Lift options & Tires sizes, Look here first

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Fab72
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Mazda springs

ktm300 wrote:

To whoever is interested.

 

There seems to be four relatively acceptable methods of gaining ride height in the IO. On this site at least.

All proven in the short term only.

All suit the owners.

All cause doubt, or raise concern for others.

These being.

  1. Glens coil overs. + 50mm at this point.
  2. KTM300's strut spacers and dobinson springs. + 70mm.
  3. NZIO's (Mazda?)springs and strut shaft extention. + 50mm.
  4. Sema Loco's monster strut spacers. + 3".

If I were considering a lift I would concentrate on these four methods, and how they achieved the results.

Weigh up supposed pro's and con's of each. Bear in mind what you want or expect this car to do.

Cheers.

 

 

 

Footnote:  No.3...the Mazda springs.... they are front BA Mazda Astina springs that are fitted in the rear of an io to gain rear lift.

          "Love that car"

Fab72
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Depends what you're after

Depends what you're after really.

Some of these "mega lift" options are great for off road, improving approach and departure angles and so forth.

However....and please correct me if I'm wrong, lifting an io by 50+ mm makes the front drive shaft CV's work through some pretty drastic angles hence reducing reliability and longivity of the CV's.

OK...so you can fix that by dropping the front diff to re-allign these angles, but what does that do to the steering column length, brake hose/pipe length, the angle that the gearbox and transfer sit at and finally the angle the rear tailshaft sits at.

Each to their own and I'm not saying anyone's way is better or worse than any other...BUT....before doing any of the above lifts, one must question what are they hoping to gain and at what cost (both $$$$ and potential impact to the reliability).

In conclusion....for a vehicle which has been placed in the "too hard basket" for a lot of off road enthusists, the choices are quite broad and varied. Great to see the passion and lengths people go to on here to prove the nay-sayers wrong.

Fab.

          "Love that car"

Rustypinin
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Shogun pinin -improving ride quality. 1.8gdi, year 2000 3dr.

Hi fab72,

As you seem to be on my wave length, what springs do you recommend on a stock  pinin, year ,2000? (Off topic, sorry, dunno  how to p.m. here).

You commented on softer springs which made sense ( to me anyways).

The roads are  bad here, which makes this 3 door constantly unsettled to ride in. Off road I would think it would cause damage to itself ( or occupants) at speed! I am not interested as much in increased ride height, looks etc.

There are progressive springs,-have you tried any? Bilstein, H+R etc?

Happy  pinin motorin' !

Ps I would run 70 or 80 series tyres instead, but it seems Mitsubishi designers did not want to allow it. And these aren't even worn yet.

Harshana
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lift

Hello, 

i want to lift 2''.can you tell plz how can install front spacers to shocks.thanks.

 

 

Claude io
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lift

Harshana wrote:

Hello, 

i want to lift 2''.can you tell plz how can install front spacers to shocks.thanks.

 

 

Welcome to the forum,

If you check my built thread you will see some pictures of the spacer on the strut.

http://pajerio.com/forum/claudes-io-2002-zr-built-thread-onlyhappy-io

Happy io

Sem Loção 4WD
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Hey guys,...

Been offline for a while, fighting the income Tax monster (april is our "happy" adjustment month here in Brazil...)

Well... just loved the "monster Sem Loção's spacers"..LOL

 

I gues we are all right in certain way. It all depends on WHAT KIND of use you expect of your iO/Pinin/TR4.

 

Mine, I use it onlu to go work (about 10km from home) and offrroad.... That means, If I were driving by the highway everyday, long distances, or should do some offroad once in a while, I WOULD NEVER do my kind of adaptation. I guess 1-1,5" lift (that means only by longer springs, a small spacer, we have lots of recipes on 1-1" lift around here) would be my top shot. 

Remember i'm riding WITHOUT anti-sway bars and its links, what gives me a lot fo offroad suspension travel, but a lot of.. swing on the road.... and my graviti center is high as hell, so breaking is another concern... I NEVER drive above 100km/h with my "little monster"...;) 

I have another Pajero TR4, 2011, which I use for travel, going out at night, everything that's not related to offroad. Just arrived from a travel to my brother-in-law city, 200km away... cruse speed at 130-140km/h with my 2011 TR4, I wolud NEVER do such a travel, at this speed with my vehicle changed the way i did...

