The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

G'day all. I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I mod my L series or not? It is a low kay car with 177,000kms on it and is in very good condition. It is totally stock and runs well. Should I do the usual mods: 3" lift, 14s with 27x8s, bullbar etc. There's a few questions going through my head:
Firstly, will the car be as practical with these mods done as it is currently (ie. gear ratios for daily use, fuel economy, excelleration etc)
Secondly, will I enjoy the car more. Will it give me enough smiles to justify the cost and the work done?
Thirdly, if I do decide that it isn't my cup of tea, will the mods done add value to the vehicle making it worth more on the resale market?

Lastly, I've noticed the price of sunraysia rims is a little excessive. Has anyone ever changed their L series to Commodore or Falcon pattern? Can you run a 15"x6" rim with offroad tyre on this model with a 3" lift? Thanks, Marty.

hey mate,

yes you should do the 'mods' to your L, you will get alot more smiles out of the car, and they wont just be on your face! and you will be able to do ALOT more offroad.

if you do opt for the big tyres, then yes obviously you will be gunning the car abit more to get up to speed, hence using more fuel! and im guessing the aero dynamics will be stuffed abit with the lift. I would say the fuel economy for my car has changed from about 9L/100km to about 11L/100km.

i would definately do it, they look awesome once theyre lifted, especially if theyre in good nick!

curiousity--where are you located?

cheers

alex

hope that helps abit

alex

Cool, I'm in Melbourne too. What kind of price do you pay for 27x8.5" tyres? How many kays do you get out of them? Are they a common size fitted to other 4x4s?

Tyres can vary A LOT... and range in quality accordingly... mine were almost $200 each but i think people have got retreads for around the $80 mark. That said... under the same driving conditions mine will last a hell of a lot longer. This size is not common... and every year there seams to be less and less manufacturers around still making em.

Alex... i read your post before i realised you had posted it... u almost starting to sound like a pro.

I agree... well worth doing but it will cost you the fuel.

Dave

On the positive side, it will make your car look better and definitely help it offroad. Should increase the resale a little and certainly make your car a more attractive buy.

On the negative side, you can kiss goodbye to your accelleration and wave at the Lada Niva's that burn you off at the lights. Engine mods / swaps will fix this but this will have an effect on fuel consumption.

SuBaRiNo wrote:Tyres can vary A LOT... and range in quality accordingly... mine were almost $200 each but i think people have got retreads for around the $80 mark. That said... under the same driving conditions mine will last a hell of a lot longer. This size is not common... and every year there seams to be less and less manufacturers around still making em.

Alex... i read your post before i realised you had posted it... u almost starting to sound like a pro.

I agree... well worth doing but it will cost you the fuel.

Dave

Considering that less manufacturers are making these tyres, does it make sense to go for a 15" rim/tyre combo? I don't like retreads. $200 each for tyres seems like a lot too.

Yes Marty, look at the group buys for that answer. 15" rims on 140mm 4 stud. A lot more tyre choices coming at ya.

With some diligent finding, I found a cheaper made tyre at $81ea, basically an aggressive passenger tyre, brand new, not retreads, and work out at the same width as 27" tyres being 8.5" width, but at an inch lower at 26", slightly better for ratio. They are Chinese made Wing Lee 215x65x14.

Also my theory behind this is that if I blow a tyre on the hiway and need a replacement, that size diameter is easier to match up like 205x70x14, not like the 27" tyre thats bigger and now rarer to find, and a lot more expensive.

No it's totally not worth modding your car at all. That's why everybody on this forum drives a stock one.

Its not a mod you do for the sake of it, like a ricer
If your going off-road, just 2" lift gives so much more clearance, makes a differnce btw getting stuck in sand and not. And when stuck, more clearance for your shovel too
track work,exit/entry angle improves.
Whats more it much more easily allows fitment of larger wheels - this gives you more clearance under the diff.
The lift itself does not change suspension angles, however on-road more body sway is noticable, also severe cross-winds are very noticeable as the sube is a fairly light vehicle.
If your a lead foot on-road fuel consumption will jump, and be very careful of cornering at speed.
Off-road tyres are generally quite expensive, cheapest is to stick with 13" wheels and 185x75 tyres, even the excellent mud&snow toyos in this size are only ~$115?

my golly! thanks marty for asking that question! i have a stock standard good condition 91 L series. and i asked myself the exact same question about modding it. but in the end i chose to mod. and i guess soon enough i will determine if it was worth it! but just look at a modded up L series like lapsed and it basically answers ur question for u.

mod it. didnt need to think about that one. there are only positive points about putting on a lift kit and bigger tyres-except one-body roll on road when cornering, but an L series dont go that fast anyway so it sorta rules itself out.

I dont know why you guys go on about this body sway when lifted thing. Maybe your suspension needs replacing. I have owned 2 lifted RX Turbos and I raced one for a few years. Took the anti-sway bars off chasing more wheel travel too.
I'd be more concerned with tyre slip with wide tyres in FWD.