By ERIK on Wednesday, February 28, 2001 - 09:17 pm: Edit

thinking about purchasing the whole nine yards, 3" springs, cones, shocks, upper and lower shock mounts, trailing links, front radius arms. does anyone have any input on this setup.

removal of swaybar concerns?
highway driving?
shifting concerns with 32" tire?

any input would help.

already look at tom pearsons pages, really dosn't mention many negatives, must be some?

thanks erik

By Tom on Wednesday, February 28, 2001 - 11:37 pm: Edit

Erik,

Here are the negatives I encountered with my setup:
Had to buy a new front drive shaft due to the vibration.
Front sway bar no longer worked due to the fact that it rubbed on the driveshaft.
32" swampers make mileage go WAY low, and you have trouble getting over 75 if there is a strong headwind.
0-60 times definatley go down with bigger, heavier tires and rims.
You get taller with this setup (Just under 7' tall) and may not fit into parking garages and automatic car washes that you used to.
The car becomes so flexy that I would not recommend EVER off-roading with the Sway Bars on. They will be the only thing inhibiting your articualtion, and you will probably destroy them.

Here is what I did to address those negatives:
Purchased 265/75-16's on American Racing 16x7's for on road use have improved mileage, and make 75 and above no problem, but it is still not as good as stock. (these aren't listed on my page yet).
Purchased Tom Woods custom front driveshaft.
Purchased AedoFAb custom built sway bar mounts to be able to use front sway bar again. There will be a web site showcasing these soon.
Purchase AedoFab custom sway bar disconnects to disconnect easily at the trail. Again...watch for a web site showing these soon.
As far as the height. I live with it and enjoy looking at the roof tops of ford expeditions.

After the above corrections were made, the car is 100% highway ready. In my opinion, handling is actually better than stock due to better springs and shocks.

As far as the RT stuff itself is concerned, it is top notch in design, build quality, and sturdiness. It impressed friends who are experienced welders and have fabricated entire suspensions themselves.

Finally, keep in mind that some folks do a three inch lift and have no vibrations, other do a 1 inch lift and have plenty. Just be ready to fork out the cash no matter what lift you do. Also, remeber that the lift is designed to be 3 inches AFTER bumpers (ARB) and winch. The lift on my truck is more than three since I have neither, which effects driveline and sway-bar problem more.

Any questions, feel free to email me directly.

Tom

p.s. Disclaimer - I don't work for RT or get any discounts on thier stuff. I just really am pleased with the setup.

By ERIK on Thursday, March 01, 2001 - 07:17 am: Edit

TOM THANKS,

YOUR INPUT IS GREAT HELP IN THE DECISION PROCESS AND WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?

ERIK

By Gabe R on Friday, March 02, 2001 - 06:31 pm: Edit

I'm running RT 2" springs and have no concerns. I upgraded front shocks to Rancho 9000s and the handling is better than ever! It now rides better than stock. As for off-roading, my front swaybar bushings were wearing and are now due for replacement. I will probably remove the rear swaybar altogether.
Here's the kicker....
When i first installed the lift, I had to drive on the highway to get to the tire shop. On the way there, the truck rode strangely.... YOU are better off doing it all-together instead of step-by-step. I did not adjust the Ranchos but man did my Disco feel different with the new tires! The only theory that I've some up with is that the stiffer sidewalls really improved the "swaying" characteristics on the highway. I'm riding BFG Trac Egde and with the little that I've used them... I'm very impressed... and they;'re cheap to boot, they are $113 a piece but you have to pre-pay three days in advance almost everywhere to get them. GOOD LUCK!