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Need opinions on this SPOA kit

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Offline Godzuki84

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Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« on: August 16, 2012, 10:19:37 AM »
http://www.roadlessgear.com/Suzuki/p/1665/complete-spring-over-axle-kit-spoa

Anyone have any opinions about this kit? I was thinking about going this way for the SPOA or getting the kit from lowrange
The little zuki that could

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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2012, 06:23:01 AM »
Noone really?
The little zuki that could

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Offline 02CalTaco

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2012, 08:00:40 AM »
I don't have either but they both look good and the parts look to be almost the same. The lowrange kit doesn't include the high steer kit, you would have to add the sky hight steer to it making it like $15 more than the other, but you get slightly better shocks. Who has the cheaper shipping.

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Offline Drone637

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2012, 04:00:08 PM »
That is a good kit, it gives you everything you need to safely lift the vehicle with the help of a qualified welder and it has the wrap-around spring pads that make sure your pads are level and give it the extra strength.  The other style of pads can be ripped off with excessive axle wrap.  I don't see extended brake lines though, which is odd. 

For a basic kit I like the Sky Manufacturing Stage 2 kit.  You just flip your spring pads so you don't gain any flex but it gives you everything you need to get going and it quite a bit cheaper.

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new/detaproduct.php?id=92
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2012, 08:14:23 AM »
I don't have either but they both look good and the parts look to be almost the same. The lowrange kit doesn't include the high steer kit, you would have to add the sky hight steer to it making it like $15 more than the other, but you get slightly better shocks. Who has the cheaper shipping.

I think I am leaning towards the roadless gear kit because it includes the OTT, I know it still is not quite complete but yea, Im not sure on shipping and I did hear that the DT3000s are pretty good shocks, not sure on the procomp soft valves, would have to do some research on them I suppose.
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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2012, 08:16:41 AM »
That is a good kit, it gives you everything you need to safely lift the vehicle with the help of a qualified welder and it has the wrap-around spring pads that make sure your pads are level and give it the extra strength.  The other style of pads can be ripped off with excessive axle wrap.  I don't see extended brake lines though, which is odd. 

For a basic kit I like the Sky Manufacturing Stage 2 kit.  You just flip your spring pads so you don't gain any flex but it gives you everything you need to get going and it quite a bit cheaper.

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new/detaproduct.php?id=92


But w/o the flex doesnt that almost make a SPOA kinda pointless? I do like the kit for the ground clearance however and yea I dont know why they dont offer extended brake lines, every other kit Ive seen offers the lines, maybe they just didnt add it in the list?
The little zuki that could

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Offline Drone637

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2012, 07:02:43 PM »
But w/o the flex doesnt that almost make a SPOA kinda pointless? I do like the kit for the ground clearance however and yea I dont know why they dont offer extended brake lines, every other kit Ive seen offers the lines, maybe they just didnt add it in the list?

Not really, the extra space is for tire clearance and ground clearance.  You can always swap in longer shocks later if you want.
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
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Offline 02CalTaco

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2012, 09:45:00 AM »
Both kits look to be mostly made up from sky parts, from sky it looks like $564 with everything the other kits have minus shocks. Figure at least $100 for shocks and your in the same price range as the others. For me it would come down to the most complete kit and cheapest shipping.


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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2012, 06:53:42 PM »
Both kits look to be mostly made up from sky parts, from sky it looks like $564 with everything the other kits have minus shocks. Figure at least $100 for shocks and your in the same price range as the others. For me it would come down to the most complete kit and cheapest shipping.



Hmm, just based on the shop locations relative to where I'm located, lowrange would be the cheapest shipping wise but Montana is not too far from CO either... I like the roadless gear kit because they include the OTT but the shocks they use are questionable, however I don't know if either shocks are long travel or not.... with my other car I have learned to do it right the first time, I don't want to swap out parts in the future.
The little zuki that could

Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2012, 12:08:03 AM »
The Roadless gear kit is the same as the Sky stage 5 kit. http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new/detaproduct.php?id=94 but $100 cheaper & does include the extended brake lines. Its the one I'm using on my build. When I called Figmo |removethispart||removethispart|@ Roadless he confirmed it was the Sky stage 5.
Good luck.

