Anyone looking for performance suspension help/ideas? trailing arm

[BigTruckDriver]

Heres is a pretty cool site ,there are others but just came across this one. "High performance" set up.

http://www.hotrodstohell.net/

[itsmike2k]

So is that basicly just a redesigned panhard bar? wish they had pics of it installed.. Still think i'm going to go with air rides kit...

[BigTruckDriver]

Originally Posted by itsmike2k

So is that basicly just a redesigned panhard bar? wish they had pics of it installed.. Still think i'm going to go with air rides kit...

IMO the design of there panhard bar works ,could be a little longer, but is just ugly. The panhard is bulky because these guys kits are made for serious performance. I was just passing the link along because its the same as the trailing arms suspension in early chevy trucks. Air Rides kits and these guys kits are 2 different things, cant compare apples to oranges......

[itsmike2k]

Yea i see what your saying.. I just cant decide what i want to do on my back suspension... I really like the looks of the air ride.. Decisions decisions....

[BigTruckDriver]

Originally Posted by itsmike2k

Yea i see what your saying.. I just cant decide what i want to do on my back suspension... I really like the looks of the air ride.. Decisions decisions....

yep! What are you planning for your truck ,daily driver, show,high perf.,all the above etc?

[thekid54]

I think the hotrods to hell setup is designed for coils. They have an article in Rod & Custom that shows the install on a tri-5 chevy. It's basically the same setup as the truck suspension.

[itsmike2k]

I dont have anything like planed for my truck. Just a weekend toy, maybe some local shows.. I want a good ride, would like it to hook up when i punch it and to be able to pull a trailer if i ever need.. I like the ability to drop it so i wanna go with air ride. Not really looking to drop the frame to the ground though.. But i do like the look of the tubular items of air ride tech..

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by itsmike2k

..... I want a good ride, would like it to hook up when i punch it and to be able to pull a trailer if i ever need.. I like the ability to drop it so i wanna go with air ride. Not really looking to drop the frame to the ground though.. But i do like the look of the tubular items of air ride tech..

There ya go. It's pretty hard to beat Air Rides system if your looking for a clean well engineered bolt in system...

[BigTruckDriver]

Originally Posted by itsmike2k

I dont have anything like planed for my truck. Just a weekend toy, maybe some local shows.. I want a good ride, would like it to hook up when i punch it and to be able to pull a trailer if i ever need.. I like the ability to drop it so i wanna go with air ride. Not really looking to drop the frame to the ground though.. But i do like the look of the tubular items of air ride tech..

I like the CPP kit, it keeps stock shock mount at top and same location at bottom. It also has a longer panhard bar and uses a stiffer crossmember for the trailing arms. I am sure you can delete the springs for bags. I like the CPP kit ,even though a lot of people here are against it, because for myself I would like to pull a trailer occasionally and think it keeps a little more of the stiffness in the frame.Either way there both good kits.

[itsmike2k]

Yea thats a nice looking setup too... They are both comparable in price too.. The only thing that worries me about CPP is everyone's problems with fit of their products.. I know i've seen that their a-arms have some problems and i've heard that their c-notch doesnt fit really well. I do like the look of that x-member though...

[SCOTI]

Cpp's crossmember has the trailing arm mounts permanently attached to the crossmember. The unit that ECE sells has the mounts bolted on w/some HD grade 8 hardware.

If you're going extremely low, it's nice to be able to swap the brackets up-side down & side to side to regain some lost pinion angle.

[itsmike2k]

I dont know if i'll ever go that low.. ECE's trailing arms look strong though..

[topdog]

I thought with air rides rear kit you could use your stock crossmember if you didn't like theirs. I thought I read that on their website.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by topdog

I thought with air rides rear kit you could use your stock crossmember if you didn't like theirs. I thought I read that on their website.

When I spoke w/Tony about this @ GoodGuys Ft.Worth last year, he said the kit 'parts' would "eventually" be available individually. When that is I'm not sure (they could already be selling pieces of the kit).

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

When I spoke w/Tony about this @ GoodGuys Ft.Worth last year, he said the kit 'parts' would "eventually" be available individually. When that is I'm not sure (they could already be selling pieces of the kit).

I ordered the tubular trailing arm crossmember from Nathan at Porterbuilt months ago. It drop shipped from ART and worked great with the factory trailing arms.

