Boris113 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Morning all! On my 90 I currently have: terrafirma +2 medium duty springs & +5 dampers gwyn lewis rear shock mounts, spring retainers all round and his wide angle a-frame ball joint. also got castor corrected radius arms, cranked trailing arms, full flo-flex poly bush kit and upside down dislocation cones. I would like to get more articulation than i currently have, and hopefully i've got a set of x-springs from somebody on here which will go on the rear but where do I go next? The 90 is an everyday vehicle so it must still drive well on the road. I'm also putting it onto a galv chassis in a few weeks so wondering whether to have it adjusted to take the Gigglepin trailing arms? I spoke to a mate who said rose joints wear out in about 1,000 miles of road driving which isn't ideal. So, would I be better getting the GP arms, QT rose jointed arms, softer springs, longer dampers etc? Thanks in advance, Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyRoverlander Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Why even more? Do you really need it or do you want it to look good on the ramp? If you NEED more, fix the front end! Put a 3link up front and together with your allready improved rear you'll have more articulation than is needed. Trying to get even more out of the back end makes it even more unbalanced than it already is . Mine's got more front flex than rear.. Notice how level the body is? That gully is deep! With all the articulation coming from the rear end (because of the very restricted front radius arm setup that binds just way to quickly) your vehicle would be on quite an angle here. Just my 2 cents.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Why even more? Do you really need it or do you want it to look good on the ramp? A very good question indeed I may be missing something (I don't really do coilers) but why +2 springs but +5 shocks? seems like you'd just bottom your shocks out 3" early Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToyRoverlander Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 A very good question indeed I may be missing something (I don't really do coilers) but why +2 springs but +5 shocks? seems like you'd just bottom your shocks out 3" early Suspension droop looks way cooler than having decent uptravel .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon W Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 If you want more travel on the rear and don't want it to wear out like Jonny joint, then have a look at the X arms that x-eng do, they allow a lot of travel and should last a long time on the road. Other than looking good, why not put a rear diff lock in, as others have said if you have too much travel then it can be unstable especially if it all comes from the rear and isn't balanced Just my 2p worth Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 why +2 springs but +5 shocks? seems like you'd just bottom your shocks out 3" early Raised shock mounts Means you get full(ish) travel of your shocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 if you're interested purely about offroad performance, wouldn't it be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run after you've used various comibinations and the flavours of the month to get front and rear lockers? either air actuated or the detroit type? if it's for posing then droop all the way you want, and yes drooopy axles are pretty fun to watch..... I thought that when you get to a certain age you're always trying to get rid of droop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Thanks all, yes I do have a lot more flex in the rear than the front, the front is very stiff indeed and that is something I would like to attend to. The main thing is that with my galv chassis on order, I can still make small changes to it. For instance I don't want to fit the gigglepin arms 2 years down the road because then I would have to remove the standard trailing arm mounts which would damage the galvanising. One thing I have noticed is that even when fully cross axled, I can't get the axles to meet the bumpstops. The stops are extended and all the shock mounts are standard height. I know the TF dampers have inbuilt bumpstops but I can never feel them being used? Is this something that would be worth looking at? Based on your views, I think i will leave as is for now though, it drives very well and i could always fit bolt-on-style kit at a later date...I was planning on a rear locker in a few months so may bring that forwards Many thanks, Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 If you're not touching the stops, and your shocks aren't bottoming out then your springs are too hard, or.... as I suspect, you are bottoming out your TF shocks, +5" shocks NEED to be used with appropriate +2" raised shock mounts/towers, if you are not doing this then this is definitely your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Thanks bowie, the rear shock pounts are the 3-hole versions that gwyn lewis sells and advertises for use with +5s though? They don't appear to sit much higher than the standard mounts either. I may take the springs out and play about with a jack to see if it is the springs or shocks that are preventing the axle from reaching the bumpstops Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Never tried to upload a photo before but hopefuly this will work. Although you can't see the left hand bumpstop, it is nowhere near to the flat area on the rear axle that it should meet. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 A very good question indeed I may be missing something (I don't really do coilers) but why +2 springs but +5 shocks? seems like you'd just bottom your shocks out 3" early normal mistake to make..... A +5 shock in the terms of what you can buy from the likes of terrafirma, pro-comp etal.. dose not mean 5" of extra travel, the +5 (or 125mm) is how much longer the shock is in total over a standard oem shock... One thing I have noticed is that even when fully cross axled, I can't get the axles to meet the bumpstops. The stops are extended and all the shock mounts are standard height. I know the TF dampers have inbuilt bumpstops but I can never feel them being used? Is this something that would be worth looking at? You do want to make sure the shocks are not bottoming out. the inbuilt stop are not built to constantly stop the full weight of the car.. they will not last long if they are. they other thing you want to make sure is not happening (trust me you really would feel it if it was ) is spring bind where the spring can fully compress (ie no space between the coils) before the axle hits the bumps. On the flip side when the truck is flexing it can be quite normal for the axle not hit the bumps as the standard bumps are inboard of the shocks and springs. my rear axle at full flex. So that i still keep some slow speed flex my bumps are inside the chassis rails and from the pic you can see they are nowhere near their pads which are on the front edge of the axle. But they defiantly do contact when moving quicker over the lumps though. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 . The stops are extended and all the shock mounts are standard height. I know the TF dampers have inbuilt bumpstops but I can never feel them being used? I Sorry Harry, this had me confused, it conflicted with the first post, if you are running Gwyns mounts on the rear, and 2" raised front turrets then it's pretty likely you are running spring a *bit* too stiff As above, they won't always contact, the stops (why are you running extended ones btw, clearance issues?) when flexing, but nose or tail down and flexing I would expect them to. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Moose, I am pretty sure the shocks aren't bottoming out, i need to pull the springs/shocks off later anyway so i will get the JCB out and lift a tyre up, measure the length of the compressed shock then remove the shock and compress it fully by hand/measure it to check whether it is bottoming out when on the vehicle. This photo shows the maximum ammount that a rear wheel can move up, there is still a good ammount of space between each coil Bowie, Sorry for not being very clear, I have gwyn mounts on the rear, standard height turrets on the front. The springs are terra firma +2inch medium duties (+150 to 250kg i think) all around. The 90 has very little weight on the back end, it is a soft top with a roll hoop and a few cans of oil, an ammo box of shackles/spanners and a tow bar. I have also thought that the rear springs may be too hard, whilst it corners like a racing car, it's very harsh on speed bumps/potholes. I will be fitting a winch to the front so will keep the front springs as they are but may fit light duty springs (+50-150kg) to the rear to see if that alters anything. With the new chassis i will also be adding a roll cage and rocksliders which will add more weight. I put the extended bumpstops on to prevent the shocks bottoming out...although in retrospect that hasn't solved the problem! Thanks guys, Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Do you have +5" shocks on the front as well then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Yep all the shocks are +5, i think i will change the front turrets and get a +2 set from gwyn lewis though, hopefully that should sort out the front end! Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 if you're interested purely about offroad performance, wouldn't it be easier and possibly cheaper in the long run after you've used various comibinations and the flavours of the month to get front and rear lockers? I'd tend to agree with this - you've got plenty of articulation, so once you've sorted out the "is it binding" problem I'd be inclined to leave it alone and worry about something else. Otherwise you get into the law of diminishing returns - more money spent for smaller improvements. If you are getting stuck only because you don't have enough articulation then fair enough, but if you're getting stuck where a locker would help, or more horsepower would help, or different tyres would help, etc. then it may be better spending the money elsewhere. Or even just leaving the truck alone and getting more practice in so you don't get yourself stuck in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.