If that is the case that is a massive bonus.


I totally see where you're coming from, but i've played around with suspension heights and had no real problems. If i added the big wheels to RTV spec it would add another 60mm . . . s**t, that would be high.


Definitely, upwards clearance would be a massive issue, and it would all be a lot easier if i used RTV spec. But if i am going to go this far i may as well do things how i want, unless laws or costs make it out of the question. Major bodywork surgery to allow extra upward clearance is worth it to me to keep corning abilities decent (low cog).


Another issue to think about is the wheel bearings. 811mm O.D. wheels will put about 17% more leverage on the bearings during cornering.

And offset may also be a difficult problem with the law. How easy would it be to get 20 x 9.5" rims for a falcon? Maybe i would have to get expensive two-piece rims with adjustable offset?

Yes, I imagaine offset will be an issue re legality. But aren't your current spacers too?

20x9.5" shouldn't be too hard to come across.

Though keep in mind that most blinged up Territorys on the road have high load rated 20x8.5" rims and 275/40/20 tyres (which are within the +15mm diameter, no RTA notification or engineer involvement allowance). So you may not need a 9.5" rim for 275/60 especially considering the extra sidewall height.

Cheers, Rob

The BA concept would be very noticeable . . . i can't help but think i ought to get it engineered because spacers can easily be detected if i cause an accident? Especially visible with 20" rims! (depending on style though). Although if i used pre-AU offset i don't think anyone would pick that, the only issues then would be if they create too much offset, or if i can't get a 20" in that offset?


Okay, good.


Yes, i'm just hoping to make it good on road as well as off. I don't tend to damage sidewalls and i'm willing to sacrifice a bit of comfort to make sure it corners well. My 235 rear tyres on 7" rims can get sloppy during heavy cornering, and a 275 being 40mm wider, on 8.5" rims being 38mm wider, would be too similar. Although i would be dropping the series from 75 to 60, the vehicle would be higher.

Last edited by relaxed_diplomacy on Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Recent pics . . .

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Hi, I am interested in what you have done to this car. I have an eb11 wagon that I am wanting to set up to tow our camper and I want it to be able to handle dirt roads well and to be able to get us to some decent camping spots. It already sits high at the back, and I have purchased some raised King Springs for the front which I will fit soon. I am interested in the tallest tyre I can fit without resorting to wheel spacers. I am currently running snowflake rims. I would also love to find out more about the strut spacers you are using. Did you fabricate these yourself of were they off the shelf.

I am thinking of removing the botom inch and a half of the front bumper, but am really just wanting something that would serve as a good tourer. Any info appreciated.

im loving this thread. good work! have you had to get some sort of speedo correction device since using the larger rolling diameter tyres?

Hope you're still around, i've been away for a little while.


Is the rear suspension modified?


Do you have extra weight on the front? If so the coils should be good. If not raised coils have the disadvantage that you have less droop travel, your suspension can crash over deep potholes, but you should still be okay in a falcon.

I imagine they are an increased spring rate? Maybe 15%? That may be good under braking with the camper. But if there is no extra weight on the front you will have less suspension flex. NVH will be higher too.


Very good question. It quickly gets complex, but it's all good. What i can say is that i ran 205/75 tyres on EF/EL 15" steel wheels, and they just fitted. I had two different tyre brands and one was well clear but the other skimmed slightly under extreme circumstances, but there was no damage, i only know because the steel edge near the balljoint had signs of very minor rubbing. I have since ground back a bit of the metal off the edge which gives better clearance and is fine structurally. So you can grind a bit off, make it smooth, and you'll do better.

Another major factor is your snowflake rims most likely have 5 to 10mm more offset than the steelies. So i can say pretty confidently that you could fit 205/75R15 tyres and have no clearance problems. If you want to try for bigger you would consider trying a 215/75R15. I often source secondhand tyres for this purpose, but keep in mind a new tyre has more tread.


I made them myself. The central hole is 75mm from memory, and the outside is also a common hole saw size, if you have a slow enough drill press. Otherwise you can make the holes other ways. The best idea these days is to use plastic bread boards, secondhand is usually okay, maybe try an op-shop. Or just retire your kitchen ones. Or even buy new ones. If you can't get the thickness you need you might be able to plane them down with an electric planer. I used aluminium but it's more of a hassle than plastic would be.

The next factor to consider is how much you want to raise the front, and whether you are within reasonable limits. Also note that due to the lever ratio of the lower suspension arm the spacers needs to be proportionately less than the amount you want to raise the car. Then if your spacer is over about 8mm thick you will need to remove the studs from the top plate and weld in new longer high tensile coa_rse thread bolts. For your information my car has 13mm of front spacers.