 

Just to add some more thought, folks.. ;)

Cheers and be safe!

Daniel (Sem Loção)

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Lift height

Lets not confuse height gained from suspension lift with height gained from bigger tyres. Fielies 75mm must include tyre height gain from or he'd have no travel left in the shock. Including 225 75 Kumho MT tyres I gained around 70 mm all round iirc. I haven't heard any tyre rub since the first month they were fitted.

Next step is a Brazilian style diff drop and 1" steel top-of-strut spacers that are sitting in the garage already.

Fab72
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Right on the money Nzio

Nzio is 100000% correct.

It would be useful for others if stated heights/measurements were specified as ground to fender "eyebrow height" or centre of hub to eyebrow height.

The first measures over-all ride height, the second measures pure suspension lift discounting and gains made by fitting larger tyres.

Fab.

          "Love that car"

Claude io
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Io lift

Thanks to Daniel (Sem Loção) to bring that up: the wandering of the car at higher speed.  This aspect is rarely talked about, but the more you lift your io, the worse is going to be and it is something that we should all consider before doing any lift!!

I think that it is important to mention the downside, if any, of the modification done. That could help other to choose to go ahead or not.

I agree with Ktm, do your list of advantages and disavantages.

2 cars, that would be nice:)

Happy io

 

 

NZIO
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Inspired...

Daniel, you've inspired me to explore phase 2 lift with your simple and apparently 40k kms proven diff drop method. I got a surprisingly cheap quote from a local supplier for a length of 45mm polyamide nylon (NZ$180 per metre, I won't need more than 1/4 of that to drop the diff a planned 30ish mm). They can also supply the same material for a set of rear spring spacers but didn't get a price for that.

A local shock shop has given me the specs for the L200 rear shocks - 376mm compressed, 636mm extended - does that sound like the ones you used Daniel? According to his catalogue standard ones should be 321/516. This is a very big 120mm difference in extended length, perhaps too big for me... 

He also confirmed that the L200 top mount is the same as standard and bottom mount will fit with the insertion of a sleeve they have in stock. To work out if the amount of extra extension is too much I need to measure the maximum distance you can have between the top and bottom mounts without the BA Astina spring falling out. This will tell me what thickness spring spacer I'd need to fit these L200 shocks, any more than 50mm and I think they won't be for me.

Sem Loção 4WD
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NZIO

Hello, buddy

well I don't know what you meant with "40k kms proven diff drop"..... In fact, mine is fresh as new..LOL.... I have dropped it for about 1k km now.... My colleague here, Lucas Patto, is th one who dropped for more then 40k km, and no problems so far.... we did exactley the same setup..

This dimensions you posted are quite the same as the one I used.... Even with 3" I never had os far the famous shock travel-end that happens so often when we don't replace the rear shocks...

another tip (I know, I'll sum it all for sure...) is that the lower mount of L200 shock is e bit different form the iO/TR4.... L200's is a rubber soft mount, which of course can't handle the work. Her in Brazil we use the lower mount of the VW Kombi rear shock (Carat?)... it fits perfectly on the shock bottom mount AND on the Pajero io/TR4 mount.... but if thei already have a sleeve that fits, better... Be sure to notice if it is a steel sleeve

Kombi/Wagon

mount+sleev I used

Cheers!

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

fordem
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There is a reason why it should be measured from the wheel rim

Fab72 wrote:

Nzio is 100000% correct.

It would be useful for others if stated heights/measurements were specified as ground to fender "eyebrow height" or centre of hub to eyebrow height.

The first measures over-all ride height, the second measures pure suspension lift discounting and gains made by fitting larger tyres.

Fab.

Measuring from the lower edge of the rim (or the ground) in a straight line past the center of the wheel to the arch above allows for a "repeatable" measurement - taking it from the center of the wheel to the arch allow the measurement to made at different angles, which of course wil give different results.

