52 vs 4-Link front vs 4" TC for Daily Driver

[eclipse85k10]

My 89 sub is a slow project, haven't had time to touch it, but do have lots of time to think of plans. Currently it is bone stock. I want a mild lift on it with some trail capable suspension but good highway handling.

I've heard that a 52" swap isn't the best for daily driving, is this true? Also I've seen a few rigs with front coils/4link conversion, but I've searched quite a bit and mostly only find rear 4-link setups. ORD's coil-over 4-link is a nice setup but I think for my needs coil-overs are too much.

I have found a picture on here of a black shortbed with coils on all for corners, but I only saw close up shots of his rear links and not fronts. Is anyone running coils up front, or 52"s on there DD.

The reason I'm interested in something other than stock leaf spring setup is I work with a bunch of newer dodge guys who run carli suspension and I find the carli stuff pretty impressive!

 

[CherryK5]

I think radius arms would be better for a DD.

 

[eclipse85k10]

Found this pic online, not sure what the setup is being fabbed up on. But how hard would it be to do a link setup like this on a suburban? Except I would want to coil spring instead of expensive coil overs

 

[fallguy]

Found this pic online, not sure what the setup is being fabbed up on. But how hard would it be to do a link setup like this on a suburban? Except I would want to coil spring instead of expensive coil overs

That looks like a nice setup. Intrested to see where this goes.

 

[Stomis]

I think radius arms would be better for a DD.

Indeed radius arms are a good setup for a DD. Either ford style clamps with long arms or link style arms with one upper being a very stiff shock for sway control.

And I can atest to 52s not being the best DD'er option w/o lots of leaves. Then again you can fix this issue with a torsion sway bar like and anti rock bar from currie.

 

[muddysub]

hmmm, ive also been considering 52s for the front of my '89 sub. i havent searched or asked about their street manners though. i'll have to look into that.

 

[eclipse85k10]

The issue with 52s up front being sway? I'd think most people who offroad with 52s problem run with out their sway bar?

4-link front really interest be because a co-work is building his 07 2500 cummins dodge to run the baja 1000 with a mix of carli, kore and custom suspension. Also my bosses 07 megacab has a prototype long arm setup on it from Carli which is really interesting setup.

On the driver side it has one arm that connects to the two link points on the axle, and on the passenager side, the arm connects to the lower link point and a mini bilstien shock connects from the arm to the upper link point. He says the truck rides like never before, although it is running some pretty fancy King 2.5 shocks.

 

[muddysub]

I imagine an anti-rock bar with the 52s as mentioned earlier would probably handle just fine. As long as they make the bars heavy enough for our rigs.

 

[CherryK5]

The issue with 52s up front being sway? I'd think most people who offroad with 52s problem run with out their sway bar?

4-link front really interest be because a co-work is building his 07 2500 cummins dodge to run the baja 1000 with a mix of carli, kore and custom suspension. Also my bosses 07 megacab has a prototype long arm setup on it from Carli which is really interesting setup.

On the driver side it has one arm that connects to the two link points on the axle, and on the passenager side, the arm connects to the lower link point and a mini bilstien shock connects from the arm to the upper link point. He says the truck rides like never before, although it is running some pretty fancy King 2.5 shocks.

Thats a radius arm setup

 

[1979jimmy350]

I have a few thousand miles of highway miles on my truck with 52 inch front springs. The truck is defiantly not as stable as as it was with my rough country 4 inch leafs, i am thinking about adding a sway bar to address the highway manners because i do like the ability to drive on the highway

 

[folkenheath]

With the dual rate coilovers you can tune it to handle how you want it. Adjust your sliders up so you are almost touching them at ride height and it will handle like the stiffer spring. Move it down more and it will flex better but also sway more. That's what I have noticed with mine. It could be daily driven no problem if I wanted too spend that much on gas.

