Upper control arms and tie rods.

[DrifterGTR]

I will be the first to say this is an eye opening thread for me
This is my first high speed capable off road truck. Being from the south we don't get many opportunities to go fast offroad. But since i have the truck and the wife wants to move out west; I figure why not build the truck the way i want it now.

I see that I've opened the proverbial can of worms with my questions. So what it sounds like I'm reading, is that camber is good, but not the most easily adjustable, icon is solid but a very professional shop is needed to get everything aligned properly and both options will allow for faster steering and longevity ? As far as tie rods thicker ones also help with faster steering response and have the added benefit of looking good. Am i missing anything?
And what benefits any would a long travel suspension have as well as pitfalls? I know i want "better" shocks, uca's and tie rods. But is there anything else i should be looking at? I'm no Baja racer but I'm also not a starbucks racer either.

 

[DrifterGTR]

@pete888 what bump stop kit are you running?

 

[pete888]

@pete888 what bump stop kit are you running?

RPG Stage 1 with King Bump Stop.

 

[Rick@FreedomMotorsports]

RPG Stage 1 with King Bump Stop.

Technically a Stage 3 in my book. Looks like there is Deavers too. I would not consider using King vs. Fox on the bumpstop to change the stages as RPG designed.

 

[DrifterGTR]

appreciate the help Rick!

So since I don't want to go crazy, but would like a bit more flexibility in my suspension ; would you recommend a stage 3 rear, uca and tie rods in the front and upgraded suspension all around?

 

[BenBB]

I will be the first to say this is an eye opening thread for me
This is my first high speed capable off road truck. Being from the south we don't get many opportunities to go fast offroad. But since i have the truck and the wife wants to move out west; I figure why not build the truck the way i want it now.

I see that I've opened the proverbial can of worms with my questions. So what it sounds like I'm reading, is that camber is good, but not the most easily adjustable, icon is solid but a very professional shop is needed to get everything aligned properly and both options will allow for faster steering and longevity ? As far as tie rods thicker ones also help with faster steering response and have the added benefit of looking good. Am i missing anything?
And what benefits any would a long travel suspension have as well as pitfalls? I know i want "better" shocks, uca's and tie rods. But is there anything else i should be looking at? I'm no Baja racer but I'm also not a starbucks racer either.

How far west? Yes camber is good but not really the reasoning behind the badass-looking Upper Control Arms; from the factory both Gen1 & Gen2 use slotted Lower Control Arm pivots that tend to move around the harder you hammer if offroad, best case this just affects alignment and you notice a little pull to one side or the steering wheel stripe doesn't point straight up anymore, worst case is the frame pockets bend as well (which also happens from direct impact of like rocks). So one solution is to lock the LCA's in one location (KHC, Rogue), thus necessitating adjustable UCA's for alignment. Aside from expense, another potential drawback is not clearing stock rims. On the flip side, they are way stronger, may allow a little more suspension cycle (debatable) and alignment adjustment, and look sick. The other solution is alignment cams, which are way cheaper but possibly less effective under really rough abuse.

Aftermarket tie rods aren't going to improve your steering at all, but will look better, and like UCA's are easily visible so make a big impact. Likewise they are way stronger, and more expensive than stock.

Long travel...the longer the travel the bigger the money pit lol! IMHO stock is highly capable, really limited by the driver's abilities more than any one thing else, my best advice (take with a grain of salt, like anyone else's) is learn it well and find where it needs the most improvement to YOU. Did you take Raptor Assault? Are you planning Baja runs or weekend trips in the dez? How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

 

[murph145]

Geiser front springs some nice UCA's Deaver +3 outback with RPG bump stop kit and you are more than fine for most things you will come across.

