AHC Sensor Lift Notes

[bozncsurf]

My wife is running the ahc lift with slee coil spacers, bior diff drop, tech stream adjustments, and just wanted to recommend PFRAN's CV bands - cheap peace of mind for a quality preventative product.

I'd be interested in a group buy for the right price ???

 

[therealdutch]

I'd be in on a GB


Sent from my iPhone

 

[pkelly72]

I sent an email inquiring about a GB for the AHC spacers. When I get a reply, I'll start a new thread. Sorry for the hijack.

PK

 

[nutter]

No prob, ping me when you get details, I'd be interested in GB if price is right. Does anyone have pics of this product?

 

[bhicks]

No prob, ping me when you get details, I'd be interested in GB if price is right. Does anyone have pics of this product?

It's pouring rain but I will go out and snap some installed pics as soon as the weather clears up.

 

[bhicks]

The pics will have to wait until tomorrow. The rain never let up. I will snap them first thing in the morning.

 

[pkelly72]

AHC Spacers - Possible Group buy

group buy

 

[Broncoman]

I'm in

 

[AaronM33]

this thread should go in FAQ

 

[Ice cold]

I sent an email inquiring about a GB for the AHC spacers. When I get a reply, I'll start a new thread. Sorry for the hijack.

PK

Did you ever get a group buy together?

 

[kyle94109]

I completed an AHC sensor lift a few weeks ago and wanted to jot down a few notes for others interested in doing the same. Doing the lift was pretty straight-forward, I followed the instructions here: AHC Sensor Adjustment for Lift

A few things to note:

1. The thread says that maxing the adjustments will yield about 2"/1.75" front/rear lift. My measurements only yielded about 1.5"/1.5" front/rear after maxing all adjustments.
2. I did not have to add any AHC fluid. I was surprised by this, but tested both in normal and hi modes. I think I had overfilled slightly when I flushed it, so that may be the reason.
3. It took about 8 turns on the torsion bars to normalize my AHC pressures. I had previously installed a 30mm spacer in the rear, so that helped keep the rear in line.
4. The torsion bar adjustments took a while, as I'd get the pressures set, drive around the parking lot, re-test, and find I was under value when checking again.
5. Definitely get an alignment, as mine was pretty far off after the adjustments.
6. Ride is a little bit harsher, like I went up one on the sport/comfort dial. Still very comfy and much better than my 2000 4Runner.
7. I do think it is topping out coming off some bumps now. Not during regular driving, but over some speed bumps and also berms when off-roading. Not a big enough issue to worry about though.
8. Off-road, the extra clearance is definitely nice.
9. Hi mode still works, and is really now "Oh sh*t" mode, as I'm kind of thinking of it as an emergency get unstuck mode. I don't think I'll use it for most wheeling I do.
10. All-in-all, worth doing. If you are going to be adding significant weight to your rig, probably a swap to a traditional lift would be a better choice, but for a free lift on an otherwise stock rig, this can't be beat!

Thanks for posting, quick question.

If you perform this AHC lift, you can still raise the car into an even higher mode when off roading at lower speeds?

 

[nutter]

Thanks for posting, quick question.

If you perform this AHC lift, you can still raise the car into an even higher mode when off roading at lower speeds?

Yeah, high mode still works, and it's even higher than before.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks for posting, quick question.

If you perform this AHC lift, you can still raise the car into an even higher mode when off roading at lower speeds?

Sort of. The downside of this approach is that any lift you give it directly reduces droop. The suspension travel will decrease with a simple AHC sensor lift - not typically what you want from a lift.

To lift AHC "properly" you should be using the shock extension links. At least then you stand a chance of maintaining travel.

However, I argue this is still all just a fool's errand. If the stock AHC lift in H doesn't accomplish what you need on a trail, that extra 1.5-2" from the AHC sensor or link lift isn't going to do it either. Articulation is worth more and component reliability and longevity are worth considering. It's all best with the stock-ish AHC height.

 

[kyle94109]

Sort of. The downside of this approach is that any lift you give it directly reduces droop. The suspension travel will decrease with a simple AHC sensor lift - not typically what you want from a lift.

To lift AHC "properly" you should be using the shock extension links. At least then you stand a chance of maintaining travel.

