Procrastination & Flex

[CORover]

Here are my wheel well pics showing where the tire hits at full flex. Considering where it hits, I am not getting full stuff of the tire in the wheel well. I also get a fair amount of rear axle steer, I assume that is due to the upper triangulated four link design of the rear suspension.

Without going into customization, are these the best options?
1. Longer bump stops, will that do what I want? What ones, seems the polys self destruct. The ones Jimmy used look promising. Cost, salvage parts.
2. Wheel spacers, I assume TF301 type, cost $200 to $300 depending on location and shipping. Any side effects, work with alloys?
3. 1 or 2 inch body lift kit, cost $300 plus any additional issues due to lift that I run into.

 

[Jimmy]

All this has been said thus far I think... all the bump stops are going to do is try to keep the tires from hitting the wheel well (i.e. limit flex), and that's not what you're going for. Wheel spacers (or a wheel with less backspacing) will move the wheel away some and allow you to squeeze a little more flex out of it... without going so wide the tire hits the wheel arch. Body lift... unless it lifts it so high to vacate the current impact area, this won't do it.

Let's see if these pics show up. I'm linking to pics taken at our last get-together:

 

[Mongo]

you realize that by spacing the wheel out or raising the body you gain another inch of "up" which brings to you closer to to bottoming out the shock. It's not like that inch of up travel or resulting loss of 1" of down travel( If that) is going to make a noticable diffrence in completing any obstacle.

you guys are splittign hairs to look cool on a RTI ramp

:flipoff:

 

[Jimmy]

you realize that by spacing the wheel out or raising the body you gain another inch of "up" which brings to you closer to to bottoming out the shock. It's not like that inch of up travel or resulting loss of 1" of down travel( If that) is going to make a noticable diffrence in completing any obstacle.

you guys are splittign hairs to look cool on a RTI ramp

:flipoff:

LOL. It's only one guy.

I accepted long ago that comparing a Disco to a Wrangler is comparing apples and oranges.

While I didn't write it up, your front sway bar write up guided me in putting together a rear long travel sway bar for reducing sway and to force the front to flex a little more. I had no interest in disconnects.

 

[CORover]

you realize that by spacing the wheel out or raising the body you gain another inch of "up" which brings to you closer to to bottoming out the shock. It's not like that inch of up travel or resulting loss of 1" of down travel( If that) is going to make a noticable diffrence in completing any obstacle.

you guys are splittign hairs to look cool on a RTI ramp

:flipoff:

I get it. The good news is that nothing I am doing is going to hurt on the trail. It is all bolt on or take off. The wheel spacers will help with turning radius and I have wanted some for a long time with no real reason to get them. I can dial in the bump stops over time and even go to limit straps if I need to. I have disconnects on the front sway bar, they go in and out in just a little time. I can add the rear sway bar back quickly, less than an hour if I need to for safer teen driving. I am not out much and I learned a few things.

Best of all I get to have fun at a ramp event and beat out or equal some trucks that are $60K or more, yes no comparison between the two but fun to compete.

Thanks for the pics Jimmy, they helped me out.

 

[fishEH]

LOL. It's only one guy.

I accepted long ago that comparing a Disco to a Wrangler is comparing apples and oranges.

While I didn't write it up, your front sway bar write up guided me in putting together a rear long travel sway bar for reducing sway and to force the front to flex a little more. I had no interest in disconnects.

Where's this swaybar write up?
What did you do for a rear swaybar, Jimmy?

 

[CORover]

While I didn't write it up, your front sway bar write up guided me in putting together a rear long travel sway bar for reducing sway and to force the front to flex a little more. I had no interest in disconnects.

And I learned a thing or two... wait, what? Talk to me about sway bars!

 

[fishEH]

And I learned a thing or two... wait, what? Talk to me about sway bars!

Running a swaybar in back will force your reluctant front end to do a little more flex work.

 

[Jimmy]

I guess I'll take a moment and throw a write-up together on it. Just need to remember where all the inspiration information came from, so I can link it.

 

[fishEH]

I guess I'll take a moment and throw a write-up together on it. Just need to remember where all the inspiration information came from, so I can link it.

That would be great. I've heard of guys extending the links and running the stock swaybar. I know a couple that run that X-deflex swaybar. And I know others have made an AntiRock swaybar work.

