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- #381
Woody is running the 50mm HD kit.
80 series Slinky/ICON Long Travel Suspension officially coming to the U.S.A.
- Thread starter GW Nugget
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This couldn't have anything to do with lowering your truck and its center of gravity by several inches, could it? Going from J springs to J/heavy made mine feel a lot more stable, predictable, etc. too.
From what I've seen of the rigs running the Slinky setup, they aren't utilizing anywhere near the full length of the shocks anyway, so I'm not sure it's from any kind of extra down travel. A case could be made for the shock valving helping out, but I'm not so sure about that either because we would be talking about a lot of extra valving, probably to the point that the oil wouldn't flow through the shock fast enough to stay cool and not fatigue.
My money is on you lowering your rig when you switched, but touting a seat-of-the-pants feeling is not going to offer any kind of conclusive evidence either way, so it's rather pointless to attribute it to something as specific as coil design. Way too many factors to know that for certain.
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There's pictures of it out there on mud which can be found via search. I don't think the exotic suspension crowd would like my pile of crap polluting their thread with poser shots.
Besides, I was told by Darren himself that my setup, specifically my choice of radius arms, does not work so surely my rig can't be a good example.
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It seems there are a few people on here making speculations about how the dual rate setup isn't needed and doesn't provide enough of a difference to matter. I wonder if they have ever driven an 80 with the newer dual rate designs ? If you don't want to make the switch no problem there. But unless you have tried them out you are doing nothing but speculating. Heck, I ran arguably the most popular of the linear rate coils for at least 5 years before I switched. Given enough time I can also cut a brick with a butter knife. It doesn't mean that its the best way.
I will say this about it, I don't run the Icon or AutoCraft setup. I run a competitors dual rate. I recently switched coils only, left the entire rest of the setup minus a fresh steering stabilizer. My goal was to evaluate just the coils and what difference they would make. After running it on the Kokopelli, White rim, and down Moab this last week I am nothing but impressed. There is a noticeable difference in just what the coils do for the ride.
I will say this about it, I don't run the Icon or AutoCraft setup. I run a competitors dual rate. I recently switched coils only, left the entire rest of the setup minus a fresh steering stabilizer. My goal was to evaluate just the coils and what difference they would make. After running it on the Kokopelli, White rim, and down Moab this last week I am nothing but impressed. There is a noticeable difference in just what the coils do for the ride.
I wish we could get a few people here that had some firsthand experience with Slinkys compared to other popular suspensions like OME. Hmmm that would be helpful.
@richardillard1 you have some firsthand experience with the Slinkys right?? Oh wait, you don't.
but you can. Instead of making poor assumptions based on what you read and think, go run a trail or two with someone that has Slinkys. Or better yet, get some for yourself and then come back and give the feedback. I know many would appreciate hearing from more people with actual experience. You're always welcome to come ride with me and see what you think.From my actual experience along with what I hear from everyone else that actually has the Slinkys, the feedback has been virtually identical and mutually confirming. That consistency says something dontcha think?
The bad behavior I talked about with my OME's has very little to do with center of gravity. The Slinkys are nearly the exact same height as the OME Js. Yes I also had coil spacers but I didn't always. The strange behavior of the springs unloading happened with and without the spacers.
You said you changed from Js to J/heavy. The spring rate is the same between the J and the heavy, the only difference being and additional ~1" of free height with the J spring. You also said it "felt" more stable, but criticized me for a "seat of the pants" review. Pot, meet kettle.
Honestly you should try to at least go for a ride in a truck with Slinkys. Your skepticism about the shocks or coils will go away pretty quickly. I know it has for the people who have ridden with me.
I didn't think my OMEs were bad when I had them. I didn't really have complaints and the weird behavior was something I was used to and figured was just part of how a lifted truck performed.
Once you try something with a better design and performance that's when you realize how significant the shortcomings were with what you were used to.
I'm just giving you a hard time, so don't take it personally. I enjoy the discussion.
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- #386
That is to bad the Superflex arms have such a bad reputation here in the USA. Personally, I have only seen a few other rigs drop out a tire as much as yours. I would say it has to do with freedom of movement the arms give plus length of shocks your rig has. I have been very curious of the Superflex arms & just might go that direction in the future.
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- #387
If OME, Slinky, Icon, Dobinson, TuffDog & Tour Flex kits were all 3" & the same price I'm sure our conversations would be much different. Is the resistance to the Slinky kits the price or performance? I believe it's the price.
I can understand that. It's not priced to be sold at Walmart.
A Jeep Renegade might get you down the trail too but it won't be the same experience.
Not everyone will *need* or justify the cost of a high end suspension, in the same way not everyone can justify a BMW M3 for commuting to work. So if someone chooses something less expensive and it satisfies their needs, that's cool. But for someone looking for the best possible performance from a bolt on suspension, then there is going to be a higher cost associated with it.
