Ah, I see... I'd left the stock IFS suspension discussion like five posts before... lol

Here's the total count, one exploded Inner CV, one destroyed Outer CV (caused by the inner) and for you trivia fans there was a third, I took a small chip out of the other Inner CV cup, but that didn't affect the axle or manifest its self until I took it off the truck.

I have lost three hubs so far. I have had two eject themselves from the truck, and one sheer in half. These are AVM, not stock.

The break was not caused by angle, it was, more or less, caused by landing a jump in 4wd. The joint was on its way out already so I had nothing to lose, but that is what did it. I abused it pretty hard prior to breaking.

"You All" who? Me or the entire staff at 4WOR? I personally just have the two, between all of us and what the magazine owns/borrows probably 40ish. And that's not counting all the friends/family/strangers vehicles we use. Variety is the spice of life right.

 

"You all" meaning the whole staff.

 

correct me if i am wrong... so, a lt kit will not improve my ability to rock crawl anymore than a rcd kit...

 

It will greatly improve it..RCD does not give u anything positive except the coilovers and giving you a lift...Long travel increases your travel on your suspension because it uses modified a-arms w/ a coil over.It does not drop your current suspension down like the RCD lift...Just get the long travel..There is one other person who makes it on dezert rangers..It will cost you alot less too im sure

 

do you have a name or link???

 

It will flex 200% better than stock and 100% better than an RCD kit. Thus aiding your ability to rock crawl. I've done several difficult trails with mine and hung right with the Jeeps.

Nope. There is a guy building kits out of his garage, but they are only 2wd Edge kits that fit 4x4's. He doesn't have axles.

Stick with Aaron, its a very well proven combo.

 

Because the RCD kit won't hold up to abuse like a solid axle or a good LT kit will. I really wish people would stop getting the idea that the RCD kit is the be-all and end-all of suspension lifts. Anyone who has wheeled with an RCD kit has broken brackets and had to replace coil springs.

A good long travel kit would make a lot of sense for both desert running and rock crawling. There's a reason the HMMVV's have independent suspension!

The reason that solid axles are popular for rock crawling is that it's easier to build them stronger (for larger tires/motors) and MUCH cheaper to build them with great articulation. An indepentent suspension system with the same amount of travel/articulation would perform better than a solid axle, but would cost much more.

So if you don't want tires bigger than 33s, a long travel suspension would work well for you if your wheeling will be comprised mostly of desert running with occasional rock crawling/trail riding.

 

You can put larger than 33's on the truck with an LT kit... 33" is the minimum. Like I said, if I so desired, I could put 37's on my truck.

 

I wheeled mine for a good while before the pinion angle bracket broke. Cheap $2 fix. Coil springs are optional, depending on tire size you want to run. The RCD says nothing about the front driveline needing to be replaced. It's a great kit and I've worked out all the kinks of mine, all according to what I do more often.

LT kits are badass, not gonna lie. But they still keep you low to the ground, just allow more travel, hence... Long travel. If they made a great long travel LIFT kit I'd be all over that (for rangers).

 

My turn, it all depends on what you want to do with it. The RCD kit will greatly improve your ride quality (but not travel) and will improve your approach, departure and break-over angles. In will not however increase your clearance directly below the front and rear axles. In AZ I found that it was a reasonably good setup for general desert exploring mixed with the occasional technical boulder and bedrock sections. The RCD kit as well as any other drop bracket lift will have a tendency to place additional wear and tear on your hubs and ball joints. It is simply part of the price to play. My only real complaint with the RCD kit is that I would at times get a bit tippy on 2 wheels when my articulation would max out. However, I never removed my front sway bar.

LT is great, after all I have chosen to go that route. However, it is significantly more expensive just to get started. So once again, it all depends on what you want to do and how much you are willing to spend. Good luck with your decision.

 

You do realize that any lift kit for any vehicle is not going to net you ANY ground clearance. Ground clearance is achieved by installing larger tires, which is what lift kits allow for. And if you can get that same amount of ground clearance with a 6" lower center of gravity then where is the problem?

 

Overall look I guess...

I am aware of that though.

 

Can't argue with that.

 

i don't understand that logic at all... yes only tire size will give u clearance for your dif's and the same amount for the undercarridge, but that is it. with out a susension lift, u are not going to get that extra clearance for the underbody of ur rig in instances of breakover points and headons. for instance, my rig has 33s w/ just a body lift. my tires give me some clearance over my difs, but i still bottom out while rock crawlin' or going over dunes breaks. my buddy w/ the same rig and same tire size, but with a suspension lift, has extra clearance in mentioned situations. also, when trying to clear an obsticle, u hit it headon w/ ur tire which keeps ur dif out of the way, so all to worry about is when ur tire clears the obsticle and ur undercarridge comes down and if u are going to have clearance or not... hence a suspension lift!

 

The only situation you mentioned there were a lift kit helps is with breakover. But I can guarantee you that I can take my low GC truck anywhere a truck with the same tires and a 6" lift can go.

It comes down to driver and spotter. Remember what were talking about here... Wheelling = 20% vehicle / 80% driver.

I've driven brand new stock pickup trucks through rock gardens that Jeeps have trouble in.

Oh, and if you hit 'Shift' when you hit a letter it will capitalize it, makes it so much easier to read. Anyway...

 

i completely agree w/ the percentages! and when i'm talking about obsticles, i'm talking about rocks... so there's a breakover point w/ those too.

aNywAy, What'S tHis fOreIgN linGo oF "SHIFT" tHAt u sPeAk Of, LmFaO...

 

Yea, I'm talking about rocks too. But how many times have you been hung up on your differential versus undercarriage? I know in my experience it's been diff.

Anyway, see how much easier that is to read...

 

actually i've never been hung-up on my dif... i get my dif out of the way by taking the rock with my tire. but since we have such a long wheel base, as opposed to jeeps, my undercarridge always ends up scraping before my rear tires can begin the rock... hence the need for extra clearance.

and yes! easy to read, lol...

 

...well to get back on track... i need to make up my mind fast. i am fedup with my torsion bar crank and finaly have the money to do something about it. need to decide if i want LT, SAS, or play it safe and stick with my original plan of the RCD kit. either way, i have to make up my mind in the next couple of days before my money slowly starts to disappear on this and that.

 

From what I have heard, the reason EVERYONE goes solid axel for rocks, it that it is a little more predictable with your lean angles. I think there was one guy that had independent F/R on a Comp buddy, and ditched it after 2-3 comps, just because it completely changes where/when your truck is going to roll.

I think it has less to do with cost, and more to do with sticking to what they know, and can predict on the rocks. Cost really shouldn't play a factor when they are rolling buggies that are worth 100 grand or more.

If you are serious about wheeling it, stay away from the RCD. There is alot of work to put into an already expensive kit, when you might as well go LT or SAS.

You know the saying: "you are gonna wanna SAS it before you know it", why not do that first.

 

I can think of one SAS truck on here in particular that has spent more time on Sand then anything else..

 

Yeah but come on, who really pays attention to that character.....

 

i do its fun to watch him get into trouble lol

 

It is always more fun watching people get into trouble that getting into it yourself, unless you like adventure....which apparently he likes ALOT of.

 

Sorry I was saying that his ideal tire size was no bigger than 33s. And, with that in mind, LT would still be a good idea. The desired tire size dictates the suspension, not the other way around.

But I'll still toss my vote in the hat for a solid axle or long travel. With the RCD you'll just find yourself wanting to upgrade again further down the line.