NZIO
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Sleeve

Daniel - yes the shock shop has a steel sleeve that simply presses into the lower rubber mount and has the right internal diameter for the io/TR4. I think your L200 shock must be different to the one I have been quoted on though - in an earlier post with this pic you said it is 4-5cm longer than standard, but the one I'm looking at is 12cm longer! Do you know exactly how long the new shock is when extended (as in this pic)?

I'm also scratching my head a bit over the issue which i think Claude was getting at earlier - in the standard setup there is a large mated surface area steel-to-steel that the bolts hold together. Having these parts separated with just a set of 45mm diameter washers dramatically reduces this contact area and must mean some level of increased movement/stress. I'm thinking maybe I'll get some nylon rectangular rods or sheet section instead and cut them to match the existing contact surface area. I'm also thinking I'd get new longer bolts to maintain the thread depth, use loctite on them.

Getting all of this certified and legal for road use is another consideration... I haven't looked into it properly yet but I suspect I will be required to fit longer rear springs rather than a spacer.

Fordem - I'm pretty sure you will be thinking this is a bad idea ;), appreciate any thoughts you may have on it...

fordem
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uhh - I'm lost

I'm not certain I follow you - but - I'd be glad to offer an opinion, if you'd like to explain.

NZIO
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maybe my wrong assumption...

I better explain... my perception (right or wrong) is that you have a critical eye for the quality of engineering of modifications. In the past you have offered some well considered opionons on mods which tend to encourage more caution than some of us (including me) are inclined to exercise. I'm contemplating a diff drop using nylon spacers along the lines of Daniel's modification described in this thread and in my post above. Based on past form I have been expecting you to offer an opinion but you haven't - my post was just to encourage you to share any views you might have on this solution because I for one would value your view.

Hopefully that clarifies :)

Sem Loção 4WD
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Differences...

NZIO wrote:

Daniel - yes the shock shop has a steel sleeve that simply presses into the lower rubber mount and has the right internal diameter for the io/TR4. I think your L200 shock must be different to the one I have been quoted on though - in an earlier post with this pic you said it is 4-5cm longer than standard, but the one I'm looking at is 12cm longer! Do you know exactly how long the new shock is when extended (as in this pic)?

I'm also scratching my head a bit over the issue which i think Claude was getting at earlier - in the standard setup there is a large mated surface area steel-to-steel that the bolts hold together. Having these parts separated with just a set of 45mm diameter washers dramatically reduces this contact area and must mean some level of increased movement/stress. I'm thinking maybe I'll get some nylon rectangular rods or sheet section instead and cut them to match the existing contact surface area. I'm also thinking I'd get new longer bolts to maintain the thread depth, use loctite on them.

Getting all of this certified and legal for road use is another consideration... I haven't looked into it properly yet but I suspect I will be required to fit longer rear springs rather than a spacer.

Fordem - I'm pretty sure you will be thinking this is a bad idea ;), appreciate any thoughts you may have on it...

NZIO, sorry, but I didn't quite understand which part are you talking about... Maybe cause I'm not a native English speaker, but I think a pic would help... ;)

About the shocks, our TR4 are already set with longer shocks and springs than the iO.... A pretty commom 1,5" lift option here, for iO owners, is simply replace original coils and shocks by TR4's same pieces, and voilá, you got about 1-1,5".

Cheers, waiting to see some pics, to make my idea.... 

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

fordem
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NZIO - since you asked ...

If I were going to do a diff drop I think I would prefer a single piece of RHS (rectangular hollow section) on each side over the individual spacers that Daniel has used.  RHS will need "crush tubes" welded in where the bolts pass through and probably should have the ends plated over to prevent mud & dirt from becoming trapped.

There is some potential for movement with individual spacers that would be reduced with a one piece spacer - if any one of the four bolts on each side were to become loose, with the individual spacers a rocking or bending motion might result in things coming loose quite rapidly - I feel there is less chance of this with a single piece spacer.

Please note - this is an "off the cuff" opinion, with no engineering analysis - so to speak, just a personal preference - from an owner unlikely to lift his iO in the near future.

