How HIGH is ok?

[Oldhippie]

What is the brand of diff drop you have?

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[Snacktime]

Jack it up, if the tire can still drop 3" you have enough droop for most pot holes. If you have less than 3" of drop you are going to have skating and negative driving characteristic that increased the odds of losing control. Higher up the more bump steer you will experience through the travel.

Everyone will have a different level of acceptable handling, this is my personal take.

 

[Area51BS]

My RCI skid plates would need to be cut for a diff drop. Which brand are you using? Plus using a diff drop defeats the extra inch I get with my tires

Not necessarily. Just at the dif drop. Break over, approach and departure all gain height. Don’t they?

 

[Brian_B]

I was watching this, and after asking the same question, more or less, after I did a coilover upgrade.

Seems that if you are adding lift without affecting overall geometry - body lifts, spring preload, perch collars, portals, etc.. then you are not affecting the worst case scenarios - full droop / full compression. Your "lift" is just a function of the resting height of the body on the spring, based on your vehicle weight, tire size, and spring strength.

Sure, more lift that puts your CVs at a steeper angle may have an effect over time - more angle makes them work harder, so you'd expect more wear over time - but it doesn't change the min/max angle that instantly wrecks them, and that's what most off roaders tend to fixate on. Diff drops offset that angle, and body lifts and portals don't affect CV angle at all.

If you are stacking spacer pucks though, then that does change your min/max points, and that's a different discussion.

Now, that's my layman's understanding. Hoping to learn more here. The talk about handling and suspension characteristics are good, and things I didn't think of immediately.

 

[userdude]

I was watching this, and after asking the same question, more or less, after I did a coilover upgrade.

Seems that if you are adding lift without affecting overall geometry - body lifts, spring preload, perch collars, portals, etc.. then you are not affecting the worst case scenarios - full droop / full compression. Your "lift" is just a function of the resting height of the body on the spring, based on your vehicle weight, tire size, and spring strength.

Sure, more lift that puts your CVs at a steeper angle may have an effect over time - more angle makes them work harder, so you'd expect more wear over time - but it doesn't change the min/max angle that instantly wrecks them, and that's what most off roaders tend to fixate on. Diff drops offset that angle, and body lifts and portals don't affect CV angle at all.

If you are stacking spacer pucks though, then that does change your min/max points, and that's a different discussion.

Now, that's my layman's understanding. Hoping to learn more here. The talk about handling and suspension characteristics are good, and things I didn't think of immediately.

For me, diff drops seem like a compromise that end up losing some of the benefit of the lift itself. Say you go up 3", then drop the diff an inch to correct for some of the CV angle. Your diff is now back where it was at 2" (and the LCA's too) wrt clearance, right? So why go to 3" when 2" is better from a wear (vs limit) perspective? Is there some articulation benefit (which is a whole other lot of confusion with longer shock bodies and hard limits)?

 

[Brian_B]

For me, diff drops seem like a compromise that end up losing some of the benefit of the lift itself. Say you go up 3", then drop the diff an inch to correct for some of the CV angle. Your diff is now back where it was at 2" (and the LCA's too) wrt clearance, right? So why go to 3" when 2" is better from a wear (vs limit) perspective? Is there some articulation benefit (which is a whole other lot of confusion with longer shock bodies and hard limits)?

I tend to agree with you, but I don't know the answer to that. I've heard some folks say -- well, yeah, your diff is lower, but most everything else is higher, so... just don't put rocks in the center line. Some folks claim the biggest hangups are the cross member by the transmission, and the fuel tank - and both of those would go up some (although if you diff drop, you may be bringing the FDU back down so it hangs before that cross member does). My personal experience riding, as limited as it is, and as much milder as many people here go - is that those are the things I bang up the most as well.

I've thought the same thing about the shock mounts and LCAs, and the rear diff pumpkin - no amount of lift really changes those heights either - just bigger tires (or portals).

I don't know. Some people just like the look, or ride, of more lift. I guess it may give you better approach/departure angles?

 

[5GENIDN]

For me, diff drops seem like a compromise that end up losing some of the benefit of the lift itself. Say you go up 3", then drop the diff an inch to correct for some of the CV angle. Your diff is now back where it was at 2" (and the LCA's too) wrt clearance, right? So why go to 3" when 2" is better from a wear (vs limit) perspective? Is there some articulation benefit (which is a whole other lot of confusion with longer shock bodies and hard limits)?

Your CVs are back to the 2 inch height difference only at ride height.... the neutral (every day ride height).

Now relative to the control arms and the wheels they can droop 1 inch less (than stock axle location) and they can compress 1 inch more than stock.... all relative to the vertical location of the axle.... Because the total droop and the total compression of the wheel and control arms did not change... Only the neutral (every day ride height) angle of the arms and location of the wheel has changed.

 

[mike8675309]

What do you do with your bronco? Is it ever off of any flat roads, paved or not? Full droop applying power with the front wheels locked left or right may bind the CV joints. But that shouldn't be a problem on flat stuff.

Anyone know if the Icon shocks limit front droop to avoid CV bind?

 

[Rancid]

casually sitting in the corner with a 7.5" coil over lift on 37s

 

[Charles Miller]

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. I love off-roading with my Bronco, especially at Slick Rock and the Rubicon in California! Just trying to keep the conversation casual. My main question is whether I should consider adding a diff drop to feel more comfortable with my current height. By the way, I really love my 37” tires! Looking forward to your thoughts!

 

[mike8675309]

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. I love off-roading with my Bronco, especially at Slick Rock and the Rubicon in California! Just trying to keep the conversation casual. My main question is whether I should consider adding a diff drop to feel more comfortable with my current height. By the way, I really love my 37” tires! Looking forward to your thoughts!

How high are you lifted? And are they true 37" size?

 

[Charles Miller]

How high are you lifted? And are they true 37" size?

I'm not sure how high I'm lifted. I have Icons with Mickey Thompson AT. I think 3”

 

[Valhalla]

...you could buy RCVs to replace your CVs, expensive thought... If you don't need more lift.
I'd carry the tools for the CV replacement offroad and spare CVs. If you never use it, it's cheapish insurance, if you do use it, you need to modify.
There are plenty of people running rigs like yours is doing all kinds of wheeling. The trick is remembering that this could be a weakness and treating it as such.

 

[Charles Miller]

...you could buy RCVs to replace your CVs, expensive thought... If you don't need more lift.
I'd carry the tools for the CV replacement offroad and spare CVs. If you never use it, it's cheapish insurance, if you do use it, you need to modify.
There are plenty of people running rigs like yours is doing all kinds of wheeling. The trick is remembering that this could be a weakness and treating it as such.

I do have spare axles, sucks that I have to carry left and right on tough trails.

Thank you for the encouragement

As for RCV…..over 2k is crazy

 

[Brian_B]

Havent heard a lot of great things about the RCVs around here either.

The Dana Ultimates CVs seem bulletproof — so much so that they may grenade your FDU before they break

Disclaimer — I dont have any first hand experience with either though

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