lumbee1
Native American
Previously I was running 3" Flexicoils front and 4" Flexicoils rear. The Flexicoils were great until I started adding weight to the truck. Dual battery, full fridge, spare tire, family of 4, and misc camping gear/tools and the Flexicoils started riding low and wallowing quite a bit. The 4" lift in the rear quickly became a 2" lift and the axle was hitting my extended bump stops quite a bit. My caster was 3* positive and my front driveline was addressed with a DC driveshaft.
I was hoping to lower the Cruiser a little and gain some weight handling with the Dobinson Tapered coils. I purchased the 3" rear coils as part of the black Friday deal in 2020. The weight handling in the rear needed to be addressed first and foremost. I replaced the 4" Flexicoil springs and Fox shocks with 3" Tapered springs and IMS shocks and expected about a 1/2" drop in height. Instead the height was exactly the same as before however the ride quality was better.
My plan was to purchase the front Tapered coils and IMS shocks for the front in November 2021 but after hearing about the upcoming price increase for Dobinson springs, I went ahead and purchased the 3.5" Tapered springs and IMS shocks. Again I expected anywhere from .5" to 1" lift in the front and I forgot to measure the lift before installing the new springs. Out of the box, the new springs were really tall but I anticipated the thinner wire at the top to compress easily and act more as a spring retainer. Installation went smoothly but after dropping the Cruiser on it's own weight, there was a little problem. The 2 or 3" of extra spring length over the Flexicoils translated to 2 or 3" of lift height. My hub to fender measurement with 3.5" Tapered coils and IMS shocks is 27" even on both the driver and passenger sides. I thought surely the springs will settle some after hitting a few trails but they haven't changed at all.
I will say that the Dobinson ride great offroad and really absorb the track well. The ride is smooth but can feel a bit springy and wobbly. I drove 5 months with the Tapered coils in the rear and didn't notice this. The extra lift introduced other new issues. My caster is off and driving roads with bumps and curves can be a little unnerving. The body roll is more pronounced with the extra height at low and high speeds. My driveline is not happy even with a DC shaft and I can feel more grumbling from the front end. My axle is not centered. With the 3" Flexicoils, the axle was ever so slightly out of alignment with the body but now it's quite noticeable and I now need an adjustable panhard to correct.
In the end, my 3.5" Tapered coils netted me too much lift and I have to consider additional caster correction options, an adjustable panhard, and an upgraded rear swaybar for body roll. I'm tagging @crikeymike to see if he can help with my dilemma.
For others with the 3.5"Front and 3" Rear Tapererd coils, please post your hub to fender measurements. @Feldrian post a front hub to fender measurement of 25.875" and 25.5" in the front WITH a 1" spacer.
TL;DR replaced 3" Flexi front with 3.5" Tapered front and now have 5" lift with problems.
I was hoping to lower the Cruiser a little and gain some weight handling with the Dobinson Tapered coils. I purchased the 3" rear coils as part of the black Friday deal in 2020. The weight handling in the rear needed to be addressed first and foremost. I replaced the 4" Flexicoil springs and Fox shocks with 3" Tapered springs and IMS shocks and expected about a 1/2" drop in height. Instead the height was exactly the same as before however the ride quality was better.
My plan was to purchase the front Tapered coils and IMS shocks for the front in November 2021 but after hearing about the upcoming price increase for Dobinson springs, I went ahead and purchased the 3.5" Tapered springs and IMS shocks. Again I expected anywhere from .5" to 1" lift in the front and I forgot to measure the lift before installing the new springs. Out of the box, the new springs were really tall but I anticipated the thinner wire at the top to compress easily and act more as a spring retainer. Installation went smoothly but after dropping the Cruiser on it's own weight, there was a little problem. The 2 or 3" of extra spring length over the Flexicoils translated to 2 or 3" of lift height. My hub to fender measurement with 3.5" Tapered coils and IMS shocks is 27" even on both the driver and passenger sides. I thought surely the springs will settle some after hitting a few trails but they haven't changed at all.
I will say that the Dobinson ride great offroad and really absorb the track well. The ride is smooth but can feel a bit springy and wobbly. I drove 5 months with the Tapered coils in the rear and didn't notice this. The extra lift introduced other new issues. My caster is off and driving roads with bumps and curves can be a little unnerving. The body roll is more pronounced with the extra height at low and high speeds. My driveline is not happy even with a DC shaft and I can feel more grumbling from the front end. My axle is not centered. With the 3" Flexicoils, the axle was ever so slightly out of alignment with the body but now it's quite noticeable and I now need an adjustable panhard to correct.
In the end, my 3.5" Tapered coils netted me too much lift and I have to consider additional caster correction options, an adjustable panhard, and an upgraded rear swaybar for body roll. I'm tagging @crikeymike to see if he can help with my dilemma.
For others with the 3.5"Front and 3" Rear Tapererd coils, please post your hub to fender measurements. @Feldrian post a front hub to fender measurement of 25.875" and 25.5" in the front WITH a 1" spacer.
TL;DR replaced 3" Flexi front with 3.5" Tapered front and now have 5" lift with problems.