I wish we could get a few people here that had some firsthand experience with Slinkys compared to other popular suspensions like OME. Hmmm that would be helpful.
@richardillard1 you have some firsthand experience with the Slinkys right?? Oh wait, you don't.
From my actual experience along with what I hear from everyone else that actually has the Slinkys, the feedback has been virtually identical and mutually confirming. That consistency says something dontcha think?
The bad behavior I talked about with my OME's has very little to do with center of gravity. The Slinkys are nearly the exact same height as the OME Js. Yes I also had coil spacers but I didn't always. The strange behavior of the springs unloading happened with and without the spacers.
You said you changed from Js to J/heavy. The spring rate is the same between the J and the heavy, the only difference being and additional ~1" of free height with the J spring. You also said it "felt" more stable, but criticized me for a "seat of the pants" review. Pot, meet kettle.
Honestly you should try to at least go for a ride in a truck with Slinkys. Your skepticism about the shocks or coils will go away pretty quickly. I know it has for the people who have ridden with me.
I didn't think my OMEs were bad when I had them. I didn't really have complaints and the weird behavior was something I was used to and figured was just part of how a lifted truck performed.
Once you try something with a better design and performance that's when you realize how significant the shortcomings were with what you were used to.
I'm just giving you a hard time, so don't take it personally. I enjoy the discussion.
I'm one who can testify to experiencing the Slinky and OME differences. I've enjoyed the discussions here and don't have a dog in the fight nor pretend to know all the physics or engineering in play with our rigs. However, I was on the 2016 Cruise Moab run with Darrin, Justin, Woody and Adam. All had Slinky, I had/have OME J's/Heavy setup and still do. Oh, and BTW I'm the one riding shotgun in Woody's and Darrin's rigs in some of the pics in TCT article and on the Redline website
. I rode in both a stage 1 and stage 4 setup. I too was not all that unhappy with my OME setup but it is aging and I have become used to the ride and characteristics we all know and "love". I have to say the difference in control and confidence the Slinky setup give IS impressive. While I did all same trails and obstacles, It was the ride and control that was the most impressive. I'm sure the longer travel would be more evident in some situations. I am on 35's and locked so probably overcomes some travel limitations as well.
So why haven't I switched? Well for me, as with others on this thread it really comes down to priority and cost. I have a long list of mods/updates for my rig. I also have 2 other cruisers that have a similar list. So, what to do next with my cruiser budget is a constant exercise in ROI. I suspect I will switch out my suspension for a Slinky....the question is when? It is moving up in priority as I knock off other items however the cost is a factor. Maybe there will be an awesome sale or something else that will bump up my ROI in the near future....I can only hope
Bottom line - If you have the funds, I don't think you will be disappointed in the engineering and performance.... My 2cents
@Box Rocket what shocks are you running with your Slinky setup ?
The Slinky/Icon Stage 1 2.0 IFP shocks. But hopefully have some of the Stage 4's on the way soon.
I went with OME Js because of all the delays and trouble people had getting the right product. Like I mentioned in a post before, I would rather give my money to a vendor who can keep stock on their shelves. If these guys are the exclusive dealer then they should have done better to keep them in stock.
If they get to that point in the future, then maybe I will get a set. Till then the OMEs will do great for sitting in trafficin LA
It's been a slow start at Redline for sure but it appears to be smoothing out and should continue to get better. I've heard talk of picking up a couple new dealers too so that could help.
I'm excited for it to get easier for people to get a hold of kits. I like seeing what others do with their trucks so it will be cool to see how more people respond to these kits when they get them.
I'm excited for it to get easier for people to get a hold of kits. I like seeing what others do with their trucks so it will be cool to see how more people respond to these kits when they get them.
Just so it's out there and in the "official" Slinky thread. It seems like most people are running the 75mm kit. Due to the height of my wife... and my garage out here in New England, I am really starting to get more interested in the 50mm option. I read @GW Nugget 's build and he gave some really great, detailed pictures and impressions of his 75mm kit. Does anyone have a 50mm kit that would be willing to share some impressions of the springs/shock with pictures of what the travel looks like? Also, can anyone confirm if the 50mm kit uses the same or different shocks as the 75mm kit? I'd just like to have as much information documented as possible.
This is not a very technical post but my garage is 7' and currently the 80 with 4" slee springs with 315s fits with inches to spare. Heck, I even have a set of Thule bars on top of the roof too. Just another data point for ya!
