???
It would be out of their production specs for the susp.kit
I cant understand,you re either very lucky or you count something wrong.And how did that shock fit in your truck without modifying at least the lower shock mount ?
Again, dont get me wrong ,but I m shocked somehow by the lengths you mention for a Calmini 2" or even 3" kit.
Anyway ,I dont know if the shocks on my truck are Procomp,but on them it is stamped the following :
Made in USA
0 (or C) 02146G
650346
-
I want to ask something else :
Now I have the Calmini shocks rear with 15,3 " compressed and 23,2" extended.I want to replace them with longer ones.Its easy to find what I want now that I know their lengths.My question is :
If I install a shock that will have 17" compressed and 28" extended (those SkyJackers I mentioned previously)
,what mods will I need to do ?
1.For sure the lower shock mount,but what else ?
2.the upper shock mount too ?
3.The upper spring mount ?
4.If its 17" compressed doesn't this mean that I loose some upper wheel travel ?
In case it helps I found that close to the Calmini 3" lift shocks are Rancho 9009 rear that have 15,67" when compressed and 26,78" when extended.I believe that these last ones can be installed with only lower shock mount relocation.
Your thoughts on this ?????
-
The '99 Ford F150 '99 4x4 shocks are what is suggested to use when doing Mike Hagen's rear axle rotation and relocating the lower shock mount
Rancho '99 F150 4wd rear shocks
Length: Compressed, Extended, Travel
RS99234 410mm/ 16.125" 686mm/ 27.00" 276mm/ 10.875"
RS5234 400mm/ 15.75" 686mm/ 27.00" 286mm/ 11.25"
-
thanks cj.I think I m going for the Rancho RS5234.
The 9000 series are said to be adjustable...
Sorry if its a stupid question,but what 's the advantage of it compared to a normal 5000 series ,when doing 4x4 ?
-
Soften it for more flex offroad and stiffen it up for less bodyroll onroad.
-
I also measured from the center of the bottom eye to between the 2 bushings.Its really a clear 15.35" compressed and 23,23" extended.
Rhinoman ,don't get me wrong,but even if Calmini doesnt always provide same shocks,is it possible shocks for the same lift kit (and you said you have the 2" !!!)  to have such a difference ???? I mean its 2" when compressed and almost 5" when extended ???
I will check with the guy I bought the kit off, my understanding is that it was all as supplied by Calmini.
The shocks I am talking about are the ones that came with my (as yet unfitted) 3" kit
I was planning on changing the shocks and struts to improve the travel anyway so I will change the top mount if necessary
-
o.k now it makes more sense.Well, I guess we will all come back with comments after the mods are done.
Good luck to you too :)
-
Cheers for all the input, just need to decide what to buy only want to gain a couple more inches with out to much modification.
Maybe buy those procomps that you have Rhinoman, I think the guy you bought them from may have upgraded as Didnt procomp make a simular kit back a few years and Calmini took over it or made one better or something like that
-
The old 2.5" Procomp kit was withdrawn long before Robs 4u was made. They wouldn't have worked with it anyway as they are far too long to work with the stock rear diff mount. I will talk to him tomorrow he may have changed them to get more travel ;D. It will be a couple of weeks before I get to fit the new kit but I will report back.
-
Well I've ordered some OME struts now so I'll have plenty to check out when I'm able to fit it all ;D
-
i will be interested on how they work out , as im not to sure if they are worth it as will you keep the 3 inch spacer as well or just have the strut ????
-
I have the OME struts on my 95 Tracker. They are longer and softer but a strut flip will be in order but you won't need the 3" inch spcer anymore.
-
i will be interested on how they work out , as im not to sure if they are worth it as will you keep the 3 inch spacer as well or just have the strut ????
The spacer is 2" I need to measure it all up to confirm how much extra travel I can get, I may have to shorten my existing spacer. As I will be lowering the diff I can extend the travel by that much at least (1"?) without exceeding the max angle on the CVs that I have now. I haven't broken one in the 2 yrs I have had the current kit on so I will be OK with that. Also when not articulated the angle will be less with the diff drop brackets which will help reliability.
-
cheers for the info , will watch this space :-)
seems we have a simular chat going on the rhino forum. will cut and paste once all confirmed
-
One question.
How much movement back and forwards do we get on the rear axle, as thinking of converting the top mount to an eye rather than a stud,
My only issue i can see is if the axle moves too far forward then , I might put stress on the top mount but i am thinking the bottom mount should turn to allow it to move as it is mounted the other way.
Any thoughts wold be great
-
My shocks from calmini are approximately 14" compressed and approxmiately 25" extended. I just measured it this weekend but have had to much going on and can not remember the exact measurements. I ordered me some Rancho 9000 series adjustables to replace the rear shocks on my Kick. The ones I ordered are the stock replacement for a 99 F-150 Pick Up ( I can not remember the part number).
To go with the longer travel shocks you will need to relocate the upper shock mounts. Also watch your springs. If you go much longer than the Calmini shocks the springs can seperate from the cups and risk poping off during down travel. Also be sure to mount the shocks where they do not bottom out before you hit a bump stop or the spring fully compresses.
HTH,
Zig
-
My shocks from calmini are approximately 14" compressed and approxmiately 25" extended.
thats nearly 11" of travel for you, 10" for me and around 8" for GR_Vit and CJ. Zukipilot is the winner ;D ;D
-
thats nearly 11" of travel for you, 10" for me and around 8" for GR_Vit and CJ. Zukipilot is the winner  ;D ;D
I've got my axle rotated, and when I relocated my lower mount, I place it where the coil springs fully compress barely before the shock bottoms out (to close actually I blew out my first set :P), I also have 33x12.50's on steel wheel hanging from the suspension ;D. I'll try and remember to remeasure before I install the 9000's.
