Lift kit advise and sugestions

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:31 pm

Hi guys,

Im plannning to get a lift kit on my car. but not decided yet if it will be 3" or 4". im gonna use 5x 29" tyres with custom dilled 15" sunraysias to suit subaru stud pattern for off roading and will have to cut some guards.

Would anyone have an idea if it will make a difference between 3 and 4 inch? both in clearance and when looking at the car, do you think the 4" kit makes a big diference over the 3" kit? Do i need to mod more stuff when putting the 4" in that would not need to be done with the 3" kit?

Also the 1" lift on the suspention, what is that? How does it work? Would it make a diference say if the car had a 3"lift kit and the inch suspention on compared to the car haveing only the 3"kit on without the 1 inch suspention lift?

Hope you guys can clarify all this for me,
Thx
Guy

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:09 am

4" is the way to go. u'l have slightly less scrubbing issues.
1" suspension lift isnt worth it for the hassle of cv replacements as they wear out early

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:37 pm

how bad was you scrubbing with the your 3" kit and the 15" 29 tyres?

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:34 am

Hi guys,

I was looking at new lift kits. Could someone tell me the diference between those to kits. One is SJR american kit and the other the HIrise kit. I see that the hirise have blocks but the SJR u shape bars. Would that make a difference? any ideas?

Dane · Post by **Dane** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:15 am

The blocks look much stronger.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:05 am

HiRise stopped making kits years ago. He still hasn't taken the website down.

You may be able to get one from here;
showthread.php?t=11668

tex · Post by **tex** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:49 am

AndrewT wrote:HiRise stopped making kits years ago. He still hasn't taken the website down.

You may be able to get one from here;
showthread.php?t=11668

I would strongly recommend these (Subi wan's) mine arrived yesterday and three working days after being sent! Plus it has blocks like the stronger looking kit in the second picture!

But why not get some 15 inch rims and put bigger tyres, That way if you bend or break one its only a matter of Ebay for another. This helps considerably with police and rego as they are already proven to meet australian standards!

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:01 pm

tex wrote: But why not get some 15 inch rims and put bigger tyres, That way if you bend or break one its only a matter of Ebay for another. This helps considerably with police and rego as they are already proven to meet australian standards!

I didn't understand this part of you post,
What do you mean by this? I have already got 15" rims and tyres for the car. When you say "bend or break one" what are you talking about?
thx

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:54 pm

I've been talking to the manufacturer of the SJR lift kit(first pic) and this is what he said....

"solid blocks or bent peices, I would think they are comparable , I have installed both and the long bolt type if you dont get everything lined up just right its easy to crossthread those fine thread bolts, which I have done as a mistake before, I personally havent seen either type fail"

any comments??
thx

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:28 pm

I'm sure his kits are fine, if he continues to make them that way and they havn't broken for his customers. That being said I think the other type is bound to be stronger. Yes it is easy to crossthread the long-bolt type, but not if you are careful during installation - there is a technique. Once it's installed, it's done anyway, no need to worry any further. Best to get somebody with experience installing them to give you some pointers in person at the time.
I think you're better off getting a superior kit locally rather than overseas, I'm sure the BYB guys would have responded to your "wanted lift kit" advert by now anyways.

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:26 pm

nope no one answered but i sent a msg to suby wan kanody and he replied:)

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:14 am

ok guys, i really need your knowledge, advise and expertise here.

The SJR kit(see pic) cost US$610 incl postage but thats the Bent steel kit. Description:4" Lift Kit fits EA82, keeps rear swingarm pivots up in stock location adds 4" lift at front and rear, adds 1" clearance, stearing shaft must be lengthened (not offered at SJRLIFT )

The Byb Lift Kits will cost me AU$700 solid block kit.

What would do??
I think with the conversion the AU$ they would be about the same price. Cheaper would be better but i dont want to get some shit kit...

..... any bright

?
Thx much apriciated

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:54 am

My (largely uninformed) thoughts:

-I wouldn't be too concerned about the relative lack of stiffness of the SJR blocks (that aren't really blocks). Subarus are floppy, lightweight vehicles, so when you add great strength to one small area, you just exacerbate a weakness elsewhere. Slightly deformable lift components will not transfer as much load into the body as rigid ones, so you'll be less likely to rip captive nuts etc out of the floor.

-Keeping the rear semi-trailing arms in the stock position but pushing the strut down 4" would leave you with bugger all downward travel. Having the diff a bit higher is a good idea though.

-The lack of a steering extension from SJR creates more work for you.

-The exchange rate right now makes the SJR kit $763.

-Local suppliers are generally easier to deal with, and easier to go back to if something goes wrong.

Based on all that, I'd go for one of the Australian kits.

Dane.

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:59 am

And in answer to your earlier question about suspension lift as well: get King Springs. They're stiffer than standard, so static deflection is less. I gained about 20mm when I put mine in.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:43 am

Better to buy local, easier to deal with. Also the BYB kit (afaik) also comes with the extended steering linkage, it's hard to get this done separately by people as they don't want the liability of welding steering components, I spose you could get just this 1 bit from BYB. Keeping the diff abit higher will gain you some extra clearance but at the expense of the longevity of your rear CV's. You could ask them to customise the lift kit for you but they may not like being told what design works best lol.
If you got the SJR kit you'd prolly be the only one in Australia with one.

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:46 pm

GOD wrote: -Keeping the rear semi-trailing arms in the stock position but pushing the strut down 4" would leave you with bugger all downward travel. Having the diff a bit higher is a good idea though.

Ok so if i understand well the diff stays at stock position but the hub moves down 4" and this creates a lot of stress on the cv's?
I have have this diff with a bash plate bolted on it so if it hit it should be ok. Also i cant find the sticker were it says the diff ratio. Is there another number or way i could find that out? so i can put it on my car so it matches the gearbox

hummm yeah that steering link can cause some problems. I might get the BYB kit then if i get everything. So definately 4" over 3" guys??

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:30 pm

Depends what you want. 4" is bigger.
Just re-read some of the thread, bloody hell $700, the price of metal must have gone up, thats a significant percentage of what a whole L series is worth these days. A kit used to cost ~$400. Is that for solid aluminium? Might be cheaper if they make you a hollow steel one with anti-squash tubing, not sure if they still offer that tho but thats how they used to do them all. I remember they used to offer solid ally as an optional extra for those who could afford it.

ChPLAT · Post by **ChPLAT** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:10 pm

Get the BYB kit. Stimulate our economy.

guyph_01 · Post by **guyph_01** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:44 pm

here are some pics of the SJR kit and how its bolted to the car.

Comments....
thx

ChPLAT · Post by **ChPLAT** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:09 pm

Not that I'm an engineer but that looks weak as anything. Maybe for a smaller lift it wouldn't matter as much though.