Has anyone upgraded suspension, but kept it stock height? (1 Viewer)

[WillW]

I know everyone loves to lift their cruisers, but have any of you upgraded to Icons/Kings/whatever and kept your rig stock height?

For the sole purpose of significantly increased comfort/ride and better handling? I know both of these are also advantages of a proper aftermarket lift, but I'd imagine the rig would handle even better at stock height than at 2-3 inches of lift.

 

[Reckless]

Yes, me. Technically its lifted to correct rake and make it level (thats how it has to come from Icon 2.5 RR CDC).

It handles much, much better, i felt like rear shocks made biggest difference. It is rough on slow speeds but much better at high speeds. I personally strongly recommend the Icons but once awhile wish I had done Kings 3.0.

 

[TexAZ]

brian Jowett and Arich did a lot of testing back in the days before many were lifting their trucks at all.

My shock collection- I have tested 4 different brands

this should have some decent info on non lifted ride improvement.

 

[bloc]

I was just thinking about this. I put the 10mm spacers in front, new OEM shocks all around, and e-rated KO2s in 65 profile and HATE the way the tires feel. Not sure if it’s the weight of the tires or the higher required pressure, but the rear especially has bad oscillation over many sharp bumps and it totally unsettles the way the truck handles.

Kinda feel like with this tire set up something more than stock dampers is needed. Thanks for the link

 

[EastPlnsDrifter]

I was just thinking about this. I put the 10mm spacers in front, new OEM shocks all around, and e-rated KO2s in 65 profile and HATE the way the tires feel. Not sure if it’s the weight of the tires or the higher required pressure, but the rear especially has bad oscillation over many sharp bumps and it totally unsettles the way the truck handles.

Kinda feel like with this tire set up something more than stock dampers is needed. Thanks for the link

You may want to check your tire pressures. I'm still OEM and stock weight aside from wheels and tires. I was running into that sort of issue on my 285/70/17 Duratracs whenever a shop has aired them up too much. I keep it down to about 40 psi and don't run into those issues as much, but I still feel a bit of a 'buck' in the rear on broken pavement or the ugly dirt roads I commute. Not sure if it was entirely necessary, but this place has convinced me to pony up for a BP51 setup that's going on this week. Will report back how that changes things.

 

[bloc]

You may want to check your tire pressures. I'm still OEM and stock weight aside from wheels and tires. I was running into that sort of issue on my 285/70/17 Duratracs whenever a shop has aired them up too much. I keep it down to about 40 psi and don't run into those issues as much, but I still feel a bit of a 'buck' in the rear on broken pavement or the ugly dirt roads I commute. Not sure if it was entirely necessary, but this place has convinced me to pony up for a BP51 setup that's going on this week. Will report back how that changes things.

I’m running the pressure that the resident tire expert gaijin recommends for this size and load rating.. which is different than the stock p-metric tires fwiw.

I might try messing with it a few psi but don’t want to go down much.. even if I don’t regularly load this thing to capacity.

 

[EastPlnsDrifter]

I’m running the pressure that the resident tire expert gaijin recommends for this size and load rating.. which is different than the stock p-metric tires fwiw.

I might try messing with it a few psi but don’t want to go down much.. even if I don’t regularly load this thing to capacity.

That's what I've been doing as well and his info has been serving me well. There are a ton of variables involved in these things and then there's the subjective feel that goes with them. I feel like going to heavier tires vs OEM has calmed down the rear in my wife's truck and the 200 when commuting our local dirt roads. It certainly helped with what felt like porpoising on the freeway with her Tundra (stock AT2s to same size Ridge Grapplers).

 

[TeCKis300]

I know everyone loves to lift their cruisers, but have any of you upgraded to Icons/Kings/whatever and kept your rig stock height?

For the sole purpose of significantly increased comfort/ride and better handling? I know both of these are also advantages of a proper aftermarket lift, but I'd imagine the rig would handle even better at stock height than at 2-3 inches of lift.

