[martin1977]

Afternoon all, quick introduction to myself and my new (to me) 2016 Vitara S

Having owned many different cars and been a member of many MANY forums, best way to kick off is with an ownership thread!!

Evo 8’s 2003 Evo VIII mint... £14,500

Megane 225’s Martin1977 's 'CUP' Adventure

I’d actually previously owned a 2007 Grand Vitara a few years back. An ace little thing that only let go after a spark plug ‘tip’ came off and went through the cylinder! Thanks BOSCH super 4….
One ruined engine later and my £300 purchase / 24K love affair was brought to an abrupt halt… black arm band day indeed….The car had performed BRILLIANTLY.. Going through deep mud / deeper snow / kid school runs without issue. It was indeed a FINE car.

Previous to this Vitara though, I’d owned a Kuga 2.5T in manual, not many of them going around.. The 275BHP was GREAT.. overtaking no problem, Macan baiting.. a pleasure….the rate of unleaded consumption… much less of a pleasure returning on average 26mpg.. that and the £600+ car tax pain made it a fun but wallet emptying 4years…
Kuga 2.5T 2.5T KUGA Adventure

ANYWAYS……. Today brings a new chapter and this little beauty in a charming ‘Essex White’ colour….. nice to drive, frugal… more modern.. it’s a good compromise..

As with all things, it needs some careful adjustment…..

After Exactly 96x minutes of ownership, First up is a software update to enable CAR PLAY.. I’ll also get an updated NAV micro SD from Le Bay…. CarPlay is all fine and well.. sometimes Im out in the wilds (fishing and snowboarding) with no phone signal so it’ll be worth the £20 for when its needed

the info given on the forum by @Ticking_Fox was brilliant to fix.

Next Up, the car is fitted with 4x new tyres… Now. there are tyres and TYRES.. (these are the former).. they’re made of rubber and are worth every one of His Majesty’s £20 Pounds they probably cost to buy… guaranteed to find a ditch every time….
So, they’re going. They’ll be replaced by these Nokian Winter beauties… I’ll get them fitted tomorrow. New (summer) wheels will be fitted in the spring.

After that, the following is planned:

• Dashcam hard wired
• LED Number plate lights / Side lights / Interior bulbs
• Mudflaps installed
• Roof rack fitted
• Spare wheel purchased
• Swanky key ring purchased

All in the days to come! Thanks for having me along.

 

[martin1977]

With an hour to kill before the Mrs and I headed out, this morning was DashCam fitting time.
Anyone whos ever gone through the PITA that is contentious insurance claim, these things are worth their weight in gold… maybe even diamonds.. simple to fit, saves a lot of BS.

fitting is straightforward..

I mounted mines up behind the rear view mirror, means it gets a good view of the road and is hidden from the drivers view.
the power cable tucks up nicely under the headlining, I used a trim tool to push her underneath.
pull The door seal outwards and you can see a route to put the cable down the edge you’ve just exposed.

the fuse box is in the passenger footwell (LHS). The two pieces of trim gently pull away. This exposes the fuse box.

for anyone who doesn’t have an owners manual, here you go.

you have a choice of where to plug the dashcam into.
I went for fuse 29. This switches on and off with ignition which is exactly what I wanted.

you need a piggyback fuse holder like this.

simply remove the factory fuse, they’re a pain to get out.. and plug your piggyback holder in its place.

J

There’s a handy earthing bolt right where you need it!!
your dash cam also doesn’t work on 12V.. it’s 5V, a bit like USBs.. you need a little power transformer to wire in line..
both can be seen here..

once installed power her up and make sure it switches on and off with the ignition…

best to do this on a warm day.. the fuse box is fiddly and awkward to get into.. cold hands make this tougher than it should be!!

 

[Landie9]

With an hour to kill before the Mrs and I headed out, this morning was DashCam fitting time.
Anyone whos ever gone through the PITA that is contentious insurance claim, these things are worth their weight in gold… maybe even diamonds.. simple to fit, saves a lot of BS.

fitting is straightforward..

I mounted mines up behind the rear view mirror, means it gets a good view of the road and is hidden from the drivers view.
the power cable tucks up nicely under the headlining, I used a trim tool to push her underneath.
pull The door seal outwards and you can see a route to put the cable down the edge you’ve just exposed.

the fuse box is in the passenger footwell (LHS). The two pieces of trim gently pull away. This exposes the fuse box.

for anyone who doesn’t have an owners manual, here you go.
View attachment 108242
View attachment 108243

you have a choice of where to plug the dashcam into.
I went for fuse 29. This switches on and off with ignition which is exactly what I wanted.

you need a piggyback fuse holder like this.