NZIO
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Agree...

Fordem - Yes I think you're right.... the nylon is tempting as an easy (and obviously proven in Brazil) solution, but I think I'd feel better with steel section in there to maintain rigidity in all directions. Hmmm.... I've actually got some 50mm square section, 3mm wall thickness tube on the shelf that i could use. Just need some hollow rod for crush tubes and I'd be away.

Daniel - thanks for explaining the TR4 / io difference, I had thought they were the same vehicle. So presumably this means your rear springs are also longer than mine... I'm going to have to work out if the L200 shock can work for me. My guess is that it this shock is too long and would require me to lift the rear more than I want to.

Claude io
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Nzio diff drop

Nzio,  If I understood, and remember well I, think that you got  around 25 mm with the spring and going to get another 25 mm or so with a spacer at the top of your strut, so around 50mm. Instead of doing a diff drop of 50mm wouldn't it better to do only 30mm, this way you will share the difference of level/angle between the front cv and the front diif but between the front diff and  the transfer box as well. Another though, do you think that 50mm lift needs a diff drop?

Again, this is the unknown for me and I am not a specialist, far from it!!

Nylon spacer in the square tube, instead of the crush tube, could be an option, no welding to crack!! and YES longer H/T bolt should be a must!!

Happy io.

 

NZIO
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diff drop

Hi Claude,

Remember I also have the 50mm strut extenders so at full extension (ie 'droop') right now the hub is 50mm lower than standard (relative to the diff). I don't think you could have any more extension than this without the drive shaft pulling out, so I am at the limit on that. After I add the strut spacer this will be 75mm, so a 50mm diff drop still means in fully extended position the hub is 25mm more than standard below the diff.

Having said all of that - in the interests of maximising ground clearance I shouldn't be dropping the diff any lower than I have to, so perhaps just dropping it the width of the spacers I'm adding (25mm) is a better idea, or perhaps you are spot on at 30mm to ease the angle just a little from what I have now :)

I need to recheck measurements on the full compression scenario, but I'm pretty sure the extenders mean I will be hitting bump stops before I have a driveshaft angle or spring binding problem.

Whether or not the angle to the transfer box with more than 25mm drop is a problem is an unknown to me.... is there any info about this from our extreme modding Brazilian or Greek friends?

I've never seen a nylon spacer in the role of crush tube... wouldn't this just reintroduce the issue we're trying to avoid with nylon washers.

Claude io
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diff drop

I knew I forgot something!!, the strut extender! ...hum... just remove it;) winking (sorry, couldn't help it!)

So, just out of interest (I dislike loosing any wheel droop), you should have around 25mm more wheel droop than before, the extender are 50 mm but the higher spring have taken around 25 mm of it, the standard droop is around 80 mm, so you should have around 105 mm. I keep saying around because 25 mm at the strut is not 25 mm at the wheel (it would be good to know the difference, ie 25 mm at the top of the strut equal "x"mm of lift). Can you measure your wheel drop? and later measure how much lift your spacer, at the top of the strut , is giving you.

For the nylon spacer, that was just an idea and I never seen it done before too! The idea was to use the square tube, fit inside the nylon spacer instead of the tube. The weight/stress will be on the tube first, then on the nylon spacer. The nylon spacer will stop the tube to lost his shape (now that I read myself, crush tube is just as good!). I have read somewhere (one of the ebay seller?) that these nylon spacer have the advantage of absorbing some vibrations, so maybe a block of nylon might be the best of both world.

I wish I had a bit more knowledge regarding the force that are applied to these spot and be able to calculate if the nylon spacer are enough or not. In the meantime, better over do it:)

Happy io

NZIO
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extenders and droop

I need to do more measurements to continue this discussion as I'm now not sure if its you or me who is confused, or we're in fact saying the same thing but in a different way :). I'll be back in the weekend after I've had some garage time with a jack and ruler.

Sem Loção 4WD
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Moving fast!

