Mars wrote:One man's trans leak is another's penetrating oil
Mars wrote:One man's trans leak is another's penetrating oil
I like my Alcans. They give my Waggy a ride that's just as good as any other car I have... probably even more comfortable than the Land Cruiser (60 series... 62 perhaps?) you had in Australia. In fact, I would say that the Waggy rides as well as my 80 series. I have a 2" lift but Bill at Alcan can make what ever you want. Just give him the specs. I have a 7 leaf setup in front and 6 leaf in the rear.rurcon wrote:I have a 3" lift on mine that rides like crap (lifted by previous owner). Springs in the front and blocks in the rear, so it must be that Rough Country kit. The springs in the rear must be original, and a bit saggy, because she was nearly an inch higher in the front with the 3" kit as is. Then I took out the bottom leafs in the front, to try and soften up the ride -- she dropped an inch or so (now just slightly lower than the rear), but still super stiff. The shocks are no good, which doesn't help, but new shocks won't soften stiff springs.
I know the solid axles will never allow a real smooth ride, but I drove an '89 land cruiser all over Australia, leaf-sprung front and rear, and the ride quality was an order of magnitude better than this truck :/
I'm ready to put a whole new suspension system on her. Can anyone recommend one that has decent ride quality? A smaller lift would be ideal, but she is primarily an on-road vehicle, so I could even consider going back to stock. That is, if the 31's would fit?
Thought I would post an update on my old thoughts on the Rustys lift. As stated above, I have the older model of Rustys springs, with less leaves, and not anti friction pads. I am now very happy with my lift. Its broken in a bit, but more importantly, I replaced the original shackle bushings, and this in its self made a HUGE improvement in ride quality. Paired with the 5100 Bilstein shocks, I am now very happy with this lift.RamJetFSJ wrote:I do believe Alcan does build the CURRENT BJs 2" lift springs, but you can also get custom Alcans w/ more leaves for a better ride, then what BJs offers (lower price, less leaves).
Ride is very subjective, so be careful what you read on the internet. A user may be going from a sagged stock spring sitting on the bump stops to a harsh riding RC lift, and think it rides just the same, but compare that to a Alcan built specifically for a smooth ride and it will be night and day, or to a new stock height spring. A brand new RC lift will ride harsher than one with a few thousand miles on it. Or one with a heavy front winch bumper. Plus, kits evolve over time, different leave counts, different manufacturers, different designs. My Rustys springs are very different than the current Rustys spring offerings, that everyone says rides good. And the state of the rest of your shackle bushings affect ride also, along with improper installation (torquing bolts without the weight of the car on them) can ruin the ride.
But from my experience, buy the best kit you can afford and be happy with it. It does make a difference to spend more, as you will get more. Springs with more leaves, better bushings etc, cost more to make.
If your looking for the best possible ride, get exact front and back weights on your rig, and contact Alcan or one of the other quality custom spring manufacturers, and tell them EXACTLY what you want. Not every spring that comes out of a custom spring shop is the same, as they will adjust the leave thickness and quantity to match your needs (ride quality, use, lift height, etc)