Evening all. I'm new to the forum and have joined specifically to ask whether anyone has experience of lifting the Yeti suspension? I drive my Yeti off-road (forest tracks) and could really do with a bit more height. I also own a Landrover Discovery, but the Yeti is just a better car to drive.

Your Greenline model is lowered over standard.

So one option would be to fit the standard suspension, which will raise it around 15-20mm.

 

How high do you want to go?

Requested Mods to move this to the general Yeti section.

 

I run a standard height Yeti and as a rally radio operator use forestry tracks a lot, plus I green lane in this area, and have never had a problem with catching the underneath on the ground. Perhaps having driven Freelanders for 7 years I am able to "route check" better which is the one thing that does need to be done.

 

There are several other radio operators here who I suspect will report the same thing.

 

Did you realise when you bought your Greenline that it had reduced ride height?

 

There was a company in Europe that had photos of a lifted Yeti but I could find no details of how this had been done or a cost. i suspect it was nothing more than spacers at the top of the suspension legs, as is done on the Freelanders.

Topic moved to yeti section

Weitec sell "Spring Distance Kits" (spacers to you and me) to raise suspension height.

No idea if they list them for the Yeti or not, but I suspect they will be the same as some other VAG vehicles.

 

http://www.weitec-suspension.co.uk/spring-distance-kits.php

 

EDIT: They also list "Ultra SD" lift kits - not sure what they are, but I guess they lift vehicles more than the 20-30mm of the spring distance kits...

http://www.weitec-suspension.co.uk/lift-kits.php

There was a company in Europe that had photos of a lifted Yeti but I could find no details of how this had been done or a cost. i suspect it was nothing more than spacers at the top of the suspension legs, as is done on the Freelanders.

 

I think Graham is referring to Delta 4x4's lift kit, some 20mm or so - http://www.delta4x4.com/content/view/94/85/lang,en/

 

Cost EUR 572.69, approx £455 + postage.

Thanks for the responses.

 

I got my current Yeti as a company car on a 3 year lease-rental deal. The Greenline option was just too attractive from a tax point of view, despite the lowered suspension. I took the lease rental option because I was unsure that a Skoda would meet my expectations, having driven mostly Mercs over the past 20 years. I needn't have worried: the Yeti has exceeded my expectations in almost every area: Economy, reliability, off-road ability (despite it being only 2 wheel drive), comfort and most of all: Fun to drive! The only negative has been road-noise, which can be tiresome on long motorway runs, but its a small price to pay for all the positives.

 

My day job is office-bound, but on high days, holidays and weekends, I spend a lot of time maintaining an area of woodland in Shropshire. I've been really impressed how well the Yeti goes off-road, despite the clearance and the 2 wheel drive. There are times when the underside catches on the central crest between rutted tracks, though I do have the extra protection of the rough road package to give some peace of mind. The Yeti has taken me far further into the woodland than I ever would have expected, further than a Honda CRV I tested a few weeks ago and further than a spectacularly incompetent brand-new Disco 4 that failed to get-up the first slippery slope on a wet day last Autumn.

 

However, the lease runs out soon and I'm now considering my options for Yeti number 2. It'll be a 4x4 this time for the extra height and traction, and probably a 140bhp diesel (that should please the Taxman!). I'd also like to fit larger tyres, hence the question about raised suspension. I've read a little about the Ultra SD kit mentioned by muddyboots, but it seems that there may be a chance of over-stressing the drive-train if the lift is too high?

 

As I mentioned before, I also have a LR Discovery (NOT new!) that I bought specifically to use in woodland, but I'm now thinking that with a 4x4 Yeti and a bit more height, the Disco will be pretty much redundant.

 

Route-checking is all well and good Llanigraham, but sometimes I need access to areas where the only options are to use a deeply rutted track or get-out the chainsaw!

 

 

I reckon that with the extra 24mm the 4x4 will give me, plus the Spring Distance kit mentioned by muddyboots and a good set of off-road tyres I'll be able to cope with most of the tracks. I've still got time to do more research before making a decision, so any more thoughts would be very welcome.

 

As said, in the 4 years I've had my Yeti I have never had a problem with catching the underneath, and I'm adventurous!! Even driving out of a totally cut-up Hafren after 2 runs through by 120 rally cars hasn't caused me a problem, and mine doesn't have the additional protection of the Rough Road Pack. There are several of us here who do this often and I have never heard of any of us having a problem, or ever getting stuck, for that matter.

 

A couple of other points:

Fitting bigger tyres can be a problem. A lot of insurance companies will only allow tyre sizes as specified and approved by the manufacturer and Skoda only specify one size of tyre in 17". There may be an option of going down to 16" but again you must check with your insurance company as some will only allow this for winter tyres.

 

One of the best improvements in off-road traction is the choice of tyres, however no-one at the moment offers an All Terrain tyre in the 17" size. If they did they'd be on my car tomorrow! Plus they are more noisy and you have already commented on that. I use Kumho KU39's which although described as a "summer" tyre I have found far better off-road than the Goodyears the car was supplied with, plus very good on snow and ice.

 

From my experience with Freelanders for 7 years I am suspicious of these body lift kits as they certainly can put some strain on steering and drive shaft joints. Many do get away with it, but others don't. It would not be something I would be fitting to a Yeti in it's first 3 years of life. Also, again, there can be insurance limitations.

 

From my long off-road experience, as a 4x4 instructor and assessor I doubt that 1" is really going to make that much difference. 

I agree about the tyres Llanigraham; I run my Disco on Kumho MT's (Noisy but nice!) and I've put a pair of Vredstein Wintrac Xtremes on the front of the Yeti. The factory fitted low-rolling resistant tyres that came with the car were worse than useless on ice, but having the Vredsteins on the driven wheels makes an enormous difference.

 

To give you a better idea about the ruts I have to negotiate, the Disco has a 2in lift and is fitted with a heavy-duty aluminium sump guard which is now seriously bowed after 4 years of use in the wood. Maybe you could come over in your Yeti (Llanidloes isn't a million miles away) and show me what I'm doing wrong!

 

Thanks for the advice about bigger tyres: I'll certainly check-out the insurance implications.

Edited 15 July, 201411 yr by silverbake

I have a Freelander 1. It has a 40mm lift and larger tyres, which gives me about 70mm extra clearance. I have not had any drive train issues since fitting the kit and tyres. I'm running 225/65R17 General a Grabber AT tyres.

I have been out greelaning with a friend in a standard Freelander and that was scraping its underneath all the time. Mine never touched once. Sometimes there was no option but to use the ruts.

My insurance company is fairly enlightened and I have a dedicated 4x4 policy with Adrian Flux. All my mods have been declared.

Delta 4x4 modified a Yeti with a 20mm lift for about £5-£600 I seem to remember, and also fitted larger tyres. Google Delta 4x4 Yeti. I also posted on here a year or 2 back with the links. Can't remember what the topic was now. Gave an extra 40mm or so.

I would have considered it if I had kept the Yeti.

Instead I bought a 2006 TD4 auto HSE 5 door. It now has the 40mm lift kit & larger tyres, 30mm spacers, rock sliders, anti-dazzle HID dipped headlights, remap, EGR delete, silicon hoses, crankcase breather mod, custom built small stainless steel back box, Pipercross air filter, video drive recorders front & rear, outside temp gauge, Kenwood BT DAB headunit and a Tom Tom GO hard wired in,. That will do for starters! :lol: