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why does my 6 inch tuff country lift kit ride like sh*t

kauzenkaos

kauzenkaos

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after doing some reviews on lift kits i found that tuff country had good reviews so i purchased their 6 inch lift kit after install i found that the tuff country shocks i had purchased wouldn't reach the axle mounting points with the suspension at full drop and that the rear was sitting about 2 inches low after my horrible experience with tech support i was advised that tuff country shocks were designed as limiting straps and that it would be fine if i compressed the suspension to install the shocks (my response are u fuc*n kiddin me) after talking to what i guess was every employee at the facility one tech advised me to remove the lower leaf from the front spring pack so i did to little avail the shocks reach now but still about 1 inch low in the ass regardless i finished the install and took her out on the trail pavement driving ok but the slightest bump would chatter ur teeth and offroad is almost unbearable anyone have any suggestions other than returning the lift kit they wont let me return it i tried please help
 
craigslist:D Seriously though I got 4" rough country on the back of mine with rancho 5000 shocks and its pretty brutal. Going to put the stockers back on with a shackle flip this weekend.
 
You need longer shocks, preferrably something decent...not that POS twin tube crap they send with the kits. Look for some montube shocks such as the Bilsteins. They're not terribly expensive, but are vastly superior. Look at the 5025 or 5150's. Instead of being able to unload after the suspension hits a bump the shocks are acting not as limiting straps, but as hard stops. This is adding to the harshness of the ride.

For a 6" lift you really need shocks in the 12-14" stroke range, or relocate the upper mounts downward so you have some rebound travel left.

I'd remove the shocks, then jack the front or rear from the bumper so the springs are at complete droop. Measure between the current shock mounts and add 2" and that should ballpark you for total length needed. For compression you can set up your bumpstops to prevent the shocks from bottoming out.

As for the saggy rear issue, I'm assuming rear blocks came with the kit? If so the problem is your stock rear springs were already sagged. I'd look at a 4" shackle flip from any of the vendors here, plus a zero-rate spring block to get you level again. Removing a leaf from the front isn't the end of the world either...definitely make it ride nicer if the shock length is good.

The kits are generic...in the real world that just means they 'fit' our trucks but often don't work as they should.

Rene
 
no blocks springs all the way around and the shocks are no longer bottoming out regarless of tuff countrys claim i been a tech for 10 years and shocks wont last under that kinda abuse as far as for removing the leaf i thought that this would be a great idea more flex softer ride but no guess i shoulda done more research
anyone know of a way to perform a shackle flip with around 1 inch of lift
 
You mention two different issues with the shocks. You said they wont reach full drop which is pretty subjective depending on how far your twisted up,say left side is shoved up into the fender well then the other side will drop further than just evenly jacking it off the ground. In 35 years of using "box type lift kits" its pretty typical the included shocks dont cut it. You did mention them telling you to compress the suspension to make the shocks reach, which sounds like your saying with the truck sitting on its wheels on flat ground the shocks wont reach. If thats the case then the shocks are way to short and somebody needs to pull their heads outta their buttox. Unfortunatly I can say from my personal experiance with jeeps and trucks the majority of the sales folks and tech staff havent a clue what thier really selling and cant offer much of anything but frustration,the bigger the company the worst they are(4wheelparts,hint hint). Id research part numbers to start and if their right for the 6" kit stay on them till the square up and make things right. In the mean while if the shocks are so short you cant install them without compressing the truck dont drive as you`ll likely destroy your trucks shock mounts if not worst.
 
apache said:
You mention two different issues with the shocks. You said they wont reach full drop which is pretty subjective depending on how far your twisted up,say left side is shoved up into the fender well then the other side will drop further than just evenly jacking it off the ground. In 35 years of using "box type lift kits" its pretty typical the included shocks dont cut it. You did mention them telling you to compress the suspension to make the shocks reach, which sounds like your saying with the truck sitting on its wheels on flat ground the shocks wont reach. If thats the case then the shocks are way to short and somebody needs to pull their heads outta their buttox. Unfortunatly I can say from my personal experiance with jeeps and trucks the majority of the sales folks and tech staff havent a clue what thier really selling and cant offer much of anything but frustration,the bigger the company the worst they are(4wheelparts,hint hint). Id research part numbers to start and if their right for the 6" kit stay on them till the square up and make things right. In the mean while if the shocks are so short you cant install them without compressing the truck dont drive as you`ll likely destroy your trucks shock mounts if not worst.
Click to expand...
yea the shocks are good after pulling a leaf out of the spring pack trust me i know of the problems that the shock mounts have with the stock shocks installed id like to think this problem has helped fine tune my welding skills repairing customers rear shock mounts and with how stiff my springs are the though of any type of articulation in the front will only be a dream
 
