"ROUGH" RIDE AFTER LIFT

[lorentw]

Hey All, Looking for help in softening the new leaf springs. I purchased a Rough Country 4 inch spring lift, and let me tell you it earns it name! Anyway I am sure someone has Ideas or has a solution without going back to the old stock leaves. In case it matters it is a 77 scout II 304 v-8 auto, no longer has the rusted out hard top, 4wd.
On another note, I am looking for a roll cage/bar to put in it as I would feel better with rollover protection. pictures to follow once my paid subscrition goes through, and the paint goes on. Thanks in advance, Loren

 

[cornfedih]

a better pair of seats will make all the difference in the world. while your suspension may seem bouncy, most of that can be directly attributed to the springy seats in a scout. i swapped in hummer seats in one and camaro seats in another and both feel like they ride 10x better...even with the same suspension.

a mistake i made was to over tighten the shackles while the axles were hanging in the air, right after i had installed the springs. once i realized my error i jacked the rig back up, removed all the bolts, greased em up, slid em back in...and set the truck down so the springs were under pressure. then i snugged everything up and drove around the parking lot for a few minutes and retightened everything. i also added d&c's extended shackles on the rear which seemed to soften things up a bit.

also the guy i bought my rough country kit from said during shipping sometimes air is introduced to areas where it whouldnt be inside the shocks. IIRC you're supposed to lay them on their side and cycle them a few times to remove the air.

the above list is what worked for mine. hope it helps

by the way if you tow any heavy loads you will be patting yourself on the back for buying this lift kit. it handles a load better than any i have tried...although i havent had alot of experience with triangles.

 

[Dan]

The age old problem of leaf springs. The bigger the arc in the spring, the harder it is for that spring to flatten. Do the things above, but, I doubt that you will recover anything close to stock ride without putting an extra 300 lbs at each end.

 

[Docfranco]

I did a SOA with rancho 2 1/2 lift springs and my ride suffered as yours has. It ultimately is a compromise between ride and stability. I went with Deaver 12 leave packs on each corner and the ride is great. I am now looking for a sway bar set-up to reduce the body sway/roll around the corners. I think i will have then made MY best compromise. When I go wheeling with some of my scout buddies and we run the rough river wash areas at about 30-40 mph I am told it feels like an escalade....smooth. good luck with your set-up.

 

[Cory Smith]

My Rough Country lift was very, very stiff for about six months. After that it softened up and now it rides better than my terra with stock springs. They have hardly sagged at all, either.

 

[Paul "Misterfixit" Schulz]

have you checked your tyre pressures? they should be as low as the recommendations in the handbook - 28psi and definatly no higher than 32psi

 

[cornfedih]

My Rough Country lift was very, very stiff for about six months. After that it softened up and now it rides better than my terra with stock springs. They have hardly sagged at all, either.

thats a new one...ive NEVER heard anyone say their lift springs were softer than oem. i assumed everyone expected a stiffer ride than stock. thats what i was shooting for. simple geometry will tell you its gonna be very difficult to maintain stock ride with lift springs.

 

[lorentw]

Hey I found a way to make it ride better, just load a 26 CF side by side refridgerator in the back, the ride settles right down.
I have made some longer shackles [about 1 inch], and will put those on hile I grease everything again on my next saturday off, so I will keep trying. The side by side really did help, but where would my passenger's ride?

 

[ericopp]

Removing a leaf (or two) made the difference I was looking for when I installed my 4" Triangle spring packs. Below are the write-ups I posted. Hopefully, you can try this and then get the fridge out of your Scout!

OK, the 4" Triangles I got from Damian are finally installed. Per all the great comments I got from many (see below); I did NOT need a new pittman arm, I did NOT need a longer driveshaft(s), nor new brake cables or shocks, etc. No castor adjustment, either.

Triangles leaf packs are 6 for the front, seven for the rear.
The spring packs were "modified" by Yours Truly in the following ways:
Rear packs - I removed the first three shortest leaves of the seven, reducing it to only four leaves.
Front packs - I removed the third leaf and added it to the rears, so each pack now has only five leaves.
The logic is that my SII is comparatively light, and I rarely carry a lot of people or cargo, and never tow anything.

All packs got new poly bushings liberally coated with that sticky silicone grease that came with them, as well as extra spray of silicone lube spray. I applied this to all the bushing parts, spring eyes, bolts..everything. I don't want any crickets in my Scout!
Also, I ground down the edges of the ends of the leaves where they contact the leaf above them. They were kinda rough and I didn't like how they might cut into the leaf that they support.

Ride - The ride is stiff and bouncy, as predicted by many. I would not compare it to a "dump truck" or a "buckboard", as I've seen some mention. Our dirt roads (and my driveway ) are fairly rough; the Triangless seemed to really like that. Uneven pavement seems to inspire what Damian's wife calls "the jiggle factor."

Flex - untested. To be continued... I can't wait!

Handling - As Baradium mentioned, it certainly handles a lot better - no body roll here! IH - there is no substitute!

Looks - Cool...very cool. I can see fitting 32" tires down the road; possibly 33"s...

After driving it for a few months, to let the springs break in, I'll post more to give an update. So far, so great.

I need take a moment to throw out some BIG THANKS (AKA mad props) to a few fellow Scouters. (Sorry to all I forget...) I appreciate all the constructive advice!

BigRigg
tdc (AKA Rick in Rockfield)
Mark Ashford
Chris Pucci
Erik VR
Carl Wiese
WesV
Baradium
Gary Billings (as always)

And here is the "Update":

As per my previous post, I removed two of the seven leaves from the rear pack, and removed one of the six leaves in the front, so there are five leaves in each pack.

So, what is this like on the road?
Sweet as candy on a hot summer day!

OK, it's a little on the stiff and jiggly side; kinda like riding in a SUV with brand new, heavy-duty lift springs. I guess they'll break in andsettle down a little bit as I continue to drive it, and drive it I will.

I love this thing even more, now. It handles better, and I love the way it "launches" over obstacles, dips, spped bumps, etc. Very rockin'!

For a while, I may let a few lbs of air out of the tires; dial them down to 25 psi for a while. They're at 32 all around right now.

I'm so glad I did this mod.
Thanks again to all the encouragement and advice.

HTH,

 

[Cory Smith]

thats a new one...ive NEVER heard anyone say their lift springs were softer than oem. i assumed everyone expected a stiffer ride than stock. thats what i was shooting for. simple geometry will tell you its gonna be very difficult to maintain stock ride with lift springs.

I don't what to tell you, but it does.

 

[WRENCH MAN]

We have customers that install the single "add a leaf" in there Ford Super Dutys and complain abut the way they ride!
The springs are stiffer to hold up the truck, any lift kit, we just tell them, "But it looks cool doesn't it"