 

[Jimmy]

That would be great. I've heard of guys extending the links and running the stock swaybar. I know a couple that run that X-deflex swaybar. And I know others have made an AntiRock swaybar work.

Here's what I threw together; it's lacking in pics as I got lazy about taking them as I worked through it:

https://discoweb.org/showthread.php?p=1064766

I read up on the X-deflex. I really liked the locking hub setup, so you can unlock it easily. However, I read about more than one drivers-side arm bending and needing reinforcement. I also didn't care for the amount of force required for that torsion bar (which is IIRC an axle shaft). I wanted something not as heavy-handed, and easily swapped if I wanted more/less effect.

I looked over AntiRock as well. Can't recall why I didn't go that route. I guess I found it easier to pick-n-choose what I wanted for a bar and arms from Speedway Engineering.

 

[CORover]

Thanks for the write up.

I was on the Currie site a few days ago for something else and I was looking at the antirock stuff. I was also looking at the Rubicon electronic disconnect to see how it worked. I saw a comparison of connected and disconnected and then they said you still need full disconnects on top of that to get completely disconnected. It always maintains some tension in the system even when electrically disconnected. They had a comparison of all three levels and got more flex with a mechanical disconnect on the Rubicon. Then the really funny part, I found a thread that listed bunches of people that had failed units after going through shallow water. The unit fills with water, does not drain and shorts out. Chrysler's fix for it was to replace the whole unit and charge them $2000. Welcome to the Land Rover world of auto repair...

 

[Jimmy]

Thanks for the write up.

I threw up some driveway shots at ride height into the write up.

Next time I have it flexed out somewhere, I'll try to remember to get pics and add it in. I'll take the RTI ramp seriously next time and put it in low and lock the t-case. :smilelol:

 

[CORover]

I threw up some driveway shots at ride height into the write up.

Next time I have it flexed out somewhere, I'll try to remember to get pics and add it in. I'll take the RTI ramp seriously next time and put it in low and lock the t-case. :smilelol:

What the hell did you drive through? 10/26 at the usual spot for a flex test I think. I'll take notes.

Thanks for the additional info. That is tucked up higher than I remembered it. Looks like you won't hit it at all, unlike the rock that took my stock one off so many years ago.

 

[Jimmy]

10/26 at the usual spot for a flex test I think. I'll take notes.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this one.

Thanks for the additional info. That is tucked up higher than I remembered it. Looks like you won't hit it at all, unlike the rock that took my stock one off so many years ago.

Tucking it was a top priority, as I don't want to be bashing it. I trimmed the back edge of that homemade gas tank skid so that I could tuck it as much as possible, and leave a little wiggle room for the bar.

Which reminds me, I need to add a piece to that write-up about arm length (specifically the distance from the torsion bar to the link mount hole)... length matters ("That's what she said.").

 

[KyleT]

Retain the rear too. The slight decrease of flex will add to stability and most likely curtail the rubbing. And if it doesn't, longer bumpstops.

 

[CORover]

It's been a while since the ramp showed up, due to weather and the lack of desire to stand out in the cold, at our monthly excuse to talk rovers and drink good beer. And even though it was rainy and snowy and cold last week a few people wanted to give it a shot. I was not even going to but I did at the last minute and I made it to the top.

I normally only try to make one change between attempts but due to the time between events, I made two this time. So the debate will be open as to what actually made the difference this time around. Here were the latest changes;
Custom Johnny Jointed rear trailing arms with 5 inches of adjustability to get the rear axle sitting just right
Longer bump stops in the rear

I have my hunch... Mongo might have been right

 

[DiscoPhoto]

I'm going to throw it out there, longer bump stops in the rear probably did not allow you to flex more....

 

[CORover]

I'm going to throw it out there, longer bump stops in the rear probably did not allow you to flex more....

Not so much flex more but transfer the flex. I was getting more than I could use at the time in the back, but almost no action from the front. I still have stock front arms. The longer bump stops might have transferred some of the action from the back to the front. Leveled out the truck and made the front work a little more.

Easy test to take the stops off and try again to see what happens. Next Month...

 

[DiscoPhoto]

ANd likely saved your shocks as well