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Make Your Four Wheel Drive Handle Right
DON'T JUST PUT UP WITH A POOR-HANDLING 4WD. MICK FROM SUPERIOR ENGINEERING HAS THE SECRETS YOU NEED TO KNOW, TO MAKE YOURS HANDLE BETTER THAN NEW!
The on-road handling of modern 4WD's is amazing while they are in factory form, but once you start to lift them up to allow some clearance off-road or load them up for those long journeys, the handling really starts to suffer. So how do you get the looks and performance you need for offroad but retain good handling? Well like most things it's always a compromise, and you will find that the more your vehicle is modified from standard, the harder and more expensive the components are to get good handling.
The starting point for most lift kits is the springs and shocks and this is where a lot of thought and planning should really be focused. How high do you really need it? How much gear are you going to load in it? What accessories are getting added? And how much travel or flex is really needed?
Springs And Spring-Rate
With all the suspension options and kits available nowadays, deciding which spring kit to get for your 4wd is now harder than ever! Once you have decided on the height of your lift, getting a spring setup that will complement your shocks and give you the best ride and offroad performance is sometimes a bit daunting.
There are really two basic categories of springs available on the market - linear springs and progressive (or variable rate) springs. Each type has different purposes and behaves a certain way. A linear spring with a consistent rate is easy to match to a shock absorber, but a progressive spring will often go out of the effective damping range as it crosses into higher or lower rates.
Shocks / Dampers
Gone are the days of just putting in a longer version of the OE emulsion shock to get a bit more flex. With the increasing availability of long travel race bred remote reservoir shocks, which were once only used by offroad racers or the very wealthy, ride and performance can be optimised or tuned precisely to any vehicle. With the shock absorbers being the best upgrade to how your rig drives and absorbs the bumps, it's always worth doing your research and maybe spending a few extra dollars in this area!
A steering damper is nothing more than a shock absorber for the steering system. It dampens the effects of tire vibration and feedback from the road surface irregularities. These problems are most common in all vehicles with large tires, such as 4WD's. The effects are multiplied when you add bigger tires and lift which alter the factory steering geometry. So a steering damper upgrade is vital to most lift kits, which may now require more force to resist road or trail impacts.
Swaybars
Although not conducive to full flex, a suitably sized and well matched swaybar will help retain good road manners and can even sometimes help offroad. If you prefer to 'let it loose' when offroad, then swaybar link disconnects are often a great option.
For those Nissan owners that want the best of both worlds, then some SuperFlex swaybars may be the answer. A radical design & extended side arms mean no more climbing on the ground and getting dirty after a day in the bush to reconnect the swaybar links, but still with the ability to get full flex from your suspension.
Camber / Caster
OK, so the new springs are in and it wanders and shakes. What have I forgotten? The added lift has caused the suspension to rotate and change the caster outside of required specs. So how do I fix this? On a radius arm vehicle there are a few ways.
Drop Boxes
These are a simple bolt on mount extension that lowers the rear mounting point back to a better angle.
Dropped Radius Arms
For when performance matters most, a pair of replacement drop radius arms correct caster and address the pin or bush mounting geometry to allow for maximum wheel travel and greater on-road handling. As well as correcting caster, added design features such as Superior Engineerings' SuperFlex mounting technology can also be used to dramatically increase wheel travel.
UCA's Upper Control Arms
When it comes to IFS vehicles, usually the first sign of trouble is the alignment and handling of the front suspension. This is often best addressed by relocating the upper / lower control arm or replacing them. A steeper angle on the upper or lower arm moves the steering knuckle inboard and increases the angularity on the ball joints, sometimes maxing out their movement. Upgrading Upper Control Arms for IFS vehicles is often the preferable solution.
Replacement UCA's allow Camber/Caster correction and increased clearance for the thicker or heavier aftermarket coils generally required to lift the vehicle.
