Sold my Io - end of the ride
Last Friday night we drove my Io down to it's new owner with a trailer of parts and spares.
It was a sad day as I've owned it for the best part of 10 years, taking it from a bland small 4x4 to something really capable and a joy to drive.
It's journey in it's current state is over as it will become an organ donor to a newer SWB io.
It's been a fantastic ride - first ARB locker in an Australian io, my first sand driving, my first winching, lots of amazing places and people along the way.
It has always out performed and out classed everyone's expectations from the first trip down Jeffereys Track with Hobart 4x4 in absolute stock height form aside from a locker on light truck tyres (only vehicle to make it back up Mt Wellington unassisted aside from a full portal-drop axle Toyota monster) to it's last trip around Levuka with QLD 4x4 and Camping Club where it was one of the handful that didn't need to winch (rest were exclusively lifted and modified Gen4 and SWB Pajero's)
I am still very passionate about io's and will remain active on here and the multitude of Pajero io Facebook groups.
I will however be hanging out with Fordem more often it seems ;)
Seriously Bob...
Lifting a JB/JT series Grand Vitara by 50mm has major implications for the longevity of the front control arm bushes (the rear one) - I just changed the arms on mine out at around 45,000 kms, and that is a standard ride height vehicle - on a lifted vehicle you can expect them to fail sooner.
Superpro has a three piece polyurethane replacement where the center section slides in between the upper & lower sections - I have no idea what the lifespan is like, but the poly needs to be greased and then the dirt contaminates the grease, and ...
Take a look at the offerings from OME and the other players, you'll notice they don't go higher tha 40mm, I think OME stops at 30.
Seriously OMG ;P
Lifting a JB/JT series Grand Vitara by 50mm has major implications for the longevity of the front control arm bushes (the rear one) - I just changed the arms on mine out at around 45,000 kms, and that is a standard ride height vehicle - on a lifted vehicle you can expect them to fail sooner.
Superpro has a three piece polyurethane replacement where the center section slides in between the upper & lower sections - I have no idea what the lifespan is like, but the poly needs to be greased and then the dirt contaminates the grease, and ...
Take a look at the offerings from OME and the other players, you'll notice they don't go higher tha 40mm, I think OME stops at 30.
Agree 100%
Simply jacking it up yes rear bush is an issue BUT there are other methods far more robust than the generic king springs / arb / ironman lift kits.
Superpro bush looks like a rough ride too.
Will put up pics of my solution as ive yet to find a.good suzuki forum out there ;)
Seriously claude
MY 13 SWB manual 2.4L Grand Vitara (shown lifted 50mm with jacks)
Another 2 doors, after all the suffering of having only 2 doors (growing family)...still it looks cute....well done.
Happy io
Yes - always the biggest motor in the smallest body, 2 doors, flappy mud flaps and a wing on the rear (flaps and wing in the post)
The specs are hillariously similar to the io and pending the lift solution should be more capable off road.
The vvt motor closes up for hill descent giving massive engine braking in low range - as good or better than the io with ultra low conversion.
Ground clearance stock is shite though
Syndicate
So you're not going to tell the guys what you replaced it with?
It's not that bad - I should know, I have one (the five door/LWB)