Well...I finally ordered the CALMINI lift kit for my truck.  After four years and over 50,000 miles on the Rocky Road kit, my Old Man Emu springs were sagging.  I must say...I have nothing but praise for the Rocky Road kit.  The ride was superb, the coil spacers held up pretty well (of course, I wasn't exactly abusing my GV...minimal offroading), and my GV looked great.  I really needed the new control arms and wanted the diff drop brackets.  New Suzuki control arms would be $400 alone, so the CALMINI kit is really a decent bargain with everything it includes.  I got it without manual hubs (since I already have them), knocking $80 off the retail price.  I expect the ride to be a little more harsh now, but I don't really care about that.  It will be great having the long travel springs and shocks with no coil spacers  .

In other news, I also ordered the Rocky Road supersliders.  Good protection, and will help my passengers get into the truck a little easier.  Between the CALMINI lift, Rocky Road 2" body lift and 31" tires, I'll probably be around 7" taller than stock    Will post some pics in a month or so when all is installed.

Lose the sway bar.  Flex the hell out of it and don't be shy at jumping the front end.  All of this wiill help break-in and soften the springs.  Expect the inital lift to be close to 4" before the springs settle down.

Expect the inital lift to be close to 4" before the springs settle down.

Does that mean I'm looking at a couple of alignment jobs...one right after the install, then another in 6 months?

BTW, are there any safety issues with disconnecting the sway bar?  My GV is still a daily driver, with lots of highway driving.  Can I disconnect right before offroading...or is it a pain in the arse?  I've never really looked to see.

BTW, are there any safety issues with disconnecting the sway bar?  My GV is still a daily driver, with lots of highway driving. 

Oh boy...  You're about to hear very passionate opinions on both sides of this question.  Just use your own judgement, but bear in mind that if the manufacturers believed they could get away without including them, they most certainly would.

Can I disconnect right before offroading...or is it a pain in the arse?  I've never really looked to see.

That's what I do.  It's less than convenient, but not difficult.

Alignments?  I do them after every serious off-road excursion.  but to be honest, yes.  Those that buy the "lifetime" alignments get their money's worth, but usually end up with a boob who can't figure how to align things to being with.

As for the sway bar, I'll be honesty with you.  At first, I ran with it and climbed under the GV to remove it each and every time I wheeled.  Frankly, that SUCKS.

Then I got one of the very few Rotational Dynamics sway bar quick disconnects, same as for the Sidekick and Sammy.  Only problem is, the GV's bar is trailing the axle, which meant I still had to climb under to disconnect it by pulling the pin, same to connect it.  That sucked less, but still SUCKED.

Finally, I pulled the pin and left it out (it was raining hard after a trail ride and I wasn't going to lie in the mud).  Never looked back after a couple weeks of driving it into NYC for work.  I prefer the ride without it, much more compliant, and no real body roll to speak of, and I've got a Calmini 2.5" plus the Calmini 3" B/L on 31"s, so I'm way tall. The quick disco pin still sits in the center console.

Is it as "tight" without it as with it?  No, but the GV rode like a board to begin with, and never has a soft ride.  But do what you feel comfortable with.  Drive with it and without and you be the judge.

last time i got work done on my front end we just eye balled the alignment and it was pretty close, if you don't have that sweet sounding option of 'lifetime alignments' this might be something to try.  then once things settle in get a real alignment done.  i've gotta find a shop that does that around here!   or.... just add your coil spacer to the front after it starts to settle in a little................

those RR super sliders looks really nice, i'd like to get some also but RR could never tell me how heavy they were..  i'm always so worried about my rockers getting torn by rocks....

those RR super sliders looks really nice, i'd like to get some also but RR could never tell me how heavy they were..  i'm always so worried about my rockers getting torn by rocks....

Well....when I get mine, I'll try to remember to weigh them and post the results.  Thanks to everyone for opinions on the sway bar.  I saw a recent article in one of the big 4x4 mags that compared disconnecting a sway bar v.s. adding a locker.  Both will get you a similar distance up an articulation ramp.  Of course, the best is to have both.  I'll leave mine connected for now........

 
I saw a recent article in one of the big 4x4 mags that compared disconnecting a sway bar v.s. adding a locker.  Both will get you a similar distance up an articulation ramp.  Of course, the best is to have both.  I'll leave mine connected for now........

That comparison was undoubtedly with regard to off-road performance exclusively.  You won't get much argument around here at all on this point:  Sway bars (anti-sway, whatever) don't belong off-road.  Period.  That lame article was obviously comparing articulation with traction and.... okay, here's the deal:  Traction is WAY better, in practical terms, than articulation.  Without traction, you can shove your articulation up your .......whatever.....  You've got to really try if you want to get yourself into a position where that isn't the case.  The benefits of light weight and narrow track that our rigs provide is what evens the field versus Jeeps etc.  A locked Vitara//Tracker/Sidekick/Saumrai versus any Jeep/Toyota becomes a matter of who wants it worse.

Anybody care to argue?  (Don't worry, there's plenty of room for argument here..)

  :'(

did i miss any, pretty useless post isn't this.
the thread itself is good though!

For those who are interested:

According to my shipping email, Rocky Road's Supersliders for the 1999-2005 Grand Vitara 4-door weigh 86 pounds.  That includes the box and shipping materials.  Can't wait to get them! 

For those who are interested:

According to my shipping email, Rocky Road's Supersliders for the 1999-2005 Grand Vitara 4-door weigh 86 pounds.  That includes the box and shipping materials.  Can't wait to get them! 

Mine are sitting here and say 100 lbs    There's no box, only shrink wrap.

Strange....two possibilities.  They rounded up on you.  Or, because I have them made for the 2" body lift, there is a difference in weight.   

I'm going with #1   

great news on the slider weights, thanks guys.  mine being a 2dr they would be even less!

Before installing the sliders - replace the small bolts that RRO supplies for sill attachment with some stainless steel ones if you live in the rust belt.  Mine disintegrated after 2.5 years.  Use plenty of anti-sieze on the larger frame bolts.  Also, plan on stripping and repainting after 3 years.

Corrsion has been the only problem that has plagued my sliders.  They have been great otherwise.