Need Feedback! Taller coil towers using 5.5" Cage lift springs to achieve a 3.5" lift

[Bb975d]

Need Feedback! Taller coil towers using 5.5" Cage lift springs to achieve a 3.5" lift

Does anyone have any feedback or experience using a 5.5 lift springs with an f250 tower or Duff tall tower to gain more travel but maintain a lower stance. I will be driving the truck on the road a bit and want to know if anyone has done this and if there is any downside to this. Would it be worth just going with a 3.5" lift. I am installing full widths, 1 ton tie rod over steering and extended radius arms as well. I don't like the tall truck look but want to have a good rig for the rubicon. It will be driven a lot on the freeway and around town. I guess I am am wondering if I can have the best of both worlds. Good crawler and good road truck.

My other option will be to see if someone wants to trade my installed but never used 5.5 cage lift with shocks springs drop bracket and coils for a 3.5" lift similar setup.

Thanks

 

[70_Steve]

Does anyone have any feedback or experience using a 5.5 lift springs with an f250 tower or Duff tall tower to gain more travel but maintain a lower stance. I will be driving the truck on the road a bit and want to know if anyone has done this and if there is any downside to this. Would it be worth just going with a 3.5" lift. I am installing full widths, 1 ton tie rod over steering and extended radius arms as well. I don't like the tall truck look but want to have a good rig for the rubicon. It will be driven a lot on the freeway and around town. I guess I am am wondering if I can have the best of both worlds. Good crawler and good road truck.

I did almost exactly what you described. I bought some 5.5 Cage coils when they first started up and had them on special! Always wondered what I'd do with them...

I built my own coil towers which are 2 1/2" taller than stock. Built my own shock hoops, now with Bilstein 7100's, to take full advantage of my 2" body lift. Also built Lars Bars that are 7" longer than stock. The objective was the same as you. Good off-road truck with the dropout of a 5.5" spring, but with good on-road manners.

I am very pleased with the results!

I came from a 2 1/2" WH suspension lift with stock radius arms and old-school Ranch 9000 5-way adjustable shocks. The Bronco handled very well, but the front end was definitely lacking some articulation.

I expected, and got, some additional body roll, but it's nothing that make me uncomfortable, and is easily controlled. The only thing I would have done differently is to have ordered the shocks with the 360/80 valving instead of the 275/78 valving. One of these days I'll revalve...

By comparison, when considering options for greater articulation, I went for a ride in... Monster Mike?s old Bronco he had here in Phoenix. He had installed a WAH from BC Broncos, keeping the stock radius arms, and always amazed the crowd at Bronco gatherings with his performance on the ramps. I was considering this, so I asked Mike to take me for a ride. Holy Crap, he scared the poop out of me going around some turns!!! I now have almost identical articulation to Mike's Bronco. I let Mike take my Bronco for a drive and he agreed that my Bronco has much better on-road manners.

The pic is just minutes after finishing the front suspension, running it up on the ramp to measure for shocks.

 

[Bb975d]

Wow, I could not have expected a more pleasing response. I too have a 2 1/2 half inch lift with the ranchos all around right now. I don't expect to drive on the road like a Cadillac but I definitely don't want to not be afraid if my wife decides to drive it around one day. With the valving you speak of will that take care of some of the body roll issue. The only difference in between ours would be my full widths no body lift and 37's. But I don't expect that to make a difference tracking down the road. Also, what was the extended length of shock you were using for your set up. Does your backend sit up a bit with the 4 1/2 leafs? I kind of like the rear sag look and eventually plan on putting a 23 gallon tank in with a bumper and tire carrier.

I did almost exactly what you described. I bought some 5.5 Cage coils when they first started up and had them on special! Always wondered what I'd do with them...

I built my own coil towers which are 2 1/2" taller than stock. Built my own shock hoops, now with Bilstein 7100's, to take full advantage of my 2" body lift. Also built Lars Bars that are 7" longer than stock. The objective was the same as you. Good off-road truck with the dropout of a 5.5" spring, but with good on-road manners.

I am very pleased with the results!

I came from a 2 1/2" WH suspension lift with stock radius arms and old-school Ranch 9000 5-way adjustable shocks. The Bronco handled very well, but the front end was definitely lacking some articulation.

I expected, and got, some additional body roll, but it's nothing that make me uncomfortable, and is easily controlled. The only thing I would have done differently is to have ordered the shocks with the 360/80 valving instead of the 275/78 valving. One of these days I'll revalve...

By comparison, when considering options for greater articulation, I went for a ride in... Monster Mike?s old Bronco he had here in Phoenix. He had installed a WAH from BC Broncos, keeping the stock radius arms, and always amazed the crowd at Bronco gatherings with his performance on the ramps. I was considering this, so I asked Mike to take me for a ride. Holy Crap, he scared the poop out of me going around some turns!!! I now have almost identical articulation to Mike's Bronco. I let Mike take my Bronco for a drive and he agreed that my Bronco has much better on-road manners.

The pic is just minutes after finishing the front suspension, running it up on the ramp to measure for shocks.

 

[70_Steve]

Wow, I could not have expected a more pleasing response. I too have a 2 1/2 half inch lift with the ranchos all around right now. I don't expect to drive on the road like a Cadillac but I definitely don't want to not be afraid if my wife decides to drive it around one day. With the valving you speak of will that take care of some of the body roll issue. The only difference in between ours would be my full widths no body lift and 37's. But I don't expect that to make a difference tracking down the road. Also, what was the extended length of shock you were using for your set up. Does your backend sit up a bit with the 4 1/2 leafs? I kind of like the rear sag look and eventually plan on putting a 23 gallon tank in with a bumper and tire carrier.