To be honest I don't see that little mini bilstein shock doing much of anything on those radius arms. I can unbolt one upper arm on my radius arms, and I can't tell a difference on the street. I think a may get a little more flex out of it, but on the street the bushings deflect enough that it does what the springs let it. So putting a shock in there is probably more for show than function. I prefer to have both arms in all the time, it is stronger because it distributes the braking forces to both sides of the axle instead of just one tube. Also, the radius arm kind of acts like a swaybar, but like I said, I cant tell a difference on the street, wristed or not.

 

[miniwally]

If your wanting nice street manors, and not a lot of cost why not just get a set of stock length custom leaf springs. You can get 12"+ of travel out of the stock length and honestly at that point you run out of steering control.

That's where a link and coil suspension picks up is the fact that the trackbar and draglink need to be built to follow each other and thus bump steer goes away. Link and coil is way nicer than leafs for sure but there is an expense associated with them.

IMO 52" springs are not the best idea simply because for the work that needs to be done you can have the same thing with the stock bracket locations.

 

[eclipse85k10]

heath, your setup is the kind of setup I have been searching for pictures for a while. Gonna be spending sometime looking at your build thread. Also from what I was told about that bilstien shock on the passenager side radius arm was it was flex. Don't really know how that will pan out cause that truck is a pavement pounder

 

[folkenheath]

Well let me know if you have any questions. I built that before ORD had they're complete system for sale. The best bet for you might be to buy the ORD axle brackets and then make your own frame mounts for everything to create a radius arm setup with their axle brackets. Because with their axle bracket you could easliy use their steering, and then you just have to make shock hoops and radius arms/frame mounts. Sounds simple, but it is very time consuming.

 

[LT.]

Not that I really know anything about the 52" swap but, is there a reason you could not do the 52 springs and then build (or purchase) a sway bar quick disconnect for the front end? I would think this to be a fantastic way to have your cake and eat it too.

LT.

 

[Stomis]

Not that I really know anything about the 52" swap but, is there a reason you could not do the 52 springs and then build (or purchase) a sway bar quick disconnect for the front end? I would think this to be a fantastic way to have your cake and eat it too.

LT.

Not with the factory bar due to the fact that 52s move the axle forward.

 

[miniwally]

Not with the factory bar due to the fact that 52s move the axle forward.

Add to that the fact that the springs will allow more travel and make crossover steering a necessity. Crossover and stock sway bar don't mix.

Still IMO
52" springs in the front isn't worth the work.

 

[Blue85]

Hasn't anybody used 52s while keeping the front axle in *almost* the same position? If too much travel is a concern, you can use straps and bump stops. Then you can use the stock swaybar, given that you use disconnects (for the extra pivot point) and stock steering.

A longer spring has less friction for the same deflection, so the dynamic spring rate comes closer to the static. That is what we really want for ride quality - lower dynamic rate. So you would gain a softer ride without picking up any of the other potential advantages and disadvantages of the 52s. But I can see where moving bumps, adding straps, installing brackets like B-52s and relocating the rear spring hanger is a lot of work just for that benefit.

Can a custom set of Alcans or Deavers (stock length) ride as soft as 52s in the 4"-6" lift range?

 

[Blue85]

OK, so in an even more general sense, what would be the ultimate ride quality for the front suspension, given that it will be leaf springs?

 

[miniwally]

Can a custom set of Alcans or Deavers (stock length) ride as soft as 52s in the 4"-6" lift range?

Yes and then some. It's all in the spring design, then a whole new discussion is shocks.

Take a given spring and put a cheap set of Ranchos on it and you might hate them. Put a correctly valved King, Bilstein, Fox shock on and you would love it.

This is the reason I don't understand the 52" hype. By the time you go through all the work you can install a custom spring in the stock hangers, and put a nice shock on and have enough comfortable travel in the system that you develop the need for more axle control cause you have bump steer even with well setup crossover.
I don't think it would be much difference in cost, and the time it takes would be way less.

I think ride quality is so subjective that you can't say what one person will like versus the other. Also speed over a given terrain plays a big role, a lot of things change with just a 10mph speed increase or decrease.