Front suspension
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Front suspension
I'm running adjustable aluminum beams with Tweeds arms and Fox shocks. My right side sits considerably lower than the left. Most likely broken leafs again. I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad.
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Re: Front suspension
For the same reason you have (possible broken leaves)...and more most of the rail guys I know convert to one type of "A-arms" or another.mlrailguy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:17 am I'm running adjustable aluminum beams with Tweeds arms and Fox shocks. My right side sits considerably lower than the left. Most likely broken leafs again. I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad.
Here are two styles I am aware of.
Also it might be a good idea, like some of the modified stock beams have is a suspension compression stop attached on the taller shock tower. This is a commercial conversion for a stock K&L beam... for what it is worth.
Lee
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Re: Front suspension
I have been toying with converting to a-arms but my question would still be the same
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Re: Front suspension
The coil-over gas shocks (I think these are also call "air shock" but there are a different types of real air-shocks I do not, in the least way, recommend as they can be dangerous) I think are going to be the best for dual purpose riding but figuring out the length is determined by the height and placement of the shock tower. Then there is the spring rate.mlrailguy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 10:11 am I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad. I have been toying with converting to a-arms but my question would still be the same
Those pix were of sand cars and how they were changing from an old-fashioned rail with Bug K&L suspension. Some were the old rail design upgraded or new rail with upgrades. I think I have other pix but the new thing seems to be adding electric power steering.
Lee
- chuckput
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Re: Front suspension
These aren't the greatest pictures, but I converted my front suspension to coil overs with a through rods to replace the torsion leaf packs. We removed the shock towers on the 6-inch wider front beam and fabricated new upper shock mounts that are integrated into the front part of the roll cage. If there is something specific you would like to see I will shoot some better pictures. The coil over shocks do not have any valving and are simply carriers for the springs. The dampening is all taken care of by the bypass shocks. Off the top of my head, I believe the springs are 250/300#. The ride is about the same as when I was running torsions and Fox reservoir shocks, but you gain a lot in tunability.
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Re: Front suspension
Just building a single shock tower per side and having a combination coil over and shock setup should work also.
Lee
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Re: Front suspension
The air shocks I'm talking about are actually gas shocks that are being used by some to support their rails. The compression and rebound are set with the discs. They look like they are stiffer ride than a coil over shock.
- Skidmark
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Re: Front suspension
Not sure how you could attach steel shock towers to an aluminum beam...mlrailguy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:17 am I'm running adjustable aluminum beams with Tweeds arms and Fox shocks. My right side sits considerably lower than the left. Most likely broken leafs again. I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad.
"Your car sounds angry, and it wants to go fast all the time..."
(quote from my daughter, after driving my car)
It's not complicated, it's just expensive...
(quote from my daughter, after driving my car)
It's not complicated, it's just expensive...
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Re: Front suspension
On the "Air-Shock" I was pretty sure that was what you meant but I try to be sure before going on. The "air-shock" misnomer has been around a long time as air is a gas as well as Nitrogen (et al) is a gas.
I started to post why I am dead-set against the true "air-shock" and why I react to the term but people have gotten hurt using the wrong type of air-shock. My blue buggy came with them in the rear so bigger tires could be used so, not knowing a lot about buggies and riding on the sand, I kept them until I got the $#it scared out of me... once!
Lee
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Re: Front suspension
Most of the ones I have seen using the AL beam have separate towers built off the rail not the beam. There are several advantages doing it this this way which are not always obvious until... WHAM !Skidmark wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:31 amNot sure how you could attach steel shock towers to an aluminum beam...mlrailguy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:17 am I'm running adjustable aluminum beams with Tweeds arms and Fox shocks. My right side sits considerably lower than the left. Most likely broken leafs again. I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad.
Lee
- chuckput
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Re: Front suspension
While my front beam is not aluminum, that is what we did for the the upper shock mount. We cut off the towers, bent some tubing and welded it to the down tubes from the main roll cage to the front beam. That's the simple explanation, the actual work was a little bit more complicated.Ol'fogasaurus wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:10 amMost of the ones I have seen using the AL beam have separate towers built off the rail not the beam. There are several advantages doing it this this way which are not always obvious until... WHAM !Skidmark wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:31 amNot sure how you could attach steel shock towers to an aluminum beam...mlrailguy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:17 am I'm running adjustable aluminum beams with Tweeds arms and Fox shocks. My right side sits considerably lower than the left. Most likely broken leafs again. I would like to get rid of the leafs and go with coil over or air. Wondering what you guys are running and how these compare for ride. Mostly play in the sand, but the trails involved are whooped out bad.
Lee
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Re: Front suspension
It always is.
The shock towers I posted were the most common way to do it in the past unless it was being done on a new(er) rail body. Just as long as they are solid, stop the trailing arms from going too high and damaging the torsion bars and don't bend/arc while roughing the buggy up things should be OK.
Lee
The shock towers I posted were the most common way to do it in the past unless it was being done on a new(er) rail body. Just as long as they are solid, stop the trailing arms from going too high and damaging the torsion bars and don't bend/arc while roughing the buggy up things should be OK.
Lee
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Re: Front suspension
I tried to post pics of my car, but have no idea how. I have shock towers already in place. What I'm trying to learn is ride quality with a Fox coil over shock and thru bolts to replace the leafs compared to Fox air shock https://www.ridefox.com/img/product/off ... -air-m.png
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Re: Front suspension
Look below the "typing screen" and you will see "Options" and "Attachment" click on the "Attachments" and you will get a box "Add Files" Click on that and you can post pix. I clean up my pix and resize them down as there is a limit to the sizes. For my camera's pix I go 640 X 480 but you can go larger than that.
A simple thing to do once figured out.
Lee
A simple thing to do once figured out.
Lee
- chuckput
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Re: Front suspension
Use the "Full Editor & Preview" and then do what Lee said. Just to emphasize, photos will need to be resized (I believe they recommend 400 x 600) and that takes a separate app or program. On my computer, I open the photo in Google Photos, download it, and then in it's downloaded state I can edit the picture and one of the options is to resize it for publication. There are also free programs you can download that will resize your photos. There is one called "Resize Your Image" that I have also used.