Yep, that would be me and this is the smaller diameter shock and it is doing the same thing just not as big a dent.  Ideas so far are to grind off the "strength" gusset at the top of the new upper arm, find an even skinnier shock, or maybe change the mounting location of the upper arm which would require more work than I want to do right now.  I'll keep posting and maybe one day one of us will stumble upon a better fix

rjkick
In reply #42 you said that if money were not an issue you would go coilovers.
Would there be room for a coilover inside the EDSES upper A-arm if you trimmed the upper spring perch off the chassis and welded tabs to the lower A-arm and used the current upper shock mount for the coilover upper mount?
I do not have the EDSES kit yet.
I am considering getting the EDSES to see if I can turn it into a coilover suspension.
I would like to hear what ideas you have to make this happen before I order the EDSES.
Thanks
Herman

It can be done but rather than doing the extra work it may be easier to order a Strut Coil over kit from Kreator.  I didn't think I would have the rub and thought Calmini had fixed it with the smaller diameter shock.  I haven't had a chance to look deeper into the issue yet.

If possible have upper A-Arms fabbed and cut out the strut tower to mount the Coil Over


I have a 4 door and had to re-drill the mounting holes for the inner a-arm mount.  I like the kit but be aware you may run into issues.  I also have 4.5" of lift with different springs than Calmini so I expected a slight issue but nothing near what I had.  Earlier posts show where I had to re-drill.  The 2 brackets weren't even symetrical which was really odd.

After I have a better look at it I will probably go with a stiffer shock as well

Yep, that would be me and this is the smaller diameter shock and it is doing the same thing just not as big a dent.  Ideas so far are to grind off the "strength" gusset at the top of the new upper arm, find an even skinnier shock, or maybe change the mounting location of the upper arm which would require more work than I want to do right now.  I'll keep posting and maybe one day one of us will stumble upon a better fix

I know that you bought a Kit that should work.  But, have you looked to see if that stiffner brace on top of the upper A-arm could be moved outboard and create more space?  I would hate going to smaller shocks, as they can overheat easier.  (Just a thought from looking at your photos.)

I know that you bought a Kit that should work.  But, have you looked to see if that stiffner brace on top of the upper A-arm could be moved outboard and create more space?  I would hate going to smaller shocks, as they can overheat easier.  (Just a thought from looking at your photos.)

I  have yet to get my EDSE to work correctly. I bought it is September and now we are in December. I am trying to get Calmini tech support to help. I have sent several emails with pictures and lots of phone calls. Even when told was I would get a call back, I repeatedly never got a call back ever. Never got an email back from tech support.  I have been holding my tongue because I believe my problem can be worked out because it is a problem no one else has reported.   

With all that being said, the one thing that is never mentioned with the kit by people here on the forum or by Calmini is you are going to have to use a wheel spacer.  I hate wheel spacers and had my rig set up with 32s and no spacers. 16x8" wheels with 4" backspacing. To my surprise I had to buy 1 1/2" wheel spacers to adjust the camber. Course this was after buying 1" spacers thinking that would be enough. (Anyone need 1" spacers?) So when Brd HNTR put out the idea of moving the upper A-arm out, sure it could be moved out but that would increase the size of the wheel spacer by how much you moved the a-arm out or new wheels to compensate.

No I am not suggesting suggesting moving the A-arm out.  What I suggested was to move the brace welded on top of the A-arm outward.  from the photo, it looks like that is what is impacting the shock.  If it was the impact point I would cut it down, but I figure Calmini put it there for strength, so moving it outward would be better solution.

I do not believed most of us non EDSE users are aware of the 1 1/2" spacer requirement.

 skitime
I am interested in your 1" wheel spacers.  541 404 6464 Oregon
I need them for the back and avoid using them up front since they change the steering scrub geometry.
I assume you used front wheel spacers to make the EDSES work.

rjkick
Were you implying to buy the Kreator front suspension and use as is and not go with the EDSES or combine Kreators with the EDSES?
Where I am going with this is that I recently installed the Kreator front suspension and planned from the beginning to use the Kreator pieces to eventually come up with a double A-arm front suspension.
I used Kreators 2.5" longer A-arms(than stock) for several reasons( the longer Vitara or XL-7 front axles bolt right in).
Longer A-arms give more wheel travel at the same CV joint angle,  do not need to use wheel spacers to keep the tires from rubbing the frame with 31" tires and you do not lose  steering angle with 31" tires.
I am using stock wheels and 31" x 10:50 BFG All Terrains.
This would probably also apply to 33" tires which I will try next.
The only reason I want an EDSES kit is for the piece that bolts in place of the strut that adjusts camber and the upper A-arm bolts to.
I assume since my lower A-arms are 2.5 " longer the EDSES upper A-arm will be too short.
Calmini will not sell me those pieces alone.
If anyone bails on their EDSES kit I would be interested.

