Front End Travel - HELP! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Front End Travel - HELP!

tiessen

Well-Known Member
Joined
February 16, 1999
Messages
406
Reaction score
0
City, State
Vancouver, BC
Year, Model & Trim Level
'92 XLT
I have a 5.5" Superlift in the front end of my Exploder.I have gone SOA in the rear and replaced the Exploder leafs with a full set of Ranger leafs (much thinner). I now have more travel in the rear of my truck than I know what to do with!

Now the front end. Like everyone else with the Superlift (with Superrunner arms) I am disappointed with the lack of front end travel. I would like to know what will enhance front end travel. These are my findings so far. Please add to this so we all can figure this out. Just as a starting point, my truck ramped 730 on a 20 degree when the Exploder leafs were still in. I will update the ramp score with the Ranger leafs.

- I don't have the time or money to cut and turn my axles like Gloria's rig.

- I can't run Hiem joints in the radius arms (like Gloria) because they are illegal where I live.

- I don't have the Superrunner steering.

- Superlift coils are too stiff (450lbs/in) but I don't think this is the problem.

- At full droop, I can pop out the coil quite easily but after doing so the axle does not drop any more, even with when forced down.

- Things that could be limiting articulation:
- Swaybar - NO - disconnected
- Steering linkage? I doubt it because Autofab's (www.autofab.com) cut and turn kits for Rangers utilize stock steering and get 16" of travel; therefore long travel is possible with stock steering (other than dropped pitman)
- Axle pivots - I don't think so, they are the same as the long travel kits and they are aligned in the direction of droop and compression.
- Radius arm bushings/mount - maybe; because the radius arms bushings are mounted perpendicular to direction of movement, they may limit articulation. But, Autofab uses the same setup, so do solid axle Bronco's etc which get great travel.

- Shock length - probably not - my shocks are plenty long, unless I really increase my travel

- Axle pivot brackets - I think so - coventional lifts only drop the pivot points to maintain alignment. The difference between cut and turn and drop brackets (besides strength) is the location of pivot point in relation to the pivot point of the radius arm. Does this make a difference? Rick's rig also get GOOD travel up front and he uses 5.5" coils and 3.5" drop brackets (and uses big cams to align) thus making his setup more like the cut and turn lifts.

QUESTION: Will moving the axle pivot point up higher (as in Rick's rig or Gloria's cut and turn) allow greater articulation?

Should those of us with 5.5" Superlifts move the pivot points to the 4" pivot holes (if you have a new bracket set) to get better travel and use bigger cams to maintain alignment?

Please help me. I am going nuts after spending big $$$ on my front end and having crappy travel.

Thanks

Dale
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Dale,

I'll take a stab at answering your questions - excuse me if something doesn't make sense. It's still early Dead Link Removed

In no particular order,

- Superlift coils - 450 lbs/in is a stiff spring. So stiff, it could limit your upward travel.

- Superlift steering - should not be a problem (personnally, I don't think these things work as advertised, but that's another issue)

- Radius arm bushings/mount - possibly, depending on how easily the bushing will deform under load.

- Shock length - my shocks are my limiting force - 4" longer than stock, but I'm only using the Rancho 2.5" drop brackets.

- Axle pivot point - I don't think only moving the pivot up will increase travel. If you disconnect your radius arm, you shoud see the axle move up and down freely.


It seems to me the radius arm is the limiting factor in vertical wheel travel (aside from shock length). The axles that have been cut and turned actually also have been lengthened (albeit a small amount). The long axle will have an apparent longer arc of travel.

How much actual vertical wheel travel do you have?

Other opinions?


------------------
Scott
1993 Ranger, Modified

sjbosso@mindspring.com
 






Hint:

Should check your wheel travel with the shocks disconnected, since they are only for 'dampening' the wheel travel. Then see if you can extend/compress the shock to match the position of the wheel at its limits.

You will destroy the shocks if they are hitting their limit of travel in use.

Enjoy!

------------------
"Don't go where the road don't go." -Ringo Starr
"92 EB / 2.5" Rancho
Wil - '92 EB
 






check out www.donahoeracing.com you can get longer radius arms and turned beams. Kreg claims you can get upto 16 inches of travel with these parts. Also try www.camburg.com for the same type of parts. Look for pre 97 ranger parts.

[This message has been edited by Pendarus (edited 05-03-2000).]
 






Here is an update. I had my truck aligned today and had the axle pivots moved up to the 4" holes from the 5.5". I now have 3degree cams in the front to align and I am less than .5 degrees out of manufacturer tolerances. I will hopefully ramp it this weekend and check out from end travel to see if this helped.

Cheers

Dale
 






I would try to to get longer radius arms and/or make them. Definitely check out Camburge Engineering, they have bent I-beams for the Explorer for $345. They're on my wish list.

------------------
1992 Ford Explorer XLT
Interested in trucks..?
Me too. Check out my web page.
MatnChad.com
www.matnchad.com
 






I only have 4" of suspension lift on my explorer and I can ramp a 750 with polyurethane bushings all around. If I was using rubber I could probably ramp in the 850 range. I have basically the same setup as Rick with the springs being taller than the drop brackets. This setup seems to allow more compression and so you get more wheel travel. My front end is limited by the shocks which are only 2.5" longer than stock. However I have enough shock travel to pop the springs out of the perch. Good Luck!