Then there was the time I ran into the garage header with the Thule box on top but we don't need to talk about that.....
like me
i started in the nuclearmarshmallow with ome 50mm lift and ome n springs both with and without sway bars. i went to slee 4" springs and ome shocks when i went up to 315s because they rubbed with the ome. the ride was more "floppy" with omes and the slees seem to stiffen it up a bit and made cornering much nicer. i had no sway bars with the slee on the marshmallow. the marshmallow tipped the scales somewhere around 7200 pounds. the stiff ride was nice, but i did get a lot of spring clunking and jarring feeling when i wheeled at higher speeds and in flexy dropoff situations.
i transferred the slee 4" + new ome shocks to fat bastard when i began parting the marshmallow and ran them with front and rear sway bars and front disconnects. i went to slinky coils and rear shocks a few months ago and was immediately impressed with the ride over things like train tracks. i finally got a chance last month to wheel with it when i went out with the trailsoffroad.com crew to map a bunch of trails. we needed to get a lot done, so running the dirt sections at 40-50mph was very comfortable.
i have not had a lot opportunity to really flex it out yet as the trails we were running were all fairly mild. there were a two spots that were flexy, but we were in a hurry, so no time to get out and inspect everything, but no jarring feelings at all. it is a lot softer in the tippy squishy kind of way, like the omes were. i currently am running no front sway bar and a whiteline hd rear bar.
so far my only complaints are it's squeaky as hell, but adam tells me someone else had the same issue and it has since quieted down, and i get bucking on concrete stretches of road (anyone who drives crewcab long bed pickups knows what i'm talking about), but i'm hoping that the mixed shocks are the issue there. the fronts have been on backorder, so i was still running my ome shocks up front. Treeroot has my front shocks in his car now, so i'll get those on this weekend and hopefully all will be well again.
I spoke with one of the gentlemen at Redline cruisers I haven't heard back yet. They said shipment is coming in 3 weeks. They should have stock. I spoke with icon also I turn shock rods purple sometimes blow the seals. The shocks are made here in USA all shocks are made here an shipped out. The good news is all the service an parts are here in USA I never seen this noted. I read over the forum appears Autocraft has got the shocks down to a science they are prioritized to Autocraft an can only be purchased thru there venders or Redline cruisers at this time, icon builds them for them. no problem I respect that. The price is hurting me Im currently only interseted in slinkys springs at this time. Due to build cost an being able to just drive i just ordered toyos complete everything for my axles rings an pionions axles adds up. Redline said not a problem with solo springs. So that leaves us with the shock price an other options. What is needed is detailed individually components priced from Redline along with complete up an down travel specs from Autocraft, for those who already have shocks or prefer a different vender such as radflo fox or icon in house USA shocks which a lot of us have. Im not interested in ccv valving i still dont want it even if it was free. I have to have 2.5 an reservoir. If I loose a little shock travel over price Im fine with that the USA icon spec shocks are around 2000.00 0 to 3 and 4 to 6 no ccv. whats the price of Autocraft 4 shocks 2.5 reservoir with no ccv? Im not trying steal Darrens design just reduce my cost. the coils are everything its a dual rate spring in one, you would still get the travel just not a adjustable ride an auto crafts in house damping an possible 100 percent cycle due to different shock sizing. Im fine with icon usa or others for cost reduction. Im still interested in the other items spacers bumps stops caster just a different day. Im willing to pay a little extra for Autocrafts design but with out adjustment an 2.5 with reservoir. I was quoted 3800.00 springs shocks an springs separate around 6 to 7 hundred old emu are 3ish hundred for set i will pay for the springs but shocks 3100. nah i will use icons 2000. that wlil put me at 26 2700.00. I can hanndle that. Whats price of sway bars also. I would like some feed back on the 50mm an 75mm with loads from other mud members please an any droop due to load what measurements are afterwards an scpacer options along with max spacer options from redline. More detail is needed before I purchase. I cant just keep buying things an trying others. Kits arent always the answer eathier. I came out on this forum topic becuase I think these are great questions many of us have and im interestd an in market for supension.
Are the slinky's a 2.5 shock? Icon's website says their shocks for the 80 are 2.0's. I may have finally found the difference between the two!
And I agree, for consumers, it's the price that's turning folks away. When compared with 4WU 3 link kit, you start wondering what you're getting for your investment. If money was no issue, well a lot of things could be done and said. But like everyone else, I'm on a budget with a goal in mind. I love the slinky reviews, but cost is definitely a deterrent!
And I agree, for consumers, it's the price that's turning folks away. When compared with 4WU 3 link kit, you start wondering what you're getting for your investment. If money was no issue, well a lot of things could be done and said. But like everyone else, I'm on a budget with a goal in mind. I love the slinky reviews, but cost is definitely a deterrent!
Are you suggesting you can 3 link the front of an 80 for what it costs to do the stage 1 kit from Redline ?
not even close. according to the website, the 3link builder kit is $1935, but only includes brackets hardware and links. no bumpstop stuff, no coilovers, no brake lines, no sway bar extensions, no shop supplies for cutting/grinding/welding. and no labor for the folks that don't have the ability to do the install. the 50mm intermediate slinky kit comes complete, springs, shocks, brakelines, extended bumpstops, swaybar extensions for $40 more than the 4wu cheap kit.