First Impressions 2004 with newly installed ATW suspension

[dtruzinski]

Installed the ATW blues on my 2004 FG yesterday. I weigh in at ~10k lbs evenly distributed (49/51) over the front and rear. The springs resulted in 3" of lift which was much higher than I expected. The kit was complete and the instructions were thorough. I have a whopping 25 miles on the new suspension and I can confirm that it changes the ride in a HUGE way (to the positive).

I recall reading a thread about driving on parabolics being tricky...I did not experience any abnormal highway behavior. I live in the country and drive a two lane road with big turns at 55 mph. The truck felt solid in the turns. The last 3 miles to my house is a dirt road with washboard (lucky me). This is where the suspension shines. Driving at 20 mph in the Fuso now feels like driving my Jeep Unlimited Rubicon. It is absolutely incredible how much smoother the rig rides on dirt roads.

Keep in mind I have the added benefit of the Earth Cruiser wheels/tires...315 x 16. I am running the Goodyear Duratrac and these created a significant improvement in the drivability prior to the suspension changeout. I think I have the best of both worlds with the current setup, but I would carefully consider the EC suspension due to the significant price difference.

One more observation: there is a bridge and a railroad crossing on my journey home. Those who have not driven a stock Fuso will not understand the significance of those seemingly innocuous road features. But those who have realize that you can get a Fuso into the air on a rr crossing and do an unplanned lane change driving onto a bridge. While the wheels and tires made 70% of the difference, the suspension completed the deal and the truck floats over both!

cheers
dave

 

[GR8ADV]

Installed the ATW blues on my 2004 FG yesterday. I weigh in at ~10k lbs evenly distributed (49/51) over the front and rear. The springs resulted in 3" of lift which was much higher than I expected. The kit was complete and the instructions were thorough. I have a whopping 25 miles on the new suspension and I can confirm that it changes the ride is HUGE way (to the positive).

I recall reading a thread about driving on parabolics being tricky...I did not experience any abnormal highway behavior. I live in the country and drive a two lane road with big turns at 55 mph. The truck felt solid in the turns. The last 3 miles to my house is a dirt road with washboard (lucky me). This is where the suspension shines. Driving at 20 mph in the Fuso now feels like driving my Jeep Unlimited Rubicon. It is absolutely incredible how much smoother the rig rides on dirt roads.

Keep in mind I have the added benefit of the Earth Cruiser wheels/tires...315 x 16. I am running the Goodyear Duratrac and these created a significant improvement in the drivability prior to the suspension changeout. I think I have the best of both worlds with the current setup, but I would carefully consider the EC suspension due to the significant price difference.

One more observation: there is a bridge and a railroad crossing on my journey home. Those who have not driven a stock Fuso will not understand the significance of those seemingly innocuous road features. But those who have realize that you can get a Fuso into the air on a rr crossing and do an unplanned lane change driving onto a bridge. While the wheels and tires made 70% of the difference, the suspension completed the deal and the truck floats over both!

cheers
dave

Hey thanks for the update, I can see your smile though your words. Did you install it yourself? Regarding the EC suspension you refer to I assume you mean their new bolt on version? I am trying to carefully consider them as you have suggested but there is no info to be had. I will have to let somebody else be the guinea pig on that set up. The direct competition to the ATW seems to be the actual EC suspension that, like ATW, seems to be excellent but does require structural changes to the mounting points. Speaking of shocks, what shocks did they match your springs to? And are they USA serviceable? Thanks again for the update and keep the new info coming.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Hey thanks for the update, I can see your smile though your words. Did you install it yourself? Regarding the EC suspension you refer to I assume you mean their new bolt on version? I am trying to carefully consider them as you have suggested but there is no info to be had. I will have to let somebody else be the guinea pig on that set up. The direct competition to the ATW seems to be the actual EC suspension that, like ATW, seems to be excellent but does require structural changes to the mounting points. Speaking of shocks, what shocks did they match your springs to? And are they USA serviceable? Thanks again for the update and keep the new info coming.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for posting. It was one thing for me to blab on about it when I was at ATW but another for someone to give a great report after installation.

