4cyl Suspension - Dobinsons Feedback Requested

I have a 2013 4x4 AC that is my daily driver. I drive ~30 miles round trip to work. ~3 miles of that is what the state calls an "unimproved" road. About once a year, the state runs a grader over the road and drops some gravel in the middle. In between the road can get pretty washed out and washboarded.

My shocks are ready for replacement and one of the factory leaves looks like it may have suffered from some axle wrap. I could hang some OEM replacement springs and Bilstein 4600s, but I was considering beefing things up a bit due to the road condition.

I've been eyeing the OME kit with 884s/dakars or the Dobinsons with C59-314/L59-110-R, and finding feedback on the Dobinsons has been tough.

Does anyone have experience with the Dobinsons on a 4cyl?
Is either leaf pack going to be better long term on a dusty, muddy, washboarded road?

Thanks in advance.

 

Suspension is suspension, regardless of the engine size, you'd probably have better luck in the suspension forum.

Personally I run dakars with a shackle flip and oversized shocks 12" travel to be specific, with tuned kings up front, @25 psi in the tires and 55mph on dirt roads she floats also an access cab

 

Didn't realize doninson was a snorkel brand. Never heard of them personally but I've also never looked at snorkels since installing my airflow snorkel almost 4 years ago



Again there was almost no info for this snorkel either in 4cyl application, I just made it work it was pretty easy actually the elbow fit over the air box inlet I just sealed the shit out of it

 

65 miles a month on unimproved roads is nothing. I do double that any given weekend in the sierras and most of those "roads" probably haven't seen a grader in decades and my Dakars and 884s on my 4 cyl access cab handle it like champs. Dropping tire pressure helps although you probably can't do much of that, maybe take a few PSI out to help. Expect a modest 1.75-2.25" up front lift. I did HDs in the rear and 5100s all around. The ride made my jaw drop it's so much better than stock. You can't go wrong.

 

Are you trying to improve the ride? I'm in a similar boat and I will probably choose a progressive shock coilover solution rather than the more common digressive shocks. Filthy Motorsports and accutune have some good articles/videos that explain some of it.

 

I was primarily wanting to replace my broken leaf spring with something a little beefier than stock without making the ride too stiff. I looked at a number of kits and combinations from Dobinsons, Deaver, OME, Ironman, and Icon. I’d planned on pairing Icons RXT leafs with Bilsteins and OME coils, but the RXTs were out of stock (and the broken leaf was becoming an issue). I ended up going full OME (884 + med Dakar’s) with JBA UCAs for good measure.

I spent about 3.5hrs on the interstate yesterday and it had a bit of a constant bounce in a few sections reminiscent of my short wheelbase Jeep Wrangler. Bigger bumps were handled nicely, and it never felt harsh. My normal back road driving is great. It handles as well as it ever did. There are a few spots on the dirt road where it is rougher than stock, but I’m not getting axle wrap or hop either. For the driving I do, I have no complaints.

As a side note, depending on mileage and how much salt your truck has seen, you might want to check the alignment bolts prior to tearing into the front end. Mine were seized on one side.