comparison sierra/vitara NEW QUESTIONS HELP!!!

[steveGLS]

f the hey peeps, my brother is looking at getting a sierra and was talking about an engine upgrade to a vitara which got us thinking... why not look at getting a vitara? problem is neither of us know anything about vitaras. Are the any good off road? are parts available? is there any pros and cons about the vitara we should know about? and most importantly, how does the vitara compart to the sierra?

the mods he would do to his future purchace would be a lift kit and 31's to start off with.

any info on these cars, or comparisons would be great

cheers
steve :thumb:

[Magnat]

Vitara's are great offroad..
I am not sure how exactly they compare to the Sierra but I know I love my LWB 1.6EFi...
As far as I can tell the Vitara is a little more sure footed then the sierra and possibly a little heavier.

[GRPABT1]

You will go further for cheaper in a modded leafy sierra. But the vitaras do have nicer motors and can be very very capable with a bit more cash thrown into them.

Go get some prices on vitataras and sierras and factor in cash for an engine swap and see what you come up with for a starting point.

[rustyzook]

my little sierra leaf sprung goes as many places as the big boys! as for the vits they are more expensive and are IFS compared to the sierra live axel allround i would rather the sierra but in saying that i am bias! i do think that the vits are ugly no offence to any one but in saying that sierras arnt much better again no offence to anyone, they are sexy with lots of wheel lift ask Aerenandmel about that he can show you lol

[ODA1]

The gap between the vitara and sierra is getting shorter every day on and off road, put simply is if you want to drive it every day i would go a vitara.




and yes i have owned a sierra.

[steveGLS]

The gap between the vitara and sierra is getting shorter every day on and off road, put simply is if you want to drive it every day i would go a vitara.


it will be a daily driver and will often make 2 hour trips as we live city and he's out country way. the engine just had a bigger capacity, i think he was going to look at a 1.3lt 93' sierra, and an 1.6lt 89' vitara, both carby. the vit just looks a little more refined and nicer as a diaily.

i think the only real mods will be a suspension lift, and wheels/tyres. surely if you start going hardcore off road will you need to start throwing money at them??

judging by the comparisons they both sound good, so might just be a case of which of the two are better on the day!

BTW thatks to the people who have replied so far, the help is much appreciated :)

[jacques]

hi mate
ive got a lwb vit and my mate has a siera. ive driven both on the beach and on variouse 4wdriving tracks, (my mate is lazy and doesnt have a license)
here how i see it

pro's sierra:
solid front axel (more capable 4wdrive)
easy and cheap mods (extended shackles etc.)
cheap to run.
simple engine no frills.
fun as to drive on the beach and tracks.
bullet proof drivelines!

cons sierra;
no room in back for more passengers.
100km/hr is 3000 rpm
it takes a fair bit of patients to get up to highway speeds
the seats arent very comfortable, back seats are nothing to write home about. poor acceleration.

Pro's vitara:
comfortable seats
good road car
fun to drive
goes alright on the beach
bigger than a sierra
carby engine has no frills
power steering

con's:
ifs limits ofroading
doing heavy mods cost alot
low ground clearance (230mm could be wrong)
front diff (in roothys words "about as bomb proof as a can of bakedbeans")

Mods on a sierra are cheap and easy to fit 31's all you need to do is put some extended shackles on and maybe "add-a-leaf" and you should be right, if youplan on doing seriouse off roading then you will need to put some reduction gears in.

mods on a vitara to fit 31's
a 2' lift either body or susspension should do it, (there is a thread somewhereon here about it)
to get up to seriouse offroading level (or the same as the above mentioned sierra)
you would have to do a SAS (solid axel swap) i got qouted $4000 for this, then you are only up to the level of a sierra stocko (a bit lower)

i drive a lwb vit i love it but the sierra is more fun and the vitara is a compromise between 4wdriving and people moving.

check out the new mag its got a section on buying used sierra's

thats my two cents i tried to be as un biase as possible and hope i didnt make any mistakes

[GRPABT1]

I don't think that a solid axle swap is neccessary these days with the amount of gear available for the vitaras, especially from america. Just don't expect it to be a comp truck.

[jimmyatv]

Just don't expect it to be a comp truck.

Toecutta's rig seems to do the trick, bit of money spent tho me thinks?
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/shed/index.php?id=1896&im=1

[GRPABT1]

Well there you go, even less reason to go SAS.

[steveGLS]

thanks guys, well hes had a look at both and given the sierra is cheaper and more capable to modify he's gone with that. he bought a black 1992 sierra 1.3Lt. havent seen a good pic of it yet but sounds decent enough.

[GRPABT1]

Is that a coily or a leaf sprung? Cause you could run into dramas if it's a coily when doing a lift.

[steveGLS]

its leaf susp. all round.

ok, next question, he said on the dunes it was fantastic but he's already complained about the country/highway driving. he can sit on 90kph with the engine on about 3000rpm but any faster its ringing its nick... he's already talking angine swap to a 1.6lt carby.

a) i know this conversion is quite common, has anybody here done it and know what it all costed?

b) is there any other engine that can slot in on a modest budget?

thanks in advance
steve

P.S. im getting him to sign up ASAP so he can do his own dirty work... :(

[jimmyatv]

I do not know anything about the conversion, But ebay has had a few vitara motors floating around.
Suzuki Vitara EFI 1.6 ENGINE.....Convert your Sierra! - eBay, Suzuki, Car Parts, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 11-Nov-07 00:06:57 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Suzuki-Vitara-EFI-1-6-ENGINE-Convert-your-Sierra_W0QQitemZ270183265090QQihZ017QQcategoryZ102 347QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[GRPABT1]

That conversion has been done alot, I will direct you to here Outer Limits 4x4 Board :: Index (http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/index.php)

Look in the suzuki section under "sierra bible" and all should be revealed. And if he is just worried about the high revs at highway speeds affecting the engine worry not, they love to see 7000rpm these motors :D

I would suggest though the swift gti motor for ease of fitment and fuel injection, or a toyota 4agze motor for all out power. Like I said consult the bible ;)

[jimmyatv]

I have also noticed larger tires/wheels set the revs at a nicer ring. He would probly want to go larger anyway (as you do), and the ride is alot better in a smaller rig with bigger tires. May lose a little bit of power on the black stuff with larger wheels, but its worth it. Enjoy the trip, dont blink and miss it:D.

[steveGLS]

wow, thats exactly what i was after, thanks GRPABT1 (isnt that a VL?!) thats the sort of site i was after!
thanks also jimmyatv he was going to put 31's on but wasnt on his immediate priority list, might be now though...

[GRPABT1]

wow, thats exactly what i was after, thanks GRPABT1 (isnt that a VL?!) thats the sort of site i was after!
thanks also jimmyatv he was going to put 31's on but wasnt on his immediate priority list, might be now though...

Mines a worked VN group A motor in a BT1 (police) pack VN