A 200 is meant to have 37’s (2 Viewers)

[linuxgod]

Next stop: Portal axles, fender cutting, and 40s.

 

[supercarrera]

Not sure if you've come across the Stellarbuilt 200. I think that's been a primary strategy of theirs?

Stellarbuilt 200 on 37s

I just saw this on Instagram This rig was posted earlier getting fitted with Dobinson MRRs.

forum.ih8mud.com

Looks like he may have experienced some clearance issues recently. I saw on IG that both his fenders might have been compromised:

 

[TeCKis300]

^Bummer. That thing looks such the part. Wonder if they'll bodylift a bit or limit uptravel?

 

[linuxgod]

If I was at that point I’d just look at cutting the fenders and rolling what’s left. I suspect if the front wheel well was round at the top this would have cleared.

 

[Tex68w]

Or, someone could make a proper set of high clearance glass fenders for the damn thing.

 

[Fisher23]

Or, someone could make a proper set of high clearance glass fenders for the damn thing.

They make them.. I've seen then on the Iceland and Russian vehicles.

 

[TeCKis300]

If I was at that point I’d just look at cutting the fenders and rolling what’s left. I suspect if the front wheel well was round at the top this would have cleared.

I was wondering when they did the build thread if it was cut enough. Looks like about 1.5" here. My experience with 35s is that it will tuck that deep underneath the fenders, let alone 37s that are beyond the fenders. They probably could just cut it higher. Wonder what the aesthetics are going to be?

I think they're going to have a problem in the rear too where it's not as easy to solve with the metal inner well. It's one thing to test for clearance by lifting a single corner with a forklift, and the axle will tuck at an angle. It's another compressing it squarely.

I'm just making making mental notes for the next stage of upgrade...

 

[nwfl4runner]

I was wondering when they did the build thread if it was cut enough. Looks like about 1.5" here. My experience with 35s is that it will tuck that deep underneath the fenders, let alone 37s that are beyond the fenders. They probably could just cut it higher. Wonder what the aesthetics are going to be?

I think they're going to have a problem in the rear too where it's not as easy to solve with the metal inner well. It's one thing to test for clearance by lifting a single corner with a forklift, and the axle will tuck at an angle. It's another compressing it squarely.

I'm just making making mental notes for the next stage of upgrade...

View attachment 2920505

I’d bet a bump stop drop in the rear is truly necessary for 37s. Even with some heavy rear wheel well trimming and welding the panels back together. For the front you’ll just have to do what long travel folks do - rip the fender off, cycle without the shock and cut the front wheel well to pieces with the bump stop removed, remove front sway bar entirely or a custom rockjock or other style. Or drop front bump stop an inch or so, but you’re still probably relocating washer reservoir, fuse box mount, battery, etc.

 

[MTKID]

Just here to say after going to 35's, i reallllly want 37's. Anyone ever try and make the wheel wells bigger as opposed to limiting travel with bump stops?

If you’re on Instagram, James is on there with the username @cap10berry. He has an LX on 37’s with the AHC swapped out for Kings but no body lift or fender cutting initially. He did the body mount chop and was planning on trimming the fender next, but had been driving it w/o the fenders trimmed for at least a little while.

So, yes, I think you could do 37’s with merely fender cutting but it will take a fair amount of work to the inner fender/firewall area and likely the washer bottle will need relocated to ensure you get full uptravel on a hard impact.

You can also put thicker, squishy bumpstops in like Timbren or Durobumps. Probably not reducing much uptravel on a hard impact but at least a little limit on slow movement (which might not be ideal for crawling but ).

 

[MTKID]

I’d bet a bump stop drop in the rear is truly necessary for 37s. Even with some heavy rear wheel well trimming and welding the panels back together. For the front you’ll just have to do what long travel folks do - rip the fender off, cycle without the shock and cut the front wheel well to pieces with the bump stop removed, remove front sway bar entirely or a custom rockjock or other style. Or drop front bump stop an inch or so, but you’re still probably relocating washer reservoir, fuse box mount, battery, etc.

Yes, w/o a body lift you would need to drop a bump stop a little bit. I have about 1 1/4” BL at the back and didn’t need to drop the bump stop, although I did have to trim a little of the Tupperware rear bumper cover and a little of the rear most pinch seam on both sides.

 

[Tex68w]

They make them.. I've seen then on the Iceland and Russian vehicles.

Who though? None of the typical culprits.

 

[grinchy]

Next stop: Portal axles, fender cutting, and 40s.

You make it sound like this is a bad thing.

 

[bemerritt]

I was wondering when they did the build thread if it was cut enough. Looks like about 1.5" here. My experience with 35s is that it will tuck that deep underneath the fenders, let alone 37s that are beyond the fenders. They probably could just cut it higher. Wonder what the aesthetics are going to be?

I think they're going to have a problem in the rear too where it's not as easy to solve with the metal inner well. It's one thing to test for clearance by lifting a single corner with a forklift, and the axle will tuck at an angle. It's another compressing it squarely.

I'm just making making mental notes for the next stage of upgrade...

View attachment 2920505

If you ever want someone to cut up their 200 with you to fit 37's, hit me up. I'm right up the 5 from you.

