Suspension for overlanding + highway (1 Viewer)

[LandCruiczar]

Curious what suggestions you all have for a suspension upgrade that won't ruin my highway performance. Looking to start overlanding without killing my on-road experience. Right now I love the way my 100 drives on the highway and road trips, and it'll still be my DD for some time. However I'll be putting on some weight soon (bumper, winch, sliders, etc.), so I'm a bit worried that the stock suspension won't being doing as well. Any thoughts?

 

[hickuptruck]

Skys the limit. Foam Cell Pro is a good place to start. OME t-bars. Rear coils is dependant on how much weight you have added.

 

[suboptimusprime]

Ive been very happy with the Tough Dog setup in my signature for what sounds like a pretty similar build/purpose. 2000 miles to and from Maine's north woods from NC and wife and kids complimented how comfy she is. I'd bet the Ironman foam cell pros could be similar. What sold me was 1) progressive coil option and adjustable damping (which actually makes a difference) for the rear and 2) wanting to support Jason / Trail Tailor since he makes all manner of excellent gear for our trucks.

 

[abuck99]

Whats your budget??

Imo best bang for the buck is the Ironman lift kit with FoamCellPro shocks. (If you can live with the Hulk colored green springs) Its a good all around option for retaining plush ride and delivering good travel & off road performance. Their kits are 20% off right now so your timing is good. Consider adding front upper control arms in your build so you can get back lost caster from lifting- If you plan to add bumpers, get an up-rated spring (400-800lbs constant weight) when you buy your kit-

Ive heard plenty of positive comments from users of TD kits especially with the variable rate springs and adjustable shock valving.

OME gas shocks are said to ride a little harsh compared to oil filled foam cell counterparts- I havent driven OME in a 100 series to compare so I cant say for sure.

 

[DirtDawg]

Realize one of the biggest ride-impactful Mods on your vehicle will be tires. Heavy E-rated tires ride much rougher than p-metric tires. If you know you won’t be in the rough & tough stuff, a C-rated all terrain would be more comfortable while still giving you the benefits of an off road tire.

 

[Bisho]

+1 on the Tough Dogs. I like the adjustability and can definitely tell the difference. I run "2" off road, and "7" on road. I am slightly lifted (1.5" or so) and do have E rated tires. I don't want to be stranded in the middle of no where. If a gravel road is the worse you expect to see, then plusher tires may be good enough.

 

[J1000]

AHC.

 

[LandCruiczar]

Whats your budget??

I was thinking 1-1.5k (US$). But I'm more patient than cheap, so if the perfect kit is 2k, I'm fine with waiting to save up a bit more.

Realize one of the biggest ride-impactful Mods on your vehicle will be tires. Heavy E-rated tires ride much rougher than p-metric tires. If you know you won’t be in the rough & tough stuff, a C-rated all terrain would be more comfortable while still giving you the benefits of an off road tire.

I was thinking about that too. I'll be wanting to upgrade those too soon, but I think I may keep my stock size Geolandars for in between trips.

AHC.

Huh, I didn't even consider that as something as an aftermarket add-on. The idea sounds great, but aren't there a lot of tradeoffs/complications with it?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Add the weight, see how the stock suspension does first.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I was thinking 1-1.5k (US$). But I'm more patient than cheap, so if the perfect kit is 2k, I'm fine with waiting to save up a bit more.


I was thinking about that too. I'll be wanting to upgrade those too soon, but I think I may keep my stock size Geolandars for in between trips.



Huh, I didn't even consider that as something as an aftermarket add-on. The idea sounds great, but aren't there a lot of tradeoffs/complications with it?

AHC is impractical to retrofit, but if you have an AHC equipped LX or LC, that's going to provide the best setup for mixed use. It can easily be tailored to run any weight/armor package. It is more complicated and there's a slightly (I argue almost insignificantly) higher chance of failure. That's the tradeoff.

 

[l3n0x]

In my opinion a good highway ride is bad offroad and vica versa. So _IMO_ there is not one setup that does the job perfectly (if we're ruling out AHC). It's easy to build a good highway suspension, and almost every aftermarket kit (OME, Ironman, etc.) will do the job pretty fine. The hard (expensive) part is to balance on/off-road performance to your taste. Also adding weight to the truck messes up everything, and would need a totally different suspension setup. So I'd add all the weight first, and then go from there with the setup.
Also an opinion, but if you really want best of both worlds, then an adjustable shock is a must. (Probably won't be perfect at either, but will be a good compromise, instead of nailing one end of the setup, but getting a terrible ride on the other)

 

[C6H12O6]

In my opinion a good highway ride is bad offroad and vica versa.

I agree with this, to a point, if you are building some monster lift, big tire, rock crawler truck for a specific purpose. For what most people are willing and interested to do offroad with a 100, though, I have to disagree. I have the Ironman FCP shocks, OME 1.5" springs in the back, and stock torsion bars cranked up a little. Probably not my ideal lift, but it rides amazingly on the highway, tows great, eats up washboards, articulates well enough for playing around in the dirt and rocks as long as I don't go crazy, and settles right back in to highway mode for the drive home. These are pretty great rigs for a little bit of everything, and most people with a mild 2.5", well-sorted-out lift report similar findings.

 

[LandCruiczar]

I run "2" off road, and "7" on road.

I'll be honest, not quite sure what you mean by that.

 

[Bisho]

I'll be honest, not quite sure what you mean by that.

The rear Tough Dog shocks have a dial on them- 1-9, where 1 (full clockwise) is soft and 9 (Full counter clockwise) is firm.

 

[LandCruiczar]

The rear Tough Dog shocks have a dial on them- 1-9, where 1 (full clockwise) is soft and 9 (Full counter clockwise) is firm.

Ah, that's helpful thanks. Sounds great. Just curious, any reason they only make the rear adjustable?

 

[Bisho]

Ah, that's helpful thanks. Sounds great. Just curious, any reason they only make the rear adjustable?

I read somewhere that making shocks adjustable adds length, and with IFS the 100 doesn’t have length to spare up front.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I installed a set of Iron Man Pro shocks on a customers vehicle (heavily loaded with front and rear bumpers) and was really happy with the ride quality, plenty comfy and firm enough. Blew the old OME units out of the water. They are pricey though.