LOL... Gentleman, we're moving fast around here,,,,

Ragerding to the diff drop.. Everybody who did it here, used 3/4-1" at maximum.... It's quite commom here the 2" lift WITHOUT the need of a diff drop. A lot of TR4's here are riding for some time with 1,5-2" lift and no change in the diff at all. 

In fact, mine is working as if I had a 2"lift done (3" lift minus 1" diff drop), regarding to the CT, drive shaft and CVs angles... the only thing I noticed is an increase in CT lever vibration when I drive from still on a big uphill. As the car is higher, and it tends to lift the front more in this situatin, I guess it forces more the CT angles... but in plane surface or mild uphill, it doesn't happen.

Regarding to the material used. Yes, I would be (maybe psychologically... ) safer with a metal piece, when I first thought about the diff drop. But, and this is only my opinion, there are 8 x 12mm bolts holding the crossmember.... It would be very strange more that two failing at the same time...

But I must say I RELLY LIKED the idea of a sqaure section tube with tecnyl spacers inside, acting as "washers" and reinforcing the strucutre!!

BTW, as every modified (and extreme modified) vehicle, once in a two week while we MUST check everything. Metal, nylon, rubber accomodation is a contiuous process. Last week I just have re-checked my front strut bolts, to be sure they are all ok.... This weekend I'm going to crawl under the car to see the diff crossmember bolts....

Cheers!

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

Sem Loção 4WD
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Springs

I got some rear springs dimensions here...

TR4 stock spring: 306mm

Ford Courier FRONT springs (the one I used to lift the rear... it's plug and play): 340mm

Yes, we put the FRONT Ford Courier springs on the REAR TR4.... nucking futs..LOL

Maybe you don't know this model...

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Rear springs

Interesting you use the Courier fronts - I used the fronts from a model BA Mazda Astina - they are also plug and play, but 330mm so 10mm shorter

Good info also on the maximum diff drop Daniel. Thinking about it further, ground clearance is very important for the off roading I do (mud bogs, deep rutted tracks) and I don't want the diff to be any lower than it has to be. I am running now at the 2" drop maximimum that you describe, and it seems to be fine, so I think I will only drop the diff by the width of the front strut spacers I add which is 1", and maintain my 2" drop relative to the diff.

Going up 1" at the front means I want 1" more lift at the rear also... I'd like to do this without spacers if I can as they are very obvious at ceritifcation time. I wonder if there is a slightly longer spring from something in the Ford and Mazda range that would do the job - something around 350mm would be ideal. I might do a trip to Pick a Part and some 4x4 wreckers on the weekend and see if there is anything on their shelves that fits. I will also need to fit longer struts at the rear - probably not the ones I referred to earlier as they're going to be too long.

Fun, fun....

Sem Loção 4WD
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Glad to see

Hey, NZIO... hehe.. glad to see we're not the only one "nucking futs" around here...

There are many TR4 lifted here in 2" setup that uses on rear axle the Ford Escort 1.6L Zetec WITH Air conditioner FRONT coils.... it seems that it gives exactly the 2" difference... withou the need of the spacers.... Gonna see if I find the exact dimensions...

this is the model (Mark IV?)

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Ford Escort

Thanks I'll check that out - I think we have those here badged as a Ford Laser.

Claude io
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diff drop

Nzio, me confused! ALL THE TIME:) can wait to know these measurement:)

For the rear spring may be you could get them reset, or have some new one made. I got quoted around $120 to reset a pair, new one should be under/around $200. For the rear shock, check Ktm's build, from memory he got a standard set and change the end connection of them.

Happy io

andy ross (not verified)
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So Mark 1V escort front

So Mark 1V escort front springs on the back, and the raised kyb struts on the front should give approx 2" lift , would you then need new longer shocks on the back?

 

Andy

NZIO
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Lift

The 334405 KYBs only give lift to the early model io with a lower spring pan as standard. See the strut data thread for more on that.

I'm running Mazda Astina front springs at the rear giving +35ish ride height without longer shocks and it's ok, but not ideal. I don't know what amount of lift the escort springs give - our Brazilian friend may know.

andy ross (not verified)
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Hi nzio, my 2004 2.0gdi has

Hi nzio, my 2004 2.0gdi has the lower spring pan mounts approx 245 from  weld to bottom of strut ,  i would rather put longer spring in the rear than spacers if that possible , Daniel (brazil) says that escort springs are used over there , am looking to get a reasonable lift to improve general clearance.

