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There has been a great deal of discussion on the Suzuki mailing
list on Off-Road.com about what is the best way to lift a Samurai
and which kit gives the best ride and axle articulation. The the
most frequently asked question has to be “What size tire will
fit?” The largest tire that will fit on a stock Samurai is a
P215, or a 27 inch. The information presented here has been
provided by Suzuki after market parts suppliers, subscribers to the
mailing list and my own experience with the Samurai. It is not
intended to prove that one lift type is better than the other. It
has been collected to help you match lifts available to tire size
for your application and off-road needs.
There are benefits and concerns that can be associated to both
types of lifts. If you have input for this article please
email me
direct. I would like to incorporate your ideas into this series.
The internet provides all of us a unique opportunity to express our
opinion in real time! Don’t waste your chance to make
this a live series on Samurai lifts.
I have been a Samurai owner for a number of years
and have had many styles of lifts and tire combinations installed
on a 87 Samurai. The first being add-a-leaf, now that was
a ride. ![]() The
short wheel-base Samurai is not known for a good ride even stock,
install an add-a-leaf set and you have made an excellent
paint mixer. That had to be the worst ride ever experienced. They
were removed very shortly after being installed. The next attempt
at a taller truck was a set of three inch springs. The ride was
much better and they allowed room for larger tires, but…I
needed more. Three inches was not tall enough.
 The Spring Over
Axle idea was borrowed from other solid-axle truck owners. At
the time of installation it was the only lift available larger than
three inches. It made available a 4½ inch lift for the already
very off-road capable Samurai. This lift was on the truck for a
number of years.
Problems: One problem
personally experienced with type of lift was axle wrap. It
turned a well made set of National springs into an “S”
shape. Samurai owners have also reported occurrences of early
spring failure on stock springs. They attribute the broken
springs to the extreme upward spring travel and excessive axle
wrap.
My SPOA lift was just
recently removed in favor of the latest innovation for the Samurai,
a Shackle Reversal Kit (SR) and OME springs. The SR lift can
be installed in stages. You can start with the two inch lift;
running your 29 inch or smaller tires. After the tread life has
been utilized three inch springs can be added for a five inch lift
which will allog for 31x10.5 tires.
Calmini’s kit is fully bolt-on. No drilling, welding,
driveshaft or steering modifications are required. The Shackle
Reversal can be installed in about 6 hours. Impressions so far, the
reversal kit will provide very stable ride characteristics and give
you two inches of lift.
Problems: the tires
have made contact at the back of the front wheel well under
extreme compression with 33 x 12.5 tires. If you run tire
sizes that are recommend by Calmini for their kit you will not have
contact problems. Extended bump stops will compensate for clearance
problems if you are running larger tires.
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RTI Challenge
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Spring
Over Axle |
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Shackle
Reversal |
ORC hopes to pull off a ramp travel index,
off-road and road test comparison on the Samurai. Steve Kramer has
offered the use of Calmini’s RTI ramp for a challenge
between a Shackle Reversal equipped Samurai and a Spring Over Axle
lifted Samurai. Calmini will provide the SR truck and Petroworks
has offered a SPOA equipped truck. The only requirement imposed by
ORC is that the trucks have to be daily drivers. This event will be
open to all Suzuki products.
ORC could
use your help to make this event happen. Do you know of an event
scheduled near Bakersfield or Fallbrook California around the
middle of November where the RTI Challenge can be held? Can your
club host the RTI Challenge? Please contact ORC if you would
like to help coordinate this event.
Ramp Travel Index (RTI)
RTI is a good indicator of articulation, however,
on- and off-road characteristics are the most important factor in
choosing a suspension system.
Glenn
Wakefield-
“I’ll just
go off of my experiences with Four Wheeler magazine… We did
ours in a paved parking lot with even tire pressures and no funky
weight shifting. We crept up the ramp until immediately when a tire
left the ground (or ramp if you were over 1000). The distance is
also measured from the center of your hub down… not from the
front edge of a tire. This is to say… if you can get your
left rear tire to touch the edge of the ramp, but it lifts before
you get the center of your hub over the front part of the ramp, you
did not score 1000. Shocks should be on… though this is a
good test of if your shocks are inhibiting travel. 20 degrees has
always been the standard ramp. Scores of 1000 (perfect) were very
rare when this universal measuring system was created.
However… so many vehicles are sporting so many trick
suspensions, Four Wheeler said they may go to a 25 degree ramp next
year. BTW, 1000 may sound like a very easy and attainable
score… but it ain’t so.”
Lift Comparison
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Spring Over Axle
Pros
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Shackle Reversal
Pros
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Stock Springs
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Room to fit 32x11.5 tires
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Great articulation
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Improved on and off-road handling
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Cost: $599.00
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22 inches of axle articulation
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Provides 4-5 inches of lift
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Combo Kit 3"" Springs
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Room to fit 31x10.5 tires
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Great articulation
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Improved on and off-road handling
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Cost: $695.00
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25 inches of axle articulation
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Provides 5 inches of lift
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Fully bolt on
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Cons |
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Cons |
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It is definitely more work to do a SPOA with
welding etc., but if you are serious about going wheeling
it’s worth it.
