Advice Needed - Afraid to Turn / Rollover

[Crasca]

I freakin' LOVE this forum!

[Mile High VX]

I don't know V....other trucks I've looked at had more like 6-7" stock.
I recall somebody (think it was MileHighVX) found some from a Rodeo that were the same as ours, so get them as a back up set, then you won't be uncomfortable cutting yours down. (or vice versa) That's what Mav did.

You are correct KAT. I found a set from a Rodeo in a local yard here when looking for some fog switches. I took the OEM off the VX and cut down the ones from the Rodeo. Made a nice improvement and I can go back to stock if I want to.

[SlowPro48]

Vendetta, you're right - trimming bump stops may help alleviate the symptoms but look elsewhere for the root cause. Your VX had the same bump stops when you first acquired it and you say it didn't exibit the problem then - so logic says it's not the bump stops causing it to step out. I've noticed my rear end steps out a lot more when the nitrogen in the shocks gets too low. Hopefully you just need better damping. If you're still running OEM dampers, get them rebuilt or if they're not leaking at least pop the caps and recharge them with a couple hundred psi of N2 so the oil doesn't turn to froth after the first mile. Froth offers almost no resistance. Welcome to BoingBoing City! If you're running aftermarket shocks - from what I've read here, most tend to be under-damped from the start - especially rebound - and it's all downhill from there - shocks don't get better with use! If worn out/wimpy aftermarket shocks are the problem, I don't know what to tell you other than get new shocks and get the stiffest ones you can find! It can't help the handling when your shocks are blowing through the stroke, bottoming out then rebounding too fast. I think they call that pogoing but in the short little VX with the shocks cavitating at both ends it feels more like riding a porpoise so I call it porpoising. I can't stand the harsh ride/slamming that goes along with the porpoising so regardless of the handling, I pump the shocks up at least once a year just for comfort's sake. They're the floating piston type - good for performance since they can be pressurized more than bladder shocks but without a bladder for the nitrogen they don't hold said high pressure very long - especially if corrosion has crept into the reservoir's o-ring/seal area...

[Vendetta]

Thanks for that, 'Pro.

I'm 11+ years in with ZERO maintenance to the factory shocks. Probably time to have them serviced or replaced. I'm told they're in pretty good condition, but that was by my wrench, who basically just eyeballed them - several times because of how often he's been under there lately, I'll give him that.

I'll look into a recharge.

[VXorado]

I'm surprised you're bottoming out with 913s.

Did you cut the bump stops yet to verify the issue?

[VX KAT]

Thanks for that, 'Pro.

I'm 11+ years in with ZERO maintenance to the factory shocks. Probably time to have them serviced or replaced. I'm told they're in pretty good condition, but that was by my wrench, who basically just eyeballed them - several times because of how often he's been under there lately, I'll give him that.

I'll look into a recharge.

Since our shocks are pretty unique in a "normal" truck, is it straight-forward to have any suspension shop do the recharge, or is it any better to send them to that "Bruce" guy for rebuild or recharge?

[Vendetta]

I'm surprised you're bottoming out with 913s.

Did you cut the bump stops yet to verify the issue?

I'm not convinced about the bump stops yet, either. So even though I was about to chop-chop today, I thought better of it until I verify they're hitting.

Tomorrow I'm going to chalk the axle beneath the stops and go on a test run. Scuffed chalk? Impacting bump stops. Easy-peasy.

To Kat's question - does anyone have a recommendation for this? Is it a straightforward service that any ol' place can do?

[Ldub]

To Kat's question - does anyone have a recommendation for this? Is it a straightforward service that any ol' place can do?

I would think any local motorcycle shop, that is able to service modern MX & Enduro suspension would be able to.

[Robbomaz]

I've got this same problem. And this was happening before my new OME 913s, wheels and tires.

It's like this. At any speed above say 40mph or so, if I hit bumps, the rear tires don't feel like they track correctly and land out of plane with my direction of travel. It's kind of hairy. Can't tell if this is happening in the front also, because the yaw from the rear is far more pronounced.

The bumps don't need to be huge. At all. Just enough turbulence to left the tires and I'm feeling it. So I can't imagine that the bump stops are coming into play here. Especially after my lift.