 

[TeCKis300]

If you ever want someone to cut up their 200 with you to fit 37's, hit me up. I'm right up the 5 from you.

Sawzall and tetanus shot and the rest is easy.

 

[nwfl4runner]

Lol, yep!

Not that I’m biased or anything lol

 

[TeCKis300]

Joe Bacal, the previous owner of Monica, recently posted they were getting 17” of wheel travel. That’s seems a little exaggerated to me but I haven’t asked Dave or any of the current team yet. At any rate, very thoroughly engineered

Man, the way Monica moves out and mobs in the dirt is pretty incredible. Tempting to build this as in my mind, it wouldn't be too hard. A lot of the work in their builds are for specific for racing and safety, but the functional parts are straightforward. Could probably do it for much cheaper overall than a new Bronco Raptor R.

Had to go looking for where Joe commented on this. Pic of her real self as an LX, before her gender change and new identity as Monica

 

[nwfl4runner]

Figured I'd post a small update here as I'm working on fitting 37s to the LX. My setup is BFG KM3 37x12.5r17 on Rock Warriors with 1.25" spacer. Timbren rear bump stops and Wheelers Superbump up front. For now the rear is "done" while the front is still mid-chop.

Rear: At full articulation the 37 tucks inside the wheel well, and hits the top of the wheel well with a an axle to frame gap of 3.5". With a 1" spacer and the Timbren bump stop (fully compressed height of 2.75"), it clears. You have to cut the rear pinch weld back about 1", but at an angle, to clear. Picture below shows the cut. Straight full bump leaves approximately 1" between tire and fender lip, so no need to roll or mess with that.

On the driver side you do get fairly close to the sheet metal that is protecting the rear AC lines. I beat it back somewhat, but with the bump stop extension it will have enough room. I do not have a solution for the rear bumper skin or mud flap as you lose the bottom 2 mounts. I think I may end up extending the arc of that cut and welding on some small tabs to essentially move the entire mounting structure back an inch of so. The cut I have there has not separated the skin, but I may put a few tac welds in to place it safe.

On the passenger side you lose the same 2 or 3 mounts, but now you have to figure out how to secure the AHC pump cover. The good news is there isn't the same sheet metal barrier that is present on the driver side, and the AHC fill lines are far enough back that they aren't close to being hit by the tire. I am working on mocking up some new mounts for the plastic cover and bumper skin as well. Unlike the driver side, however, you are separating the quarter panel skin. There's about a 1/2" gap between the panels at the very bottom. I will likely weld in a small piece of sheet metal and seam seal it to be safe.

I have a 1" body lift on order which might negate the need for bump stop spacers, but I'd rather lose that final inch of travel for now until I see how much body flex there is.

 

[lx200inAR]

Man, the way Monica moves out and mobs in the dirt is pretty incredible. Tempting to build this as in my mind, it wouldn't be too hard. A lot of the work in their builds are for specific for racing and safety, but the functional parts are straightforward. Could probably do it for much cheaper overall than a new Bronco Raptor R.

Had to go looking for where Joe commented on this. Pic of her real self as an LX, before her gender change and new identity as Monica

View attachment 2921246

From a 2013 interview with Bacal. He claims 15" in this interview.

What can you tell me about the suspension setup and settings? What challenges have you had in terms of tuning the system?

We utilize all stock suspension parts for instance upper and lower A-arms, bushing and the solid axle 5 link in the rear. All bushings are stock. The only change in suspension are the actual shocks.

We are sponsored by King Racing Shocks, and the front runs two King Shocks per wheel. I have mounted a 3.5” coilover that passes through the upper mount (cut out) into a higher custom shock mount location that ties into the roll cage. the secondary shock is strictly a 3.5″ triple bypass. At the full droop and full bump, I get almost 15” of usable travel. This is possible with the stock arms, 4WD half shafts, and stock steering components.

As for the rear suspension, I punched through the bed floor, and from eye to eye, the top and bottom shock bolt mount is 47” in length at full droop, with the King Kong 4.5” triple bypass. The rear coils have been removed, and a 2.5” air shock coilover holds up the LX in the rear. The rear suspension also has close to 15” of travel, but does not utilize air bump shocks front or rear due to the stock full class rules.

When it comes to the tuning, I work closely with Geiser Bros Design and Development out of Phoenix, along with the tuning guys at King Shocks. We really did our homework, and Geiser Bros did their magic on the entire build. We did a lot of static suspension tests with the 37” BFGoodrich KRT race project tries and even added a 2.5” body lift to get more up travel.

The process of tuning the vehicle is pretty complex, since I do a lot of the work on pavement. I try and dial in the front and rear balance first, so the vehicle is predictable on yaw response and is linear. This is key once you drop it in the desert. The compression settings are a bit soft, so I can utilize all of the suspension stroke but crank in some rebound to keep it flat. This LX570 is amazing at speed hitting the bumps.

 

[grinchy]

That 2.5” body lift tho

 

[lx200inAR]

That 2.5” body lift tho

Yeah, i had accidentally cut that from the quote....but went and put it in after the fact. Figured it would keep the riff raff from trying to get 15" of travel.