Zig
-
for everyone having trouble with the calmini 3" lift kit on the SWB Vitara being too stiff in the back:
Jeep Wrangler TJ front struts are exactly the same length as the rear shocks and with the same mounts, but they ride much much much better. also if you can find Lada Samara springs... same length, less stiff
i've had the lift kit for about a year now and the ride was pretty bad (in fact the roads in my country are kinda shitty, which made it much worse), but with the tj shocks, oh my god, i love my car again :)
-
for everyone having trouble with the calmini 3" lift kit on the SWB Vitara being too stiff in the back:
Jeep Wrangler TJ front struts are exactly the same length as the rear shocks and with the same mounts, but they ride much better. also if you can find Lada Samara springs... same length, less stiff
i've had the lift kit for about a year now and the ride was pretty bad (in fact the roads in my country are kinda shitty, which made it much worse), but with the tj shocks, oh my god, i love my car again :)
Could you measure from the centre of the hub to the top of the wheel arch? Ã?'d like to know how much the Lada springs lift it. Do you know how long the springs are?
-
sorry for a late reply
i will measure as you said. until i measure i can tell you these springs are a little longer than the calmini ones, but once put on the car and after 2 days, it is lower by about 1/2 centimeters, really not noticeable
-
Thanks, the Samara isn't common here but they are around. I don't want to waste time and money hunting for them if they aren't what i'm after. Are the TJ shocks you used just the standard Factory ones?
-
for everyone having trouble with the calmini 3" lift kit on the SWB Vitara being too stiff in the back:
Jeep Wrangler TJ front struts are exactly the same length as the rear shocks and with the same mounts, but they ride much much much better. also if you can find Lada Samara springs... same length, less stiff
i've had the lift kit for about a year now and the ride was pretty bad (in fact the roads in my country are kinda shitty, which made it much worse), but with the tj shocks, oh my god, i love my car again :)
Do the springs ever bind? Mine do and Calmini said I should get some better gas shocks to help it. As far as I know the spring would need to be stiffer not the shock.
-
Thanks, the Samara isn't common here but they are around. I don't want to waste time and money hunting for them if they aren't what i'm after. Are the TJ shocks you used just the standard Factory ones?
yep. standard factory ones that came off a stock TJ. i have to say it again: huge improvement. feels like a stock vitara now. nice n responsive so you know what the terrain is like under you, but comfy at the same time.
LE: you might get away only with the shocks. i first replaced the springs and the improvement was minimal. so i suggest you first look for TJ front shocks, bcause i think that's all yuo need really... but should you ever tear one of those springs (highly unlikely) the samara ones can be used :)
Do the springs ever bind? Mine do and Calmini said I should get some better gas shocks to help it. As far as I know the spring would need to be stiffer not the shock.
sorry, i'm not sure what you mean by "springs binding". if you mean "do they limit the travel due to the fact that they have many turns in them and they touch", i really couldn't say if it's hitting the bumpstops because the front is pretty limited anyway. i'll have to check that specifically.
anyway, most flex is in the rear, and they don't bind there (the samara springs are very similar in the number of turns with the ones in the kit)... the kit is very well designed in that area :)
also, do you mean the spring should be stiffer THAN the shock? don't know if you can compare them like that... :) the shock is stiffer/softer due to the valves which decide how much volume of fluid can pass on impact. the bigger the volume, the softer the shock. springs, on the other hand, are stiff/soft due to the material used, cross-section...
-
Thanks for the reply. I have actually killed a Calmini rear spring due to coil bind which is why I'm interested in your Samara solution particularly if the ride improves. Coil bind is when the springs have fully compressed so that the coils are touching. It will eventually kill the spring. The Calmini springs can do this but bumpstop extensions would prevent it from happening.
If you ever get a chance could you count the number of coils including part coils of the Samara springs and measure the diameter of the coil wire and the outside diameter of the coil as I would like to do a rough spring rate calculation to see how they compare to the Calmini springs? Do you have any pics of the springs at all before you fitted them?
I'd still like to know the distance from the centre of the hub to the top of the rear wheelarch if possible as I've now fitted my Calmini kit to a 2.0 swb Sport kick and need to do a bit of fine tuning so all the info is a great help ;D
-
didn't know it kills the springs... guess it's because binding is after their normal compression limit... but the calmini spring looks beefy :D the samara ones... not so beefy. i might miss the original ones if i break one of these (even though i paid only 40$ for a pair of samara springs)
sure thing. i'll get a caliper and measure and count the coils
in the meantime you can see the build here: http://suzukidojo.blogspot.com/2008/04/mrjvcea-mai-frumoasa-vitara.html
will take some extra pics soon
blog owners are the guys with the shop. they make all kinds of stuff :)
-
ok so i managed to measure the height between the hub and the top of the wheel arch: 54cm or 21.26"
the samara spring.... i couldn't accurately measure it but it's about 12cm in ext. diameter and about 1.2cm the diam. of the coil
but i dont recommend it anymore :)) the paint is chipping off it where it sits in the upper mount. i'm wondering how long they will last. maybe i'll get new ones from calmini
-
Sometimes it is amazing how cool that blue hardware looks under the Vitara. :)
-
got a caliper finally. the coil is 1.2cm in diameter, it has 2cm between the coils
i have a question for calmini 3" lift kit owners with SWB (short wheel base) vitaras:
how is the rear axle caster? is it like the stock vitara (about 9 degrees)?
i'm having trouble adjusting it, the prop shaft is at a wierd angle and it vibrates...
-
nvm, i got the caster to about 14 deg. and no more vibration :D