View attachment 108244

simply remove the factory fuse, they’re a pain to get out.. and plug your piggyback holder in its place.

View attachment 108245 J

There’s a handy earthing bolt right where you need it!!
your dash cam also doesn’t work on 12V.. it’s 5V, a bit like USBs.. you need a little power transformer to wire in line..
both can be seen here..

View attachment 108246
once installed power her up and make sure it switches on and off with the ignition…

View attachment 108247
View attachment 108248

best to do this on a warm day.. the fuse box is fiddly and awkward to get into.. cold hands make this tougher than it should be!!
[/QUOTE

Good dashcam fitting guide. I fitted my dashcam in the same way.

 

[martin1977]

Absolutely Pee'ing it down outside but the postie did bring some minor upgrades...

First up, a bootmat... all the times that I'll have filthy mountain bike clothing & helmets or soaking snowboard or fishing gear, least i know the carpet wont be getting stained or soaked..

also had the mudflaps delivered, fronts are a 5min job...
you prise open the 3(of) retaining clips from each flap like this....

Then simply push in and screw up the new 'longer' clips that come with the new flaps..
I forgot to take a picture when these were off the car and when it stops raining, I'll get a better snap.. fitted a treat and a perfect fit.

the rears take a bit more work as it’s a wheels off job.
you need to hold the mud flap against the arch and mark where your pilot holes go. (A sharpie does the trick).
I used a 2mm drill bit.
once drilled you simply screw in the self tappers.

at £28 for the fronts and rears. They’ve worked out pretty well

 

[martin1977]

I also managed to change out the following filament bulbs to LEDs.

• reverse lights
• fog lights
• Main Beams

rears we’re up first… pretty easy when you pull off the trim panel from the inside.
beneath the lights is filthy, so give it a clean while you’re there… the pics above show one light fitted at a time.

full beams were the easiest change, the fog lights need a good long reach.

Nearside fog bulb changed…

both fog bulbs changed

dipped, fog and main beam on LED.

standard LED dipped lights below..

add in the fogs….

 

[martin1977]

Number plate lights replaced… simply twist off the cover and replace….

followed by an updated NAV microSD from LeBay….

 

[martin1977]

That’s the winter rubber fitted in 225x55x17 flavouring… the white stuff shouldn’t be an issue when it arrives

also the roof rack and bike holders now in place.. they work well but generate an annoying ‘whistle’ above 60mph 🙄

 

[martin1977]

Also managed to pick these up for a pleasing price…

Some Rota Recce’s in 17x8

Some TPMS sensors, some spigot rings for the centres (73mm to 60.1mm), new rubber and they should be good to go.

 

[fordem]

I don't think you'll need spigot rings, but if you do, you'll also need new lug bolts - check the seat on the rims, is it tapered or flat? If it's tapered the rim is lug centric and does not need spigot rings, if it's flat, the rim is hub centric and you'll need the rings and the shanked lug bolts to match.

Beats me as to why Suzuki switched from lug nuts on the previous generations of Vitaras & Grand Vitaras to lug bolts on this one.

 

[martin1977]

I don't think you'll need spigot rings, but if you do, you'll also need new lug bolts - check the seat on the rims, is it tapered or flat? If it's tapered the rim is lug centric and does not need spigot rings, if it's flat, the rim is hub centric and you'll need the rings and the shanked lug bolts to match.

Beats me as to why Suzuki switched from lug nuts on the previous generations of Vitaras & Grand Vitaras to lug bolts on this one.

Good catch that thanks. I’ll get one of the wheels out of the box tomorrow and have a quick look.

just so I’m not misunderstanding… the spigot ring is for reducing the wheels CB (centre bore) down … where as the bolt seat, is the fitting between the bolt and the wheel face (flat or tapered)… ???

 

[martin1977]

I’d picked up on a very minor fault , which has led to my first repair today… a broken track on the rear screen demister!!

zoom in real close and you can see the damaged area… could have been caused by something rubbing against it?? Who knows…

a £5 on eBay had conductive paint delivered… I haven’t used it for years and years but it’s an old school technology!!

mask up the area as carefully as you can, be very careful you don’t peel more track away as masking tape is bloody sticky and put a small amount on

Once the tape is removed, let her dry….

I forgot to take my phone out when I tested this with a pan of hot water.. she's working again though!

