AHC spacers? Sensor lift? Both?

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aaronrules

aaronrules

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I've been chasing down rabbit holes for the last hour or so. My question is this:

Will the AHC spacers provide any lift by themselves? Also where can I get a set of spacers?

If so, can that lift be combined with the sensor lift?

How can I measure the AHC pressures after all the lifting is done since I can't get the techstream cable/software I got off of Amazon to work?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to scrap the AHC and get Slee lift with diff drop?

Guide me oh wise ones!
 
It helps to understand how the AHC system works. The car is supported by two systems, each splitting a portion of the load: 1) Coil spring 2) AHC hydraulic strut.

The suspension height is controlled by variable hydraulic pressure in the AHC system/strut. It determines the right pressure and height by way of the height sensor.

So if you add an coil spacer (what I think you're calling an AHC spacer), this just causes more of the load to be supported by the coil spring. The AHC pressure will adapt with less pressure to reach normal ride height.

You can lift without anything, by just adjusting the height sensors so the system things normal is higher up. Just note that this will cause the AHC system to bear more of the weight. This is because a higher ride height will cause the coil spring to relax more.

I personally would never scrap AHC. It's ability to dial in the right dampening, height, and ride for just about every road or offroad condition is unmatched. Not even close. A normal suspension such as slee will only be ideal under certain conditions. Sure it's far simplier so if that's your thing, then that's potentially a good solution for you.
 
The spacers I'm talking about are from this thread:

AHC Spacers - Possible Group buy

I agree that the ride with AHC is nice. But I'll be honest, I don't feel a huge different in ride quality whenever I switch from comfort to sport.
 
I think @aaronrules is referencing the japan4x4 shock actuator extension brackets that someone felt the need to mention in his "do I bleed before or after sensor lift" thread and not rear coil spacers. Could be wrong though. And the short answer is @aaronrules - neither shock extension spacers or rear coil spacers provide "lift" - your height sensor settings determine the vehicle's actual front and rear heights. The former assists in normalizing shock stroke length on max lifted AHC vehicles and the latter assists in keeping rear neutral pressures lower which is very desirable at both normal heights and especially important in lifted applications where pressures can get way way too high.

Without Techstream or a gauge with adapters to screw into the front and rear damper actuators to measure pressures you will have to rely on very extensive trial and error torsion bar adjusting. For the rears, if you can't read pressures, then you'd probably - and i emphasis probably - be best served by fitting AHC King coils and 30mm coil spacers and see how that goes. Suck it and see, based on final lifted height and any additional weights. Tuning the system via pressure readings after lifting or adding weight eliminates all the guess work.

As a rough rule of thumb for stock weight/height if you raise the front 1in via sensor adjustment then you increase the front pressure by 2.2MPa which has to be negated and the rear goes up 0.6MPa per inch (iirc) which also needs to be compensated if you want any semblance of normal damping response at your new "raised N" height.
 
aaronrules said:
I've been chasing down rabbit holes for the last hour or so. My question is this:

Will the AHC spacers provide any lift by themselves? Also where can I get a set of spacers?

If so, can that lift be combined with the sensor lift?

How can I measure the AHC pressures after all the lifting is done since I can't get the techstream cable/software I got off of Amazon to work?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to scrap the AHC and get Slee lift with diff drop?

Guide me oh wise ones!
Click to expand...
You can get the spacers for the front and use Springs in the back. Search DirtDawg he has a thread on it. It is cheaper than ditching the ahc.
You really need to read some more and think it out. How will you use the truck etc. If I had to have 2.5 inches of lift I would ditch the ahc . The ahc is a great system very versatile, comfortable, and gives you clearance when you need it. Giving it up is a big compromise to some of us.

Understanding how the system works and understanding the limitations of our front suspension with a lift is really a good learning experience. Without fully understanding you may regret any modification you make.
 
I think I mostly get it. But I really understand a "normal" suspension. I also understand that sensor lifts, and other AHC modifications will have to prematurely wear the system out. I'm a little weary of having to fix anything going wrong in the AHC. I wheeled my last LX pretty good and it has the AHC ripped out by the previous owner. I was ok with the ride. I didn't buy this rig to a super comfortable kinda capable off road truck. I bought to be able to turn off the road anytime anywhere and be confident in doing just about anything.
 
