Susp Lift for Pajero

Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 15:58
ThreadID: 10081 Views:2592 Replies:5 FollowUps:1
This Thread has been Archived
I had a chat to the guys at the 4x4 megastore here in hobart about getting a 2" lift for my 83 pajero (as i didn't really have much idea of what i needed or how) and they said that i needed 2 new springs($270each) for the back and 4 shocks($130each) and new bushes($65), and to wind up the torsion bar in the front instead of buying a new one as they are about $450.What does winding up the torsion bar do? The products they qouted me on were TJM XGS.Are these prices pretty standard between different brands?Can anyone suggest any other brands. And the guy said that if I fitted bigger tyres(33" for e.g.) that I would lose a lot of torque.I think the tyres that i'm running at the moment are only about 28"(205r16)? Would 30 or 31" tyres still have the same torque prob? and would they give it much more lift? Sorry about all the questions but I'm only learning and need as much help as possible, thanks guys.
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Leroy - Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:09

Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:09
All sounds pretty good. I don't think you go much larger than 31" in tyres for a Paj. Check out www.pajeroclub.com.au forum as well.

Leroy
AnswerID: 44632

Reply By: Seppo - Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:11

Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:11
thanks leroy i'll check it out
AnswerID: 44633

Reply By: flappan - Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:53

Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 16:53
31 's are technically illegal . . . but a lot of guys run them. 31 X10.5XR15 . The other alternative is to run 30X9.5XR15. I doubt a 83 PJ would push 33's.

Prices seem about right. I put OME on my 1990 PJ . Shocks from memory were about $130 each , cant remember springs, haven't done it yet.
AnswerID: 44638

Follow Up By: Dennis (Brisbane) - Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 at 23:22

Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 at 23:22
Seppo,

I used to have an 83 SWB Paj, I remember checking the dia of 30x9.5x15's and the standard (?) 215x80x16 tyres and it was within a few mm of each other.

Around 750 mm by memory.

Your 205x?x16 tyres now may not be all that much different, check the dia's at manufacturer websites etc b4 you splash out money, you may spend hundreds and end up raising the car only a couple of mm.

The 2.6 motor can be made a little more grunty by getting rid of the standard carb and fitting a holley or webber and if you really get serious, a matching manifold (see www.rpw.com.au for engine and performance mods, they are in WA and offer a lot of performance gear for that motor, they prep them for use in Mitsubishi rally sigma/scorpian/pajeros) only drawback is that it also removes the idle (anti dieseling) solenoid. So you get engine over run, and it is a real pain, can't get rid of it by tuning, believe me, I tried, well several mechanics did anyway.
0
FollowupID: 306959

Reply By: Member - Jeffrey - Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 21:21

Wednesday, Jan 28, 2004 at 21:21
Hi Seppo,
I used to own a 92 Paj, I have had everything done which you are about to do same brand..everything wound down the torsion bars which raises the front end up. cant remember what height I gained,but I will have a look for my measurements before and after..and I will repost them for you as for your tyres I ran A/t Toyos which I found to good 15" When you go bigger you lose a bit of power it's up to you to balance the gain/loss I fouund myself not getting stuck where other Paj were being snatched out over all it was worth the exercise.
All The Best In Health And Wealth
Jeff
AnswerID: 44666

Reply By: Joe - Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 at 11:27

Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 at 11:27
Seppo,

First things first:

Tyres – Going to bigger tyres will raise the gearing (you will be doing less revs for any given road speed) which means that the engine will be more stressed. An 83 Pajero does not have a lot of spare grunt, so you need to choose well. As someone else said, 31” tyres are about the maximum you could fit comfortably (ie without any rubbing etc), but your engine would need to be pretty close to top trim to cope comfortably.

Suspension – The prices quoted seem to be reasonable, but make sure that the rear springs you buy are matched to the existing front torsion bars. Having soft front suspension and rock solid rear is not a good match.

Torsion Bar Crank – what does it do? Well, cranking the bars simply changes the ride height. If you have (say) 7 inches of upward travel (for when you hit a bump) and 6 inches of downward travel (for when you hit a hole) your Pajero is riding at that close to mid point in the suspension travel arc. You can crank the bars so that the vehicle lifts up on its suspension by (say) 3 inches, but that change will result in the loss of 3 inches of downward (or droop) travel and the addition of that 3 inches to the upward travel. You will get no other change as far as suspension is concerned as the springs remain the same springs so the action is unchanged.

Cranking the bars results in additional pressures on the CV joints as they will be operating at a more acute angle for more of the time. It also changes the steering geometry so you WILL need a wheel alignment done. One of the worst scenarios is cranking the bars to get the maximum lift, but that just results in no downward travel so when you hit a hole the vehicle just tilts over instead of dropping a wheel into the hole. Not a good thing either on or off the bitumen.

Conventional wisdom has it that a 2” crank is the maximum acceptable though, and my advice would be to go with the suspension changes offered as it will make your Pajero more capable.

Hope this helps you make you mind up!
AnswerID: 44722

Sponsored Links