csukoh78
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #1
All, just did this project. Makes a HUGE difference. Pics don't do it justice. The truck just looks right now. I put together a how-to for others who might be interested. Cheers!
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###UPDATE### 22Sep - After driving for about 1500 miles, I can no longer recommend doing the full 3" suspension shortening/2" rear drop level, but instead you guys should do a 1.5" suspension shortening ( 1" drop. ) You can do this by adding two of the 5/8" steel rings to each strut tower, included with the shocks. I did this change today, and glad I did.
1) With 3" shortening (2" drop) described in the original post, the ride does take a significant hit and is not longer very comfortable. That 3" of suspension travel you take out is ALL the comfort, beyond that compression is for heavy loads only. Feels like my old ICE truck with stiff rear leaf springs. Bouncy and hits hard.
2) The negative camber is unacceptable. Mine was 2.5-3 degrees after leveling. There's no way to adjust it on Lightnings without frame modification. You have to remember that this suspension travels on an arc. The more the suspension is shortened, the more the control arm rotates around its axis and forward in the wheel well, and creates negative camber. It rode worse, was louder, and my efficiency took a hit by not riding on the tires square.
3) The good news! By doing a 1.5" shortening (1" drop), compromise is best! You do this by adding two (2) of the 5/8" steel rings to the shock body. This functions as a spacer. There is virtually no camber difference in a 1" drop, its still within spec, it does look significantly better with reduced (but not eliminated) rake, and rides *much* better. I'm very satisfied now.
Bottom line, ride and negative camber get exponentially worse with 3" shortening (2" drop) and you can keep the ride and improve the looks by only doing a 1.5" shortening (1" drop).
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###UPDATE### 22Sep - After driving for about 1500 miles, I can no longer recommend doing the full 3" suspension shortening/2" rear drop level, but instead you guys should do a 1.5" suspension shortening ( 1" drop. ) You can do this by adding two of the 5/8" steel rings to each strut tower, included with the shocks. I did this change today, and glad I did.
1) With 3" shortening (2" drop) described in the original post, the ride does take a significant hit and is not longer very comfortable. That 3" of suspension travel you take out is ALL the comfort, beyond that compression is for heavy loads only. Feels like my old ICE truck with stiff rear leaf springs. Bouncy and hits hard.
2) The negative camber is unacceptable. Mine was 2.5-3 degrees after leveling. There's no way to adjust it on Lightnings without frame modification. You have to remember that this suspension travels on an arc. The more the suspension is shortened, the more the control arm rotates around its axis and forward in the wheel well, and creates negative camber. It rode worse, was louder, and my efficiency took a hit by not riding on the tires square.
3) The good news! By doing a 1.5" shortening (1" drop), compromise is best! You do this by adding two (2) of the 5/8" steel rings to the shock body. This functions as a spacer. There is virtually no camber difference in a 1" drop, its still within spec, it does look significantly better with reduced (but not eliminated) rake, and rides *much* better. I'm very satisfied now.
Bottom line, ride and negative camber get exponentially worse with 3" shortening (2" drop) and you can keep the ride and improve the looks by only doing a 1.5" shortening (1" drop).
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