Daniel's iO
Finally. Here is my new toy.
Picked it up in geelong, and drove it back home to ballarat, stopping at Brisbane Ranges NP to take some photos.
Shes a completely stock 2002 3dr Zr and i love it already. gonna have fun building it too... i looked under the chassis aswell and noticed a bit of underbody protection. felt like 3mm steel. lets hope it does well. anyway hre are the photos. i was even so excited that i didnt even bother taking the for sale sticker off. rest assured it is off now
i had a further look
i had a further look underneath coz i noticed something hanging about halfway/middle of the car on the side view of the car. i found a steel bar that runs horizontal acros underneath the car. and the steel plate i was looking at only covered the front end in front of the wheels. but what i though i might do is get some steel sheet from a mate who is a steel fabricator and bolt it onto the cross bar and the steel at the front to make some underbody protection...
tel me your thoughts
Congratulations!!
Congratulations!!
Welcome to the club - officially! Thats a good looking 3 dr.
The roundbar running across the two chassis rails holds the gearbox / transfer case in position. We are in process of design a bash plate that runs around the roundbar and further down the car to cover the gearbox and transfer case completely. Will post some pics once its done.
Hope she brings you many happy and safe miles!
Jacov
first on the list are th kyb
first on the list are th kyb struts, dont know if ill go for the springs just yet, and then some new kumho kl71s. after that it will probly be a uhf and im getting a scanner coz im a CFA volunteer, and after that will most likely be interior mods. i was thinking about a nudge bar and some spotties but the light given off the iO with the fogs and headlights is phenomonal, far far better than my outlander which has fogs also, so i might hold off the spotties for now, but the nudge bar may still be a good idea.
for now though im off to creswick for a few more photos...
P.S, for those without the zZR or 2.0L, it is freakishly quick for a 2.0L, i love it
Hey dude the kyb struts are
Hey dude the kyb struts are just stock replacements for the originals, are your existing shocks no good? You would be better off getting koni heavy tracks, which would last longer and would probably work better.
I am quite jealous of your 2.0 ltr...
i though tth kyb struts had
i though tth kyb struts had the spring perch 25mm higher than original allowing for bigger tyres to fit underneath. thats why i was going to go for them. whats the benefit of the koni heavy tracks over the kyb struts? and whats the price difference? kyb are $560 from suspension stuff....
KYB VS KONI
in simple terms the KYB is a complete strut replacement, mount/spring perch the lot
the KONI is a high-quality adjustable cartridge insert that you bolt down INSIDE the existing strut after you "gut" it by cutting the top off with a pipe cutter etc
be aware that the koni insert is well above and beyond KYB in quality BUT will only fit into certain struts available on Aus io's. you NEED to check closly with your Koni supplier for OD/ID of strut you are going to gut will take the insert otherwise you might end up with a butchered strut and a useless insert.
in either case you need to lathe-cut and re-weld the spring perch higher - I would choose to do this to the empty strut housing after you've dumped the gas/oil etc prior to inserting the Koni job rather than welding a structural weld to a oil and gas filled strut housing.
PS go the ZR and go the 2.0L - man they are quick! looks like you have the exact opposite colour to mine :)
..and at $550 each replacement cost, protect and guard your fog lights with your life, you can get 4mm thick clear "stick on" protectors from auto one and cut to size
Thanks for the info bob, i
Thanks for the info bob, i wasnt aware that they had to be modified. But they would definately be much better than the kyb's. And last longer. :)
The kyb isnt 25mm higher than stock because they are exactly the same part. If you look closely at the pics in the other thread it looks like someone has actually lowered the spring perch on the original, you can see where the weld used to be. Who knows why... but yeah i wouldnt count on it. Have a look at the image, it looks pretty dodgy to me.
kyb strut
Thanks for the info bob, i wasnt aware that they had to be modified. But they would definately be much better than the kyb's. And last longer. :)
The kyb isnt 25mm higher than stock because they are exactly the same part. If you look closely at the pics in the other thread it looks like someone has actually lowered the spring perch on the original, you can see where the weld used to be. Who knows why... but yeah i wouldnt count on it. Have a look at the image, it looks pretty dodgy to me.
exactly my thoughts from day 1 I saw those pics. That is the main reason I havn't bought any new KYB struts..
thought so...
just to add my 2c, kyb has a lifted strut shock with a diff part number. jaco already fitted his and made a custom coil. the combination has given him a 70mm lift. mine is on order just awaiting delivery
yeah i thought that was the case. ill have to look into it some more...
