kiwivit
New member
Hi all,
Thought I'd take the time to show the (slow) progressing build of my 2009 2.4 petrol 5-speed Suzuki Grand Vitara. I purchased the vehicle in June 2015, after having my previous Subaru Forester (2.5 dual-range 5-speed) written off (not my fault). The Forester was slightly modified, with raised King springs and 215/65r16 AT tyres.
The basic concept for the Zook was to continue the good onroad, mild-moderate offroad theme of the Forester, but in a newer, safer, and lower-mileage vehicle.
The first thing I did after purchasing it was to fit a set of 225/70r17 (equivalent to 225/75r16) Bridgestone Dueler D697 AT tyres, as the existing HT tyres were near-bald. After driving it offroad, I determined it also needed a lift, and some skidplates. I also sourced and fitted a snorkel, as the factory air intake is in a rather stupid location, just behind the bonnet.
The lift is a 45 mm Ironman kit, which was fitted by my (then) local dealer (St Kilda Automotive, Dunedin, New Zealand). The skidplates are manufactured by FTS, and are 3 mm steel for the rear diff and sump guards, and 5 mm steel for the transfer case. They were sourced by my cousin, who works for the NZ distributor for MCC. The snorkel was a cheapo eBay one made to fit the 05-on GV. Which came with no template, and took two days to install (never again).
Lastly, I had the factory towbar modified - the mounts had 100 mm taken out of them to lift the hitch by 100 mm (4 inches), and recess it by ~35 mm. This greatly increased the departure angle, and stopped me from getting hung up on anything and everything.
When combined with the excellent factory traction control, longer-travel Ironman suspension and the fact that Suzuki didn't fit a rear sway bar, it actually articulates alright for a vehicle with fully independent suspension, and will pull itself out of some nasty cross-axle situations, even uphill.
More recently the Duelers I fitted are getting pretty worn. For my next set of tyres, I'm wanting to run 225.75r16 in a mud-terrain pattern. I've acquired four 16" wheels and will run one of the Duelers as spare. The tyres I'm deciding between will be either the Kumho KL71 Road Venture, or the Maxxis 764 Bighorn. I'm leaning toward the KL71s, but am still undecided.
At some point in the future I may also fit an XROX front bar and winch, but I haven't found myself in any situations that would require these items yet, so I'm holding off.
Cheers, comments, questions are welcome. I'm also on YouTube as kiwizookoffroad (although I can't say the videos are brilliant).
Thought I'd take the time to show the (slow) progressing build of my 2009 2.4 petrol 5-speed Suzuki Grand Vitara. I purchased the vehicle in June 2015, after having my previous Subaru Forester (2.5 dual-range 5-speed) written off (not my fault). The Forester was slightly modified, with raised King springs and 215/65r16 AT tyres.
The basic concept for the Zook was to continue the good onroad, mild-moderate offroad theme of the Forester, but in a newer, safer, and lower-mileage vehicle.
The first thing I did after purchasing it was to fit a set of 225/70r17 (equivalent to 225/75r16) Bridgestone Dueler D697 AT tyres, as the existing HT tyres were near-bald. After driving it offroad, I determined it also needed a lift, and some skidplates. I also sourced and fitted a snorkel, as the factory air intake is in a rather stupid location, just behind the bonnet.
The lift is a 45 mm Ironman kit, which was fitted by my (then) local dealer (St Kilda Automotive, Dunedin, New Zealand). The skidplates are manufactured by FTS, and are 3 mm steel for the rear diff and sump guards, and 5 mm steel for the transfer case. They were sourced by my cousin, who works for the NZ distributor for MCC. The snorkel was a cheapo eBay one made to fit the 05-on GV. Which came with no template, and took two days to install (never again).
Lastly, I had the factory towbar modified - the mounts had 100 mm taken out of them to lift the hitch by 100 mm (4 inches), and recess it by ~35 mm. This greatly increased the departure angle, and stopped me from getting hung up on anything and everything.
When combined with the excellent factory traction control, longer-travel Ironman suspension and the fact that Suzuki didn't fit a rear sway bar, it actually articulates alright for a vehicle with fully independent suspension, and will pull itself out of some nasty cross-axle situations, even uphill.
More recently the Duelers I fitted are getting pretty worn. For my next set of tyres, I'm wanting to run 225.75r16 in a mud-terrain pattern. I've acquired four 16" wheels and will run one of the Duelers as spare. The tyres I'm deciding between will be either the Kumho KL71 Road Venture, or the Maxxis 764 Bighorn. I'm leaning toward the KL71s, but am still undecided.
At some point in the future I may also fit an XROX front bar and winch, but I haven't found myself in any situations that would require these items yet, so I'm holding off.
Cheers, comments, questions are welcome. I'm also on YouTube as kiwizookoffroad (although I can't say the videos are brilliant).