Keitha said:
Punctuation is your friend!
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input punctuation is the only thing i haven't tried to soften my ride hope it works ......................,,,,,,,,,,, hope this covers the ones I missed
 
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If it were me, I'd put the leaves back in and leave the shocks off completely....

Drive it around for a bit just to confirm that the springs aren't actually stiff as hell. If the springs are decent they will flex and ride decent, but obviously you will get some extra bounce without the shocks attached.

If that first test shows that the springs are worth keeping, you can get a measuring tape and start figuring out the CORRECT length for some shocks.

The idea that removing a single leaf to make the pack softer (and lower) to make the shocks reach the mounts is a horrible idea. You MIGHT get an inch of droop travel if you're lucky. My guess is that they simply gave you the wrong set of shocks for the kit you bought....


:usaflag:
 
Some one sent you the wrong parts my friend there is no way it should be that far off. Oatsk5 has tuff country springs and shock set up 6" and it Rides like a DREAM and man is it SOFT.
 
x3, something is wrong with the kit. If they won't send you the right shocks, send the whole thing back. When you buy a lift kit you have a reasonable expectation that it will go together without mickey mousing and ride OK. If that isn't true, they should fix it or let you send it back.
 
I like my 6" tuff country ez rides in front then I have 4 inch flip, 3 inch spring, extended shackles and a zero rate to make it level.:rolleyes:

Over time the springs will become softer. The more you flex them the quicker that will happen.

I replaced my shocks later once I could really tell compression and droop, I also inboarded the rears which helped me.
 
I had a procomp set of 4" rear springs on my old K25, and they were terrible for ride quality! Same problem, the recommended shocks did not fit on my truck, so I simply ran the truck without them since it was primarily an off-road rig anyways. I never noticed that they were missing, and the ride quality actually was big time improved.

Since then I've swapped in 56" springs front and rear, now the thing is so friggin soft / flexy that I am scared to drive it on the street, even with a good set of shocks, haha
 
tuff country update: i called in 1st thing to see if theyd still send me new springs as promised or if i could just return the kit . waited for a phonecall all day. called back at 2 talked to techline and was told they would check with the boss and let me know. hate to say it but i got money says no call back any takers?
 
Have you driven it without the shocks, just to verify the springs are in fact too harsh....?
 
Greg72 said:
If it were me, I'd put the leaves back in and leave the shocks off completely....

Drive it around for a bit just to confirm that the springs aren't actually stiff as hell. If the springs are decent they will flex and ride decent, but obviously you will get some extra bounce without the shocks attached.

If that first test shows that the springs are worth keeping, you can get a measuring tape and start figuring out the CORRECT length for some shocks.

The idea that removing a single leaf to make the pack softer (and lower) to make the shocks reach the mounts is a horrible idea. You MIGHT get an inch of droop travel if you're lucky. My guess is that they simply gave you the wrong set of shocks for the kit you bought....


:usaflag:
Click to expand...

This is what i would do too.

Maybe they sent you HD springs instead of ez rides? :dunno:


On a side note I'll be in Fallon around 24 Oct. have to meet up and have a beer or something.
 
MTBLAZER89 said:
This is what i would do too.

Maybe they sent you HD springs instead of ez rides? :dunno:


On a side note I'll be in Fallon around 24 Oct. have to meet up and have a beer or something.
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i was told by tuff country tech that there are no hd springs in 6 inch only ez ride but ur guess is as good as mine. sorry to hear about ur trip to fallon i just moved back here and drinkin or wheelin is about the only options
 
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