Ballarat 4wd Club
went for a day drive today with the ballarat 4wd club. we travelled in and around the creswick area and white swan resevoir area.
this was the first of many outings to come for me. and ive gotts tell ya the car performed brilliantly. mine was the only fully stock vehicle and it shined and outperformed a modded 70 series cruiser. that put a massive smile on my face. i was told the aim of this drive was to get someone bogged, and everyone was amazed it wasnt me, but the cruiser on the other hand got stuck were admitadly i had a nit fo trouble, but for this one it was all about picking the right line. on this same part of the track about 50m earlier i had a lot of trouble trying to get out of a rut, but after the third try i nailed it...
anywhow ill postr a couple of pics asap...
for now i have to go to work
some pics and another zr
ok so here are a few pics of my very dirty iO. and the infamous maroon one i was talking about a while ago before i had mine. some of you may remember what im talking about.
note my old outlander in the background
this iO looks like its had a performance exhaust upgrade although i could be wrong. it also has a nice set of BFG ATs. and as you can see it sits a little higher than my stock iO... i also tagged this car so hopefully the owner will join the forum and tell us a bit more about it...
hill climb
i also test fitted the outlander stock steelies. they fit perfectly...
now i just have to get some mitsubishi centre huns caps and clena and spray the dirty ones. then ill swap them iO rims onto the outlander
Ps the car is jacked up and the tyre size is 215/60R16
Seeing videos like this make
Seeing videos like this make it so tempting to get one... it highlights the lack of articulation and the limitations of such a short wheelbase on the 3 door iO. Maybe one day I'll shell out for one. In the mean time, I think I might need a new drivers seat... :(
225/75/16
I have tried the 225/75/16 BFG km2, on mine and they fit! (yes close but) I have ordered them and they will be on the car next week. I have the 2002 2 litre model and the strut might be different than the older type. The tyre nearly touch in full lock, with only 3 mm gap. I think that they will rub in some rare occasion.
Today I have the BFG 215/70/16 all terrain, and they are good. I have just learn that even if the tyre say 215 or 225 that is not the precise measurement. My 215 is actually 221 mm and the km2 225 is actually 223 mm. Don't ask me why, that what they brochure says!
I am going to research a bit more regarding these different strut, but I think that the 2002 model have a higher bottom spring plate.
I will put some pics next week and further comment after a few km. And, yes as another io owner said, I could be wrong (my wife say that too!)
I will be fishing on Sat...and 4x4:)
Happy io
Roof Basket
ok so i went ahead and bought and installed my roof basket.
now as you all know crossbars dont come factory fittef, so i decided to make my own.
i used 50x30 2mm alluminium rectangular tubing for the crossbars, and to fix them to the side rails i used 2 brackets at each join, an upper one and a lower one and bolted them tight. you'll see what i mean when i show the pics. and the mounted the basket to the cross bars. cam out very nice and i would have saved about $300 on the whole project.
2x 50 x 30mm 2mm thick alluminium rectangular tubing (one metre lengths)
- i had to cut 80mm off for the rear crossbar, and 25mm off for the front crossbar
12x M10 x 60mm Zinc allenkey head bolts
12x M10 Zinc Nylon lock nuts
12x M10 Zinc washers
8x Galvanized steel brackets
2x corrigated foam strips
- youll see them in the photos where all the black foam bits are
all of these materials i got from bunnings, and came to $72.20
then the basket was from supercheap auto and came with a mounting kit. $96
and the cargo net, also from supercheap auto. $13.99
grand total came to $182.20
Next on the list...
- Underbody Protection
- Suspension Upgrade (hopefully glens coilover conversion)
- Tyres
roof...
Smart, why didn't you put the aluminium bar on the top of the original bar? With the picture it is hard to appreciate how stong it is, but at the worst it would be easy fix with some thicker plate. Looks good, and very cost effective, and these basket are much easier to stack in the garage than my pod...
