AOAA last big bash??

Lloyd and his 1st 4x4

 

They any good?

 

Oh crap I just aired up

 

Boy oh boy, how much fun is it to clean off mud from the radiator! Today is third time I'm rinsing it, and the engine bay. Thankfully my "squeak" went away after first rinse
. That big mud pit in West Reserve really did a nice job on my truck... I mean, I really sent it into that pit . That one was way different than some dirty puddles I encountered before.

 

I thought they were really tasty!

I'm trying to do my homework on a functional, cost effective lift. I wish @Headstrong hadn't gimped their website before leaving for vacation.

To the guys that are lifted here, i know 3" is the max without a diff drop, so that's what im shooting for. Anyone here @ or just below 3", what are you running?

 

She's still my DD, I'm not going overboard. I want a little more space between my undercarriage and the rocks.

 

Cost effective lift is 5100s on all 4 corners, OME 885 coils, and a single AAL in the rear. Will run you around $650 and plenty easy to install yourself. Send Wheelers Off Road a PM with what you want, and they'll send you a discounted quote.

 

And 285. That should give u 1 inch right away.

 

I'm going to attack it both ways, lift and tires. I'm on 265-75-r16's now and that got me .75". My next set will be cooper ST Maxx's in 285. Cab chopping time!

 

@Skell I'll also mention that I've personally ran that set up on my previous truck, on my current truck, and have recommended it to probably 6-7 people who have went that route and told me they were extremely pleased with it.

 

Thank you sir! on their site right now.

 

I'm considering similar set up for my Turd Gen (different spring for mine). 5100s are (supposedly) valved the same as 4600s I have stock on my Off Road, so for me wouldn't be big difference in ride quality. Idk what @Skell has in his Sport 2nd Gen, but it can't be worse than stock.

I'm also trying to figure out if 6112/5160 wouldn't be a better route... More money, but "they say" that those are way better shocks. What do you think?

 

2nd gen sports come with 4600s, so for him the ride quality would be similar as well. If you do go this route, go with the OME 888 coils, whould get you ~2.5" of lift. We just went this exact route in @Montauk17's truck, and we installed it in about 3.5 hours. That was going a normal pace, tightening everything to spec, and cleaning up.

As far as the 6112/5160 is concerned, I really can't comment on how it rides as I've never been in a truck with one. I think @Subway3X4 is running them though. It's my understanding they have a bigger shock body, meaning more oil and better cooling, but if it's worth it for you is your call. I will say that everything I've thrown at my truck I've been very pleased with, and the bilstein 5100/ome has taken it just fine.

 

I'm not a sport, just an sr5.

 

I'm running 5100s at all 4 corners with the OEM springs on the front. Soon I will be installing a front bumper and winch. When I do that, I'll be getting different springs. Probably 886s from OME. Maybe 885s. Not sure which I should go with yet.

I've tossed around the idea of kings/icons in front and JBA UCAs. It seems like a lot of money for things that I will never use to their full potential. @Subway4X4 and I had a decent convo on the advantage and disadvantage of kings or icons over the 6112/5160. I may go with the 6112/5160. My Billies are still so now that I can recapture most of the initial cost I have in them. My only reasoning for this is for a bigger shock and recommendations from Lloyd.

 

I'll probably still get the UCAs with the upgraded billies, just not kings or icons. Unless a sweet deal fell in my lap! There's a guy selling stage 4 icons right now in the marketplace, but he's in Cali and doesn't want to ship.

 

I thought you had a scoop...

 

The front:
I'm currently running Bilstein 6112 shocks inside 700# Eibach Coils. Bottom end bolted to OEM LCA. Top bolted to upper shock mount/tophat. Shock/coils running through SPC LR UCA's (with balljoints.)




The 6112 shocks have a much wider/fatter body than the 5100, which theoretically allows more oil and better heat dissipation.

My initial plan was to go with OME886X/Bilstein 5100 front combo to manage my massive front end weight. I've read in various places that the 5100's may not be correctly matched/valved/dampened for the 886x's 660# spring rate. The 885 and 884's are 590#. I think the OEM coils are around 500#-ish.

I loved the 5100's and they matched well with the 884x's that I had. I've read that they also match well with 885x's, but not as well with the 886x's

But the 5100's weren't valved properly for 700# coils, which I needed because my front-end load includes a full hoop plate bumper, a 12k lb winch, 1/4" fully reinforced IFS skid and a second aux battery.

Well, the spring rate of the coils included with the 6112's are 610#, which is still lower than the 700# that I wanted/needed. But my TW research found that there were many peeps that used 700# coils with the 6112's with no dampening issue and that there were TW vendors that will actually pre-install a 700# coil onto the 6112 shock on request. It is my theory (and mine only) that the larger capacity 6112 could manage the heavier coil with no issue. So I took a gamble and went with the 700# Eibach coils. And the gamble paid off. The Coil/Shock combo works perfectly for my needs.

My suggestion to @Redmann was to bite the bullet and get 6112's instead of 5100's, and install the 6112's with the included 610# Coils (which are slightly beefier than the 884's or 885's) And as he starts to add more weight with all the stuff that he wants to add later, he can go ahead and just change over to higher weight coil spring.

Also, please note that OME 884/885/886 series coils will physically work with 5100's but will NOT work with 6112's. Which is why I ordered and installed the Eibachs.


The rear:
Is here

I basically needed a shock that will take advantage of the Dakars plus 29XL AAL.

The Bilstein B110's have an extended length of 27.28".

This is where I am at at full droop: 27" at the top mount. So full droop advantage taken... with a quarter inch to spare.



Don't forget to get extended brake lines when you install these Dakars and shocks.

Also a good idea to change your Top-hats while you're working on your fronts. These are 13 years old and the holes were enlarged enough that I could feel some movement and clunking while I was driving and actually observe the shock rod off-center.

Old-Left (the inner rubber bushing was completely worn off and hole enlarged)
New -Right


Additional note of encouragement:
I do claim to be a fairly experienced off-road wheeler, going back a few decades. But I claim VERY LITTLE vehicle mechanical experience. When I installed my suspension, by myself, it was my first time ever and I believe I did a very good job. I think it's very doable for most average peeps, like me AND you. Just be safe.


My opinion on hyper-expensive reservoir shocks like Kings, Icons and ADS.
They have a great, comfortable ride (so I hear.) Get 'em if you can afford them. I couldn't.

I might reconsider if I feel that my current setup up is not working for my current kind of wheeling: Go-slow, easy, over rocks and through some water.

When I start to do some go-fast desert running, then maybe I'll go that route. That's when the remote reservoirs will shine because it's filled with lot's of oil and exposed to cool, moving air which will definitely help reduce shock fade.


Final note and I'll STFU on this post:
I like adding input and opinion based on MY experience and my personal research of what may work best for me. They might not work for others. Take my comments and suggestions as they are meant to be: Comments and suggestions.

 

Tired tires tires

That was you limiting factor the other day on BA.

Skids skids skids

I would get the ecg bushing for the front dr side. Less than 2 in you don't really need uca I don't believe. But your going to get more droop and better alignment
Jba standard and LR ucas around 400$

If you plan on a bumper and winch your going to want 700# springs

Buy5100 and upgrade later and you have a spare.

A Dakar pack is around 400$. But plenty of people run aal.

 

Wow nice post. Thanks for making me look bad.