The owner of Calmini told me the EDSES kit gives 7.5" of front wheel travel.
The long A-arm Kreator kit gives just under 10" of front wheel travel (which requires a differential drop kit to reduce CV angle) and works very well in comparison to a Trail Tough $700 - 2.5" lift kit.
I would be curious how well the EDSES suspension works.
rjkick seems to have a great time with his EDSES on the whoops at Johnson Valley which says a lot.
There is more to suspension than wheel travel numbers.
It is all about shock dampening and rebound.
A good example would be the BMW Mini's in the Dakar race.
They probably have half the wheel travel of Robby Gordon's desert style truck and they are overall faster.

So how does the EDSES suspension work in comparison to the strutted Calmini suspension it replaces?
Does it work significantly better or is it mainly a piece of mind that you are no longer relying on a strut that fails often?
Calmini says the EDSES improves bump steer and the camber gain is better than a strut.
Please share your experience before I spend more money or should I forget the double A-arm and just be happy with the Kreator kit I have?
Thanks
Herman
 


 


 

... With all that being said, the one thing that is never mentioned with the kit by people here on the forum or by Calmini is you are going to have to use a wheel spacer...   

the website has a page on recommended tires and wheel sizes and does recommend a wheel backspacing of 2" to 2.75"   
http://calmini.com/tire-size.php

My wheels have 4" backspacing but I already had 2" spacers which I am using, so the tires clear the upper a-arm by about an inch

kit installed ok for me, looks cool, and working good so far.   considering the number of parts included in the kit it didn't seem that expensive to me.   I never broke a strut but it does appear that is one of the main benefits.

my story is here:
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/oceanside-tracker/

video too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37uA8nAWm_A

I was thinking of removing the "strength" gusset and relocating it outward I just need to coordinate with my cousin who welds and fabs for me - always wants to go SAS but I'm not there yet

I was suggesting to use Kreator instead of Calmini EDSE kit.

If the site hadn't lost the data you could have seen Yuri do exactly what you want to do.  He has a Toyota front end and the piece you are talking about was too short so he had to fab a longer one

Perhaps Yuri, tchajalgos, or another fabricator can help you with just that piece. The issue then is which would be more economical - buy the kit for the 1 piece or having it fabricated

I was breaking struts which was my main reason for the kit. 

The shock dents aren't that big of a deal as long as I can find the '95 ish Ford Aerostar rear shocks at the local pick a part for $5 to $10 They have a small diameter and are stiffer - KYB Gas-o-matics 

16 days of jungle terrain

looking forward to your Pics


Update for the shocks on the EDSE kit - with the smaller diameter shocks I was able to flip them upside down.  I'll report back after my first trip. Hopefully this eliminates my shock dent issue otherwise I may have to get dome fab done

Update for the shocks on the EDSE kit - with the smaller diameter shocks I was able to flip them upside down.

Are they monotube or twintube?  I don't think the twin tube shocks work too well when you flip them.

I know ( a hand full) of people have installed Calmini's EDSE kit. Still I'm curious who out there has figured out a way to get the alignment correct. I'm talking about ability to drive it as normally intended on the street with normal tire wear,& the driver isn't required to fight it to stay in the middle of his lane. Yes, im sure it is drivable off road but getting there & back has been more than one buyers issue. The kit has been out for some time now so either Calmini changed it from how it was originally sold or fabricators are cutting & reworking it. Camber/Caster/toe. Love to hear/see a update to the EDSE install from someone who successfully installed one. Thanx   

it works just fine...on and off road ....even better..has no problem with camber or caster, and it's extremely well performed

the only different is...the link...The Picture ..short link is the first edition of edses.. doesn't work...then calmini upgrade with the longer one..never try it . Mine ..is longer than the Calmini has...