Suspension lift of the PHEV??

[Steepndeep]

@Simons

In my starting post in this thread I have a link to a reinforced rear spring dedicated to the PHEV. I used Mads Vertrieb for another car and they are really good. It prevents the sag, which is what you are looking for. It sadly does not however raise the car.

I also looked under the car and even unloaded the drive shafts in your picture are actually angled slightly down. Hence I think you could raise the car say 3-4 cm.

And no, the suspension is not the same as on a diesel outlander. Axel geometries are different and the car is heavier so adding a liftkit from a diesel Outlander may not technically fit, and if it fits it may not lift the car. Buy one and try for yourself

 

[Trex]

I am interested in changing the spring because of the following. We used the PHEV on our camping trip. The rear suspension sagged by around 4 - 5 cm when loaded (no trailer, only hiking tents).

If you are just wanting to increase the suspension from sagging from a load just try an air bag suspension lift. I used a Polyair Airbag Suspension kit on my Pajero some years ago and it worked well. Pump it up for a load when camping etc. Let the air out for normal driving.

Just looking at their website now http://polyair.com.au/product-list/

But it only shows the Outlander to 2012 but I would still give them a ring as they might not have updated their website for a while. We Australians can be like that sometimes. :lol: $295.00 Au showing there.

But there were also other makers from memory. Probably some nearer to yourself?

The air bags go inside the rear springs and was a cheaper and better solution IMO than changing springs at the time for the case of the sagging bum. :lol:

 

[simons]

As far as i could see, Polyairs are installed inside the spring. The PHEV has the shock inside the spring. I assume that airbags will not work in this case.

 

[ultralights]

I crawled under the unloaded car and took a few pictures for my understanding. I am completely ignorant about cars and know nothing about suspensions and drive shaft arrangements. So please excuse my vocabulary.

The picture shows the rear left suspension and drive shaft. There were three rubber boots on the rear left shaft.

One at the electric motor

A rubber boot in the middle of the shaft

And one at the hub

I am interested in changing the spring because of the following. We used the PHEV on our camping trip. The rear suspension sagged by around 4 - 5 cm when loaded (no trailer, only hiking tents). This reduced the already low clearance of the PHEV and together with the soft rear suspension it didn't make me feel comfortable driving over humps. It would be great to counter the sagging by having a firmer rear suspension and possibly a small lift (30mm?) to increase clearance. So the question is: would a lift of 30mm have a damaging effect on the joints?

On another note: is the amount of rust normal for a one year old car? The protection appears minimal.

do you live in an area with salted roads in winter?

 

[simons]

do you live in an area with salted roads in winter?

No, I live in sunny Queensland, Australia

 

[Trex]

As far as i could see, Polyairs are installed inside the spring. The PHEV has the shock inside the spring. I assume that airbags will not work in this case.

Gday simons,

Yes, as I said, they went inside the rear springs on my Pajero.

So the "shockie" goes up inside the springs on the PHEV. Bugger. Sorry, did not notice that in your photo. Maybe why Polyairs stopped the listing for Outlander in 2012.

I would still ring them though especially as you are in Australia. There were other types of airbags they used for other makes of cars. They may still have a solution.

I would give this mob a ring as well. http://www.airbagworld.com.au/?gclid=CJa5ovrC1tECFdAHKgodJdwMgw

They have other brands of airbags beside Polyair. Plus other suspension lift kits that may get you out of your saggy rear trouble.

Regards Trex.

ps The Thor Universal Airbag Suspension Kit shown on that airbagworld website looks like it has a hole in the centre of the airbag.
I would definitely give them a ring.

 

[Trex]

do you live in an area with salted roads in winter?

No, I live in sunny Queensland, Australia

You go on the beach?

 

[simons]

No, I have no intention to destroy my car this way.

 

[Trex]

Did you see the hollow airbag I was talking about?

 

[simons]

Did you see the hollow airbag I was talking about?

Trex: I will give them a call to follow up. Thanks for the hint.

 

[perfectlifttip]

Looks like you have to do search a bit more, Hopefully you will get what you are seeking.
Good luck mate...

 

[simons]

Update: I sourced springs for the Outlander and got them changed. The first attempt with Lovells coils lifted the front but not the back which made things worse. The back was even lower now. Then I got a set of rear coils from https://www.4x4styling.com and spacers from https://www.spaccer.com/. This appears to have done the trick. The front lifted about 40mm and the rear a bit more. Before the change of coils, the car was low at the rear and now it appears to be sitting straight.

Side view: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yvtEOoVudGMjRpa0ZfVGo4bDdGZXRBWWN2UXViRzJXUU9R

Rear suspension: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yvtEOoVudGZGRQd19rM1otU2lNOW16S1hMYURraXRnV0I0

 

[Cmass]

This looks great! What is your ground clearance now?

 

[dogman12]

simons, et al:

What has been your driving experience since you installed the coils and spacers?

I just did my first trip over a lumpy mountain pass 2-lane highway (no extra load.) The PHEV was easily unsettled by bumps in corners, and it felt like mostly the rear that was flabby.

 

[mort]

Update: I sourced springs for the Outlander and got them changed. The first attempt with Lovells coils lifted the front but not the back which made things worse. The back was even lower now. Then I got a set of rear coils from https://www.4x4styling.com and spacers from https://www.spaccer.com/. This appears to have done the trick. The front lifted about 40mm and the rear a bit more. Before the change of coils, the car was low at the rear and now it appears to be sitting straight.

Did this have an effect on your EV range?

 

[Reuben10]

Update: I sourced springs for the Outlander and got them changed. The first attempt with Lovells coils lifted the front but not the back which made things worse. The back was even lower now. Then I got a set of rear coils from https://www.4x4styling.com and spacers from https://www.spaccer.com/. This appears to have done the trick. The front lifted about 40mm and the rear a bit more. Before the change of coils, the car was low at the rear and now it appears to be sitting straight.

Side view: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yvtEOoVudGMjRpa0ZfVGo4bDdGZXRBWWN2UXViRzJXUU9R

Rear suspension: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2yvtEOoVudGZGRQd19rM1otU2lNOW16S1hMYURraXRnV0I0

How many inch/mm is the spacers and also the springs that you installed?