Raise 2", comfort change?

[rcolijn]

Hi guys,

I am thinking about raisng my MU to get a bit bigger suspension travle, and maybe tyres too. So I am thinking about keeping the standard tyres for day-to-day driving (and I do a lot of that on country roads), but have a "play" set for when I go bush.

If I would lift het 2", would that massivly decrease suspension performance (I have Rancho adjustables standard height at the moment).

I dont want a hughly uncomfartble car, but would not mind a bit of extra flex...

[geeves]

Everything is a compromise. You add something so you have to take something away. In the rear if you do a shackle lift the spring rate remains the same so ride would be the same but body roll will be more (not much Still better than other 4x4s). If you do a spring lift then well chosen springs should give a better ride while controling roll and supply better travel. A lot of people have had good results with Lovels springs but EFS and Ironman are also good
In the front a 2 inch lift is simply adjust the torrsion bars. This is where it gets tricky though. IFS can only travel bettween bump stops so travel remains the same. But you cant use the upper part of the travel so you need a ball joint flip to regain actual travel and wheel alignment

[turnturn]

rcolijn, don't get "raised suspension" confused with extra flex you are seeking, this is not always the case.
Like Geeves has touched on, you can actually lose flex (articulation) if you raise your front suspension to the extent that you lose compression (upward travel of the wheel assembly).
I bought a Mu that had -
- 33" tyres
- wound up front end
- extended rear shackles
- reset rear springs with an extra leaf fitted
- 40mm body lift (not really relevant to this topic)

I ended up removing most of these things (didn't want to certify it at this time) and ended up getting further up my home made wheel travel ramp! The things that had compromised it's flexibility (articulation) had been the wound up torsion bars and the extra leaf added to the spring pack.

Unless you specifically require extra ground clearance my thinking has always been to fit good tyres, good shocks (your Rancho's are fine) and any traction aids you can afford (LSD, Air-locker etc). As soon as you start raising things too much you start to get the handling of a boat (you mentioned that most of your driving is on the road).

[rcolijn]

Awesome guys, excellent advice. I think I am just going to stick to the original plan, replace all the worn out bits, and maybe get some bigger tyres for off road, and the ones I have now for on-road. This will give me both what I want.

As usual, excellent replies, very informative, thanks!