OK here's the dilemna. Not completely happy with the suspension setup in my truck and the eternal mod bug is nagging again so am looking at a couple of options.
At the moment I have 2" lift springs, 2" over stock shackles and a 'longer than I need' shock setup to accomodate future increased suspension travel. I also have a 2" body lift and run 35"s that rub under full articulation, bad enough that I cant get my axles on my bumpstops. I have rancho 9000 adjustable shocks with an incab controller but this only controls the rear shocks since the front adjuster thingees interefere with the swaybar on the stock lower shock mount setup. I wanna change the suspension to get more flex and to address these issues and have a couple of setups in mind.
The first and most hassle free option would be to do a U bolt flip in the rear, buy some recessed spring plates for the front, and get a full set of superior shackles. Im pretty sure I could set up the recessed spring plates to allow me to run incab adjustment on the front shocks, and I will get crazy flex out of the superior shackles, but I will gain no lift and so will still rub under articulation.
Second option is to do a spring over, this will end up costing more money and be much more difficult but will address all my issues. I have some longer springs to use (that come from a mwb 40 series), so may be able to get a little money back on my lift springs and extended shackles. I like having my COG low though and this will put me up considerably higher, so there are more than just financial cons to this approach. Will also leave room for bigger tyres in the future though...
So this thread is supposed to stir a little debate on the subject of SOA vs SUA and help me decide what to do... Does anyone have any feeling regarding the flex comparison between a SUA setup with superior shackles vs. a SOA setup?
SOA or superior shackles?...
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Sadam_Husain
- Angry bird
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niblik
- Sausage Shack
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do the soa.. gets the body up out of the way and increases both your approach and departure angles.. 4 pivoting drop shackles from superior will set ya back a pretty penny, well, about $1000 odd+.. 
thats what the soa will approximately cost ya.. if ya do some work yaself.. do you still have your original springs? might pay to use those too, otherwise ya end up driving the skytower..
sell the 2" lifted springs for finances.. 
ya can get the ride height and flex from a properly performed soa,and then add the shackles at a later date..
my 2c? soa ..
thats what the soa will approximately cost ya.. if ya do some work yaself.. do you still have your original springs? might pay to use those too, otherwise ya end up driving the skytower..
sell the 2" lifted springs for finances..
ya can get the ride height and flex from a properly performed soa,and then add the shackles at a later date..
my 2c? soa ..
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LT1-62
- Bush Crasher
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Would LOVE to do coils but the fab involved is beyond my level of expertise, and paying someone else to do it is WELL beyond my level of financing... Although that is kinda why I put out my 'fabricators in Auckland' feelers out. Itd be kick ass to find someone talented in Aucks willing to lend a hand/mind for the price of beers...
Re. SOA for the same price as shackles, the parts might come out similar but there is a lot more labour in it. I am getting relatively confident in my fab skills these days but there is also other considerations such as the need for an anti-wrap bar to deal with the ~350hp with springs atop the axles...
Re. SOA for the same price as shackles, the parts might come out similar but there is a lot more labour in it. I am getting relatively confident in my fab skills these days but there is also other considerations such as the need for an anti-wrap bar to deal with the ~350hp with springs atop the axles...
... 
;-p
spring it over dude, gets rid of all that shit hanging down where it gets caught up on stuff, then you can have your shocks up out of the way as well
just look how much more clearance you get under the housing by going SOA...
just a comparison for ya
just look how much more clearance you get under the housing by going SOA...
just a comparison for ya
If you already know everything, DON'T ask bloody questions!!
Stay away from the drop shakles go the SOA, two reasons
you say you get a better COG hmmm yes you do untill you really need the axle weight on the uphill side and bugger me dead if those wonderfull drop shackles dont unload and oovverrrr you go
, I've also heard they make the rear "dance" on climbs 
don't see how, but....
The other piont is they are an interesting one for cert some certifiers will cert them if they have lockout pins on the condition that they aren't to be used onroad without the pins ..... others its just a simple "no" laws are getting harder and harder on cert all the time as more of us "push" the limits and the way things are set up now if you get a cert for one thing they have to re-cert all the older mods 
and if the rules have changed they will be failed.... just something to think about
Cheers Reece
you say you get a better COG hmmm yes you do untill you really need the axle weight on the uphill side and bugger me dead if those wonderfull drop shackles dont unload and oovverrrr you go
, I've also heard they make the rear "dance" on climbs don't see how, but....
The other piont is they are an interesting one for cert some certifiers will cert them if they have lockout pins on the condition that they aren't to be used onroad without the pins ..... others its just a simple "no"
laws are getting harder and harder on cert all the time as more of us "push" the limits and the way things are set up now if you get a cert for one thing they have to re-cert all the older mods and if the rules have changed they will be failed.... just something to think about
Cheers Reece