 

Andy

NZIO
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yet more lift talk...

Wow, Mitsubishi really have mixed up the specs on all the variants of the io / Pinin / TR4 eh! I thought your later car was ssure to have the higher spring pan already.

This is good news for you as it's an easy and cheap lift option, and likely your struts are due for replacing by now anyway.

Known rear spring swap options are the 'BA' model Mazda Astina froints which has springs 330mm long uncompressed, this is 30mm longer than the early io rear spring (we shoudln't assume your spring is the same, but probably it is). The Mazda springs have a heavier coil than standard and the net ride height lift is (from memory - numbers are in my lift thread) around 38mm.

Daniel has told us about the Escort spring option. He says it is 340mm uncompressed, but we don't know about coil weight or what ride height change it results in. My guess would be that the escort is if anything a heavier car than the mazda, and with the spring being 10mm longer also it might give an extra 10-20mm lift over the mazda spring. Just my guess! 10mm more than the Mazda might be OK, more than that and I think your rear shock length is going to be a problem

In the UK you presumably have a lot more of those Escorts in wreckers yards than Mazdas, and you should be able to get a set of springs for peanuts so my advice would be fit the KYB struts and try the Ford springs, worst case if the fords are a bit too high you can find yourself a set of Mazda springs; pay a bit more for new King Springs "raised" rear springs for the io - these appear to be exactly the same as Mazda springs; or modify the Ford ones by cutting or compressing.

The spannering is straightforward. Have fun.

 

 

NZIO
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PS

Another thought... Daniel has said they use the spring from an air con model escort. If this has too much lift to match the front KYB lift then perhaps the non-aircon model spring will be better.

Sem Loção 4WD
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shift

sorry i couldn't read all the posts... i'm at the Hospital in my 24h weekly shift...

There are two lifts "recipes" here in Brazil, for iO and TR4, in a simply way...

 

1,5" -> FRONT: 1,5" spacer over stock coils and shocks and

             REAR: Ford Courier front coils with stock shocks

 

2" -> FRONT: 2" spacer over stock coils and shocks and

          REAR: Ford Escort ZETEC w/ air cond coils + L200 (Triton) shocks

 

my 3" lift is an insane invention of my nucking futs mind..LOL...

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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12 bolts?

Daniel (or anyone) - you said earlier that there are 12 bolts holding the diff up. I just had a crawl underneath and I can only see 8 - 4 sets of two holding the cross members to the chassis. What am I missing....?

Sem Loção 4WD
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You're right

NZIO wrote:

Daniel (or anyone) - you said earlier that there are 12 bolts holding the diff up. I just had a crawl underneath and I can only see 8 - 4 sets of two holding the cross members to the chassis. What am I missing....?

There are EIGHT bolts, you´re right. So, eight spacers. Each bolt, 12mm diameter... ;)

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Thanks

Thanks for that. I have a plan for making some spacers - it involves some 25mm steel flat that I have lying around, and a long time with the drop saw and drill press.

Sem Loção 4WD
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NZIO

Are you planning on making the square profile spacers with nylon inside? I would love to see that setup..

 

Cheers!

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Diff drop

Daniel, I have made and fitted them today - basically just 4 pieces of solid steel 100mm x 50mm x 25mm thick with 2 x 12mm holes in each one. I also fitted the 25mm steel front strut spacers that I had made some time back. I didn't quite finish putting it all back together but will take some pics when it's on wheels again.

fielies
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pics taken

Hopefully you took alot of pics step by step what you did of the parts made as well as the instalation?

Cheers 4 eers

Sold: Pajero IO 1.6 3 door

75mm lift

235/70/16 BF AT

Wrap around pipe style front bumper

"Pikinani"

fielies6@gmail.com

 

NZIO
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Pics

Hi Fielies, No I didn't sorry - dont like handling my phone with greasy hands- but really it's quite simple to do. The holes in the steel spacers I described above are centred at 65mm apart. The 8 bolts are easy to see - they support the crossmembers under the engine, diff, rack etc (this isn't just a diff drop as the engine comes with it!)

