Ever thought about tricking out a truck so that it could go off-road just as easily as it would downtown?
Well we’re going to discuss a couple ideas to help you achieve this.
Spend your money on a good lift. Make it at least 6”. If you go lower than that you may regret it, and wish you had spent more for a higher lift.
You first want to do your research and decide what is the best plan for you, your truck and your money.
Most people want a lift that is going to keep your haft shafts as straight and level as you can possibly have it. You do not want a big angle going into the front difbulator.
A friend of mine has used Fabtech and absolutely loves it. He has had no problems with hubs, or shafts and he drives the truck daily.
If you want to run 35" tires or bigger, be mindful of your transmission. Get a deep pan for more fluid, and an external cooler with a fan. This will keep the transmission temperature down.
Get rid of the clutch fan and go with electric, it will free up a little power and strain against engine, (dual fans).
Your truck should come with a big radiator, if not get a Big Boy. Upgrade your airflow, and change gears (front and back).
Some people run 4:56 gears, but you may not need that.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
People love trucks, and what’s better than jacking up your truck and throwing some sweet wheels below it. Most people do this by a lift kit or by suspension.
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose; contributing to the car's handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road noise, bumps, and vibrations.
Weight transfer during cornering, acceleration or braking is usually calculated per individual wheel and compared with the static weights for the same wheels. Cornering wheel weights requires knowing the static wheel weights and adding or subtracting the unsprung, sprung and jacking forces at each wheel.
Some auto racing circles use false terms, or combine things like jacking forces and sprung weight transfer and call it by terms like side bite. They are either unknowing by ignorance or intentionally confusing competitors by not dealing with vehicle fundamentals and using commonly accepted anthropomorphic terms.
Jacking forces can be thought of as the centripetal force pushing diagonally upward from the tire contact patch into the suspension roll center. The front jacking force is calculated by taking the front sprung weight times the G-force times the front roll center height divided by the front track width. The rear is calculated the same way except at the rear.
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose; contributing to the car's handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants comfortable and reasonably well isolated from road noise, bumps, and vibrations.
Weight transfer during cornering, acceleration or braking is usually calculated per individual wheel and compared with the static weights for the same wheels. Cornering wheel weights requires knowing the static wheel weights and adding or subtracting the unsprung, sprung and jacking forces at each wheel.
Some auto racing circles use false terms, or combine things like jacking forces and sprung weight transfer and call it by terms like side bite. They are either unknowing by ignorance or intentionally confusing competitors by not dealing with vehicle fundamentals and using commonly accepted anthropomorphic terms.
Jacking forces can be thought of as the centripetal force pushing diagonally upward from the tire contact patch into the suspension roll center. The front jacking force is calculated by taking the front sprung weight times the G-force times the front roll center height divided by the front track width. The rear is calculated the same way except at the rear.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tires that are fully worn can be re-manufactured to replace the worn tread. This is known as retreading or recapping, a process of buffing away the worn tread and applying a new tread.
Retreading is economical for truck tires because the cost of replacing the tread is less than the price of a new tire. Retreading passenger tires is less economical because the cost of retreading is high compared to the price of a new cheap tire, but favorable compared to high-end brands.
Worn tires can be retreaded by two methods, the mold or hot cure method and the pre-cure or cold one. The mold cure method involves the application of raw rubber on the previously buffed and prepared casing, which is later cured in matrices. During the curing period, vulcanization takes place and the raw rubber bonds to the casing, taking the tread shape of the matrix.
On the other hand, the pre-cure method involves the application of a ready-made tread band on the buffed and prepared casing, which later is cured in an autoclave so that vulcanization can occur.
During the retreading process, retread technicians must ensure the casing is in the best condition possible, in order to minimize the possibility of a casing failure. Casings with problems such as capped tread, tread separation, unrepairable cuts, corroded belts or sidewall damage, or any run-flat or skidded tires, will be rejected.
In most situations, retread tires can be driven under the same conditions and at the same speeds as new tires with no loss in safety or comfort. The percentage of retread failures should be about the same as for new tire failures, but many drivers, including truckers, are guilty of not maintaining proper air pressure on a regular basis, and, if a tire is abused (overloaded, underinflated, or mismatched to the other tire on a set of duals), then that tire (new or recapped) will fail.
Many commercial trucking companies put retreads only on trailers, using only new tires on their steering and drive wheels. This procedure increases the driver's chance of maintaining control in case of problems with a retreaded tire.
Retreading is economical for truck tires because the cost of replacing the tread is less than the price of a new tire. Retreading passenger tires is less economical because the cost of retreading is high compared to the price of a new cheap tire, but favorable compared to high-end brands.
Worn tires can be retreaded by two methods, the mold or hot cure method and the pre-cure or cold one. The mold cure method involves the application of raw rubber on the previously buffed and prepared casing, which is later cured in matrices. During the curing period, vulcanization takes place and the raw rubber bonds to the casing, taking the tread shape of the matrix.
On the other hand, the pre-cure method involves the application of a ready-made tread band on the buffed and prepared casing, which later is cured in an autoclave so that vulcanization can occur.
During the retreading process, retread technicians must ensure the casing is in the best condition possible, in order to minimize the possibility of a casing failure. Casings with problems such as capped tread, tread separation, unrepairable cuts, corroded belts or sidewall damage, or any run-flat or skidded tires, will be rejected.
In most situations, retread tires can be driven under the same conditions and at the same speeds as new tires with no loss in safety or comfort. The percentage of retread failures should be about the same as for new tire failures, but many drivers, including truckers, are guilty of not maintaining proper air pressure on a regular basis, and, if a tire is abused (overloaded, underinflated, or mismatched to the other tire on a set of duals), then that tire (new or recapped) will fail.
Many commercial trucking companies put retreads only on trailers, using only new tires on their steering and drive wheels. This procedure increases the driver's chance of maintaining control in case of problems with a retreaded tire.
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