However, I argue this is still all just a fool's errand. If the stock AHC lift in H doesn't accomplish what you need on a trail, that extra 1.5-2" from the AHC sensor or link lift isn't going to do it either. Articulation is worth more and component reliability and longevity are worth considering. It's all best with the stock-ish AHC height.

I bought the truck for longevity/reliability with the interest to do some off roading and slowly get into that hobby. Trying to keep my truck under the radar as much as possible, but make adjustments here and there to suit my lifestyle.

This was going to be my second question… what does it do to the car and is there a negative impact on the components. As longevity is far and away number 1 priority.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I bought the truck for longevity/reliability with the interest to do some off roading and slowly get into that hobby. Trying to keep my truck under the radar as much as possible, but make adjustments here and there to suit my lifestyle.

This was going to be my second question… what does it do to the car and is there a negative impact on the components. As longevity is far and away number 1 priority.

That statement means you should leave it as is. Easy choice, IMO.

Lifting AHC does the following:

1. Worsens on road performance and lessens your tipover angle for tippy trails. This is not trivial. Scroll through here and the facebook group and you will find plenty of rolled 100 series. Raising center of gravity doesn't help.
2. Reduces droop/articulation.
3. Wears CVs more. How much is up for debate, but it's objectively more stress on the joints and boots.
4. Wears bushings in all the control arms unless you reset the clocking of each bushing.
5. Harshens the ride in most cases between pressure changes and increased likelihood of hitting the shock extension limits.

From a performance standpoint, you want the least lift you can get away with.

 

[kyle94109]

That statement means you should leave it as is. Easy choice, IMO.

Lifting AHC does the following:

1. Worsens on road performance and lessens your tipover angle for tippy trails. This is not trivial. Scroll through here and the facebook group and you will find plenty of rolled 100 series. Raising center of gravity doesn't help.
2. Reduces droop/articulation.
3. Wears CVs more. How much is up for debate, but it's objectively more stress on the joints and boots.
4. Wears bushings in all the control arms unless you reset the clocking of each bushing.
5. Harshens the ride in most cases between pressure changes and increased likelihood of hitting the shock extension limits.

From a performance standpoint, you want the least lift you can get away with.

Thanks for the thoughtful response, yep I’ll abandon this idea.

I was initially concerned about the AHC and turned it off (the get out of the car lowering) and there’s another button where you can disable the up and down movement while driving.

Tbh just driving on windy roads, to/from beach thru a paved coastal range, I found the cAr shifting up and down while driving to be distracting.

I was also slightly concerned that this system might break and be an expensive repair. This thread diminishes that concern.

Do others disable the AHC or is that what that button does?

 

[hoser]

However, I argue this is still all just a fool's errand. If the stock AHC lift in H doesn't accomplish what you need on a trail, that extra 1.5-2" from the AHC sensor or link lift isn't going to do it either. Articulation is worth more and component reliability and longevity are worth considering. It's all best with the stock-ish AHC height.

Every time you are in this situation, where one rear wheel is lifting, the shock extension bracket would be helpful. At this point, you could also lower the the height to N mode and that might help. But this is not even an obstacle, you're just driving along the trail and having difficulty with an uneven surface.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, yep I’ll abandon this idea.

I was initially concerned about the AHC and turned it off (the get out of the car lowering) and there’s another button where you can disable the up and down movement while driving.

Tbh just driving on windy roads, to/from beach thru a paved coastal range, I found the cAr shifting up and down while driving to be distracting.

I was also slightly concerned that this system might break and be an expensive repair. This thread diminishes that concern.

Do others disable the AHC or is that what that button does?

Do you have a 570? You're in the 470 section. I think my notes still apply for the 570, but I was typing with the 470 in mind.

 

[nutter]

I think the points above made about longevity and articulation are accurate, however, I'd argue that if your main concern is longevity you probably don't want to modify your vehicle nor take it offroad at all. And if you really need the extra articulation, then a true lift with longer shocks is your best bet.

I've been quite pleased with this "free" lift after having it for 6 years now. The extra clearance is nice in that I don't have to worry much about moderate obstacles and I rarely engage high mode now. As for articulation, it still seems pretty good to me. Plus if you're running 33s, it just looks much more proportional. Here are a couple of recent pictures showing articulation in normal mode: