[roxer]

I am looking at beefing up the stock suspension on my 2002 Rodeo Sport without changing the lift or tire size. I saw the stinkylinks and will most likely put those on (upper and lower - is it hard?), but what else is there I can do? Will this help cornering too? I have replaced the stock crap shocks with SensaTracks - what a difference.

-- Shon

 

[BigSwede]

Not sure if Sway-Away makes upgraded torsion bars for Amigo/Rodeo Sport; if they do that would help. Joe at Darlington Off-Road could help you with that.

A cheap way to upgrade handling is polyurethane bushings, especially on the sway bars. Did wonders for my Trooper for like $30. Matt at Independent4x has those.

Speaking of sway bars, check with Calmini and see if they offer the upgraded sway bars for your vehicle.

That's a start, anyway.

 

[mbalgach]

can anyone comment on how the Old Man Emu Suspension kit works for a Trooper? Is there a noticeable improvement in handling?

 

[bigpoppax2]

I cannot speak for the Troopers, I have the OME springs under my 98 Passport and have the torsions cranked with the Rancho 9000X shocks. I love the way the handling has changed. Way less body roll in curves, way less nosedive under hard braking. I'd do it again in a second.

Joe

 

[BigSwede]

I had the OME springs and shocks on my 99 Trooper. Both were a big improvement over stock...BTW you do gain 1-1.5" in height, if you weren't aware.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I am shopping for another Trooper, and when I do find a RS to buy, the first thing I will order will be the OME coils. I have yet to hear of someone who didn't like the OME coils on their Trooper. And they are pretty resistant to sagging, unlike many aftermarket springs.

I might wait on shocks until I figure out what my total lift will be, but I highly recommend the OME Nitrocharger shocks if you can afford them.

 

[BigSwede]

Is there a noticeable improvement in handling?

If you are looking to improve handling, in addition to the OME stuff, change your sway bar bushings to polyurethane. http://isuzu-suvs.com/howto/trooppolybushings.html I didn't think it would do much for my 99, but it was so cheap it was worth a try. Well, I was very surprised at how much the handling tightened up as a result.

One comment on those directions: the washer size recommended didnt work for me, 1/4" was too small for the bolts. Just get a good stainless washer that fits over the bolts.

 

[mbalgach]

does anyone know what size sway bar bushings are on the '02 troopers? seems like there are some different ones out there and that I'll need to order a universal b/c there aren't specific kits by energy, prothane, etc. for the '02's -thanks, martin

 

[BigSwede]

The JC Whitney part numbers referenced in the link above worked just fine for my 99 and your 02 should be the same. They changed very little on Troopers in the later years.