My wife drives mine and hasn't complained, about the ride that is... I don't really expect the revalving to help with the body roll. With the current valving, the front end is just a little more bouncy than I'd like, although I have to admit I haven't checked the nitrogen pressure since I installed them!!

I'm running the AK7112R, which have a 31.34 extended length and 19.61 collapsed length. They are the 12" regular body reservoir shock.

Yeah, didn't intend to go with 4 1/2" leaf springs, but I got a deal I couldn't pass up. Although my sig says 3 1/2" SL, it's actually dead on 3" in the front and 4 1/2" in the rear, so the back end does sit up a bit higher than the front. I'm thinking of building some longer rear shackles that should sit the back end down just a little further...

 

[Bb975d]

Looks like a nice rig. Do you have any side shots of it on level ground? I don't like bouncey too much so Ill check out that valving. Thanks for the great info. Glad someone knows exactly what Im into. Im going with the all4fun arms and duff coil towers. Might hang onto my 2.5 rear 11 leaf springs for a bit and see how it goes. When you welded the towers on did you reenforce it to the top of the frame at all or just welded it around all contact points?

My wife drives mine and hasn't complained, about the ride that is... I don't really expect the revalving to help with the body roll. With the current valving, the front end is just a little more bouncy than I'd like, although I have to admit I haven't checked the nitrogen pressure since I installed them!!

I'm running the AK7112R, which have a 31.34 extended length and 19.61 collapsed length. They are the 12" regular body reservoir shock.

Yeah, didn't intend to go with 4 1/2" leaf springs, but I got a deal I couldn't pass up. Although my sig says 3 1/2" SL, it's actually dead on 3" in the front and 4 1/2" in the rear, so the back end does sit up a bit higher than the front. I'm thinking of building some longer rear shackles that should sit the back end down just a little further...

 

[70_Steve]

Looks like a nice rig. Do you have any side shots of it on level ground? I don't like bouncey too much so Ill check out that valving. Thanks for the great info. Glad someone knows exactly what Im into. Im going with the all4fun arms and duff coil towers. Might hang onto my 2.5 rear 11 leaf springs for a bit and see how it goes. When you welded the towers on did you reenforce it to the top of the frame at all or just welded it around all contact points?

I built the coil towers out of 1/4" and put two gussets behind each coil tower to the top of the frame. I don't know that it needed all that.

If you're curious, here's a link to a bunch of pictures Motoman took as we rebuilt my front suspension. Big thanks to motoman (Greg) and JackHoleRacer (Vince) for all their help. I don't know how I'd have got it done without them.
http://www.emotoman.com/4x4/2012/steve/

 

[ntsqd]

With tons under it I'd bypass the Bils up front and go to some shocks with at least a 5/8" OD shaft (Bils are 14mm OD) as that heavy of an axle is going to need more damping. 360/80 is about the outer limit for 5100/7100 Bils, and for some it isn't enough. I suspect that you'll be in that category. Talk to Lee at Raceshock.com as he's got a valve stack worked out for Todd & Lars that I've watched work really, really well on the range from pavement to two tracks to "let's crawl over this ridge and see if we can find the road again".

 

[Bb975d]

Im only running the f150 axles. I do want to get some beefy shocks though. I will give Lee a call when I know what my lengths are. Thanks!

With tons under it I'd bypass the Bils up front and go to some shocks with at least a 5/8" OD shaft (Bils are 14mm OD) as that heavy of an axle is going to need more damping. 360/80 is about the outer limit for 5100/7100 Bils, and for some it isn't enough. I suspect that you'll be in that category. Talk to Lee at Raceshock.com as he's got a valve stack worked out for Todd & Lars that I've watched work really, really well on the range from pavement to two tracks to "let's crawl over this ridge and see if we can find the road again".

Great Pictures! The flex is great and your truck still has that perfect stance. I think Im gonna weld some gussets for extra insurance. Thanks again for all the info. Its put my mind at ease about what direction to go.

I built the coil towers out of 1/4" and put two gussets behind each coil tower to the top of the frame. I don't know that it needed all that.

If you're curious, here's a link to a bunch of pictures Motoman took as we rebuilt my front suspension. Big thanks to motoman (Greg) and JackHoleRacer (Vince) for all their help. I don't know how I'd have got it done without them.
http://www.emotoman.com/4x4/2012/steve/

 

[Bb975d]

How's it going? I am in the middle of putting together my set up we had talked about. One question I had was if I was not going with any body lift or with a 1" lbody lift what size shocks would you recommend?

I built the coil towers out of 1/4" and put two gussets behind each coil tower to the top of the frame. I don't know that it needed all that.

If you're curious, here's a link to a bunch of pictures Motoman took as we rebuilt my front suspension. Big thanks to motoman (Greg) and JackHoleRacer (Vince) for all their help. I don't know how I'd have got it done without them.
http://www.emotoman.com/4x4/2012/steve/

 

[70_Steve]

...what size shocks would you recommend?

I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending any particular size shock. Too many variables, especially when you start fabbing your own components. I put mine together as far as I could, then ran it up on a ramp so I could get collapsed and extended length measurements. That's the only way to be sure.

 

[Yeller]

When going with full width move the springs out as wide as possible and the body roll issues will all but go away and still retain flex