I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that. The stock travel on the strut is around 4", adding 2" strut spacers free up 2" of unused strut travel giving around 44% more travel than stock. Drop the diff and add OME struts and you have 7.5" of strut travel. I've no idea what that is in terms of wheel travel but its nearly a 90% increase.

ok, when i read back over my post, it doesnt seem to make too much sense.

but with my vit now, the front wheel, when measured from the outside of the rim to the guard, has about 4" up ward movement, and 4" down ward movement. so i think its safe to say that the front of my vit sits almost halfway on the strut stroke.

BUT...

on flat level ground, you can see that my CV shafts are not level, or parralel to the ground, but on a downwards angle.

anyway, like rhino said, our vit diffs sit a fair bit higher than most other ifs rigs, and thats where we suffer. less travel for more ground clearance. i know that i have been saved many a times from the front ground clearance, so it would be a shame to loose it. but then by lowering the diff, you could gain more travel, and maybe a higher ride height.

sorry if you cant understand me, i keep seeing the animation above, and get lost in a world of dreaming.

The strut is still only so long. So if we were able to make more travel then make it up travel and all is good right. Probabally have to cut the fender a bit though

Mike

Enough with the IFS ground clearance silliness! Check this out, this is a friend's project Land Cruiser http://www.pbase.com/drexx/was_fzj80_of_amando_mendoza

Then view how he reincarnated the wrecked LC (if you're interested) http://www.pbase.com/drexx/ultimate80_2004

But what I really want to show you guys is this: his Humm9 axles. Solid axles with high ground clearance: http://www.pbase.com/drexx/image/27395462

Just sharing

The strut is still only so long. So if we were able to make more travel then make it up travel and all is good right. Probabally have to cut the fender a bit though

Mike

ok, maybe i cant get this around my head right, but having more up travel would almost be the same as the equivalent of down travel, right? pros and cons of course.

now, ground clearance. i have lots, i think, but that is with a stiff-ish coil and coil spacer. now if i were to keep this clearance and have more up travel, would i not need a longer and softer coil?

like, its the coils job to give the suspension lift which results in clearance, usually from a longer or stiffer coil, but it also has to be soft enough to allow for the wheel to move upwards the desired amount. so its gotta be soft too.

now if you have a long coil, and a soft rate, at some point not near ideal, the coil can bind up and not reach potential due to lack of room or space in the front suspension set up.

so how can we make the front tyre touch the underside of the bonnet, and also keep our ground clearance? will the answer be in the struts?

sorry to be so ignorant, but i still cant see a total fix/mod for the front end of a vit. (compared to the yota set up)

I think you'd need more space to install the longer coil in the front, so your upper coil cups should move upwards too, otherwise the spring would be fully compressed at a point not that high.....  :-/ So a lot of modding would be needed to get more uptravel  

“ok, maybe i cant get this around my head right, but having more up travel would almost be the same as the equivalent of down travel, right? pros and cons of course.�
Sure that the way a solid axle works. Looking at the rear one side goes up as the other droops down but IFS just isn’t designed to work that way, I don’t believe you gain much having more untravell because your losing groung clearance in the middle.

Regards Charlie

sorry if you cant understand me, i keep seeing the animation above, and get lost in a world of dreaming.

I'm having the same problem, lol. I keep thinking about a Toyota hub somehow attached to the stock lower wishbone with a fabricated upper arm, doing away with the stock stut. The problem is that there isn't any more down travel in the CVs. The whole issue becomes a ground clearance/travel argument. You could get 16" of travel if you really wanted to but you would have to drop the diff 8". As much as I like that set up I think my current set up is the best all round compromise keeping IFS. I haven't really had any driveshaft problems but I like the idea having the extra strength of the Toyota shafts

on flat level ground, you can see that my CV shafts are not level, or parralel to the ground, but on a downwards angle.

To try and clarify what I meant. If you take off the spring and jack the wishbone up the then with the wishbone against the bump stop the shaft is pretty much level (no diff drop brackets) so for the whole of your 8" of wheel travel the driveshaft only travels downwards. Therefore you could lower the diff 8" or whatever and the driveshaft could then travel up and down.

Hello everyone;

Let me introduce myself. My name is Pablo Toledo and I'm from Brazil.

As owner of a 93 Vitara with some improvements, I'd like to have further detailed information about swap the stock Vitara's CV and half-shafts to Toyota's IFS one.

I tried to contact Mr. Hagen twice, but unfortunately he have never reverted to me.

Thank you all in advance for your attention.

Best regards,

Pablo Toledo

Hello everyone;

Let me introduce myself. My name is Pablo Toledo and I'm from Brazil.

As owner of a 93 Vitara with some improvements, I'd like to have further detailed information about swap the stock Vitara's CV and half-shafts to Toyota's IFS one.

I tried to contact Mr. Hagen twice, but unfortunately he have never reverted to me.

Thank you all in advance for your attention.

Best regards,

Pablo Toledo

Pablo,
PM Stan (user name: 37Kicker) and let him know you are interested in his conversion kit. They (Mike and Stan) do not get on line as much as some of us so it may be a few days before Stan contacts you.

Zig

Just a question;

So, if you need to Widen the front end of your Trac/Kick for this Toyota CV mod, Could you get the same result by using a taller lift spring ( like the zukination 4" ) and just not lowering the dif at all?

What about their crazy control arms, would they help making it long enough perhaps?

That Toyota joint should give enough travel with Trac/Kick struts to be just fine, I would think.

Pablo,
PM Stan (user name: 37Kicker) and let him know you are interested in his conversion kit. They (Mike and Stan) do not get on line as much as some of us so it may be a few days before Stan contacts you.

Zig
[/quote]

Hi Zig. Thanks for your reply.

I sent a message regarding the matter to Stan on Dec 29, but unfortunately he have never answered to me. That's why I'm tapping the forum looking for further info on the CV's swap.

Pablo

I believe that a search for toyota CV will give you most any info you need. The next time I speak with Mike I will ask him to let Stan know you are interested in his conversion.

Zig

So, if you need to Widen the front end of your Trac/Kick for this Toyota CV mod, Could you get the same result by using a taller lift spring ( like the zukination 4" ) and just not lowering the dif at all?

Using longer springs and not lowering the diff isn't very practical, the angle of the CVs would be very poor.

I sent a message regarding the matter to Stan on Dec 29, but unfortunately he have never answered to me. That's why I'm tapping the forum looking for further info on the CV's swap.

Pablo

I've sent him messages with no response as well  :'( I'm beginning to think we need to find another way to get Toyota CV to work. What about swapping the whole Toyota dual A-arm front, and installing a matching Toyota rear axle? It would open up a LOT of diff gear & locker options, get a wider stance, get the strength of Toyota bits.... Is it still a strut setup with dual A-arms, or does it go back to shocks & springs?