How to Improve Dirt Road Ride? (1 Viewer)

[Ben Whipple]

Morning Gents!
After recently moving to Ketchum, ID I have found myself driving on more dirt/gravel roads than pavement. My '75 FJ40 can tackle any off road/trail type of riding I am comfortable throwing at it but when I get on a dirt road it is violent. Any kind of washboard in the road give me fear that everything in the vehicle will be shaken to the shearing point. What would you suggest to improve the dirt road ride? I am willing to sacrifice trail performance for a less violent ride to the trailheads here. See pics of current set-up here: FJ40 Suspension

4" lift with Rancho shocks.

 

[allan man]

Air down your tires
Bilstein 5150 shocks , 255/70 valving

If still to stiff for you...remove one leaf spring from each pack 3 or 4th from the bottom iirc.Good luck hth.

 

[reddingcruiser]

Ditch the Rancho RS 5000 shocks and go with Bilstein gas shocks.

 

[Ben Whipple]

Ditch the Rancho RS 5000 shocks and go with Bilstein gas shocks.

Is there anything I need to take into consideration concerning the 4" lift when shopping for shock upgrades?

 

[Ben Whipple]

Air down your tires
Bilstein 5150 shocks , 255/70 valving

If still to stiff for you...remove one leaf spring from each pack 3 or 4th from the bottom iirc.Good luck hth.

Just aired down the tires from ~60psi to 40psi... holy s***. I cannot believe I have gone the last year without doing this simple adjustment. The Toyos show max PSI of 65 but no minimum. Any ideas on how low is safe/advisable?
How involved is removing the leaf? Something I could do? (for context my biggest self preformed project so far was replacing the fuel pump)

 

[reddingcruiser]

One of the best thing I ever did was contact Bilstein's tech department and talk to Junior. He knows his stuff when it comes to off-road applications for Bilstein shocks in situations that are not stock. He understands valving, travel, weight distribution, engine torque, etc.

 

[Ben Whipple]

One of the best thing I ever did was contact Bilstein's tech department and talk to Junior. He knows his stuff when it comes to off-road applications for Bilstein shocks in situations that are not stock. He understands valving, travel, weight distribution, engine torque, etc.

Thanks for the suggestion! IYO where does Bilstein fall in line as far as price? Premium? Best Buy?

Cheers

 

[Tools R Us]

Just aired down the tires from ~60psi to 40psi... holy s***. I cannot believe I have gone the last year without doing this simple adjustment. ...

Try ~18 psi.

 

[reddingcruiser]

IIRC, they were under $90 each. Bilstein doesn't sell direct so I bought them from Summit Racing, so shipping was free.

My rig is SOA, with custom mounts, making for decidedly non-stock dimensions between the mounting locations. Bilstein was great at working out the travel and finding the right shocks.

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi all,

Ben google "chalk test for tires." This test can help determine the correct pressure for the tires taking into consideration the weight of the vehicle, and also even-out tread wear.

After seeing the photo of the rear shackles on your rig in your other thread I agree about removing a leaf from each rear spring pack. The spring shackles should not be vertical in orientation, but angled closer to about 45 degrees.

Removing a leaf from the spring pack requires removing the center bolt that holds the pack together. Buy a pair of new spring pack center bolts - the current ones are likely not in good shape, and may need to be cut off for removal. Get a couple "C" clamps, use these to hold the spring pack together while removing the center bolt. Then slowly open-up the "C" clamps to release the spring pressure. The clamps will be useful during reassembly.

Good luck,

Alan

 

[Fast Eddy]

I have Bilsteins and washboards roads still suck the suck. IMO it's the nature of leaf-spring suspension. Get an 80-series or a Tacoma for washboard road duty.

 

[dancar]

Just aired down the tires from ~60psi to 40psi... holy s***. I cannot believe I have gone the last year without doing this simple adjustment. The Toyos show max PSI of 65 but no minimum. Any ideas on how low is safe/advisable?
How involved is removing the leaf? Something I could do? (for context my biggest self preformed project so far was replacing the fuel pump)

Ben,

Check out the 4psi rule on the interweb - valuable for you in your quest to find the correct tire pressure

Dan

 

[Unoman]

Speed up, drive faster and get your tires on top of the washboards.

 

[Ben Whipple]

T

Speed up, drive faster and get your tires on top of the washboards.

HA, this was the first thing I tried!!!

 

[Ben Whipple]

Ben,

Check out the 4psi rule on the interweb - valuable for you in your quest to find the correct tire pressure

Dan

This is a no go since I work from home. No way I am driving aimlessly around for an hour in my 40 for multiple days! thanks for the advise though, seems like a very logical way to narrow down the right pressure.

 

[Ben Whipple]

Hi all,

Ben google "chalk test for tires." This test can help determine the correct pressure for the tires taking into consideration the weight of the vehicle, and also even-out tread wear.

After seeing the photo of the rear shackles on your rig in your other thread I agree about removing a leaf from each rear spring pack. The spring shackles should not be vertical in orientation, but angled closer to about 45 degrees.

Removing a leaf from the spring pack requires removing the center bolt that holds the pack together. Buy a pair of new spring pack center bolts - the current ones are likely not in good shape, and may need to be cut off for removal. Get a couple "C" clamps, use these to hold the spring pack together while removing the center bolt. Then slowly open-up the "C" clamps to release the spring pressure. The clamps will be useful during reassembly.

Good luck,

Alan

I like the look of this test much more than the "4 psi Rule"

 

[DSRTRDR]

Try ~18 psi.

/this\

 

[B y r o n]

In looking at the pictures it appears that there is one more leaf in the rear springs. This might indicate a heavier load pack which should be on the front instead of the rear. Is it possible the springs are on the wrong end of your rig?

I couldn't tell the size of the tires by agree with airing down the tires.

 

[tls3601]

I have Rancho's too with a 3" reverse shackle lift from Man-A-Fre, they are VERY stiff. I want Bilsteins. I also ran my pressure way too high, go to 18 then maybe 15. I have 33X15X12.5 and have decided to go to 15..........its a freaken revelation in ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just remember to air up again for pavement and dont turn or corner too hard or drive fast with the low pressure............slow and easy.

 

[Ben Whipple]

I have Rancho's too with a 3" reverse shackle lift from Man-A-Fre, they are VERY stiff. I want Bilsteins. I also ran my pressure way too high, go to 18 then maybe 15. I have 33X15X12.5 and have decided to go to 15..........its a freaken revelation in ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just remember to air up again for pavement and dont turn or corner too hard or drive fast with the low pressure............slow and easy.

I have aired down to 30 and it is amazingly better. I really dont see the need to do anything more, its that good! Do you guys think 30 is OK for pavement and dirt road?