I did the spacer lift w/ king coils following DirtDawgs experience, ride is great and I like that you can fine tune the height and rake to your liking. Rides great.
 
aaronrules said:
I think I mostly get it. I also understand that sensor lifts, and other AHC modifications will have to prematurely wear the system out.
Click to expand...
Adjusting the AHC to a higher N height doesn't prematurely wear the system out as such. What's detrimental to the system is running too high neutral pressures for too long, not regularly changing out the fluid and not compensating for the increase in neutral pressures due to additional height (i.e. Sensor lift) or significant extra weight ~ i.e. too high neutral pressures.
Any other affects (real or imagined) on CVs and boots aren't just limited to AHC vehicles.
 
aaronrules said:
I've been chasing down rabbit holes for the last hour or so. My question is this:

Will the AHC spacers provide any lift by themselves? Also where can I get a set of spacers?

If so, can that lift be combined with the sensor lift?

How can I measure the AHC pressures after all the lifting is done since I can't get the techstream cable/software I got off of Amazon to work?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to scrap the AHC and get Slee lift with diff drop?

Guide me oh wise ones!
Click to expand...
Lift is achieved through adjustment of the height sensors. The AHC spacers only function to put the "shocks" back within their normal range of travel after the sensor lift. They don't offer any lift on their own.

Keep trying with the Techstream cable, or use a mechanical gauge to read pressures.

Unless you start replacing lots of AHC components, retrofitting a standard suspension will be more expensive.

On a side note, I personally don't see any real benefit for MOST people in ditching the AHC in favor of regular springs and shocks. It's like switching from EFI back to a carburetor because it's simpler and easier to do trail repairs. Or saying that the EFI system is somehow faulty because the injectors are dirty, seals are blown and the fuel pump is dying, and replacing it with a carb instead of fixing the system. The AHC offers many advantages both on and off-road over standard springs/shocks for MOST users, and modifications can be done easily and effectively if you take the time to understand the system.
 
I have a coil spacers, spring spacers, a sensor lift, and Slee diff drop (I run 295/70's with virtually no rubbing)...and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than scrapping it entirely.

I went with these mods so that my AHC wouldn't wear out prematurely. It's running at normal spec, but yet I'm about 2.5" taller (on N).
 
mgoblue said:
I have a coil spacers, spring spacers, a sensor lift, and Slee diff drop (I run 295/70's with virtually no rubbing)...and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than scrapping it entirely.

I went with these mods so that my AHC wouldn't wear out prematurely. It's running at normal spec, but yet I'm about 2.5" taller (on N).
Click to expand...

Curious what you mean by coil spacers and spring spacers. Those are the same thing in my book?
 
I'm not sure I see any benefit in raising the front end of our ifs. All anything does is put the front end closer to the top of suspension travel. It's not a lift it's ride height adjustment. Any tire size that is run will fall prey to the same geometry no matter what. If it rubs stock height it will rub with the ride height adjusted, not as often, but it will rub. For those that need the extra clearance of a 35 inch tire off road I understand the thinking but, that is a scant few and it comes at a big price.
Repositioning the ahc puts it in a position to repeatedly top out as rebound damping is an issue with the system. Don't get me wrong people say ride is good and all but it takes the vehicle out of its intended geometry and sweet spot for travel.

I think most do it for looks because I would not classify it as a performance upgrade.
 
JayM said:
I'm not sure I see any benefit in raising the front end of our ifs. All anything does is put the front end closer to the top of suspension travel. It's not a lift it's ride height adjustment. Any tire size that is run will fall prey to the same geometry no matter what. If it rubs stock height it will rub with the ride height adjusted, not as often, but it will rub. For those that need the extra clearance of a 35 inch tire off road I understand the thinking but, that is a scant few and it comes at a big price.
Repositioning the ahc puts it in a position to repeatedly top out as rebound damping is an issue with the system. Don't get me wrong people say ride is good and all but it takes the vehicle out of its intended geometry and sweet spot for travel.