Happy io.
black rim
Since I put my window tint, I have been thinking the same too! black rim, but not painting these...It makes the 3 spokes rim look much better...and it does bring the black in other places than the window....and it looks tough! Great idea, is it black or a dark grey? What sort of price do you think it should cost? around $500 powder coated?
So yes, I think it does look great...
Happy io.
Black
Yeah im thinking of going black powdercoated. dont know how much it will cost?
Anyone? i havent done any powder coating ever so i actually know next to nothing about the process. all i know is what i want it to look like in the end lol.
if its gonna be too expensive i might just paint them myself. been looking at a couple of vids. here is a good one
yeah i think its a major improvement on th 3 spoke rims
might go plastidip
might go plastidip instead.
ever heard of it guys?
well with the research ive done it looks like a decent product, and you can peel it off and recoat if necessary or just peel it off to go back to stock. i also like the matte finish.
http://www.caswellplating.com.au/store/store.php/products/plasti-dip-spr...
i might get my dad to pick some up for me as he travels around the western suburbs of melbourne regularly, or maybe my grandparents can pick it up for me as they live in werribee...
FINALLY! got my new tyres
Finally got my ew tyres today...
They look and feel great. A slight hum, only noticable because i was driving on road tyres for 6 months, though still very quiet.
They actually make the outlander steelies look a lot better too. With the 215/60 on them they looked way too big and not very pretty. Now they look a lot smaller and better with the new 205/80 Bridgestone Desert Duelers on them. I was seriously tempted to get a M/T, but at the moment i dont go offroad enough, and i do quite a bit of highway driving, so i opted to go for a bit more of an aggressive A/T (i say aggresive because there are some seriously softer looking A/T tyres. regular Bridgestone Dueler 694 come to mind). They are 50/50 on off so they should do me good. I also opted for the desert duelers becaus i want to explore the desert regions of Vic and SA. I'm not real keen on mud. i prefer sandy trail runs, dunes, and beaches...
Aside from tyres, Ive installed some roof mounted lights, and front mounted driving lights. theyre very easy to install yourself so i wont go into those details.
But i will mention what they are. Theyre just regular SCA (Super Cheap Auto) Eclipse Driving light kits. I'm not saying that these are the best, i simply have no other experience with top shelf brands like narva, roo-lite or lightforce, but they offer very good bang for buck. They come in kits with installation instructions. Kits come with 2 lights each. i bought 2x55 watt kits (the 4 roof mounted lights) and 1x100 watt kit (the 2 front mounted lights). all up it was under $200. both kits were on sale when i bought them. They are a good cheap option. i just bought them to see if i liked the idea of having them, which i do, and although i do like them and they are good, i now intend on getting some top shelf lights, probably Lightforce. These are good though if you have a budget, and very easy to install. i would recommend them.
Now onto the pics...
Outlander steelies with 215/60 vvvvvv
Outlander steelies with 205/80 Desert duelers vvvvvv
The photos dont do the wheels justice. Photos are never very good, better to see them in the flesh. They look good. A massive improvement in my opinion.
new...
You have been busy...the lights looks great, even if the cat doesn't like them:) For the tyres, they looks great too, after a few week you will get used to them and they won't look so big anymore!! My experience with the swap of tyres from the M/S to the A/T is that it made a big difference while doing some 4wd. (all brand are different, but still...) While the grip will be better, the lift given by the bigger tyres makes a big improvement too.
How does the car drive now? a bit wandering or is it fine? see my kmac plate in my build!!!
Can't wait to have some feedback on them....
well done...and whatever you do, don't ask anything about tyre pressure...lol...
Very happy io:)
haha thanks claude.Yeah the
haha thanks claude.
Yeah the tyres are really good. they dont wander about. theyve improved my handling a lot..
as for tyre pressures, i know there is a bit f a debate about this in one thread on here.
i must find out what the current tyre pressures are, because it feels great. much better than my old tyres.
and i also no longer have the wobbles going over considerable bumps on the highway...
.
Look at the car with the 215s on!! Its been so long since I have seen a photo with stock tyres. Looks weird. Definately sexier now.