Edit: You will not receive instructions with either kit so do your homework before you set to installing it & if you have any questions that you can't find answers to about the install let me know... I have mine installed already but haven't driven it yet since my project isn't done.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2012, 12:11:13 AM by bigbasshb »
88 Samurai (round vents)

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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2012, 12:36:00 PM »
The Roadless gear kit is the same as the Sky stage 5 kit. http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new/detaproduct.php?id=94 but $100 cheaper & does include the extended brake lines. Its the one I'm using on my build. When I called Figmo |removethispart||removethispart||removethispart|@ Roadless he confirmed it was the Sky stage 5.
Good luck.

Edit: You will not receive instructions with either kit so do your homework before you set to installing it & if you have any questions that you can't find answers to about the install let me know... I have mine installed already but haven't driven it yet since my project isn't done.


Now that I am thinking about it, I might just get the 3" trail gear springs and possibly go RUF in the future as outlined in LRORs website,( http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/suzuki/samurai/suspension-parts/trail-gear-3-lift-leaf-springs.html ) I'm just wondering if SPOA will be too much for what I will really be doing with my car? I do like ground clearance but I probably wont be doing extreme rock climbing, but I wont be just doing mild little trails either if that makes sense? Also doing it this way I shouldn't really need to worry about steering correction should I? I also want to run 30" tires and will def go TD in the future, does this all sound good?
The little zuki that could

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Offline mrfuelish

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2012, 02:01:04 PM »
http://www.puresuzuki.com/shackle_reverse.htm you would keep a better ride with this, I have lift springs and they ride real ruff.     rears up front with an spoa would be a good next choice.
1987,1988,1988,1990 samurai's,  1953 m38a1,  1996 x-90,blue.1996 x-90 red.1994 2 door tracker.   only Dead Fish go with the flow.                No Hairy Nosed Wombats were ran over on the trail today.       My ZUK is Xenophobic.

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Offline Godzuki84

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2012, 02:43:53 PM »
http://www.puresuzuki.com/shackle_reverse.htm you would keep a better ride with this, I have lift springs and they ride real ruff.     rears up front with an spoa would be a good next choice.


What lifted springs do you have if you dont mind me asking? Are you running aftermarket shocks or still stock?
The little zuki that could

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Offline 02CalTaco

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2012, 09:45:39 PM »


Now that I am thinking about it, I might just get the 3" trail gear springs and possibly go RUF in the future as outlined in LRORs website,( http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/suzuki/samurai/suspension-parts/trail-gear-3-lift-leaf-springs.html )


Thats exactly what I plan on doing, the main reason being that I don't weld. I understand that lift springs ride rough but so does stock, and if I can get lift and more suspension travel I don't mind a little rough ride. I don't think you should wait to go RUF if you decide to stay spua, using the lifted short front springs would be that much harsher and not allow much more travel.

 Trail gear are what I plan on using because of price and lift, lror has good things to say about them. A couple other choices would be OME, probably a better ride but less lift and Deaver springs,same lift as the TG's but better ride, problem is they cost a lot more, only available from rocky road. Some kind of steering correction would still be needed, not sure if a drop pitman arm would be enough, a half ott would still be best. I don't think theres much if any cost savings going that route, doing a RUF kit with new springs etc. could even cost more.

 One setup I've seen on another forum that I really like a lot is 2.5" lifted OME YJ's spua.

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Offline mrfuelish

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Re: Need opinions on this SPOA kit
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2012, 10:42:43 PM »
The lift springs I have on one of my sammies has some numbers on them I will get them posted tomorrow, the second spring on them has the military wrap on them like in the picture and I have rancho 9000 adjustable about 27" long or so (too long) going to doetsch 3000 when I switch them over to yj's , too bad your not near so oregon I would give them to you for helping me put the yj's in. 
1987,1988,1988,1990 samurai's,  1953 m38a1,  1996 x-90,blue.1996 x-90 red.1994 2 door tracker.   only Dead Fish go with the flow.                No Hairy Nosed Wombats were ran over on the trail today.       My ZUK is Xenophobic.