Thanks for the great advice on the tires fellow Nomads I wenr with the LTX's due to your advice.
Now moving onto another important subject. Shocks and front end suspension
when is the right time to change them out?
MONROE? Sensatrac? BILL STIEN?
Pitman, rocker/crazy arms etc.
Please shsre your thoughts.
PS The free road between Rosarito and primo tapia is extremely dangerous when driving after dark due to all the pot holes.
Be careful this new year and all year fellow Nomads.
I would love to get some input on this as well. Last time I took my car in for service the mechanic was astounded by the amount of dust in every
crevice in my car as well as the shocks on the front end being pretty much destroyed.
Bilstein... built for Baja... great on washboard roads... and low price! 5100s
Fox... on level higher.. more $$
King... the king of shocks, for a king's price $$$
Bilstein 5100s. 100%. Not excessively pricey, built very tough, great customer service. AND, they still ride well on the highway (whereas other,
offroad-specific shocks do not...will kill your back). I have them on my Tundra and they have performed incredibly well in Baja.
If you do carry heavy loads at times, I would also augment with some Ride Rite Air Bags (which, I believe I learned about from David). Off-road with
a loaded bed, they make a HUGE difference in stability.
I throw a vote in for Bilsteins also. Except for the old road to GONZAGA BAY.Melted two different sets on two different trucks....and I go "slow"
also.
Originally posted by Cypress
Most anything will work if you know how to drive on rough roads.
Cypress, I'll bite, what is the proper way to drive on rough roads?
Larry
PS, As my avatar shows I'm not that great even on paved roads
[Edited on 12-30-2010 by larryC]
everyone knows you must drive fast on bad roads. not only does it end sooner but you feel less ruts because you are flying over them instead of
pounding into the bottom of every one....
unless, of course, you are heading southwest from san ignacio. that road will hurt you if you try to fly.....
Originally posted by David K
Bilstein... built for Baja... great on washboard roads... and low price! 5100s
Fox... on level higher.. more $$
King... the king of shocks, for a king's price $$$
Will Kings work for a Tundra? A bit heavier than your Tacoma.
Use the Bilsteins with the adj. spring seat. It will level the truck out depending on clip position choice, and they work great! My 06 Tundra loves
them!
Keep your eyes on the road, and your hands upon the wheel!
CONSIDER… http://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/sway-control/truck-s...
For a Ford van, Bills rear cured rear axle steer. Adding Front Bills turned the van into a sloppy sedan not a delivery truck.
But the Hellwig rear bar planted all four wheels on the ground together almost all the time approaching an IRS effect on smooth roads. Reminds of the
old Tiger Paw commercials.
Front Bills were a puzzle getting in, a tool problem tightening up.
The Hellwig needed a new frame hole aside the gas tank needing a short bit, extreme patience for juggling Hellwig’s mounting bolt thru the new frame
hole with a pull thru wire.
With LSD, Toyo A/T, OD, 5.4 and XM/Spa, the afternoon drive up to Catvina from Mulege after a spring rain is AAA. One of the great long drives in NA.
On A/T: if front’s are worn with rear as new, the preceding handling package moves up from a 6 to 7 out of ten. ‘Turn in’ improvement is worth the
effort.
Change the brake fluid.
Remember ! let the Mexicans get past
Yesterday I replaced the right front Stabilizer Bar kit on my 2003 Ford Ranger Baja Mobile
as it was toast. It took me a little over one hour. Here are some before and after shots.
BEFORE[/align]
AFTER
Next on the agenda is to replace my upper and lower ball
joints.
A little tip David, those lower ball joints are pressed in, soak them with a good penetrating oil a few days before you do the work, you or your
mechanic will be glad you did! The whole spindle will need to be pulled out of the way to pound out/press in the new joint, meaning the C.V. axle will
need to be pulled out of the spindle, so soak that outer axle nut also. Try to find a new joint that has a zerk fitting so you can grease them later.
The cheap ones, and the O.E. ones have no zerks. Same for the upper control arms/upper ball joints. The good replacement units have a replaceable ball
joint with a zerk, the cheapies are one solid unit with no zerk and a cast in place ball joint. Have fun, I never have to do those damn Ford front
ends again!!!
Keep your eyes on the road, and your hands upon the wheel!
Thank you Bajabass for the information. I will heed your advice. I have been doing some research and found that the upper control arm and lower ball
joints made by MOOG may be the best ones. Those have the zerks.
PS: I found these two instructional videoa on-line. What do you think.
If you drive really rough roads very often like the Gonzaga road I would suggest going with a Bilstein 5160 or a Fox with the external res. Both are
in the $200 per shock range and are rebuildable, but you'll never need another shock for Baja.
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
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