lift ride quality. 35s Icon Stage 1 (1 Viewer)

[RevFZJ80]

I just had my stage 1 icons installed along with 35s and Delta panhard bracket. The ride feels super squirrelly, steering is sensitive esp at 50mph and above, feels like a boat. Ive driven other lifted vehicles nothing as old as my 80 and don't remember the same road manners. Also had it aligned. Anyone have the same problem or is this just how the ride is? I do have that wiggle as well almost feels like I'm over steering on the freeway and have to correct steering.

 

[-Spike-]

Unless you only want input from people who know what 'Icon Stage 1' is, you might want to provide some more details.

Couple shots in the dark: what's the caster correction method? How are your control arm bushings, front and rear?

 

[RevFZJ80]

Unless you only want input from people who know what 'Icon Stage 1' is, you might want to provide some more details.

Couple shots in the dark: what's the caster correction method? How are your control arm bushings, front and rear?

anything helps really, used the castor kit that came with icons: 4.6 deg correction. I believe shop stated bushing were all good.

 

[-Spike-]

Shop may not have looked all that closely at the rear upper and lower control arm bushings, I'd double check those. When mine were trashed the rear would steer like a skateboard, oversteering when the truck leaned. Sounds like what you're describing.

 

[junior80]

yeh mine has the stage 1 icon slinky lift and all the bushes are trashed. it feels like this.

 

[RevFZJ80]

Ok sweet thats a start! I love the look but damn the ride feels unsafe. They did adjust the steering box would that be something to address?

 

[junior80]

go stretch the rear suspension and have a look at the rear lower control arm bushes. mine are that rooted you can see daylight through them. I'm organising some hoist time right now to get them swapped out.

 

[-Spike-]

They did adjust the steering box would that be something to address?

Sure, if there's play in it. The exterior adjustment cannot be done correctly with the box on the truck, so unless the box was recently rebuilt or replaced it's likely due.

Also, if you don't know the condition of the wheel bearings, you just put more strain on them with the larger tires, it's probably worth checking them out.

And the trunnion bearings.

But, that's what we call the 'snowball effect'.

 

[MoJ]

You mentioned having it aligned. What were the caster readings?

 

[Rusty Marlin]

The exterior adjustment cannot be done correctly with the box on the truck...

Spike, please explain this statement. Are you referring to tightening the sector shaft adjustment? Or the preload on the input shaft thrust bearings?

 

[Rusty Marlin]

I just had my stage 1 icons installed along with 35s and Delta panhard bracket. The ride feels super squirrelly, steering is sensitive esp at 50mph and above, feels like a boat. Ive driven other lifted vehicles nothing as old as my 80 and don't remember the same road manners. Also had it aligned. Anyone have the same problem or is this just how the ride is? I do have that wiggle as well almost feels like I'm over steering on the freeway and have to correct steering.

Did you use the Delta VS radius arms for your stage 1 kit?

 

[Outsane]

Rear pan hard lift from delta made a huge difference on my ride after stage 3 icon lift.

Oh and the castor bushings are junk.

 

[Heckraiser]

You mentioned having it aligned. What were the caster readings?

This.

 

[Pierce]

Mine drove exactly how you described yours with zero caster correction. I didn’t bother installing the Icon caster correction bushings initially. I went strait for the @landtank caster correction brackets which fixed the drivability issues.

 

[Delta VS]

Your issues sounds very much like not enough caster. First stop should be your local tire shop to have caster checked (not an alignment, just have them check it, should be free.99-20$ or so). Report back with that info.

 

[Box Rocket]

A agree this sounds like a caster issue and I worry about the comment they made, "bushings were all good". Did they mean the original bushings looked fine so they didn't even install the caster correction?

If you can come back with actual caster numbers that's a starting point for us to be able to help more. I will also just offer two cents that caster correction bushings are my least preferred method of addressing caster. Caster plates or aftermarket radius arms with corrected caster are much better options since the caster bushings can wear out rather quickly and will almost always also limit suspension travel.

Another question....How heavy is your rig? Do you have a lot of weight added with bumpers, winch, and other accessories?

 

[-Spike-]

Spike, please explain this statement. Are you referring to tightening the sector shaft adjustment? Or the preload on the input shaft thrust bearings?

Both, but in particular the sector shaft adjustment, as it can be accessed with the steering gear on the truck but can not be properly measured with the steering linkage attached, nor without first measuring the worm gear (which includes the input shaft) preload. The spec is a short range of inch pounds of resistance of the steering gear, there's no way to do this by feel, and it can result in excessive wear if not done correctly.

The spec for the sector shaft adjuster (6.5-9.6 in/lbs) is a measurement of all of the components of the box, chiefly the worm gear preload (2.6-4.8 in/lbs) and the sector shaft adjuster, so if you haven't verified the worm gear preload you can't know how much to adjust the sector shaft adjustment. If the worm gear is loose (which it usually is, and in my experience is the main cause of steering play), if you overtighten the sector shaft adjustment to make up for it, it will be way over spec and the adjuster, sector shaft, and/or the worm gear and piston can be damaged.

Here's how Red Head feels about people messin' with the adjustment screw: (Thanks @NLXTACY for the pic)

How often does the FSM give warnings like this?

The procedures (note that these are just a few steps of the full box rebuild).

The worm gear preload is checked without the sector shaft in the box: (Note that it is possible to adjust the worm gear preload, so the worm gear (control valve) assembly doesn't necessarily need to be replaced if it's out of spec.)

The sector shaft adjustment is the last step of the box rebuild:

 

[wrxFTWdey]

Your issues sounds very much like not enough caster. First stop should be your local tire shop to have caster checked (not an alignment, just have them check it, should be free.99-20$ or so). Report back with that info.

Kind of off topic, but still related to “squirrellyness” and steering. If I have adjustable panhard rods, would I still benefit from using the rear panhard lift bracket? Mine doesn’t quite handle that well. Wanders a little bit on the highway and doesn’t exactly have precision in turns, but maybe I’m expecting too much out of my 80 lol.

 

[retrofive]

Kind of off topic, but still related to “squirrellyness” and steering. If I have adjustable panhard rods, would I still benefit from using the rear panhard lift bracket? Mine doesn’t quite handle that well. Wanders a little bit on the highway and doesn’t exactly have precision in turns, but maybe I’m expecting too much out of my 80 lol.

Need the caster numbers to begin this path.

 

[Heckraiser]

Kind of off topic, but still related to “squirrellyness” and steering. If I have adjustable panhard rods, would I still benefit from using the rear panhard lift bracket? Mine doesn’t quite handle that well. Wanders a little bit on the highway and doesn’t exactly have precision in turns, but maybe I’m expecting too much out of my 80 lol.

I'm not the authority on the subject, but I'll add my two cents anyways.

Yes, if you're lifted, you would still benefit from a panhard lift bracket. Lifting the truck creates two separate suspension problems 1) moves the axle to the passenger side when sitting at your new lifted ride height and 2) Creates more lateral movement in the rear axle when you drive over a bump and your suspension compresses or extends. Basically your rear axle moves more side to side than it would in a stock rig. An adjustable panhard bar corrects problem number one, but not problem number two. A panhard lift bracket actually fixes both problems.

Talking about the rear suspension here (is there a panhard lift for the front?)