3"s does sound a little high but then it is light and I guess most are closer to 5500kg or 6000kg than 4500kg.

Axle load plays a significant role in the height when you're talking about parabolics. If I (@100kg) stand on the side step of a Canter with parabolics, I can measure 10mm deflection on that side. Now that might seem crazy compared to conventional leaf springs but then this is one of the main reasons that parabolics are so superior....they move freely. Obviously this means that the lighter you are the higher the truck will sit. Conventional springs will of course deflect with more load but it is far less noticeable and in most cases you can jump up and down as hard as you like on the step of a truck and not see any suspension movement at all. When you're actually driving with conventional leaf supension, the axle usually can't react fast enough or wont react at all to the smaller bumps. The only spring that reacts in a similar fashion to a parabolic leaf is a progressive coil.

As far as parabolics being "tricky", I can only say that parabolic spring design is a science and unfortunately not every parabolic spring manufacturer gets it right. There was a company here in Oz that was marketing parabolics for Landcruisers some years ago with disastrous results and they got a very bad name.......but ask anyone who had an aftermarket parabolic kit fitted over in Europe to a Series II or III Landrover or even a Volvo C303. Absolutely amazing transformation.....or for a great example of good handling with parabolics, watch that youtube vid of the M1078 doing the slalom course (about halfway in >>> ) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irUwErlR5OU).

Like I said, the design is critical. We tried everything on Canters over the years while I was at ATW......all types of conventional spring packs, coil assisted, airbag assisted, long span spring packs and even parabolics borrowed from various other trucks.....but it wasn't until we started from scratch and sat down with a parabolic engineer and came up with the first prototypes that we saw any major leap forward. Sure, the old long span conventional springs were OK but the major modifications required for the installation were just nuts. The focus on the ATW parabolic conversion was that it had to bolt up easily to the standard Fuso spring hangers without any modification.

FYI If you didn't know, there is only a handful of factories in the world that have the advanced finger presses to make parabolics. I don't think there are any in the southern hemisphere at all. Is there any in North America? I think one in Mexico, one in Spain and North Africa, a couple in China, one in Japan....well that's what I was told anyway. So obviously they are not garden variety springs that your local blacksmith can knock up for a few hundred bucks.

As you gathered, after having installed the kit, there is a lot more to it than just the springs too. The aeon bumpstops play an important part, as do the greasable front shackles. Did you have a good look at the grooved front bushes? ATW bought the new moulds for those about 12 months ago and went to a harder compound at the same time. Again, these make a great improvement to the overall package. The shocks have compression and rebound valved for the parabolics but they aren't that heavy. The shocks simply don't need anything like the massive amount of rebound control required for conventional spring packs when fitted to a Canter.

I can't really comment on anything with parabolic suspension on 315/16" tyres as we changed single wheel conversions completely over to 19.5" wheels only about 2 or 3 years before we developed the parabolics. ATW still does a lot of parabolic conversions to mining trucks and some retain the OEM 16" duals......this is a very popular conversion even with the standard tyres so it must work in that case.

Kind regards John

 

[dtruzinski]

@GR8ADV - I worked with the local TireRamma in Livingston MT to get the springs installed. They are now experts on Fuso springs, so stop in for your change out and you will get one heck of a deal. You will meet some great people in the process.

I will have to get you the shock info in two weeks...am back on the road again for business. I didn't recognize the brand. The fronts were adjustable. Maybe John (@whatcharterboat) can weigh in on the brand and serviceability.

 

[kerry]

What was the total cost for the springs and installation?

 

[dtruzinski]

@Kerry, wow I am late on responding on this...whenever I start working on my rig, I start reading the portal threads again. Recently, I have been busy upgrading and will start a new thread in the next week. To answer your questions on price. I paid $7000: $6250 for a complete spring kit from ATW, $200 in shipping (pallet to a commercial address), and $550 to have them it installed. Its a completely engineered kit and that gave me great comfort modifying a critical part of a medium duty truck.

One item remaining is the front end alignment. The steering wheel is clocked nearly 90 degrees since lifting. Has anyone else experienced this and does the alignment solve that problem?

