Kia Sportage owners

Drop the sway bar off the front and you've got 10" of travel up front, not bad for an IFS. One guy in the US is working on a rear shocker relocation kit which has given him 22" of travel (before the spring fell out!), looking at longer springs or air springs. I looked at the Vitaras/ GV's before I settled on the Kia, much bigger inside too. Spring lifts and body lifts will see 35 x 12.5 MT fit with only minor plastic trimming.

Mazda 2.5 TD is a possible engine swap down the track a bit (still looking at it size-wise and bellhousing/engine mount compatability). Got a bit to go on my warranty yet....

Its all fine throwing 35's at a car, but you wouldnt have the power in a Kia to turn 35's offroad... Or it would be geared for about 1110kph in 1st.

Zooks would be a better bet for serious offroad conversion, with tons of accessories made for them, spares cheaper, and better power std.

Rod McCormack runs 35/37's on his zook :)

Truckster,

Your comments noted, but the only Zooks you can easily convert aren't capable of carrying much equipment for long trips.

Sportages have a 3.717 first gear, 1.98 low ratio, and 4.778 diffs = 35.1:1 low/low combination, (manual).

Leaf sprung zooks have about 66 kW in a 850 kg vehicle (can't really fit anything larger than about 1.6litre easily) with about 100 Nm of torque. Kia has 94 kW/175Nm with about 1600 kg. (about the same power as a 3 door Vitara 2 litre)

Vitara/GV coil front end has clearance issues when lifted (can be done but not easily). I would concede that the engines are equal (2.0 litre) or more powerful, but the V6 2.5 and 2.7 are prone to piston slap and oil consumption issues like those that are plaguing the Holden Gen-111 at the moment. The overall low/low is around 32:1 (2 litre) and 29:1 (2.5litre) negating the increased power/torque available from the 2.5.

The XL-7 has the same gearing as the GV with the 2.7 litre 130kW/231Nm engine in a vehicle that is a bit heavier than the Kia and about the same size (+/- an inch or two in most dimensions). The big "but" is it was about $10 000 more. (having noted the oil probs above...) Kia fuel consumption about the same as 2.5 and 2.7.

The gearing comparisons are not taking into account tyre sizes as this was the point of the query. I concede your point about tons of accessories etc., but most of the essential stuff is available for the Kia if you know where to look. The rest can be a few weekends entertainment.

A lot of homework was done before I made the decision that was right for me. I do not say that this vehicle will suit everyone, but it does suit me and my situation.

BTW joined the Suzuki club, going on first trip this W/E. Taking a snatch strap so I can pull them out ;-)