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Java's F450 RV

Getting more uptravel is good. Even better if it was a larger diameter.
 
Getting more uptravel is good. Even better if it was a larger diameter.

Larger diameter is bigger pain in the ass. Taller bag is easy button.

I can get an inch more easy I think. Here is full bump with the current bags, the OE bumpstop goes just below the frame there behind the shock. Although I dont have much shock travel left..... Fawk me. Its always something.

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As I see it, if your harshness is from riding on the bumps rather than the bags, taller bags will help immensely. If your harshness is from bag diameter and spring rate, you will need a wider bag. Where do you sit weightwise on the response curve for your current bags? Aaron Z
 
I'm 6200-6400 on the front axle. Run around 80 psi
I missed the weight earlier. Looking at the chart you posted earlier:
That puts you at 3100-3200 per bag which is right at the top of the range for 80PSI (down in the 6" range and you hit the bumps at 5.4")
Looking at your picture with more pressure:
fetch

Is there room to re-align the mounts to line them up at the higher ride height? Looks to me almost like the mounts come out of alignment as you get the bags to the right height for your load.


Aaron Z
 
Is there room to re-align the mounts to line them up at the higher ride height? Looks to me almost like the mounts come out of alignment as you get the bags to the right height for your load.

Radius arm problems.
 
I missed the weight earlier. Looking at the chart you posted earlier:

That puts you at 3100-3200 per bag which is right at the top of the range for 80PSI (down in the 6" range and you hit the bumps at 5.4")
Looking at your picture with more pressure:
fetch

Is there room to re-align the mounts to line them up at the higher ride height? Looks to me almost like the mounts come out of alignment as you get the bags to the right height for your load.


Aaron Z

Yeah I am right at the very upper range of the bag...
 
But that weird angle looks like track bar geometry induced not "radius".
 
OK been driving this beast and thinking all day. A few things come to mind.

One, use the bags I have, cut brackets lower to run the bag taller. Less bottoming, and puts it in a flatter area of the load curve. But higher bag pressure.
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Two, back to the tires just being fucking bricks? I have never ran anything but 19.5's (although factory 450 guys seem to like kelderman and come on 19.5.s). How much safety factor is in LT tires? I would be running them pretty much at max load rating 100% of the time.

Three, trans tune. I wish it would drop and hold a gear on grades sometimes. Instead it runs lower rpm's whcih drives boost way up. more rpms seems to make it flow more air and drops boost down. Thoughts?
 
Figure out a way to keep the bags and brackets square and level at ride height, but enough room on the frame side for the suspension to fully compress and extend without the bags or brackets hitting. It doesn't matter if its not quite square sitting on the bumps or fully extended on a lift or something, but at ride height, especially with radius arms, your going to want it square.
 
Figure out a way to keep the bags and brackets square and level at ride height, but enough room on the frame side for the suspension to fully compress and extend without the bags or brackets hitting. It doesn't matter if its not quite square sitting on the bumps or fully extended on a lift or something, but at ride height, especially with radius arms, your going to want it square.

They are square at the prescribed ride hight. I just don't think it's enough.
 
Even if you replace the radius arms with 4 links to get rid of the axle rotation, it still move fore and aft a little. Without the bags riding on their own support system you will never get them to stay inline all the time.

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The downside of this is reduced working diameter of the bag.
 
Yes, it will never be great. I can fix the side 5o side tho
 
OK been driving this beast and thinking all day. A few things come to mind.

One, use the bags I have, cut brackets lower to run the bag taller. Less bottoming, and puts it in a flatter area of the load curve. But higher bag pressure.


Two, back to the tires just being fucking bricks? I have never ran anything but 19.5's (although factory 450 guys seem to like kelderman and come on 19.5.s). How much safety factor is in LT tires? I would be running them pretty much at max load rating 100% of the time.

Three, trans tune. I wish it would drop and hold a gear on grades sometimes. Instead it runs lower rpm's whcih drives boost way up. more rpms seems to make it flow more air and drops boost down. Thoughts?

Are you just looking at the front axle for LT tires?
Can you just lock out the higher gears with the +/- on the shifter?
 
Two, back to the tires just being fucking bricks? I have never ran anything but 19.5's (although factory 450 guys seem to like kelderman and come on 19.5.s). How much safety factor is in LT tires? I would be running them pretty much at max load rating 100% of the time.
?

When I had 19.5s on my dodge with big ass camper, I grew to hate them, they just rode bad.
Do you think you're setup weighs more then ever Class C? Those are all just 16" wheels.
 
Are you just looking at the front axle for LT tires?
Can you just lock out the higher gears with the +/- on the shifter?

No LT all around. I am 8k on the rear (last time I weighed) and some LT are rated for 4030 now.


When I had 19.5s on my dodge with big ass camper, I grew to hate them, they just rode bad.
Do you think you're setup weighs more then ever Class C? Those are all just 16" wheels.