This is going to be a tough order to fill. Comfort and handling are almost always diametric qualities. It's why when you see adjustable suspensions, that one extreme is labeled "comfort" vs "sport" on the opposite end. It's very hard to be both at once, especially for a static suspension. You'll find Toyota's typically walk this balance, leaning on the comfort end. With BMW's (at least traditional BMW's) leaning more on the sport end.

The largest dictator of comfort vs handling is going to be spring rate. Soft springs for a buttery gentle ride. Stiff springs for firmer handling, trading off a comfortable ride. Everything else - dampers, tires, bushings are there to support the desired ride. And they all should work together in balance. KDSS goes a ways to allowing some dual nature of ride vs handing, making on road handling better by decreasing roll, without very firm spring rates. Yet doesn't really help with dive or squat.

I don't believe any aftermarket setup is going to "ride better" than OEM, as they all universally increase spring rate. Is there a specific quality of the OEM ride that bother you? Are you carrying additional weight?

 

[WillW]

This is going to be a tough order to fill. Comfort and handling are almost always diametric qualities. It's why when you see adjustable suspensions, that one extreme is labeled "comfort" vs "sport" on the opposite end. It's very hard to be both at once, especially for a static suspension. You'll find Toyota's typically walk this balance, leaning on the comfort end. With BMW's (at least traditional BMW's) leaning more on the sport end.

The largest dictator of comfort vs handling is going to be spring rate. Soft springs for a buttery gentle ride. Stiff springs for firmer handling, trading off a comfortable ride. Everything else - dampers, tires, bushings are there to support the desired ride. And they all should work together in balance. KDSS goes a ways to allowing some dual nature of ride vs handing, making on road handling better by decreasing roll, without very firm spring rates. Yet doesn't really help with dive or squat.

I don't believe any aftermarket setup is going to "ride better" than OEM, as they all universally increase spring rate. Is there a specific quality of the OEM ride that bother you? Are you carrying additional weight?

I probably left out a key aspect that changes this scenario greatly. I would be replacing an OME basic setup with something fancy. Having ridden on both before, I'm fairly certain that going from an OME lift to [Icon] stock height would increase both comfort and handling in the twisties. Having it be adjustable is another benefit too. On my 100 I can have it nice and soft on the freeway and then crank it stiffer for way less body roll in tight mountain passes.

 

[WillW]

I’m running the pressure that the resident tire expert gaijin recommends for this size and load rating.. which is different than the stock p-metric tires fwiw.

I might try messing with it a few psi but don’t want to go down much.. even if I don’t regularly load this thing to capacity.

I did gaijin's recommended pressures too and my fillings almost fell out of my teeth. I cranked it down 2-3psi and my life is a lot better now.

 

[linuxgod]

First make sure your tire PSI is correct. The max pressure listed on the tire is almost certainly incorrect. Also if you're running LT tires, particularly E load, the stiffer sidewalls may make the ride suffer. A/T or M/T tires will also typically make the ride slightly stiffer in my experience.

Lovell's sells a GVM upgrade in Australia designed to provide a firmer ride and higher carrying capacity but with no lift. But that assumes you're adding weight to the rig. If you literally just want a more plush ride, maybe get an LX with the dynamic ride settings?

You could likely have custom valving done and purchase new springs with no lift to soften your ride. But having a 2" lift and adjustable Tough Dog shocks, I can say that turning the compression down makes the truck floaty like a Cadillac with worn shocks - while the ride feels a bit softer handling suffers. And when I'm loaded down and towing (and I suspect over GVWR) I've found that dips and bumps in the highway are floaty and I actually prefer to turn the shock adjusters up a notch or two in order to improve handling (only takes about 60 seconds to do all 4 corners). So if you try to soften the ride you may find handling suffers too much.

 

[bloc]

low vs high speed damping characteristics can go a long way.

but I have no clue whether that level of sophistication is designed into anything available to us... let alone at stock height.