Unless you got more money than you know what to do with than yea go long travel lol

 

[DrifterGTR]

How far west? Yes camber is good but not really the reasoning behind the badass-looking Upper Control Arms; from the factory both Gen1 & Gen2 use slotted Lower Control Arm pivots that tend to move around the harder you hammer if offroad, best case this just affects alignment and you notice a little pull to one side or the steering wheel stripe doesn't point straight up anymore, worst case is the frame pockets bend as well (which also happens from direct impact of like rocks). So one solution is to lock the LCA's in one location (KHC, Rogue), thus necessitating adjustable UCA's for alignment. Aside from expense, another potential drawback is not clearing stock rims. On the flip side, they are way stronger, may allow a little more suspension cycle (debatable) and alignment adjustment, and look sick. The other solution is alignment cams, which are way cheaper but possibly less effective under really rough abuse.

Aftermarket tie rods aren't going to improve your steering at all, but will look better, and like UCA's are easily visible so make a big impact. Likewise they are way stronger, and more expensive than stock.

Long travel...the longer the travel the bigger the money pit lol! IMHO stock is highly capable, really limited by the driver's abilities more than any one thing else, my best advice (take with a grain of salt, like anyone else's) is learn it well and find where it needs the most improvement to YOU. Did you take Raptor Assault? Are you planning Baja runs or weekend trips in the dez? How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

We are thinking about Texas, and actually flying out with the family kids to take a look around the Dallas metroplex and Austin next week. I'm personally split how far west since I'm a little bit enthusiastic about my 2nd amendment rights, But, going to Colorado or moving back to AZ are equally appealing to me. But happy wife happy life as they say and she wants to go look around in Texas, so to Texas we go... for now.

I will probably just do some high speed runs out in open country. Dirt, woods, limited mud ( I hate cleaning up after a muddling session). I would love to do some desert runs, and spend a week off road camping and seeing how far I can push myself and my vehicle.We already go camping in the mountains a few times a year for a week or so at a time. So a Baja run isn't out of the question, but it would be a year or two out at this point. I speed in pretty much all terrain conditions. I just hate buying replacement parts. I learned that lesson when I built a drag bike back in the day. .. Well, attempted to build. Better overbuilt than underbuilt has become my motto.

Geiser front springs some nice UCA's Deaver +3 outback with RPG bump stop kit and you are more than fine for most things you will come across.

Unless you got more money than you know what to do with than yea go long travel lol

Negotiating with my wife for this truck was almost as bad as a nuclear arms treaty, so I can't say that I have more money than I know what to do with at this time.

 

[reaper1441]

@BenBB seems to be one of the smarter people on this forum and pretty much nailed it.

 

[BenBB]

We are thinking about Texas, and actually flying out with the family kids to take a look around the Dallas metroplex and Austin next week. I'm personally split how far west since I'm a little bit enthusiastic about my 2nd amendment rights, But, going to Colorado or moving back to AZ are equally appealing to me. But happy wife happy life as they say and she wants to go look around in Texas, so to Texas we go... for now.

I will probably just do some high speed runs out in open country. Dirt, woods, limited mud ( I hate cleaning up after a muddling session). I would love to do some desert runs, and spend a week off road camping and seeing how far I can push myself and my vehicle.We already go camping in the mountains a few times a year for a week or so at a time. So a Baja run isn't out of the question, but it would be a year or two out at this point. I speed in pretty much all terrain conditions. I just hate buying replacement parts. I learned that lesson when I built a drag bike back in the day. .. Well, attempted to build. Better overbuilt than underbuilt has become my motto.


Negotiating with my wife for this truck was almost as bad as a nuclear arms treaty, so I can't say that I have more money than I know what to do with at this time.

Better BBQ in TX than AZ/CO too I agree with murph145 and others about the Geiser springs (or like RPG collars to firm up the front end), Deavers, and bumps, but it sounds to me (again just opinion, on the internet no less) like you'd be better off without the UCA's and tie rods right now and instead look at a tune and/or intercooler, and maybe brake upgrade since you're fond of the skinny pedal. Unless you approach El Paso (I wouldn't recommend it lol!) you're not going to be hitting a lot of whoops or jumps as often as sprinting between sweepers and long flat wide open runs...

Good luck and let us know what you go for.