BEFORE:

Ecamper with grill guards. 15x6 wheels and LT235/75R-15CL BFG A/T Baja Champion tires will rub in the front wheel well as can be seen below in PIC 1 and would hit the rear fender as can be seen in PICs 2 and 3.

Front wheel well area will be shaved off a hair and the plastic wheel well material will be weleded back with a plastic welder.

The back fender will be rolled about 1/2" and the plastic will be re-attached to the fender with new bolt locations.

A 2" suspension lift will also be added. After pics and impressions to follow.

AFTER: to be continued......

how are you doing the lift? spacers? sparman's protocol?

I am having a local mechanic/specialist do it. Any attempts at me trying to lift the car would result in bloodshed.

In speaking with him, he will do a suspension lift with 1 1/4" spacers I believe, a la Sparman.....I will have full details on Wednesday night or Thursday at the latest.

Its going to look sick!

i think i saw this vehicle on craigslist! looks sweettt

Hey ahartig...I live over in los Osos and have been studying the lift with future plans to do it to mine and I was wondering if the guy your gonna have do it is taking into account the fact that with the lift you will be moving the rear tires closer to the front of the car. Just thought I would mention that point since you've been having issures with tire rubbing due to them being oversized. If the lift turns out nice I would be interested in possibly getting it done as well. Can't wait to see the final product.

I will definitely mention that to him to see what he thinks, thanks for the heads up.

also, the geometry on the element is different in the rear than the front. if you do a 1 inch lift all the way around, it will not be to the same lift at all the wheels. also, do not forget to order the rear arms for the lift.

I just don't see how the mechanic plans to lift the element for only $350 or so? The parts alone cost about $320-$350. I would ask exactly what he is going to install

i contacted the guy that is going to do the lift. it is actually a well-established off-road company that specializes in lifts. he said that honda's should be pretty easy to lift and he will check out exactly what parts will be needed, as ahartig's element will be the first for him.

they have a machine shop on premises to manufacture any parts he needs. he is also aware of the "sparman lift" and mentioned that it will be very similar to that. he seemed pretty sure that the price shouldnt exceed $350- $500.

I also am very curious about this and wait for ahartig's posts later 2nite or thurs to see the results. we (waiting in the wings) of course, are well aware of the sparman lift and the aligment issues that it can cause, so im very eager to see the results. if they can streamline a way to lift the E at an affordable rate.. and have no intregity issues.. this company could see alot of business. i have been wanting a lift for a couple years now and im hoping that this is successful.

cheers!

Fender rolling and lift complete. As can be seen the rear fenders came out looking great and very clean. The front wheel area where the back of the tire was clipping the metal piece came out good as well, no more awful rubber on metal scraping sound when going in a full turn. The front tires just barely touch the wheel well rubber now and do not make any noise. Gary from G-rides in SLO, CA did the work. Very nice and professional guy.

http://www.gridesinc.com/

The lift came out great also. Dan from CCM Offroad put a 2" urethane spacer in front and a 7/8" urethane spacer in back to give a total lift of approximately 1 3/4". It came out to about $500 after all was said and done.

The best news though is that CCM Offroad is going to order some parts from Honda and get some pieces laser cut to make actual lift kits for the element! He said the kits they are designing will add about 3" and should be ready in about one month. This is their online store:

http://www.ccmoffroad.com/shop/

I highly recommend these guys, very nice and professional and they really know what they are doing. If anyone wants more info give Dan Kramer a ring 805-464-0505.

Once the lift kits are done I will be going back and getting that installed. Overall great news. Spread the word to all the Element owners out there!!!

Looks great...congrats on finding qualified help to make it happen.

Have to pose a general question: Especially with the ease of fender removal on the E, how is no one has come up with aftermarket fenders? In this case, some flared fender edges would like mighty fine for the offroad look. COuld offer wider profile options, etc.

Looks wicked and I want it in CANADA!!!!! I have been wondering if there might be a way to get another front end as well. I was hoping to find something that would enable better approach to hill steep hill terrain, more angled than round. I can see it in my head but trying to describe it sucks. I would like a flatter front so that the bottom edge of the front fender doesn't hit before the tires do. This is one main reason I have held off putting in fogs b/c I do go in the woods a bit and am afraid of ripping them apart on some of the hill approaches. I hope you guys and gals get what I am saying.
I'll stop now.

any specs on your wheels?

make?

model?

are other offsets available?

E looks terrific! Pat

any specs on your wheels?

make?

model?

are other offsets available?

