Anybody try coilovers or shocks w/reseviours

[O'skool 72GMC]

I was thinking of softening my 3/4 and makeing it better to leap a little with?
Any tried using coilover shocks and shocks with the reseviour for the fluid.
Thanks

[The Dude]

this guy aaron did, havent heard how it rides.
there are a few guys at the www.customtruckshowcase.com forums

[Prerunner1982]

i will be using both when i get my suspension done, i am looking for quite abit of suspension travel so coil over resevoirs are the only way to go. on a stock truck i cant see spending that kind of money.

[pbmcauliffe]

A bit more info on what exactly you are trying to accomplish would help.
I have built a few rigs (from complete purpose built tube chassis rigs to mild trail rigs) using SwayAway, Fox and Bilstein coilovers and around a dozen more utilizing the Fox n2o air shox (basically a coilover w/o the coils).

[ALASKA ALUMINUM BEAR]

hello mr pbmcauliffe
if there really that much differance-in these shocks-even for mild to wild 4x4-to justify-spending -insome cases over 500 bucks a shock...i would love to run a fox or a king---but can't bring myself to starve for 6 months to be able to afford them....sounds like your the person to learn this from--so please let us know...

i run procomps-IMX6-and they make my ride really unbelivably great over regular shocks...soft setting for the roads and hard settings if i am off road-in a run and jump mode.. what is your pro opion of these-adjustables by procomp.please i for 1 would love to have your input...also just how much is jobber-on the fox n20-you mention..

thanks much kind sir
alaska a bear
john

[pbmcauliffe]

John-
We are kinda mixing two different things here, remote reservoir shocks, usually around $200 & less ea., and remote reservoir coilovers, usually around $500+ each.

For most people with a stock, moderately or extremely built rig a remote res. shock will have a noticeable improvement, but it becomes a personal thing wether that particular improvement is worth "X" dollars to them. For me (and sounds like you too) the money is worth it, the most basic shock I even use on build-ups is a Bilstein 5150 piggyback res. shock at right around $100 ea.
The adjustable ones, like the ProComp, Rancho, and some others are nice since the user can tailor them to their driving style or terrain, are relatively inexpensive, reliable and perform better due to design.

For competition vehicles and purpose built rigs, coilovers allow more tuning, performance, placement and various other items, but need to be set-up correctly to gain their full potential, and knowledge of setting up link suspensions is needed as well. So, typically the aren't for the masses.

The Fox n2o nitrogen shock ($225 up to 16" travel) is different in that the shock itself is supporting the vehicle weight like a coilover, but has no coils. Basically the nitrogen charge gives you the spring rate, and the oil level gives you the spring curve. They are progressive rate, with different oil levels and n2o charge can be tuned easily, are very compact (around 6lbs), but have little to no roll resistance, no real pre-load so they take some getting used to, and work okay out of the box, but really need to be fine tuned for the vehicke they are on.

These are just some quick basics that I can explain via typing (I usually need to draw pictures to explain things).
HTH
Patrick

[ALASKA ALUMINUM BEAR]

thanks-pmbcaulif-
MR PATRICK
i wish i was close to you so i could pick your brain-and get the drawings while you talked----thanks for the reply...

and again sorry to thred jump-but i figure we-or atleast many of us could use this info....from mr patrick

again patrick...am i understanding you correctly- do coil overs-actaully replace the need for springs---is this why i have seen--no leif springs on some rigs running huge king shocks,,,,an if so-what holds the rig in the proper place--or do i have this wrong..can you please explain the need for coil overs in a heavly used and hard running 4x4....will these coil overs--allow me to run an jump a 6,000lb rig---or am i being ignorrant here... and also do some remost res's hold gas and some oil--depending on which type of shock you get for which application...sorry but i am even more lost with the more i learn....

i hate the fact that many times i bottom or even top out my older shocks by skyjacker-jacker company- my imx6 shocks- by procomp are the best shocks to date i have ever used--and when i put the adjustment on 1 the truck rides amazing on the road...

...one thing i devized on my suburban build up -- i would love to get your opion on....i put shocks on my four ladder bars--but instead of mounting them were they went- were they would serve no purpose except looks--i put the top mount out 4-5 inches from the bottom---and with a 8.5-custom lift---this helps greatly with body side roll and on cornners---it is a very amazing application---that really works cool---sort of a shocked-roll-or turn.....while it works only a little--you can really feel the differance-in long hard turns,,,,and it's sort of a new drving experence...

as not to take up to much of your time and not bore you with my limited smarts on shock application---what web page---can i learn from---the most-out of fox-billestien-king-etc,,,and will they have all the knowledgs inregarsd to -load-rate- curve, etc....that you mentioned in your second post...but let me try this with you....

i shaved- my surban down to around 6,250lbs---it has a custom--very well built 8.5'' lift--with no blocks---there are 9 liefs in the rear with 3 more on a very good overload kit...the front has 6 liefs with a connfer shakle---all the springs front and rear were prof. and singlurly tempered-to be able to tow a trailer-weighting-up to 15000 lbs---yet the ride is truley amazing...actually it's unbelievable great for the springs involved....but i want a remote res to tame the springs alittle with very hard--compition hard 4x4ing,,,,what coil over or res shock would you run to do the trick.. i do not rock climb---and great articlation isn't a concern.....please when you have the time---let me know---and actually i am lookin for the best shock ever made for this application.....

thanks very much kind and talented sir--mr patrick

alaska a bear
john

[pbmcauliffe]

I'll have to make this kinda short since I am work.
Yes, coilovers replace the leaf spring and the axle is then located under the vehicle with some form of link set-up (3-link & panhard bar, triangulated 4-link, wishbone 3-link, etc). The benefits of coilovers themselves are their tuning capabilities, single, dual and triple rate kits so they can be soft at the start of compression and get stiffer as they coimpress more, usually lighter than leafs, easier to change spring rate, and depending on the set-up more approach and depature room. Yes, you could jump a 6000lb rig with coilovers, but you could also with leafs, just like some budget desert truck run leafs and coils, while higher budget rigs get into coilovers, piggyback shocks and exotic suspension systems. On my CJ7 I run modified leaf packs in front, and Fox n2o shocks in the rear, both ends easily use all of the 14" of travel the shocks provide, but the rear is easier to tune for certain things, but more $$$.
The quick skinny on mounting the shocks different than stock, the more vertical they are the more effective at damping they are, but the least amount of travel. The more the shock is angled, the more travel you get, at a loss of damping though.
As far as learning more about this stuff, try some desert race truck sites/forums, 4x4 sites (pirate4x4.com is a great technical resource, but register and searching is the best way to start there) and some general race car chassis books can get you the basic knowledge that can be adpated to different venues.