Suspension Set up, be real with your rig before starting.

[Land Pirates Off Road]

While we do not have the chance to drive out in the desert every day or go crazy fast in our local trails, we do have some idea of what works and what does not from breaking trucks and bending our spines.
While we were racing dirt bikes on a motocross track, we would have a much different set up than when riding fast on the trails or when we were riding at top speeds out in the deserts. Most guys would have one set up and just leave it... We fiddled around and found what worked the best for where we were riding at the time.
Same is true for trucks and SUVs... Most guys want that jacked up look so they can cram a tire under the truck to look cool. OK, lets face it... You DO NOT have a race truck and your ruining your vehicle of the performance it may have!

Let’s just keep this really simple. If your truck has 8 inches of travel front and rear (this is what most factory trucks and SUVs actually have give or take) you are EXSTREAMLY limited. If you use up all your suspension, you are now either bending something or breaking something if you do it enough. Just because you add big springs that lift your truck 3 inches, you still have the same travel. Your wheel will still go up the same amount before stopping on the bump stops.

So if you put to big of a tire on your truck, your tire hits the sheet metal before your suspension hits the bump stops... You have just killed what limited suspension you have!

There is no arguing that a bigger tire does give you more traction and more bump absorbing air to displace. This really does help! But you have to be realistic about the ratio. You do need max suspension travel and you need to know what your max tire size can be to utilize as much as you can.

Lifting your truck will give you better ground clearance... But you pay a price by raising the center of gravity. You can clear bigger stuff, but now you can not drive as fast around a corner or maneuver as quickly before you will feel gravities affects and roll over. This, while exciting, is expensive and can be dangerous... =-D

Along comes long travel suspension giving a much needed improvement on the stock suspensions. Now what? Well, it is still not as good as a fully blown race truck sorry to say. So you better think twice before driving like a maniac. This leads us back to the beginning…

What are you doing with your truck?

If you’re driving it on the street, 99% of the time like most EVERYONE does, you will need a different set up than if you’re REALLY driving it 99% of the time off road. We do not care if you have leaf springs or a custom coil over set up. Think about how you actually drive before setting it up.

This center of gravity thing… Lower is better for handling. That is why a super car is low to the ground. A sport bike is lower to the ground than a dirt bike. Etc.
Take this same principle for trucks just for a second.
If your driving fast off road on old dirt roads filled with potholes and what not, keep your truck low to the ground.
If you’re driving your truck over big rocks, over ditches, and through the woods, raise it up just enough to keep the vehicle from hanging up on the obstacles.
Driving slow over crazy stuff you want to be using 100% of your suspension so you keep your tires on the ground for traction.
Driving fast down a road you want to keep your wheels on the ground for traction, but if you hit a bump, you do not want that bump to shift the truck or transfer to much of the shock into the chassis to upset the handling and traction.

So what do you do?

Most people want to do it all. Well, sorry folks, you really can’t. You will have to compromise on something.

Figure out what your doing before spending the money! Think ahead just a bit, plan it out, you will be happier in the end.

[Steve]

Great article!

If you have a pic or two that you can add to it I will gladly post it up on the front page of the site.

[Bandit1]

Ok, good article, but I am still not clear.... pics would help, maybe some examples, as most of us would most likely be driving in woods, the beach, occasional rocks at an off road park, the occasional Civic in traffic the normal stuff that we have here on the east coast.

[egodfrey]

Dont laugh about the civic, my jeep has been parked on one before!!

[Bandit1]

Dont laugh about the civic, my jeep has been parked on one before!!

Pics or it didnt happen, LMAO

[orangecrush4u]

It all says the truth!!!!!!, great artical

[egodfrey]

Pics or it didnt happen, LMAO

[MFD91]

so if im planing a build for a mild daily driver thats more off road capable,lifting it and using a long arm is then optimul?

im a bit new to all this and want to understand befor i wast my money on rinkydink things that wont help wheel travel

[Goonies.nsd]

so if im planing a build for a mild daily driver thats more off road capable,lifting it and using a long arm is then optimul?

im a bit new to all this and want to understand befor i wast my money on rinkydink things that wont help wheel travel

Well if your talking about the YJ, you have 4 wheel leaf springs. No long arms available unless you do a coil spring conversion. ALOT O MONEY. For a YJ its all about quality leaf springs. Some kids may give you the lift but not flex well. From what ive read the BDS springs are great and anything Old Man Emu makes is top notch. Like a Rough Country lift will get you the lift to clear bigger tires. But i have heard people complain they are stiff. No flex and the tires wont grab where you want them to.

Just comb the forums and read build logs and see what works best for them. Sometimes thats just the best way to learn.

[MFD91]

thanks for the info man,iv actually been checking out allot of thing since joining this forum and have found allot of usefull info,ill be checking into those makes for sure thanks again