E looks terrific! Pat

They are MB wheels... 15x6 et 0. Not sure if other offsets are available.

looks so ****ing awesome dude!!! no lie, best E ive seen, do u have a car domain?

wait...wheres the lights that were on top of the ecamper??

how dose the E handle with the lift and larger tire? hopefully i'll be doing something similar soon.

wait...wheres the lights that were on top of the ecamper??

The lights and rack come off easily and I took them off until we go camping or they are needed, they didnt do much good for mpg.

how dose the E handle with the lift and larger tire? hopefully i'll be doing something similar soon.

The e handles great. I have not noticed a difference from pre-lift to post-lift.

On a different note I have a question about tire pressure. My BFG All terrain tires say 50 psi (cold). My local mechanic said I should keep them around 36 to 37 psi to compensate for the tires heating and the air expanding, thus increasing tire pressure. I currently have them at 46. Anyone have any thoughts on what a good tire pressure would be for these tires for normal commuting (not too much of a load) and for camping trips (loaded down with 2 to 4 people and lots of gear).

THANKS!

Holy guacamole, that is flippin beautiful. Your e has always been my favorite, and it just got better.

On a different note I have a question about tire pressure. My BFG All terrain tires say 50 psi (cold). My local mechanic said I should keep them around 36 to 37 psi to compensate for the tires heating and the air expanding, thus increasing tire pressure. I currently have them at 46. Anyone have any thoughts on what a good tire pressure would be for these tires for normal commuting (not too much of a load) and for camping trips (loaded down with 2 to 4 people and lots of gear).

THANKS!
The pressure noted on the sidewalls is the maximum pressure for the tires not the recommended pressure. Your mechanic gave you good advice. 46psi would probably promote premature tire wear.

It does look good. Not very noticeable shift in the rear suspension. Did they have to mod anything for the rear for that 7/8" lift? Are they going to have to come up with something for it when they build this 2" spacer? I guess the only thing for you now is to put the kitchen in the back and your set.

I have the BFG A/T KO 225/75/R16s and keep them at 36psi. They seem to be wearing fine...

I'm all the way in ny and used to drive my old gmc jimmy on the beach. I got the beach permit for my E and have found it handles superb on the soft semi flat stuff however once i had to follow in other trucks tire tracks i was constantly scraping the top few inches of sand off. I would really love to lift my E and than in turn be able to put a larger set of tires on it. Do you think this company would ship the parts this way? Every local off road place i've contacted when asked "do you have a lift for the E" holding back their laughter they said no. Not sure what this lift does if it actually lift the thewhole truck or just the body? So would this result in a 3" lift to the body or in actual ground clearance? Even if it was just the body I would still be able to put a larger tire on and that would give me a lift... correct or am way off?

-Brandon

P.s. I have 4 years left on a factory bumper to bumper warranty any idea if this would void it?

Your best bet would be to call CCM directly and mention you had talked with Alex about his tentative Element lift and you are interested in purchasing the final lift kit package. Their phone # is in this thread somewhere, if not a quiick google search will find it. I am sure they will be able to send you the package in NY. The lift only effects the ground clearance for the body (i.e. not the actual axles connecting the wheels). If you were to get the body lift kit you would then in turn be able to put bigger tires on like mine to achieve a total lift on the entire vehicle.

About the warranty, it would prob void it, but who knows, better to call Honda on that.



I'm all the way in ny and used to drive my old gmc jimmy on the beach. I got the beach permit for my E and have found it handles superb on the soft semi flat stuff however once i had to follow in other trucks tire tracks i was constantly scraping the top few inches of sand off. I would really love to lift my E and than in turn be able to put a larger set of tires on it. Do you think this company would ship the parts this way? Every local off road place i've contacted when asked "do you have a lift for the E" holding back their laughter they said no. Not sure what this lift does if it actually lift the thewhole truck or just the body? So would this result in a 3" lift to the body or in actual ground clearance? Even if it was just the body I would still be able to put a larger tire on and that would give me a lift... correct or am way off?

-Brandon

P.s. I have 4 years left on a factory bumper to bumper warranty any idea if this would void it?

