What is more important

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nismopath
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What is more important

Postby nismopath » Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:53 pm

I am changing out my shocks soon with Bilstein HDs.. but recently realized that I do a lot of back country trail driving and use a lot of logging roads. These roads gets destroyed by 18wheelers and are full of ruts and potholes.

My question is.. are shocks enough? By that I mean, if I were to replace the rear coils with upgraded coils or add air bags would that in any way help the longevity of my rear shocks? I am not hauling anything so this is solely to help preserve the shocks and keep the suspension from failing too early. Yea I am not flying down these roads but still when I hit an unexpected pothole, the rear gets a little extra wear. I just need some advice and understanding on how to help not break down my shocks too quickly.


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:43 pm

The rear springs are a bit weak and tend to bottom out over moderate bumps, so adding Airlift 1000 air bags or upgrading the stock springs with Moog direct replacements would probably help the ride and wear & tear on rear suspension.

nismopath
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Postby nismopath » Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:32 am

Thanks, is there a better option between the two? I don’t mean to sound cheap but I’d rather do one of the two rather than go crazy with every possibilty. I measured my height and it seems level so I don’t think I have any sag but any help would be good to keep it that way.

I know it may be hard but has anyone ran the bags and upgraded coils separately to tell the difference?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Mar 07, 2018 2:16 pm

They don't sag unless you are towing or carrying a lot of weight. The problem is that the bump stops will bottom out going over even moderate bumps. The good thing about the air bags is that they are cheap (about $75 for the kit), are adjustable and are very easy to install. The bag thing about them is that you do lose some articulation of the suspension when they are aired-up, which might be an issue if you get into serious off-road conditions. The Moog coil springs do help eliminate a lot of the bottoming out, but do require a little more work putting them in, depending on how stubborn or rusted the bolts are.

nismopath
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Postby nismopath » Wed Mar 07, 2018 2:46 pm

By articulation do you mean being able to ‘rock crawl’ ? If that is what you mean I don’t do anything crazy off road trails like that or mud bogging or whatever.. so If thats what you mean then it seems like bags would be better on the installation side.
Do either ride any harder on regular highway driving though?

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underworld1001
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Postby underworld1001 » Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:48 pm

I can't say much for the bags as I don't have them on mine, but I do have the Moog springs. They ride firmer when paired with the Bilstein 4600s. The front wasn't too big of a difference as the factory setup was not too bad at all, but the rear now feels like it's a solid axle.

I'm actually on the highway quite a bit with my vehicle. Mostly though rush hour traffic (which is not "real" highway driving and sucks BTW), or driving 5 hours from Austin to McAllen TX. That's a lot of road, 320 miles exactly from beginning to end and the ride is great. It's controlled doesn't sway or rock when I hit uneven payment. No one complains. In city traffic, it does ride a little hard. Expansion joints are definitely felt though speed bumps are not too bad. I can live with it no problem, though the girlfriend complains. She's used to a car suspension.

Regarding the bags, they're adjustable so it's basically a matter of preference on how hard or how soft you want the ride. Basically add more air or let some out.

IF you want the best of both worlds, you can look for progressive springs. The get firmer as they compress vs the Moogs which have the same spring rate regardless if it's compressed 2 inches or 6 inches. Not sure if I've seen any around for this platform, but I'm sure they're out there.

With all that said, all of this is subjective of course. What I think feels ok might feel like a direct go-kart suspension to you. With highway driving the only complaint I get from the kid and girlfriend is that the Pathy is too loud and not so much the suspension.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:10 pm

I run the Airlift 1000 air bags with 13 PSI. I'm pretty happy with the ride, which is mostly paved side roads and highway. Have about 4 years on them and they still don't lose any air.

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Postby nismopath » Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:44 am

Underworld, I saw your original post saying that you did get a small lift from the MOOG rear springs. Did you ever determine if that was actually a lift or if it was due to your old springs sagging?


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