[Che]

Since installing a 1.6 and bullbar the front suspension on my Sierra has dropped too far and I have to sort it out. I'm currently running 215s on my Sierra but i'm considering setting it up for 235s. I'll obviously buy the right leaf pack to suit. I don't want to go any bigger than 235s as I want a car that still has on-road manners and isn't too much of a pig on fuel. First and foremost my car is a daily drive shopping trolley after all... but I also do a fair bit of 'lite' fourbying like beach runs, random bush trails and overnighters to the middle of nowhere.


Just wondering what you guys think. Pro's and con's of 215s vs 235s? Happy to adjust gearing to suit, but is it worth it?

[sideways]

IMO keep the 215s. There's only 1.2" difference between them, that's 15mm difference in clearance, not worth making your car a little slower and more painful to drive. I doubt you will find anyone who will fit 235s on the stock wheels too.

If you're happy with the performance of the 215s (ie, you aren't diffing out everywhere) then I'd stay with them.

[Che]

215s seem to work for me, and happy to stick with them. I just thought 235s might be a bit better on sand, maybe a bit more comfortable on road, more tyre options, and fill out the arches a bit better.

[Reubs]

Che wrote:

215s seem to work for me, and happy to stick with them. I just thought 235s might be a bit better on sand, maybe a bit more comfortable on road, more tyre options, and fill out the arches a bit better.

205R16 (narrow and 'tallish') would be a better size for sand driving and about the same diameter as a 235/75R15, although big tyres aren't necessary for a Sierra on sand.

[sideways]

205r16s FTW.

I was going to suggest them but good LJ/16" Sierra rims are very hard to find. They're also generally stiffer then the other sizes, limitless tyre choice though.

[alien]

stick with 215/75r15 - they're easy to source, fit stock rims and drive quite well without any gearing modification.

If you find that you're getting stuck a lot offroad, you could chuck an airlocker in the rear for the cost of buying new 235's and rims... and it'd get you a lot further than a slightly larger tyre ever would.

[Che]

I may as well keep this all in the same thread. Looks like i'll be sticking with 215s, so can anybody recommend me some front leaf springs?


My rear is sitting 18" from dead centre of the axle to the wheel arch, and my front is sitting 16.5". No idea what brand i'm running, but as can be seen in the pic the leaf's are dead straight. Wanting to get the front to match the rear in height, but due to the extra weight of the 1.6 and bullbar i'm not sure what my starting point is. Plenty of King Springs for sale on Ebay but i'm not sure if i'm chasing the SUZ-001, SUZ-002, or SUZ-004 leaf pack... any suggestions?

[alien]

Flat springs are awesome, sway bars not so much.

Everyone on here goes on about OME leaves... never had them myself though.

IMO its far more important to get your shocks right in a sierra, most leaf springs tend to be very similar for what you're chasing.

[Che]

Geez Aron, you're not exactly helping me spend all my money here

Closer inspection of the front leaf packs and I can see the drivers side is possibly a couple of mm inverted. And the pack seems a little warped compared to the passenger side. No doubt worse once my 100kg frame is behind the wheel.




My main beef with this current setup is that i'm hitting the driver side bump stop every time I take on an uneven surface above walking speed. After a while it drives me nuts. It was never an issue in my old Sierra, but my old Sierra didn't have flat springs either - it had a 2" or 3" spring lift.

Also - how 'legal' is it to run without a sway bar? I'm guessing a regular cop couldn't spot it, but is it a finable/RWC-recinding offence 'if' it is spotted? I'm also quite a fan of driving my Sierra like a rental car around town - will removing the sway bar affect on-road manners at all?

[sideways]

Che wrote:

Geez Aron, you're not exactly helping me spend all my money here

Closer inspection of the front leaf packs and I can see the drivers side is possibly a couple of mm inverted. And the pack seems a little warped compared to the passenger side. No doubt worse once my 100kg frame is behind the wheel.


My main beef with this current setup is that i'm hitting the driver side bump stop every time I take on an uneven surface above walking speed. After a while it drives me nuts. It was never an issue in my old Sierra, but my old Sierra didn't have flat springs either - it had a 2" or 3" spring lift.

Also - how 'legal' is it to run without a sway bar? I'm guessing a regular cop couldn't spot it, but is it a finable/RWC-recinding offence 'if' it is spotted? I'm also quite a fan of driving my Sierra like a rental car around town - will removing the sway bar affect on-road manners at all?

OME will give the best ride short of custom springs. Lots of people had issues with them bending/warping a few years ago but I haven't heard anything about it for a while.

You'd really have to know what you're looking at to spot a pulled sway bar. No it's not legal and yes, it does affect road handling.

[Gwagensteve]

I prefer the feel of a Sierra with no front swaybar. Understeer is reduced and IMHO feel is improved because you can interpret the weight transfer more easily.

Those springs look fine to me.

Steve.

[stockman]

You're only running 3 leafs in those packs, instead of buying new packs just add a leaf.

[Che]

Thanks for the input guys. It's much appreciated.

So should I just lump the constant bump stop hits when driving trails, or can I resolve this with other approaches? A change of shock absorbers perhaps? I'm guessing these leaf springs are just softer than i'm used to.

[Che]

Oops sorry Stockman - I missed your post.

Any idea where I could get a single leaf for these packs?

[Che]

Also - if worse came to worst - can a swaybar removal be certified by an engineer to be safe?

[atari4x4]

just bolt it back on if it's ever a problem.

[alien]

Che i engineered mine without a swaybar... it never even came up that i didnt have one fitted...

No one knows, no one cares =) it would be very hard in a crash investigation to prove that if you'd have had a swaybar the crash would have ABSOLUTELY been avoided.

When i ran 215/75s and 2" springs with no swaybar the handling improvements were marked... like steve said - it just "felt" better... it did tend to bodyroll a touch more, but it certainly didnt wallow about the road like a 6" lifted patrol.

As far as getting an extra leaf to chuck in, so many people on here are taking leaves out i'm sure you can score some for the cost of postage? That said i'm not sure i would do that cos you'll stiffen the suspension which will mean it always feels like you're hitting the bumpstops!

I reckon take a bumpstop out, then flex it up and see how far it'll go before you get tyre scrub, then "fix" the bumpstops to suit... given you know you're not going bigger than a 215/75 this should be easily done and never need doing again.