Do I have a dropped pitman arm and a double brace track bar?

[Farmergreg]

Other than a specific diameter pigtail to fit over or around a bump stop tube or locator on a perch, there is no up or down on a spring. They work exactly the same either way up.

Nothing in this post applies?

I'm not here to get into an argument as to which way the springs should be installed.
If coil spacing top tight vs bottom tight doesn't matter then his harsh ride cant be attributed to this.

They looked odd to me and therefore I pointed it out.
Am I going to flip mine to see if it makes a difference? No, very happy with my tight coils on top.

 

[Farmergreg]

I know I just can't help myself!

Looks like the isolator on top would work better with the large diameter coil which is currently on the axle perch.

Over and out!

 

[Brianj5600]

As soon as the coils stack they become unsprung weight. I believe that is why you see the tight coils on top.

 

[Brianj5600]

As they stack on the bottom spring plate they are not supported by the spring , which is the definition of "unsprung". The active coils are considered 50% sprung and 50% unsprung.

 

[MaloStapalo]

Thoughts on why travel might be limited? Bind in the system somewhere? Again, no interference I can see.

Track bar contacting gas skid?

 

[jjvw]

As they stack on the bottom spring plate they are not supported by the spring , which is the definition of "unsprung". The active coils are considered 50% sprung and 50% unsprung.

What happens if the coil is flipped "upside down"? Will the ride height change? Will the rate(s) change? Will the length change?

A related question. If we add a spacer to a coil spring, does it matter to the spring if the spacer is placed above or below?

 

[Brianj5600]

I can not think of any reason that anything would change other than sprung weight and unsprung weight. That includes the spacer too.

 

[podslammed]

Not trying to hikack this thread but I just put a 4” rough country lift with adjustable track bar and drop pitman arm. Was the stock pitman arm the better choice?

 

[Brianj5600]

It depends on how many times you use the logic that 4 pounds or 8 pounds or 10 or 1 pound doesn't makes a difference in your build. It all ads up. Rock crawling it may help to put that weight on the axle. Street driving you may want it sprung weight.

 

[jjvw]

Lol. There are a lot of moving parts to the assumption that a coil section going solid adds sprung or unsprung weight. I am unsure if it does. Plus, how many of these coils actually go solid during the duration of their useable travel? With one exception that I can think of, this event doesn't happen very often or for very long during normal use, if it happens at all.

I've lost track of where we are with scottychop!

 

[ftwhite3]

I still need to measure up down travel doing the zip tie method. The rebound ok. I have new 5000x not installed yet. Mostly it’s little drops (1”) in pavement that are uncomfortable. I do wonder about tires. They are 33” Falken WildPeak.

Little drops are controled by two parts: the shock valving and the springs. As it was explained to me, there are spring designers out there that create "dual rate" springs that have a set of bound coils at one end. These bound springs help keep the springs pressed in the perches at max articulation. Dropping off small ledges is possibly giving you the feeling of this action, but only if the shock is not firm enough to slow it down, or is too firm to allow it. Just a guess. Or possibly the sock can't extend to the full travel of the spring? Zip tie won't show that.

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[scottychop]

Thanks for getting us back on track. I think I understand that the front end with dropped pitman will work fine with the dropped trackbar. If I get a wild hair I will look into a new system, returning the trackbar to it's stock location. I am going to install the two front shocks this weekend and we'll see if things quiet down.

AND..Thanks to everyone who has replied/questioned/ or challenged in this thread. I am learning a ton!

 

[jjvw]

If you can, pull the coils, bump stop jounces, disconnect the sway bar and move the axle all around with a floor jack. Doing this will show you how your suspension is moving and how well it is interacting with the track bar, drag link, shocks, brake lines, etc. Then you can use what you learn to help formulate a long term plan with some clear focus.

 

[ftwhite3]

When you go to remove shocks, if you can, remove just the bottom bolt first. See if the shock rod extends 4" or more beyond the resting hight when it's sitting on springs. If you can get at least 4" down and 4" up, your good. If not that might be where the ride problem is.

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[scottychop]

When you go to remove shocks, if you can, remove just the bottom bolt first. See if the shock rod extends 4" or more beyond the resting hight when it's sitting on springs. If you can get at least 4" down and 4" up, your good. If not that might be where the ride problem is.

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I'll definitely check that. The rear were 4" for sure, but were Bilsteins... and had one blown out. We'll see how the 9000's look.

 

[scottychop]

Front shocks out and new 5000x's in. A huge difference. The 9000's were way to long a shock for this lift. They extended well past four inches of travel when removed, more like six.

I still have something loose down under and need to do some more inspection, but MOST of the small bumps feel way better. For now, I am going to leave the steering issue alone. As money free's up I might have a go at revamping that system in the future.