Zukipilot, Ebewley, you guys have been around for a long time.  What do you use for camber correction...if you've had to?

Zukipilot, Ebewley, you guys have been around for a long time.  What do you use for camber correction...if you've had to?

I always ran calmini kits on my IFS rig. I ran their 2" for a while and then the 3", camber adjustment already built in. The only time I needed to adjust them is when I tried to get a little more lift out of the 3" (with spacers) and ended up trashing CV every time I went out. So I went back to original 3" lift height instead of messing with camber and blown out CV's. I'm the type that would rather let someone else do the engineering and fab work then me trying to work it out 

Zig

I had the Calmini 3" on my '96 and still had to run the camber bolts.  It had NO weight to it though.  Stock bumpers, no armor, no winch, no interior or backseat, etc.

The bilsteins are worth every penny. Just make sure you use a limit strap and bumpstops so you don't destroy them. I think thats why most people "go through" struts so fast. If I was to build another IFS rig, they would be one of my first purchases.

Zukipilot, Ebewley, you guys have been around for a long time.  What do you use for camber correction...if you've had to?

For almost all the terrain, I use camber bolts (my daily driver has them) but if I was jumping a lot or wanting to go "hard core" I slot the strut and add/weld washers onto the tabs once camber is correct or build longer a-arms... Hagen may want to chime in.

-Eric

I won't be beating on it as an offroad vehicle.  Just a daily driver that is driven aggressively, doesn't slow down for train tracks, and bumps around harder and faster at work sometimes than most soccer mom SUV's ever see.

Stock vs Bilstein for comparison:

Uhmmm..so eshocks replied to my email and their list price is now $269 each!

No way.  Nuh uh. These things could be the best shocks on earth and I'm not paying that much.  Might as well buy Fox, SwayAWay, Bilstein reservoir, or something even fancier for that much...dayum...

Stock vs Bilstein for comparison:

Just so there's no confusion - the bilstein strut shown uses an "inverted" strut design, so what you're looking at there is not the piston rod of the strut, but the outer tube.

Think I'm just going to go with KYB GR-2 struts.  No one other than Tokico lists a performance shock for these things and they say they don't fit the 99+ body style.  I can replace each KYB 5 times for what Bilstein wants for one.

I'd love the performance but ouch...no way can I afford to pay over $500 for two struts.  FAH!

I'm curious about that - don't fit the 99+ body style - if I'm not mistaken, OME uses the same strut (N103S) on all the Vitara/Grand Vitara from '88 ~'05.  Suzuki has a whole host of different numbers - 2/4 door, L/R, w/wo ABS - so presumably the damping is different rather than the physical fit, along with a bunch of brackets for brake hoses & ABS wiring.

The other thing that intrigues me - performance shock (and I was reading the Bilstein catalogs & FAQs) - shouldn't there be a difference between an "on-road" performance shock, and an "off-road" performance shock?

When I think "on-road" performance, I'm thinking lowered vehicle stiffer springs and a shock with possibly reduced travel and increased damping - when I think "off-road" performance, it's the opposite - lifted vehicle, increased travel, I don't know if I want a softer spring (although I believe a longer spring with the same spring rate is a softer spring), and I'm not at all sure about the damping.  There may even be a need for different types of "off-road" performance - for those of us who are into slow travel with lots of articulation (rock crawling) and others who are into faster travel with less articulation (but still more than on-road) - let's call it "un-paved touring".

That's kinda where my conundrum lies...something stupid like a slightly different brake hose bracket or internal differences that would make it ride stiff/squishy/floaty/like a buckboard wagon/whatever?

I ran the KYB's on the XL7 the ex has and liked them a lot.  I'll go with them.  The ACDelco premium gas charged intrigue me but eh...probably about the same as the KYB's.

Think I'm just going to go with KYB GR-2 struts.  No one other than Tokico lists a performance shock for these things and they say they don't fit the 99+ body style.  I can replace each KYB 5 times for what Bilstein wants for one.

I'd love the performance but ouch...no way can I afford to pay over $500 for two struts.  FAH!

Oh dude... seriously don't get the KYB struts... I have them on a Sidekick right now and HATE them... I see where you've ran them on an XL7 and maybe with the added weight of that vehicle they were OK. For me though, with the added 'performance' of the KYB struts and rear shocks, I was able to make my 2-door Sidekick ride like a Samurai. (no offense to the Samurai guys intended)... They're really firm on the initial 'hit' of a bump and then go mushy on big travel 'hits' like dips and what not. Exactly opposite to what would be good. So, stutter bumps are brutal and slow whoops are out of control. They stink.

of course, YMMV.

-Eric

Liked them on the XL7.  Then again I was comparing them to the 60k stockers.


Hrmmm...otherwise my options are Monroe Reflex or ACDelco Premium Gas Charged.

The Tracker is a 2.0L 4cyl 5 speed manual 4x4 2002 Tracker 4 door.

Just so there's no confusion - the bilstein strut shown uses an "inverted" strut design, so what you're looking at there is not the piston rod of the strut, but the outer tube.

True, but it's still going to have better cooling and should be stronger over-all.  I toasted a set of Monroe struts in a single weekend on the Fall Adventure challenge.  The Bilsteins held up for the entire first round of the Zukiworld Challenge on Project Trouble.  Faded out about half-way through the second, but Bilstein can rebuild them with different gas for $50 that should allow it to run at higher temperatures without introducing fade.

One of the issues with the front end is it is a strut design.  So unless you are going to have something custom made up your pretty limited on choices.