Fitting them is just a matter of putting axle stands under the chassis, supporting the diff with a jack while undoing the 8 bolts, lower the diff with the jack far enough to slip in the spacers, replace bolts.

The existing bolts might be OK as there is a huge amount of thread on them, Daniel is using them I think, but I will get a new set 1" longer to be 100% sure not to lose my engine going over a bump :)

Claude io
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spacer

The spacer made out of steel does settle the "what to use to make them" simple, cheap, and strong!

Happy io

NZIO
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but...

Yes simple cheap and strong - crushing is certainly not an issue :). I didn't weigh them but my guess is that all 4 would only be 2-3 Kg.

25mm is a lot of steel to cut through and one caution I will make is that if you don't have a metal chop saw and a drill press with a sharp 12mm drill bit it will be a long day in the garage, in fact, don't even think about trying this with a hand held grinder and drill.

One other thing I should mention is that it is important to get the holes spaced at exactly 65mm apart (distance is centres) - I made a template out of 5mm steel and checked the bolts go through it into the screw holes before using it to drill the holes in the spacers.

Alternately get the cutting and drilling done by a local engineering shop - they can probably knock up a set in less than an hour.

jk500 (not verified)
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hey can i get a definate

hey can i get a definate answer that the 334405 KYB struts are the higher strut pan as id like to order some :) thanks.

NZIO
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maybe :)

They are definitely higher than the ones fitted to early io's, and they are definitely the same as ones fitted to later io's. If you have an early car and want to take a punt then order them, but the only way you can be sure you're not blowing your cash is by measuring the ones on your car now - see the strut data thread for details of where to measure.

jk500 (not verified)
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Thanks yeah mine are

Thanks yeah mine are definately the lower ones i have exactly the same io as yours :P cant wait!

Claude io
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how...

Nzio, how is the car driving now that you got that extra lift?, is it similar or...?  Don't forget to measure that wheel drop for me:) I would like to do something close to what you have done....later....

Happy io.

NZIO
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Road test

Its still up on stands -I didn't get time to finish thanks to less fun stuff like lawn mowing, etc. Wednesday is a holiday here so should have it on wheels then.

Yes will get those measurements for you, also distance from the ground to diffs and the main cross member that I seem to keep getting hung up on in rutted trails.

Sem Loção 4WD
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Nice!

As far as I understood, you made solid block spacers, right?

regarding to the risk of crushing, I guess your solid spacer stands for a "low concern" piece, more than the tecnyl I used. Yesterday we had a nice offroad trip here, and of course I just checked the spacers and the bolts before, they're all in pretty good shape. Additionaly, I suppose it would be so odd If i had a spacer crushed, and considering that there are eight, I guess I can be on the "medium concern" cathegory...LOL...

BUT one thing I noticed this time (i had a passenger on the rear seat + a thermic box full of "goodies") my rear suspension gave me some real and stron thumps.... till now I'm wanderin if: 1) The coils are not strong enough to handle the weight, onde they are from another vehicle model; 2) the coils becouse of item 1 are thumping; 3) I'm having some kind of shock end-travel (I supose not, cause it just happend with tha car loaded...)

Daniel -> Pajero TR4 AT (from Brazil)

lift +3" / Marshal MT / Kaiser locker

NZIO
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Rear springs

Regarding Tecnyl - I'm sure it's fine too, to be honest if I had a block of that on my shelf instead of steel I probably would have used it.

Regarding thumping - can you measure the thickness of the coil and compare it to standard? The Mazda springs are a few mm thicker and definitely heavier than standard, but don't know what your Ford springs are like.

Also, did you notice if the thump was when you went into or came off the top of bumps in the road? Put some weight and a couple of people in the back and find some speed humps, shouldn't be hard to work out when it happens.

My guess would be you're hitting the end of the shock travel as in the pic you posted your new ones aren't all that much longer than standard, and you've lifted it a lot.

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