Looking for suspension ideas up front on a lowered X

[diesel_s]

the thing is, i race my truck, and i love taking corners.....so i gotta do more than just shocks and tires.....my rear end breaks loose here and there and all i did was back out my torsion bars and got a 3 in drop.

 

[mr.p]

if you plan on racing it then you will need serious power that plus independent rear unless its beefy = broken axles tearing apart your explorer

 

[IZwack]

And lighten it so the suspension doesnt have to work so hard - so maybe drop the audio stuff and the safari bar.

 

[diesel_s]

truck puts out 280hp at the moment, and its already pretty light lol....but i'm removing my modded v6 and transmission and installing a 5.0 V8 with a C5 tranny that will be turbo charged...rear mounted. I race the truck but not enough to remove the daily essentials. thats what the other cars for lol...2006 Acura TL, nothing in it but two seats and a radio.

 

[drothgeb]

How is your truck putting out 280hp with just the K&N cold air intake kit?

 

[diesel_s]

the k&n is the only thing that was listed in my signature, its got more than the K&N cold Air..............for example, full high flow exhaust... modded transmission...serious engine tuning by Davis Tuning in Conyers, Ga......modded heads, racing fuel injectors. etc... i havent put that much work into this motor. My old motor and tranny did way more than 280 hp but i paid the price for cutting corners

 

[mr.p]

where did you get your racing heads? whats the lift/duration on the cams. where did you get stiffer valve springs made?

 

[drothgeb]

http://qa1.thomasnet.com/item/ories...rigin=keyword&by=prod&filter=0#Specifications
these should work,, for coilovers,,

Are the stock shock mounts strong enough for the coilover conversion? I'm interested in getting rid of torsion bars too since the ride quality sucks now that it's been lowered.

 

[diesel_s]

where did you get your racing heads? whats the lift/duration on the cams. where did you get stiffer valve springs made?

Everything I have for my cutter and previos motors was one-off..but there's a site advertised on here that specializes in ford v6 parts, they build everything from custom heads, to pistons, blocks, etc

 

[corkey]

Are the stock shock mounts strong enough for the coilover conversion? I'm interested in getting rid of torsion bars too since the ride quality sucks now that it's been lowered.

stock shock mounts are enough unless yopu plan on beating the crap out of it at high speed.
Than gussets are needed leading from the frame up the sides of the shock pocket,

 

[grant00]

if you really want to cut weight then pull out all the glass and replace it with lexan.... it will cut the weight by a couple hundred pounds and lower your center of gravity/roll center of the vehicle. that is unless your sanction requires glass to be left in the vehicle.

 

[mr.p]

i just dont see how the torsion bar front setup isnt enough. adjustable shocks stiffer bars and drop keyways gives you a stable stiff front suspension. add thick sway bars and some traction bars and its solid.

 

[grant00]

i just dont see how the torsion bar front setup isnt enough. adjustable shocks stiffer bars and drop keyways gives you a stable stiff front suspension. add thick sway bars and some traction bars and its solid.

I you really want tune-ability coilovers are the way to go, IMO

 

[diesel_s]

if you really want to cut weight then pull out all the glass and replace it with lexan.... it will cut the weight by a couple hundred pounds and lower your center of gravity/roll center of the vehicle. that is unless your sanction requires glass to be left in the vehicle.

I'm not looking to cut weight mainly because I drive this truck daily, I just race it here and there both legally and illegally, I handle pretty well for my current suspension setup....just poking to go fully independent suspension now

 

[diesel_s]

i just dont see how the torsion bar front setup isnt enough. adjustable shocks stiffer bars and drop keyways gives you a stable stiff front suspension. add thick sway bars and some traction bars and its solid.

Torsion bars are to limiting bro, they will never be as good as all over coil overs and a fully independent suspension up front.... I did the adjustable shocks, thicker sway bar, torsions keys, etc....it's all helpless... I drove an 02 sport with front and back independent suspension and that sucker rode well and handled incredibly well

 

[corkey]

well , i will have to say, i roll on 35's and a bunch of lift,and with front coilovers, and with my swaybars hooked up it handles pretty darn good to me,,

 

[grant00]

Torsion bars are to limiting bro, they will never be as good as all over coil overs and a fully independent suspension up front

ok i have to correct you....the torsion bar suspension IS a fully independent front suspension. torsion bars are just a very simple spring that lays horizontally and gives resistance torsionally (hence the name), and coil springs are vertical (in most cases) and give resistance by compression.

 

[IZwack]

Yeah a coil spring is just a "wound up" torsion bar. And a torsion bar performs pretty well for street vehicles - some Formula-1 vehicles even run them for their low weight. simplicity, low CG (it lays horizontal instead of vertical, unlike a coil spring), and small package (aerodynamics).

 

[Spdrcer34]

....where is the BS smiley when I need it....

 

[grant00]

well coil springs can lay horizontal too... but then you get into all the fun of cantilevered suspension :