Download - Make Your 4WD Handle Right!
MAKE YOUR FOUR WHEEL DRIVE HANDLE RIGHT!EXPLAINED BYSUPERIOR ENGINEERING
Michael Hayes has the secrets you need to know to make your 4WD handle better than new.
DON’T PUT UP WITH POOR HANDLING
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 re-
tain good handling? Well like most things it’s always a com-
promise, and you will find that the more your vehicle is modi-
fied from standard, the harder it is to get good handling.
MAKE YOURS HANDLE BETTER
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. Ask yourself some questions.
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 now-
adays, 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 com-
plement your shocks and give you the best ride and of-
froad performance is sometimes a bit daunting.
SPRINGS AND SPRING-RATE
There are really two basic categories of springs avail-
able on the market - linear springs and progressive (or
variable rate) springs. Each type has different purpos-
es 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 effec-
tive damping range as it crosses into higher or lower
rates.
SHOCK ABSORBERS
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 of-
froad racers or the very wealthy, ride and performance
can be optimised or tuned precisely to any vehicle.
SHOCK ABSORBERS
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!
STEERING DAMPERS
A steering damper is nothing more than a shock ab-
sorber 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 four wheel drives
(4WD’s).
STEERING DAMPERS
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 im-
pacts.
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.
SWAYBARS
A radical design and 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 cast-
er 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 low-
ers the rear mounting point back to a better angle.
DROPPED RADIUS ARMS
For when performance matters most, a pair of replace-
ment 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 Su-
perior 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 sus-
pension. 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.
uca’S - UPPER CONTROL ARMS
Upgrading Upper Control Arms for IFS vehicles is of-
ten the preferable solution. Replacement UCA’s allow
Camber/Caster correction and increased clearance for
the thicker or heavier aftermarket coils generally re-
quired to lift the vehicle. For more information please
contact us at Superior Engineering.
CONTACT SUPERIOR ENGINEERING
Phone: (07) 5433 1411
499 Uhlmann Road
Burpengary Queensland 4505
Australia
ASK THE EXPERTS:
4X4 Suspension Tech Talk With Superior Engineering
www.superiorengineering.com.au