Its good to hear about the SCA lights. I bought some other cheap brand from super cheap auto and they are terriable. They were cheap cheap though....
I think I use the same mount as you do though. I find it wobbles a fair bit if the road is a big rough and the lights go flicking up and down and just annoy the crap out of me.
edit- Still waiting to get my bigger tyres, got to stop spending my money!
yeah the mount does wobble
yeah the mount does wobble and jitter all over the place on dirt roads and bumps, otherwise its fine. i only bought as a temporary measure. i plan on getting a front bar. not sure if it will be a grille guard, winch bar or an alloy bullbar (tjm/dolan style). although looking a the dolan website, they no longer have that available either. If i do get one it will hve to be from a wreker or second hand. or if glen were to get his winch bardesign up and runing i would snap one up straight away. so it looks most likely to be a grill guard atm...
other than that i just need some underbody protection, and then i think im going to go the koni inserts, and longer oils for my suspension lift. then i'll be done with all my mods.
NEW RIMS
hey guys going to pick up some new rims next week.
i cant decide. i like both. but ive seen the bottom ones on a full sized pajero and on a hilux and they look sick. i havent seen the top ones on any car or in the flesh so i cant really comment on them...
which ones do you think look better. they are both load rated to 900kg so no issues there. and the are both 16x7 in 36 offset. both are $165 each fitted from wheels in ballarat.
NOTE: as i have roughly photoshopped these into the picture we are looking at front wheels only
CSA wheels
Hard to decide. But the bottoms ones look like the sort of cheap mag someone puts on their commodore. So I would go the top.
hahahaha lol yeah they are csa wheels that are generally pretty decently priced. i wouldnt say cheap though. ive seen them on a few commodores and falcons but on the pajero i saw they looked real nice... ill have to see if i can get a look at the top ones. coz im a bit biased at the moment towards to bottom ones. i forgot to mention that they are over $100 cheaper than from bob-jane
You asked....
Ahhhh you make me want to buy some new one too....
You asked.....but get what YOU like....stuff every other taste:)
I prefer the bottom one, from what I see they are black and silver and it does go well with the white car. The top one are silver and a type of grey and doesn't go as well, or stand out, with the white (but they have a nice design)
Check how is the edge of the rim, some are very thin (not as 4wd friendly) The size of them should be good with your tyres, from http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp, the rim is going to be 3 mm closer to the strut and 23 mm more outside the edge of the rim.
The only thing that I could see not being the best is that your 205 (it is 205?) may look a bit skinny on a 7 inch rim. In turn the tyre will protect less the rim. This is not a drama or a problem, but worth thinking of....
Don't forget....Happy io
rim protection
The only thing that I could see not being the best is that your 205 (it is 205?) may look a bit skinny on a 7 inch rim. In turn the tyre will protect less the rim. This is not a drama or a problem, but worth thinking of....
this is another consideration i have taken into acount. the rim dips into the centre around the edges, rather than a straight vertical line to the centre like the top ones. so the actual spooke design in these terms is more favourable in offroad situations imo. it almost has an inbuilt rim prtection so to speak. which can only be a good thing with the skinnier tyres on...
a lot to talk about
Looks like I have a bit to talk about with my iO.
Firstly, I got those wheels. I went for the second option.
Secondly, I added a rear shelf.
Thirdly, I extended the rear shelf.
And finally after a very long time, I carpeted and trimmed the shelf.
Pics to come along with explanations on my build.
Been away for a while it seems without updating my thread, so thought id chime in. Reason for being away? Im joining the army and was trying to get through the process of application. Heading out to training on July 2. Then ill be based in Richmond, NSW. Looking forward to it...
Planning on using my money from training on some upgrades for the iO. I dont want to overdo it, and dont want to some anything more then my training wages. Namely suspension and I desperately want some underbody protection as the suspension upgrades I plan on are more on the minor side. A pretty standard 35mm lift. Maybe 50. Talk more about that when the time comes.
Syndicate
Sick bro!! Look forward to
Sick bro!! Look forward to seeing some mods, ps thats awesome bonus underbody protection! Wouldnt mind seeing the underbody protection if you can be bothered taking pics. Peace.