 

[C13tay]

Evening Martin

following your thread with interest

I purchased a 2015 sz5 a week or so ago and am sort of on the same path as you with little mods and upgrades

currently thinking about a set of Eibach 30mm lift springs but a little unsure of the long term effects on things like driveshafts etc

anyway, can I ask a really cheeky favour …… been trying to update infotainment firmware but as yet with no success for one reason or another …. Anyway, back to the favour, if I pay for the memory stick and the postage could you send me a copy of your updated files so I can try to update ?…

was going to pm you but can’t seem to find a way to do that !,

cheers

chris in Wigan

 

[martin1977]

Evening Martin

following your thread with interest

I purchased a 2015 sz5 a week or so ago and am sort of on the same path as you with little mods and upgrades

currently thinking about a set of Eibach 30mm lift springs but a little unsure of the long term effects on things like driveshafts etc

anyway, can I ask a really cheeky favour …… been trying to update infotainment firmware but as yet with no success for one reason or another …. Anyway, back to the favour, if I pay for the memory stick and the postage could you send me a copy of your updated files so I can try to update ?…

was going to pm you but can’t seem to find a way to do that !,

cheers

chris in Wigan

Hey Chris, thanks for the post above.... The +30mm Eibach springs sound like a really good idea... The issue on premature driveshaft / CV wear you'd need someone with experience running the kit long term to give some better advice than I could. My thoughts on it would be purely anecdotal!!

sure thing about the update file. I'll DM you now.

 

[fordem]

Personally I would be hesitant to lift a fourth generation Vitara - the front suspension is very similar to that of the third gens in that the lower control arm uses a vertically oriented rubber bushing. This design is very common in front wheel drive sedans & cross overs (I first came across it in a late 90's Toyota Corolla and have seen it on many other models) and attempting to lift the vehicle or to maximize suspension travel usually results in premature failure of the bush.

I haven't had my fourth gen long enough (and have no intention of lifting it) to know what the life expectancy of the bush is, but I've already replaced the control arms on my third gen a few times, and that isn't lifted either.

 

[C13tay]

I have spoken to a chap who has fitted the eibach springs and he informed me that he has had them fitted fo r approx 2 years with no issues as yet. He said he spoke to eibach prior to purchase and although the did suggest he should change the shocks, the said there would be no issue using the standard shock as with only a 30mm lift they would still be in their operating range ?

I was initially concerned as many years ago I fitted a suspension lift to a series one freelander and although I had no issues it did alter the angle of the drive shaft quite a bit and from memory I think I had to fit camber adjustment pins

I think someone on here has them fitted …. I will try to find the post and ask if there have been any issues

Chris

 

[2013GV]

Dealer here lifted their demo one 30 mm, lower control arm bushes are shot after 30,000 kns. They haven't mentioned anything about cv shafts yet, but I bet they will wear faster as welll

 

[C13tay]

Sounds like the springs may not be a good idea ……

Has anyone any experience for fitting strut spacers as a way of getting a body lift ?

Again I fitted some of these to an early freelander and only issue was I had to fit longer front brake lines. Doesn’t get you any suspension advantage but does give some body ground clearance

Chris

 

[2013GV]

Sounds like the springs may not be a good idea ……

Has anyone any experience for fitting strut spacers as a way of getting a body lift ?

Again I fitted some of these to an early freelander and only issue was I had to fit longer front brake lines. Doesn’t get you any suspension advantage but does give some body ground clearance

Chris

There's are a monocoque design, not a body on chassis vehicle.
The strut spacers only pack the strut away from the body at the top of the suspension tower, the bottom is still connected to the lower control arm outboard end via the wherl hub, the inboard end bush is still bolted to the body and will be moved to its new location once the strut spacers are fitted.

Same deal as fitting a longer spring/strut combination, bottom bush location does not change.

 

[imack]

I've been running the Eibach +30mm springs on my Vitara S for 3 years / 18000 miles, no deterioration of the control arm bushes as yet. Rear drive shafts now run closer to horizontal than they do as standard and the front shafts are only slightly off horizontal. Nothing has failed or fallen off yet.
Running factory dampers too.

 

[LYgraybeard]

I was hesitant,
but then I mounted the "Mad HV-391081" springs
+ 40mm after 2 months settling
10,000 km and no problem for now, (fingers crossed)

pro:
height from the ground, comfort on dirt roads
cons:
sportsmanship is lost on paved road,
directionality is lost with tires that are too soft (pictured)

.