There may be more things to consider, and when you're finished you'll need to get a wheel alignment.


I considered that with my EBII (before the EL i had an EBII sedan) but i didn't end up doing anything because the lower bumper flexes quite a lot, although mine may not have been attached at the bottom as fully as they are from factory.

Legally i should, but i'm used to just making my own correction factor, for example 100km/h real speed equals about 90 on my speedo, and 60km/h real speed equals about 55 on my speedo.

But no-one else tends to drive my cars. You don't want to put anyone at risk.

Speedo correction is readily available for falcons and there are blokes on this forum that would help anyone do it.

Last night coming home i had driven along some mild dirt road then when back on the bitumen the car was pulling to the left. I wondered why. It got worse. Then the front tyre blew out. I figure it developed a leak and then as the tyre deflated it provided more drag on the steering, and the sidewall got hot from all the flexing and blew. Now i don't have much in the way of big front tyres, as the other tyre has bugger all tread.

But i do have some 31x10.5R15 yokohama super diggers hanging around . . . so i'm thinking i might lift the suspension another 15mm and fit the current rear tyres to the front, and fit my 30mm hub adapters and the 31" tyres to the back. I need to fit the hub adapters to gain clearance from the fuel tank and wheel wells, and possibly other things. I'm not sure at this stage whether they will be enough to fully clear the tank.

The rear guards will definitely have to get seriously modified, plus the rear bumper. The rear of the car especially will look very 'horny', very chunky, meaty. Shame about the gearing.

I'm about to move house so this won't happen for a few weeks, for now i'm back to small front wheels and headlights pointing at the ground! Either that or go small all round for the time being. Probably should go the latter because the brake balance and ABS becomes out of whack, and braking distances get longer.

Haha! That would be a sight.

Got a picture?

Thanks for all that information RD. I am looking for a family tourer as an alternative to an old landcruiser, so I am can live with a little reduction in comfort as long as it still drives OK. it just seems that for 95% of the driving we would do, that I dont really need 4 wheel drive, and my wagon is already set up with things like a cargo barrier and good tow kit.

I think I will use the King Springs as I do not believe they will create to many problems, but I will consider making some spacers and using new standard springs if they prove to be to harsh.

I will definitelly try 205/75 tyres if I can find them. This witht he raised springs would give me the sort of GC I need for dirt road touring. The back might have uprated leaves. It does seem to sit high at the back and handles towing duties really well, hardly dropping.

I will try and get some pictures up as I progress with this.

Almost whatever you do the falcon will be heaps more comfortable than an old landcruiser!


I know some cars have problems with coils sagging but i'm not aware of the falcon fronts having that problem. That would be the only reason i reckon you would consider replacing them, and in that case i would just get another secondhand pair. Springs don't lose rate, they stay the same stiffness, just some can lose a bit of height. Springs very very rarely break.

If you are loading the car up with heaps of people and gear you might be happy with the raised h/d coils.


I'm with you, it's so much nicer to not have to worry about driving over large stones or tree branches or all the other things that can be lying on the road, if not undulations in the road itself, and if you end up on the verge you are much less likely to have a problem.

205/75R15 tyres are a common fitment to early model suzuki vitara's, i got mine off a wrecked one. You could probably just go out and get some new tyres of this size fitted, or you might like to source some secondhand ones to see what it's like.

A 215 would be a slightly better width for a 7" rim. You could consider two options in that size, a 215/70, but that is uncommon, and i can't say whether they would fit, they might be fine but you would have to try. The other one is the 215/75, which i mentioned before and is unlikely to fit. There is a size 225/70R15, common on some daihatsu feroza's, but once again you'd have to try and see, and your chance would be very low with that size, it's not much smaller than the one's on my car.


Sounds good. Sounds like you don't need any air shocks.


If you start a garage thread you're welcome to let me know.

I wouldn't have thought to take a picture of it now, but at your request i'll see what i can do.

Maybe the front springs are slightly lowered. It just seems to sit low.

I travelled around Australia years ago in an old Peugeot 504 with higher rear springs and light truck tyres. it was sensational on outback roads and would easily cruise along at 100kph on even the roughest roads. It seemed to have just the right amount of ground clearance and never really had an issue with grounding anything one I removed the middle muffler. If I could get the falcon to be anywhere near as capable I would be happy.

It will be a camping car so generally will have gear, wife and three kids pulling a jayco camper.

Here goes . . .

The front is being held up by the large tyre on the drivers side, and the rear is pulled down a tad by the small tyre on the front. Looks a bit like its launching.

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Last edited by relaxed_diplomacy on Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.