Off Roading Ramp Travel

[JWEST]

Oh no - my sway bar must have fallen off! And my stock length shocks are limiting my wheel travel!

 

[Briar Hopper]

Been reading too many Jeep magazines, John ? Truck looks good ! You're not going rock-crawling, I hope... .

 

[HillCountrykid]

Looks good.



Your traction bars are probably not letting you get even more flex. Mine did.



Brian

 

[JWEST]

Briar - I have been curious about rock crawling for a while now. Tried it for myself in a creek bed and it was good. But busting your front diff on a rock or twisting your tie rod would be a huge bummer. Maybe later when I don't have to drive it to work everyday.



Hill Country - That might be the case, but without any weight in the back it's hard to tell. With a load of (insert heavy stuff here) in the back, I can bottom the springs on the rubber stops, so I doubt the traction bars hinder the travel much. The bars have poly leaf spring bushings in the ends so they can absorb some deflection.

 

[HillCountrykid]

JWEST, what size tire are you running now? Those are'nt the same as the ones in your sig.



I could still get quite a bit of articulation with my bars on, but I could tell they had a good amount of tension on them. I'm not knocking yours at all. Hope it did'nt come across like that.

 

[JWEST]

No problem - I just put those tires on, they are 285/75R16 Bridgestone Dueler M/T/s. I got 50k miles out of the last set I had a few years ago, so I gave them another shot. They are a little noisy but for a mudder they aren't too bad.



My traction bars are twice as long as the front half of the leaf springs, so in theory they shouldn't restrict the leafs. The leafs are pretty flat to begin with so there isn't much change as they flex. In any case, it's worth having them to get rid of the axle hop.

 

[HillCountrykid]

Ya, when mine were on, it was like the transmission was bolted to the rear-end. No spring wrap-up at all. Weird feeling at first.



I was just looking at some other threads and saw that you make those bumpers. Nice job. Those are one of the cleaner, best looking ones I've seen. Besides my RanchHand that I cut, hacked, and welded on.



You would by chance have a closer shot of your wheel/tire combo would you? I'm probably am going to 285's and cant decide on 16x7 or 16x8 wheels. A shot from the front showing how the sidewall bulges would be nice. Please.



Brian

 

[JWEST]

As soon as I have a chance to sneak out

of the office with the digital camera I'll get you a tire shot. The 'Stones are D rated and don't seem to care whether I run them at 65 or 45 psi.



Thanks for the bumper compliment. I like to think the cleaner look appeals to some people who don't need a winch mount or grill guard.

 

[HillCountrykid]

Thanks. I'll be waiting. That's if I don't fall asleep (just got off my 7 pm to 5:30 am shift ).

 

[JWEST]

HCK,

Here is a sidewall shot of my 285 Bridgestone MT's. Believe it or not, there's 45 psi in these. Ride is decent,

but they were a little squirrely for the first 5k miles. Probably due to the big tread blocks. I have Centramatic balancers so I can't really say how good the MT's balance on their own. Wheels are 16 x 8 with 4. 5" back spacing. I previously ran the MT's on factory 16 x 6. 5's. Good luck.

 

[HillCountrykid]

Perfect. Thanks alot.

 

[Mtngoat]

I was wheeling in my Jeep up by Divide Colorado (before the Hayman fire) and saw a guy in a almost new 4 door Powerstroke wheeling thru the rocks. I couldnt believe the abuse he was putting it thru! It was a nice truck, but saw it later and all the lower sheet metal was crushed in. What a waste.



Robin

 

[JWEST]

If you could see the rest of my truck, you would know that sheet metal is not a big concern for me. Several trees have jumped out at my truck and caused some dings and scratches while playing at Silver Lake in Michigan. Rockcrawling takes that damage to a whole new level though, and I can't see driving on the interstate at 70 mph with my fenders flapping around and my rockers rubbing on the tires... I bet it was a hoot to watch the PSD guy trash his truck though!

 

[Mtngoat]

I was in awe. This guy just didnt brush up against rocks, he would GRIND his truck thru spots. I like wheeling hard core and have for years but I dont do it with the intention of tearing up my stuff to impress my buds, which was what he was doing. Oh, well, maybe he has more money than I do!:{



Robin

 

[Briar Hopper]

Every job has the right tool... . Check this out, this is my old buddy from my off-road days in Birmingham , Alabama, a decade ago... www.rustysoffroad.com

 

[Got Smoke?]

I like that front bumper!

 

[Mtngoat]

Briar Hopper



Yep, Moab is a lot of fun, haven't been there for a couple years. There are some AWESOME machines show up out there!



Robin

 

[JWEST]

Mark,

PM me or email to -- email address removed -- about those stacks for sale!

 

[Got Smoke?]

Originally posted by JWEST

Mark,

PM me or email to -- email address removed -- about those stacks for sale!

I'll get you some stacks pics soon... ... . how about some pics of those bumpers!