I think most do it for looks because I would not classify it as a performance upgrade.
Click to expand...
Repositioning the AHC still doesn't top it out. The AHC shocks have longer travel than the LC shocks. I've run 2.5" lifted with the shock spacers, without, and am now sitting at 1.5" with no AHC spacers in the front. No issues on any of my setups.
 
DirtDawg said:
Repositioning the AHC still doesn't top it out. The AHC shocks have longer travel than the LC shocks. I've run 2.5" lifted with the shock spacers, without, and am now sitting at 1.5" with no AHC spacers in the front. No issues on any of my setups.
Click to expand...
I follow you DD. Just saying raising front ride height decreases the amount of rebound travel so after a harder compression the more likely to top out the suspension. Repositioning the shock keeps it from topping out but, puts that stress elsewhere. Like driving over a big bump or super speed bump with the ahc in high usually results in a top out. The stock shocks just can't handle the damping with the reduced top end travel. Doing the same obstacle in neutral results in full range articulation without top out. May not be a huge issue but, it's still a compromise I would not make for the return.

Just throwing this side out to give the OP something to think about. As I grow older my acceptable level of modification returns has become rather stingy.
 
JayM said:
I'm not sure I see any benefit in raising the front end of our ifs. All anything does is put the front end closer to the top of suspension travel. It's not a lift it's ride height adjustment. Any tire size that is run will fall prey to the same geometry no matter what. If it rubs stock height it will rub with the ride height adjusted, not as often, but it will rub. For those that need the extra clearance of a 35 inch tire off road I understand the thinking but, that is a scant few and it comes at a big price.
Repositioning the ahc puts it in a position to repeatedly top out as rebound damping is an issue with the system. Don't get me wrong people say ride is good and all but it takes the vehicle out of its intended geometry and sweet spot for travel.

I think most do it for looks because I would not classify it as a performance upgrade.
Click to expand...

Yes, unless you go long travel, there's really no getting around the geometry of IFS. However, this is true regardless of whether you go with AHC or traditional suspension setups. Personally, I think the stock suspension height is just dandy and wouldn't want to ride around 2" higher all the time, but I like that I can lift it that much at the touch of a button. I think the best route is to go with no lift or a small (~ 1/2") sensor lift, the largest tires that work for your use, and only as much body lift as required so your chosen tires don't rub. That way you keep full suspension travel, keep a lower center of gravity with a b-lift (compared to a suspension lift) and get real ground clearance under the diff with plus size tires.
 
It may not be the most prudent thing to run all the time lifted...but I guess living in Arkansas this long has turned me into a redneck and it's as much about the look as the functionality. ;)

But I also don't want to be out somewhere and something in the system decides to stop working. Repairing AHC I've read can be pretty expensive.

I think I'm going to do the AHC flush and then do the sensor lift for now.

These truck look really good with a 2-2.5" lift. And I'm already rocking BFGoodrich 285/75/18's so bigger tires isn't problem. I've got that covered.

I also know that down the road, I will be adding some weight to the truck in the form of full armor (front and rear bumpers, full skids and sliders). Not to mention when I do all get my drawers installed and filled up.

BTW....anyone have an extra $10k laying around they send me so I can do all this stuff!?
 
@DirtDawg First, thanks for all your contributions to this site. Second, I see you have run with and without shock spacers. I only need a little lift (1" or so) to get rid of the gap on our 06' LX because I put the tires from my avatar on our new car (285/70/16). Can I get away with just adjusting the sensors to achieve this? I think it's fine, but want to make sure before I do it. I don't have a Techstream (and frankly haven't Googled to know what one is)
 
Texas Sun Power said:
@DirtDawg First, thanks for all your contributions to this site. Second, I see you have run with and without shock spacers. I only need a little lift (1" or so) to get rid of the gap on our 06' LX because I put the tires from my avatar on our new car (285/70/16). Can I get away with just adjusting the sensors to achieve this? I think it's fine, but want to make sure before I do it. I don't have a Techstream (and frankly haven't Googled to know what one is)
Click to expand...
If your going 1", adjusting the sensors will work just fine. You will need techstream to get your pressures back to neutral though after you adjust the sensors. The front is adjusted with the torsion bars and the rear will need spacers or coils.
 
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