This is high humor!

Here's an e-mail I got from Calmini on 5/18/2005 - yes, that's right, almost 2 years ago!

Quote

Bob-
 
        We had problems with our supplier on the gearsets and will be making them ourselves on the next run.  They will likely be available again near the end of Summer.
 
Best Regards
David Kampa
Sales Department
CALMINI Products Mfg.

Nice.



~Yours Truly,
  One stupid, phony, three dollar bill.

5.8 r&p's would be great 

I am already running the original proto type 205mm travel struts and all I can say is "YEE HA" , they are absolutely awesome. You would not believe how good these babies are 

ZeusZuki 

5.8 r&p's would be great 

I am already running the original proto type 205mm travel struts and all I can say is "YEE HA" , they are absolutely awesome. You would not believe how good these babies are 

ZeusZuki 

Are you running them with the strut spacers or without? I would imagine not.

I'm amazed that calmini is actually doing something different in their suzuki lineup, considering the change in popularity of the trackers/sidekicks over the past 2-3 years.

Rhino -  Strut spacers no longer required 

Calmini seem to be doing a bit of R&D with the Zuk line as of late - mainly the Kick / Vitara etc etc stuff though. It is all good news for us  . I believe the cheap price of Kicks has made them a very attractive option generally, this certainly is the case here in NZ.

ZeusZuki 

What's the open and closed lengths?

Rhino -  Strut spacers no longer required 

I wondering just how much advantage you would really get from an extra 4" travel. With the OME struts I have had to reduce the thickness of my strut spacers to prevent the CVs from being damaged. Without spacers 2" of travel is lost straight away because the stuts hit the bump stops before they are fully compressed. Cost will be the big issue, OME struts + strut spacers (if you have to buy them) add up to a lot of money. If Calmini can sell the struts at a fair price then they will be onto a winner.

not trying to hijack the thread or steel the thunder but steve at Boondox has a contact for 5.83 R&P gears and has a sign up sheet to buy them. I think he said the minimum buy was 20 sets, but don't quote me.Get 20 people call boondox and you have your R&P.. I actually thought about fronting the cash myself to get them.. But I decided I'm not in that business. Good luck..

Rhino - extra 40mm travel ( aprox 60mm at wheel ). The struts work well, the cv's drop as much as the stock kit and do not bind but you gain more compression. The cv's and axles end up pointing up when fully compressed and I have not yet hit the bump stops.

cj - closed and open lengths, didn't measure but the stroke is 205mm ( that bit I measured ).

Mike Hagen had a set for a while too.

ZeusZuki 

cj - closed and open lengths, didn't measure but the stroke is 205mm ( that bit I measured ).

So 14mm more travel than the Old Man Emu but it is the open and closed lengths that determine where that travel is and whether they have any more usable travel. Also be interested to know what the valving is like. I do think it is great that Calmini is finally offering a decent length strut instead of a stock length plus spacer. There is a another company here in OZ that supplies a strut that is supposed to offer more travel than the Old Man Emu but so far I can't get any figures for it. 

OK I think I have this now
205mm = 8" of travel. Thats about 2" more than a stock strut and 1/2" more than an OME.
'4" more travel' assumes that the strut spacers are used as well. the stock strut doesn't use 2" of travel so thats that 2" plus the 2" longer stroke, sounds like a recipe for bust CVs.
Using the strut without a spacer gives no advantage over just using a spacer (maybe better damping), extra travel is still 2".
I would think that to get the best out of it will still require a spacer the height of which will need to be chosen to give maximum travel without compromising CVs, something like 1" maybe (with the diff drop brackets).

Ok - try this then.

Stock struts - 165mm total stroke.

Old Man Emu - 185mm total stroke.

Calmini LT stuts - 205mm total stroke.

NB: This is rod stroke and equates to more travel at the wheel. You can not run spacers on top of the struts or your cv's will bind and break. You gain very similar drop away to the set up with the Calmini strut spacers installed but gain more up travel with the LT struts. The extra travel makes a huge difference and the damping feels very good ( no more stiff feeling ).

I have been running them for about 9 - 10 months now and can't wait for a set for my GV.

Hope this helps. I have some pic's that I will post soon showing the cv / half shaft angles at full drop away and full stuff.

ZeusZuki 

Sounds good.
How do they run?
I Know that the OME is soft and comfie with out spacers.
that is what I run on my 95 Kick with the Calmini 3"inch lift.

Hi Hotrod,

They run veeeeeeery smooth. The damping is soft ( read well suited to the weight of the rig ).

When I first fitted them I went for a drive down the road and my rig went from roller skate to caddilac. Since then I have wheeled heaps and am still getting used to them - picture this: you are flying down the trail and all of a sudden you come up unexpectedly on a large rut, your first reaction is a puckering of the old butt hole and then you brace yourself for the inevitable bouncing off of the roof, but it never comes  , the front end just soaks it all up and before you know it you are through  - they really are that good. And after all this time they are still runing as smooth as the day I fitted them  .

ZeusZuki 

I called calmini about the the strut and they don't have a relise date as of yet. Not sure who i spoke to but he said when they are made available to the public they will post them on their wedsite.
Pierre