Cavalier Suspension Lift

[Ben_L]

Does anyone know of any companies that make generic lift kits for cars or are they specialised to each model of 4x4?

 

Just needing more clearance on my poor old Cavalier!

[DaveAspley]

If its a petrol change the springs/shocks for diesel ones. I've done this on cavaliers and vectra c's and got a higher, firmer ride.

[CreepingJesus]

I can't imagine why you'd need more ride height on a Mk3 Cav, but if it's what you want, and you can't find any diesel springs, how about rally ones? Long shot, I know, but way back in the mists of time, there were competition bits for the turbos. Including 'forest' springs, which iirc were +1". If you can track any down, then the Group N ones used stock strut tubes, so shouldn't be any bother to fit.

Having said that, custom springs might be the most painless option!

[Formula Autos]

What's the issue that's causing the need for this?

 

If its the car grounding out then things like sump/exhaust guards should be a bit easier to source. You could probably have something crude knocked up out of a bit of chequer plate or something, or might even be able to adapt something from Astras with the same engine that GM took rallying. Looking at somewhere like Demon Tweeks might give you some ideas*.

 

Having said that, is your plan actually to make a half-arsed, home-made, Cav based, Matra Rancho-esque lash-up? In which case: fair play Sir! Carry on!

 

* Sorry folks. Not the Autoshite way, I know.

I'm not talking about sourcing dump valves, G-meters or roll cages though, am I?

[Ben_L]

I'm not after something that'll off-road or anything, but I live on a farm now, so it's sometimes required that I take the Cavalier (If nothing else is available) cross country. Nothing sticky, just off the beaten track. I get caught out when driving into the driveway sometimes as theres a large dip in the road which my old Renault 11 used to cope with very well, but the Cavalier just wont. I keep catching the bottom of the front bumper and the sills when navigating pot holes (Or should I say craters) and just want to lift it up by 30-40mm to give me that advantage.

 

As said, there is a Land Rover on site for those times when I get especially excitable and try and navigate some wet grass or something, but I'm getting fed up of having to really plan ahead to drive up to the top field when it's actually in very good order for a "Farm Track".

 

I'll take a peek at Diesel Springs, but in all fairness, I can't see the advantage as the 1.6 petrol and 1.6D are the same weight in the book, at least. Add on all of the bolt on tat such as the phase two shite I keep finding and nailing on, I'd say something like V6 Springs or something would suit better?

 

I shall continue my search, just wondered if there were spacers available for the springs to make it lift a touch.

[Morgan84]

You need a old BX or Xantia by the sounds of it !

 

I can't think of any spacers which would work,but longer springs might do the trick,but then you are going to need different dampers;will probably handle like a pair of underpants in a tumble dryer !

 

Is it just that your Cav has gone a bit soggy with age,or is it that the terrain is too much ?

[Ben_L]

It may have gone soggy over time... The front end is definately low, but I don't know how much lower than usual.

 

I have looked for a BX/Xantia/XM but I don't want to be reliant on the hydraulics as I've little experience of them.

[skattrd]

I had a mate who lived down a rather rough farm track and he ended up with a Lada Samara. He reckoned they are slightly higher than standard cars and handled the track better than most.

[CreepingJesus]

It may have gone soggy over time... The front end is definately low, but I don't know how much lower than usual.

 

How about a set of those coil spring assisters you get for towing? Might get the springs back to somethng like their normal length, and it's a relatively cheap solution.

[Ben_L]

It may have gone soggy over time... The front end is definately low, but I don't know how much lower than usual.

 

How about a set of those coil spring assisters you get for towing? Might get the springs back to somethng like their normal length, and it's a relatively cheap solution.

 

Getting a set of these as I'm going to be using it to pull a caravan anyway.

 

But the issue is at the front end, which I s'pose I'll look into come closer the time. I'll check Haynes and measure ground clearance to see if the front springs have any issues because if they're goosed, I s'pose that'd have an impact on my ride height.

 

If it's normal, then I'll go down the route of getting some late TD or V6 springs on the front as most Cavalier MkIII's I see ride arse high anyways.

[Timewaster]

You need a old BX or Xantia by the sounds of it !

 

Are you sure?! I once tried to drive my bosses CX over a bombsite carpark so I thought I'dcrank up the suspension and hoon over the bumps 2CV style.

 

Wrong! Pumping the suspension right up takes all the movement out of it, so you end up with 1ft clearance and solid suspension.

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm not sure about CXs, but on Xantias you can put it on a 'middle high' setting which still has some suspension travel. The highest setting is only for servicing/clearing obstacles slowly really.

[dollywobbler]

To be honest, hydro-Cits tend to ride slightly higher than most stuff even on standard setting, though I bottomed out the CX a few times, mainly by driving too quickly on undulating mountain roads...

 

I just love this thread. The exact opposite of OMG SLAMMIT!

 

You could pinch a trick from the off-road lot. Just fit bigger tyres. Raising the suspension on your Landy gets the body further from the ground, but not the axles. The only way to raise those is to fit tyres with a larger sidewall. It may ruin many other important things like acceleration (as the gearing is taller) and speedometer accuracy (because the wheels are a greater diameter) but there's only one way to find out...

[Station]

Start a new trend and OMG REVERZ SLAM YO GLOSS BLACK UNMODIFIED CAR ON ITZ ASSISTING BLOCKS USED PRIMARILY FOR TOWING CARAVANS YO ETC

[M'coli]

Although I don't have day-to-day experience of mk3s I do of the mk2; I've never found rideheight to ba a problem in a standard Cavalier, even after a day's marshalling and getting out of a deeply rutted stage in Clipstone forest, or when hitting an Ikea flatpack at 70mph that's fallen off of some poser's roof in the fast lane of the M621/M1 interchange, or after getting a decent amount of air on an undulating road.

 

Thus it begs the question: are the springs currently on the car standard ones? A 40mm drop is not uncommon and easily checked.