My wrench says sway bar. Does this still sound right to those of you in the know here? Also, The Energy Suspension bushings, are those that JoFotoz listed still the optimal choice? And while I have my wallet out for the sway and bushings (if indeed that's the collective response here), are they any other tidbits like new bump stops (suggested model?) I should get BEFORE I go full monty and do the shocks? Remember, OME913s and 285/65 R18s.

I welcome the wisdom.
-V

What LDub says but something else to maybe consider: Mine (NOT a VX) used to give you a 'corkscrew' feeling over speed bumps & the like when it first hit the road - a session on a four wheel alignment machine showed the rear axle was at a slight angle in the chassis, showing 10mm of toe over the 3100mm wheelbase. This moved what the operator called the 'drive angle' slightly off centre, which made the car corkscrew as it corrected itself.
The operator (with vast experience setting up race/rally/drift cars) described drive angle as a equilateral triangle drawn from the rear axle the length of the wheelbase, the 'point' of which was the axle centreline. This point needed to be a close as possible to the centre point between the front wheels.
What I'd done when building the car was tighten up the rear links while the car was on stands - loosening all the links with the cars weight on the suspension and rocking the car the axle squared itself and problem solved.

[Ldub]

What LDub says but something else to maybe consider: Mine (NOT a VX) used to give you a 'corkscrew' feeling over speed bumps & the like when it first hit the road - a session on a four wheel alignment machine showed the rear axle was at a slight angle in the chassis, showing 10mm of toe over the 3100mm wheelbase. This moved what the operator called the 'drive angle' slightly off centre, which made the car corkscrew as it corrected itself.
The operator (with vast experience setting up race/rally/drift cars) described drive angle as a equilateral triangle drawn from the rear axle the length of the wheelbase, the 'point' of which was the axle centreline. This point needed to be a close as possible to the centre point between the front wheels.
What I'd done when building the car was tighten up the rear links while the car was on stands - loosening all the links with the cars weight on the suspension and rocking the car the axle squared itself and problem solved.

That's some good info...VXinfo that is, right there Mr Rob....

[Robbomaz]

That's some good info...VXinfo that is, right there Mr Rob....

Thankyewvellymuch
It felt very odd on my truck with maybe a metre more wheelbase, would have been a whole lot more 'entertaining' on a short VX

[Ldub]

Thankyewvellymuch
It felt very odd on my truck with maybe a metre more wheelbase, would have been a whole lot more 'entertaining' on a short VX

Yep, when I had "the wagglies" back there, it would "get interesting" to the point where it would pitch left & right hard enough to get me outta the skinny...

Cruise control wasn't used during that period.

[SlowPro48]

Since our shocks are pretty unique in a "normal" truck, is it straight-forward to have any suspension shop do the recharge, or is it any better to send them to that "Bruce" guy for rebuild or recharge?

If you're just talking about a recharge then most any motorcycle shop will have nitrogen and quite a few automotive tire shops these days sell nitrogen as well. All you have to do is remove the shocks, pull the metal cap out of the reservoir end to expose a standard Schrader valve just like the ones used to put air in your tires. Flush the valve with brake cleaner or similar because most likely there will be some grunge and grit in it and you don't want to inject that into the reservoir. Have them fill the shocks to 200psi or so and then you'll have to find a cap to put back over the end of the reservoir - because you tore up the metal one removing it - but that's OK it didn't do a very good job of sealing out the dirt anyway. Those band-seal rubber end caps with a hose clamp do a good job. I think they sell them (or more likely a chinese knock-off) at Home Depot.

Now, if you're riding around with chopped up 11 year old oil like Mr. Vendetta and you need to have the oil changed you can usually get that done at a m/c dealership as well - most of them change fork and shock oil - but if you're talking total rebuild (i.e., they're leaking or not damping well even with fresh oil) then you're better off going to a dedicated suspension shop like Bruce's. Some motorcycle dealerships rebuild shocks but most send them off. One thing - if you're going the m/c shop oil change/rebuild route I'd suggest leaving the front shocks in a box and showing them only the rear shocks. If you show them those bass ackwards front shocks they're likely to show you the door!