. If you were to get the body lift kit you would then in turn be able to put bigger tires on like mine to achieve a total lift on the entire vehicle..

this is not true. the largest size tires that will actually fit the e with out ridiculous modification is a 225/75/16 or a bit smaller is the 235/70/16. Finally, the 235/75/15 is the largest for the 15 inch wheel, but is actually a hair smaller than a 235 or 225 in the 16. The lift creates greater ground clearance, whereas a body lift does just that, lifts the body. The problem with putting larger tires on the E is that you hit the bottom of the strut, regardless of how much lift you have. I put 235/70/16's on my e with no lift, stock ride height and they worked just fine. The reason for the fender rolling for ahartig was because of the extreme new offsets he has due to his wheels. Not a large problem to deal with, just something that comes up with putting new tires/wheels on the e

hope that helps

Quick update. CCM should have a kit finalized by late next week. I will get the kit installed then and post more pics. The kit will also go on sale at their website sooner or later as well:
http://www.ccmoffroad.com/shop/

Quick question, I am going camping this weekend, gonna have a full load, 4 passengers, roof rack, coolers, the whole deal. Will def be over the "max weight capacity" specified by honda. Should I infalte my tires to around 42 or 43 PSI to help with the extra weight?

Right now they are at 36

Thanks.

An easy way to check proper tire pressure is to put a chaulk line across the tread, drive a short distance and check the wear on the chaulk. If worn evenly then the tire pressure is correct, if worn on the middle only the tire pressure is too much. For what it's worth I run BFG's on my Ford cross over SUV work vehicle and run the tire pressure at 50 psi with no problems. For me the higher tire pressure increases fuel milage and handling at the expense of ride.

Great job on the Element. My spouse won't let me near her Element with power tools.

Quick question, I am going camping this weekend, gonna have a full load, 4 passengers, roof rack, coolers, the whole deal. Will def be over the "max weight capacity" specified by honda. Should I infalte my tires to around 42 or 43 PSI to help with the extra weight?

Right now they are at 36

Thanks.

I would do the 40 PSI, no speeding and seat belts on. I did pack up my Element like that, and did the 40 PSI. I did 70MPH on I-5 and that's about as fast as I wanted to go with it loaded up. Handles well, but you will notice what you are carrying, no doubt.

This advise of course is at your own risk and I assume no responsibility for it.

Thanks for the responses. I got some advice from the guy who lift the element to inflate the rears to around 44 psi for the trip. Everything worked out great. Didnt go over 60 mph on the freeway and my wife was constantly asking why I was going so slow. Here are some pics, this is with nobody inside. The car was pretty weighted down adn there was a bout 1 inch of room from fender to wheel after everyone got in.

Man, I can't get over how awesome this Element looks. I really wish I had the funds to do that to mine.

Your E is sweet! I seriously doubt you should be having any rubbing issues as I run 235/70/16 BFG Mud Terrains on aftermarket steel wheels that have the factory offset with no rubbing at all under any load! The only time I have rubbing issues is when the wheel wells pack up with snow, but that is only when I make a sharp turn and it's never serious... anyone else comment on your offset?

Just saw ohheycheckmeout's post and def. agree your offset is causing your rubbing, new rims are needed.

Ya, it's my offest for sure. I got the fenders rolled so that buys me about one more inch. I have not has the fenders rub since the rolling so I'm not that worried about it. Bought the car used and loved the way it came and the look with the ofest so I tried to do whatever i could to keep the look and not change the fenders/tires. Worked out pretty good.

Your E is sweet! I seriously doubt you should be having any rubbing issues as I run 235/70/16 BFG Mud Terrains on aftermarket steel wheels that have the factory offset with no rubbing at all under any load! The only time I have rubbing issues is when the wheel wells pack up with snow, but that is only when I make a sharp turn and it's never serious... anyone else comment on your offset?

Just saw ohheycheckmeout's post and def. agree your offset is causing your rubbing, new rims are needed.

What mileage do you get with those tires?

Just wanted to let everyone know I will most likely have to sell this beast soon and want to get the word out. If anyone knows someone near central california that is interested please have them email me.

alexhartig@gmail.com

Alas, it was fun but my wife and I need to buy a house, and this car is just too much right now.

Just wanted to let everyone know I will most likely have to sell this beast soon and want to get the word out. If anyone knows someone near central california that is interested please have them email me.

alexhartig@gmail.com

Alas, it was fun but my wife and I need to buy a house, and this car is just too much right now.

hey, you can use the E as a house.
bet you can't use a house as a vehicle.

<grin>

We are officially selling the E. Contact me if interested.

were those wheels 15x6's? they look like they stick out a bit further than 6in wide wheels do.

15x6, according to the OP in this post (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=742611).

yeah i saw that but i just wanted to make sure before i order them.. thay apper to stick out a bit.

We are officially selling the E. Contact me if interested.

i found your e while i was driving up hwy 1. :D http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60121