Suspension

[powerclub]

I fitted 235x45x17 rims and Kings Low on front and S/L on rear, only got 47K on odometer and running orginal shocks. Just after the springs were fitted I noticed (on a quiet day and rough road) a knocking from the front, sounds like something loose or a rattle or maybe its a knock..not sure. I've had it checked and one shop said replace front struts and another said it could be the sway bar. Anyone got any ideas and if struts are to go, anyone got an idea on what brand, Koni, Boge, KYB or Ultima short body struts? Thanks Guys
P.S. After changing rim size, is the speedo still accurate?

[Nordy]

Wouldnt hurt to jack the car up and take the front wheels off n just check yourself to see if the springs are seated correctly...thats all it could be
You can check how much your speedo will be out using this... http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Take a ruler, lay it flat across the tread so one end sticks out over the edge of the tyre, measure from the ruler to the centre of the hub and do the same on your old tyres, if the measurements are within 5 mm it will make no difference. If it is more on the new wheels, the speedo will be slower than your actual speed, if it is less then it will read faster.

[powerclub]

Thanks Guys, I found out after asking the question that going from 195x55x15to 235x45x17 gives the same basic wheel dimension so the speedo should be accurate. I also checked the springs and they fine so I am thinking maybe its the front stuts, anyone got an opinion on brand? I was going for Ultima at $375 fitted plus a wheel alignment but someone else told me they are crap and I should get KYB short body front struts for $400? Havent heard anything about Konis but they have been around as long as vegemite.

[dagar187]

hey power how did u get away with using superlows at the rear without changing shocks? when i lowerd mine with superlows front and back they said its best to upgrade the shkrs too! hows urs lk? can u post pics?

[mattman]

It won't change the look of the car and you can get away with it, but the springs won't be trapped if you jack the car up or hit a bit bump at speed etc.

[Marzz]

Thanks Guys, I found out after asking the question that going from 195x55x15to 235x45x17 gives the same basic wheel dimension so the speedo should be accurate. I also checked the springs and they fine so I am thinking maybe its the front stuts, anyone got an opinion on brand? I was going for Ultima at $375 fitted plus a wheel alignment but someone else told me they are crap and I should get KYB short body front struts for $400? Havent heard anything about Konis but they have been around as long as vegemite.

Waiting on the KYB's myself!!!! Their website doesn't have a listing for the VZ as yet, so I called them and was told that they (no particular model of strut) won't be available until mid year...

[Nordy]

It won't change the look of the car and you can get away with it, but the springs won't be trapped if you jack the car up or hit a bit bump at speed etc.

Having said that Ive got SSSL's and stock shocks in the rear of mine and i jacked the rear up on the weekend n never had a problem

[powerclub]

Thanks for the feedback, I was told when the springs were fitted that it would wear out the standard shocks faster but because they were only low K's it would be ok for awhile considering you should expect 120K out of them on standard spings! About 200K's later I started to hear the knocking not to mention the front mud flaps scraping on speed bumps, mud flaps now gone! Anyway, I was told the fronts are causing the noise and in fact they are very hard so I'll be happy to get rid of them, the rears seem to be ok although someone else told me on Ute's they need to be changed when lower springs are added, not sure why? What struts did you change to from standard? I was hoping somone could comment on the Ulima short body shock and if they are any good or even the Boage's? I'll take a few pics of my VZ and post them later on but dont think shocks would make the car look any different!


In my first post concerning speedo accuracy, I quoted my stock wheel size incorrectly, havent got them anymore but they musta been 205/65 R15 so take 2 inches off the tyre and add 2 inches to the rim, same same!!