[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I do not think so. I did it on my Zen back in 1998, and NEVER had any of the issues you say may arise.

The correct upsize of tyres will not increase the ground clearance, as the OD of the tyre will / should remain the same. If the outer dia is increased then the tyres are bound to foul in the wheel wells & suspension, but yes it will increase ground clearance.

I'd say go for rally car type suspension setup if the spacers don't work for you. This will let the car handle the rough roads better - though you will have a very stiff ride.

Cheers

Hey Ricky, that sounds like a good solution. I think I am going to have the spacers installed sometime soon and evaluate if there's any issues with handling or braking. If there's any, will get them removed. Else will keep them and go for the suggested suspension before I am ready to embark on the journey. Just one more thing, what kinda spacers (rubber/metal) would you recommend, and which brands are the good ones?

Originally Posted by nitrous

@LordofGondor: I would suggest you do what Ricky says.

Yeah Nitrous, his advice seems to be pretty logical.

[Ricky_63]

Hi

The one's that I got installed were rubber, about an inch & a half thick. They worked well, the effective height increase you will get is about an inch or thereabouts.


Cheers

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Hi

The one's that I got installed were rubber, about an inch & a half thick. They worked well, the effective height increase you will get is about an inch or thereabouts.


Cheers

Hi there, i know this post has laid dormant for a few years, but just wanted to ask, where did u get those suspension spacers? and what should i ask for? are those off some other car model which we can modify and fit in an esteem?

[lordofgondor]

Quite frankly, I won't recommend spacers after driving my friend's car which has spacers installed and that too from a good mechanic. The car doesn't feel stable while cornering and also a bit shaky while braking. Doesn't inspire confidence at all at high speeds.

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Quite frankly, I won't recommend spacers after driving my friend's car which has spacers installed and that too from a good mechanic. The car doesn't feel stable while cornering and also a bit shaky while braking. Doesn't inspire confidence at all at high speeds.

Thanks for the advice buddy, since there is not much good and reliable info on increasing the GC on esteems i think i will no longer consider buying my friends esteem. I guess a car is designed a certain way and its best not to tinker with the original specifications too much.

[nitrous]

Me, I've lowered my esteem and no bottoming out whatsoever. Just that one should know how to drive through deep/high obstacles.

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by nitrous

Me, I've lowered my esteem and no bottoming out whatsoever. Just that one should know how to drive through deep/high obstacles.

+1 to that. Though my Esteem's GC is unaltered in any way, it's been through some pretty rough places, for e.g, Ladakh & many rough sections in the mountains of HP & UK without any issues. Just like Nitrous has said, one just needs to be careful while traversing bad sections. If you're concerned about scrapping, a very useful thing would be a skid plate for the engine sump and gearbox.