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

It also has a longer panhard bar and uses a stiffer crossmember for the trailing arms

<rant>
I can't speak as to the "stiffness" that the CPP trailing arm crossmember has, but I can vouch for the ART piece. Speaking from the experience I have had holding the part in my hands and installing the ART crossmember on my frame it is extremely solid and well built. It mounts in the same holes the factory crossmember is riveted in, and I made sure to use the reinforcement plates the factory used as well. I don't understand how you loose stiffness in this instance. So what, it's expensive. That doesn't make it an inferior product to the cheaper alternative, regardless of how badly you want to prove that point.
</rant>

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Either way there both good kits.

That's more like it.

[cajundragger]

You have no arguement once more. I just have to LOL. You have no test comparing ART's kit to cpp or ECE or anything, yet you say ART is inferior.

the reason hot rod to hell's bracket is so big is because the panhard bar is adjustable on the frame side to allow for different ride heights and to keep the bar horizontal. Serious performance isnt going to come from an overly bulky panhard bar mount or a panhard bar 3 inches longer.

Lets do some math. giving the worse circumstances for a short panhard bar, we'll say you have 4 inches of travel during hard driving. A bar that is 24" long will have a shift in the axle of less than .25. A bar that is 30 inches long has a shift of just about an 1/8. Big difference hunh....

okay so maybe your downtravel and up travel wont be the same, so lets say you have 4 inches of straight up travel. With a 24" bar you have just at 5/16 inch shift, with a 30" bar you'd have a hair under a .25. Again, big difference.

[BigTruckDriver]

Originally Posted by cajundragger

You have no arguement once more. I just have to LOL. You have no test comparing ART's kit to cpp or ECE or anything, yet you say ART is inferior.

the reason hot rod to hell's bracket is so big is because the panhard bar is adjustable on the frame side to allow for different ride heights and to keep the bar verticle.

When you talk you should at least know what you are talking about. Or maybe you have ran your panhard bar vertical I read that far and knew it wasnt worth my time reading any more. Glad you not working on my truck. Whats wrong with you guys , I SAID THEY WERE BOTH GOOD KITS. Last I checked this was a forum, you know a place where you give your opinions. I could care less if its Art,CPP, ECE or any other freakin kit ,just giving my opinion on what I seen.
Go ahead and lock this thread Mods. This thread was meant to give the people that wanted to get some performance out of their suspension ,not about how ART's kit is better then anything on the planet. Hot Rods to Hell set up is mainly for drag racing in case you could not figure that out.

[PBFAB.COM]

Cajun and Big Trucker.... virtual pissing matches never work out! "Take it easy" (imagine that being said with a Nacho Libre accent). It's all right to state opinions (sounds like a familiar statement) just be ready to back it up with fact and evidence... and don't get upset if somebody calls you on it... and don't jump on the defensive if somebody's comment crosses you the wrong way.

[SCOTI]

Ok guys..... no need for the gloves

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

.... I like the CPP kit, it keeps stock shock mount at top and same location at bottom.

Fact

It also has a longer panhard bar

Fact

....and uses a stiffer crossmember for the trailing arms.

Opinion (unless you've done testing & aren't sharing what you've learned)

I am sure you can delete the springs for bags.

Fact

I like the CPP kit ,even though a lot of people here are against it, because for myself I would like to pull a trailer occasionally and think it keeps a little more of the stiffness in the frame.

Both kits allow a truck to still be used as a truck.

Either way there both good kits.

Fact. Indeed they are....

BTD.... It seems the line between your opinion & some actual facts has been blurred & that's what seems to be getting everyone riled (if it can be called that). I like to hear what others think about parts because it helps to see another possible angle not considered.

[cajundragger]

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

When you talk you should at least know what you are talking about. Or maybe you have ran your panhard bar vertical I read that far and knew it wasnt worth my time reading any more. Glad you not working on my truck. Whats wrong with you guys , I SAID THEY WERE BOTH GOOD KITS. Last I checked this was a forum, you know a place where you give your opinions. I could care less if its Art,CPP, ECE or any other freakin kit ,just giving my opinion on what I seen.
Go ahead and lock this thread Mods. This thread was meant to give the people that wanted to get some performance out of their suspension ,not about how ART's kit is better then anything on the planet. Hot Rods to Hell set up is mainly for drag racing in case you could not figure that out.

excuse me, I meant horizontal.

and I figure I may add...there is nothing high performance about a panhard bar. This is why drag car mostly run diagonals and road cars run watts, mumford, or parallel 4 link..

and Im not sure how this is a pissing match, sorry for not conforming.