I am single in the rear though, a 16" cant take the weight as a single. Id like to avoid going back to duals. And I highly doubt I would find a 16" in 10x225.

And yeah, I am wandering if that is part of the issue. I like the safety margin of them, and beadlocks, but Is it worth the trade off in ride? IDK, but another dude has these same ones and prefers them to the MPT81's he has also.....
 
At 12k gross you are going to pushing LT tires to the limit and at minimum won't be able to air down much at all from the 80 psi.

19.5's are rough as shit no way around it but those big meatballs you are running should be better than the standard rib.
The guy with the Kelderman kit took another forum member for a ride with the 5er where they proclaimed it was as good as his 2020 F150....
Thats either confirmation bias or your rear springs are having a much larger effect than you thought.
 
At 12k gross you are going to pushing LT tires to the limit and at minimum won't be able to air down much at all from the 80 psi.

19.5's are rough as shit no way around it but those big meatballs you are running should be better than the standard rib.
The guy with the Kelderman kit took another forum member for a ride with the 5er where they proclaimed it was as good as his 2020 F150....
Thats either confirmation bias or your rear springs are having a much larger effect than you thought.


14k :D

I really do think its the front.... But who knows at this point.... I just don't get it. It was not any better on the factory 19.5's If I am going slow over steel construction plates etc I can feel the front and rear separate.
 
14k :D

I really do think its the front.... But who knows at this point.... I just don't get it. It was not any better on the factory 19.5's If I am going slow over steel construction plates etc I can feel the front and rear separate.

I noticed a minute ago my math was off LOL

As a side note when I was pulling my toy hauler with my Excursion I killed 4 rear 18" D rated tires from Toyo and BFG that were rated over 4K and I was not even close that on the rear more like 32-3500. No way I would trust them singled in your application for the rear.
 
No LT all around. I am 8k on the rear (last time I weighed) and some LT are rated for 4030 now.




I am single in the rear though, a 16" cant take the weight as a single. Id like to avoid going back to duals. And I highly doubt I would find a 16" in 10x225.

And yeah, I am wandering if that is part of the issue. I like the safety margin of them, and beadlocks, but Is it worth the trade off in ride? IDK, but another dude has these same ones and prefers them to the MPT81's he has also.....

Oh, I thought you were DRW. Now you know your next change then, adding DRW is really nice.
 
I noticed a minute ago my math was off LOL

As a side note when I was pulling my toy hauler with my Excursion I killed 4 rear 18" D rated tires from Toyo and BFG that were rated over 4K and I was not even close that on the rear more like 32-3500. No way I would trust them singled in your application for the rear.

Hmmmmm Not good. I was looking at 20" FWIW, around 37" tire.

Oh, I thought you were DRW. Now you know your next change then, adding DRW is really nice.

Nooooo.... I worked hard to get rid of the DRW! They suck bad in snow.
 
The BFG's broke belts and exploded caused over $7K in damage to the truck twice, Michelin paid for the second failure but hosed me on the first one.

Switched to E rated Toyo's and had the same failures but no blowout on a trip to Branson, MO.
Broke one in Arkansas and one coming back through Oklahoma.

No way I would want single LT's on that rig.
 
The BFG's broke belts and exploded caused over $7K in damage to the truck twice, Michelin paid for the second failure but hosed me on the first one.

Switched to E rated Toyo's and had the same failures but no blowout on a trip to Branson, MO.
Broke one in Arkansas and one coming back through Oklahoma.

No way I would want single LT's on that rig.

That sounds like good enough reason to avoid to me.... Only other real option is 42" tall. The MPT81's
 
And just to make sure the horse is dead...
The BFG's were less than 17 months old and under 14k miles, the Toyos were under a year old and around 7k miles at boom.
My truck is not daily driven but used somewhat like your 450.
 
Big truck stuff is heavy and really tight..... And we are supposed to get 1.5" of rain today.... So I worked late last night to get as much done as possible.




Front end work list:

Check alignment again, add more toe.

Replace track bar (re-center axle)

All new brake components (after seeing how bad the rears were.....)

New tire balancers

New wheels/tires







First find 30mm socket, and proceed to bend breaker bar....

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Track bar was supposed to be the easy part. As soon as I disconnected it, everything moved ~3" to the DS. Remember big truck stuff is heavy?? A bottle jack between the tire and fame wouldn't move the axle... Ended up having to block the frame up, take the wheels off, use floor jack under front axle (after dumping all air and taking it off jack stand) a BIG ratchet strap between the axle and frame, and as much strength as I had to get it back centered. And now to bitch about the track bar. Its nicely made, but its just a hiem joint on one end for adjustment. IE one side must be unbolted to spin it.... So no adjustment when its installed..... Hopefully I got it close, because this is a HUGE paint to get out apparently.




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But its in....

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On to brakes. They are big and heavy, and hold a lot of fluid.... Kept the rotors, they are in good shape, and no grooving. Other side looks the same, just later and darker....

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Did not get to alignment, tires or balancers....
 
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