------------------
Happy Trails!
'93 XLT 4x4
Dead Link Removed
swankmi@efortress.com
 






Right now I have seem to have lots of droop but the tire just won't stuff with the heavy Superlift springs. I know that droop is limited by my shocks because they are too short. I am going to be putting new shocks on soon and when I do I will measure the difference in travel with the current shocks. I think most of the problem is with the spring rate of the coils. I am also going to have a set of custom wound 7" coils made so that should make a difference too. My Stupidlift coils are sagging quite a bit now the rear used to be a teensie bit lower but now it is noticably higher than the front.

This is my shock limited droop. The driver's side tire is in the air and the shock keeping the spring from extending all the way.
Dead Link Removed

And the other side.
Dead Link Removed

As you can see in this picture the stiff spring will not compress very far when the weight is at the rear of the truck.
Dead Link Removed

But when there is weight on the front of the truck it compresses much further, far enough to cause the tire to contact the spring tower. (a couple seconds before this picture was taken.
Dead Link Removed

------------------
Paul Gagnon
Calgary, Alberta
"No Brain, No Pain"
Dead Link Removed

Technically Velveeta isn't REALLY cheese... it's a cheese food...
The stuff that other cheeses eat... I guess.

[This message has been edited by Paul Gagnon (edited 05-04-2000).]
 






OK I have found some of the answer to my question. There is a 4x4 magazine out this month (I forget which) talking about Rangers and Bronco II's. Same sh*t, different pile to the Exploder. The key to limiting bump steer and maximizing travel is to have the tie rods at the same angle as the traction beams. Thus, the height of the pivot brackets for the traction beams should be the same as the bottom of the Pitman arm. This means 2 things,

1. By using the Superlift steering with Superlift drop brackets, the tie rods angles will be closer to the traction beam angles thus enabling more lift.

2. With cut and turn kits, ie: Autofab, they don't use a longer pitman arm or the Superrunner steering because the location of the axle pivots has not changed.

Rick's rig may have better travel because he used an extended pitman arm (3" longer) with 3.5" drop brackets, thus keeping the angles close. I have changed by pivot points to the 4" holes from the 5.5" and will be ramping the rig again soon. I'll let you all know!

ps. This concept is similar to why solid axle must strive to keep the panhard rod and steering linkage at the same angle, to avoid bad bump steer and death shakes at speed.

Cheers

Dale
 






You are right about the steering geomety, however in your case, that isn't a big contributor to the lack of articulation. I just pulled my front axle out of my Explorer and while I was at it I cycled my suspension to se what did and didn't limit the travel. Here is what I found out.

My tires limited my up travel, with no springs installed. I can get them to hit in the same place with the springs so I thing I am maxed with my up travel for now.

The first limit in droop was the shock. With the shock removed I gained about 2 more inches of droop (measured from the fender straight down to the hub).

Once I removed the shocks my drive shaft hit the Superlift cross member. It touched just as it reached full droop so it really wasn't a limiting factor as of yet. I did removed the driveshaft to test everything else.

The next limiter was the radius arms. As I loosened the nuts the axle just kept dropping. By doing this I got a little ove an inch (with the spring installed).

The last limiter I found was the springs, Once I removed the spring retainer it was free to fall as far as I let it.

I am switching over to heim joints while I have every thing apart, I am also getting a custom shock hoop fabbed so I can run much longer shocks. I am contimplating the Camburg beams also, since I am constantly bending my drop brackets.

I know you said that you can't run heims, what you can do instead is to run rubber bushings in your radius arms. If they are already rubber, make sure they are new and/or flexable (not dried out).
Running the longer shock is also a good idea, if you are willing to pay the extra for a custom shock hoop.

[Edited by JAY on 06-08-2000 at 02:03 PM]
 






Jay,

Autofab makes nice looking shock hoops for the Ranger/Explorer. I have not used them, but they look they are of good design - something you might want to check into. At least it should be cheaper than having some custom built....
 






Actually I know John (the owner of Auntofab) personally. I have been dealing with him for about two years now. He has excellent equiptment and well designed parts. I doubt it would be cheaper though, he is very expensive. I have several friends at different fab shops, so making one for free (almost, I provide to beer) isn't going to be a problem, all I need to do is buy the materials. I already talked to John on this, and he doesn't make what I need. The one he makes for the kit isn't going to be tall enough (his single shock versoin, the dual is taller.) He has a very tall one, but that is over kill for what I need, and it requires the removal of the air conditioning. I need a hoop in between the two. He can make anything I (or anyone else) need, but I'm not willing to pay his labor rates.

JAY
 






Shock hoops...

Hey Jay, have you seen Fabtech's shock/coil towers. They replace your stock towers and use 10" stroke shocks. Only need to drill for the back hoop bracing on each side. I think I saw 5 smaller bolts on one that I saw...
 






Yes, I have looked into Fabtech. I have actually looked into several different people. It basically comes down to cost. Pay $100+ for somebody elses parts, and not quite get what I want, or buy a case of beer for me and my buddy, and spend a night in the shop bending up something I am happy with. I can't see paying somebody for something I can do myself.
I am however goint to get Autofab's coil buckets. I really wanted to make my own, but the "price" to "time involved" ratio wasn't in my favor. Besides they are adjustable and proven relaible. Please don't get me wrong here, I really do appreciate all the suggestions, keep the coming, they have helped befor and I'm sure they will continue to help in the future.

JAY
 






Reference to new shock mounts; I removed my front swaybar and used it's mount and Fab'ed a new mount on the frame to add the 2nd shock. I used 3/16" flat bar for the upper mounts and bolted them in with 1/2" bolts. However, traval is now limited at the R/A's. In the future, I plan on modifying the lower mount so that I can reinstall my swaybar (for the expressway).
 






Back
Top