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If not done properly it could make your rig
unstable and potentially dangerous to drive on the
street.
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If the welds are not done properly you could
damage an axle tube.
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Spring wrap has been experienced on some
trucks.
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Cost depends on whether you gather all the
parts and do the work yourself, or if you get a shop to gather them
and complete the project.
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Axles should be disassembled for the welding
process.
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Drag link, if not modified, can hit the right
spring on hard turns.
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Body roll if the sway bar is
removed.
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On the Samurai, some feel the vehicle may be
too light for the shackle reversal to work as effectively as it
does on a Jeep or a Scout.
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Tires sizes over 31 inches may require longer
bump stops, or the axle moved forward to prevent tire to
fender contact when the spring is in full compression.
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Brake dive can increase dramatically if
improperly valved shocks are used.
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SPOA Comments
Gary Munck
(Petroworks)
“I have
done at least 20 SPOAs with the same results that are in the Pro
column. Better handling, better ride and much better articulation.
It is definitely more work to do a SPOA what with welding etc. but
if you are serious about going wheeling it’s worth it. I
recently bought a Samurai with 3"" springs, 2""shackles and 32"" tires
(got it cheap, dead motor) It now has a new motor, so I have had a
chance to drive it to see how the 3"" springs compare. The ride is
the same as stock, the articulation is also about the same as
stock, the handling with longer shackles is very unstable. It looks
good just sitting there.
I have given
some thought as to why the articulation and ride are much improved
after a SPOA. Certainly some of the gains in ride and handling are
due to changing worn parts like bushings and shocks. Adding larger
wheels and tires means a wider track and obviously better
articulation. (wider track = more leverage against the springs).
Using springs that were designed for the truck means that they will
work well in most conditions. We have sold and installed many SPOAs
and have had only rave reviews from the people who have them. To be
honest I have not spent enough time studying the suspension
geometry of the Suzuki to post a definitive answer as to why the
SPOA works so well with the Samurai.
If you
are in the Southern California area come by and drive a Samurai
with SPOA, then you can judge for yourself.” |
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SR Comments
Steve Kramer
(Calmini)
“By installing
the Shackle Reversal Kit you are changing the position of the front
spring shackle from the leading end of the spring to the trailing
end of the spring, thus duplicating the same setup that the rear
springs have from the factory. If you install a longer shackle to
the front of the stock or aftermarket lift spring (stock
front-shackle configuration), you reduce the positive caster angle
of the front axle, which is not in the least bit desirable. There
are several benefits with Shackle Reversal that apply to handling
and ride quality as well as articulation. In the area of handling,
when using the stock ‘flat’ spring or any
aftermarket positive arch lift spring (like Calmini, Trailmaster,
Rancho and others), the springs will deflect (bend) under load.
Shackle Reversal can maintain or even increase the needed positive
caster through the entire compression movement of the suspension.
This configuration also lifts both ends of the front spring, and
this is important. Due to the fixed relationship of the steering
knuckle to the axle tube, the Shackle Reversal Kit maintains
correct pinion angularity. This prevents the decrease in positive
caster that causes a ‘wander’ condition. Shackle
reversal improves ride quality because the vector forces (bump in
the road) required to deflect or move the suspension are absorbed
in the same direction that they are applied. Under these
conditions, it also takes less force to make the suspension work.
Axle articulation, using the stock spring with the CALMINI Shackle
Reversal Kit, increases from 11 (or less) inches to 18
inches!
One way to apply the Shackle
Reverse conversion and lift the vehicle 5"" over stock is by using
the custom Calmini spring designed for the shackle reversal kit.
This system is fully bolt-on. There is no need for welding
or grinding, and the steering linkage and driveline require no
modifications. Customers can install the kit in their driveway--no
need to sublet to a commercial fab shop--using common hand tools.
This shackle reverse with lift spring approach provides clearance
for 31x10.5 tires plus 25 inches of axle articulation. Our
customers describe much improved on and off-road driving
characteristics.” |
What size tire fits?
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Tire
Size |
29x9.5 |
30x9.5 |
31x10.5 |
32x11.5 |
33x12.5 |
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Lift
Required |
1.5 |
2 |
3 - 4 |
4 - 5 |
5+ |
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Body
Mods |
None |
None |
Minor |
Minor |
Required |
Lifts available
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Springs |
OME
1.5"" |
National
3"" |
Calmini
3"" |
TrailMaster
3"" |
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Shackle
Reversal |
Calmini 2""&
5"" Combo |
Warrior ¾""& 2"" |
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Spring
Over |
Petroworks |
Summit
Off-Road |
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Lift
Kit |
TrailMaster |
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A three inch body lift is also available.
Using larger tires will have an effect on your
power. Ring and pinion or reduced transfer case gearing
modifications are highly recommended. For the greatest performance
do both.
--Larry Harris
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