 

[GR8ADV]

This is not an actual alignment task , but is typically addressed during an alignment.

@Kerry, wow I am late on responding on this...whenever I start working on my rig, I start reading the portal threads again. Recently, I have been busy upgrading and will start a new thread in the next week. To answer your questions on price. I paid $7000: $6250 for a complete spring kit from ATW, $200 in shipping (pallet to a commercial address), and $550 to have them it installed. Its a completely engineered kit and that gave me great comfort modifying a critical part of a medium duty truck.

One item remaining is the front end alignment. The steering wheel is clocked nearly 90 degrees since lifting. Has anyone else experienced this and does the alignment solve that problem?

 

[gait]

steering wheel about quarter turn is due to changed steering arm angle as vehicle height changed. Remove and replace steering wheel.

a couple of silly questions ...

any vibration from the front in 4wd?
which shock absorbers?
any change to rear bump stops?

 

[drudru]

I installed my ATW parabolics a few weeks ago and I can report about the same thing. Way smoother, but lifted me higher than expected. I hope the added weight of the camper will bring it down a little, as it might cause me headaches when comes the time to fit in a shipping container.

Vincent

 

[SkiFreak]

It would be nice if there were a turnbuckle arrangement on the steering arm, but there isn't. So, the only way to realign the steering wheel is to remove it and reposition it appropriately.

If you plan on repositioning the steering wheel yourself you need to be very careful if you have SRS airbags.
Firstly, disconnect the battery to remove the possibility of activating the air bag. To reduce the chances of damaging the wiring of the air bag, undo the steering wheel nut, but do no remove it. Pull up on the steering wheel to dislodge it from the spline, then remove the nut and reposition the wheel.

Just realize that you will need to do this again when your camper is at its final weight.

 

[dtruzinski]

@gait

@gait...thanks for info on steering wheel, I thought that may be the solution.

No noticeable vibration in 4wd; however, I have not had it at speed (snow/ice on roads melted early this year)
Shock are Raw Big Bore (rear) and Raw RFX adjustable (front)
New bump stops pictured below

 

[westyss]

Looks like there are two bump stops on the last pic, I think you can eliminate the OEM one or is that the way its supposed to be?

 

[dtruzinski]

The front and rear now have the same air gap between the flexible AEON and hard frame/bump stop. It does appear to limit upward travel of the suspension, but will also cushion the upward travel and should you hit a bump at speed. What have other people done with the front and rear bump stops and AEONs?

 

[gait]

thanks muchly Dave,

I'm back in Aus now and doing some fixups.

My vibration in 4wd starts about 30km/hr. I also have front oil seal on transfer box weeping. I'll have to work through whether I have play in transfer case bearing or increased drive shaft angle is a bit much. Or .... any suggestions gratefully accepted.

Aeon front bump stops came as part of the kit. Seem to work "well".

My Aeon rear bump stops must have fallen off the pallet on its way to UK. I asked here because a few days ago I noticed a small mark where rear springs meet rear spring hanger. Just enough to remove paint. I guess the good news is that amount of spring compression probably means the suspension is working and the chassis isn't twisting (as much as with original springs).

PS my weight is less than Dave's so I don't have the top override springs at the rear.

 

[drudru]

If you plan on repositioning the steering wheel yourself you need to be very careful if you have SRS airbags.
Firstly, disconnect the battery to remove the possibility of activating the air bag. To reduce the chances of damaging the wiring of the air bag, undo the steering wheel nut, but do no remove it. Pull up on the steering wheel to dislodge it from the spline, then remove the nut and reposition the wheel.

I do not know specifically about the Fuso, but many air bag systems have a backup power supply, usually a capacitor. In such cases, disconnecting the battery will not be enough. you need to wait for it loose its power before going to work. The required time vary from system to system.
I found this article on the subject: https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/D...&faq_key=61976837-662f-42bf-ae4c-6e2b13505ab8
In doubt, the best would probably be to refer to the Fuso's shop manual for the exact deactivation procedure.

Edit: Posted too fast before re-reading myself.