rear springs for '95 Trooper

[madizell]

A friend in the area is outfitting his newly acquired '95 Trooper for SAR use, which is similar to expedition travel, and believes he needs new, better, different rear springs. Seems the truck bottoms easily on modest washboard roads. It has what appear to be stock springs, Rancho 5000 shocks, and toasted bump stops, but it sits level front to back and side to side, so I don't think the springs are sagged, just a bit limp. Probably intended for on-road use.

Would anyone care to recommend an upgrade? At this time not really looking for additional lift, but one inch or so would not be a problem, as long as the front torsion bars can be adjusted to compensate without causing alignment and steering issues.

Thanks.

GMc.

 

[bigreen505]

For starters, replace the Rancho shocks, even with new ones. The numbers Rancho recommends significantly limits travel front and rear. Run the xxx136 front and xxx244 rear. I'm not totally sold on the 244's in the rear, lots of extension, but I think they may lack compression travel. Better yet would be to run OME firm shocks. I'm running Rancho XL and I don't particularly like them, but I have never run anything else on the Trooper.

As for springs, you have two choices. OME 912 (about 1.5" lift) for light loads and OME 919 (2" ish) for carrying 200+ lbs. of gear. Front torsion bars seem to be sufficient unless you add a winch/bumper.

Also, ditch the front sway bar. It makes for a much more comfortable ride on and off road, just be gentle around turns.

 

[endo]

For starters, replace the Rancho shocks, even with new ones. The numbers Rancho recommends significantly limits travel front and rear. Run the xxx136 front and xxx244 rear. I'm not totally sold on the 244's in the rear, lots of extension, but I think they may lack compression travel. Better yet would be to run OME firm shocks. I'm running Rancho XL and I don't particularly like them, but I have never run anything else on the Trooper.

As for springs, you have two choices. OME 912 (about 1.5" lift) for light loads and OME 919 (2" ish) for carrying 200+ lbs. of gear. Front torsion bars seem to be sufficient unless you add a winch/bumper.

Also, ditch the front sway bar. It makes for a much more comfortable ride on and off road, just be gentle around turns.

I disagree with some this recommendation.
I would run the OME929 coils and OME shocks.
I would also replace the sway bar bushings front and rear.
Then I would replace the torsion bars with a higher load rate bar.

And i know for a fact that all of this is in stock @ independent4x.

Torsion bars
Rear Springs
Shocks
Sway Bar Bushings

My reasoning is the following.
The 929 coil is an expedition rate coil and offers minimal lift over stock while reducing the tendency to bottom and wallow. The shocks are valved to the vehicle and help with the body roll as well and if the rear springs are beat after 13 or so years then the fronts (torsion bars) are as well. Poly bushings also will limit the roll characteristics of the vehicle.
Not only do I recommend this but it is exactly what I have done to my 2000 (I also added coil spaces and brake lines) and could not be happier with the result. I can carry a load now in the rear of the trooper and not worry about the truck bottoming out. It is responsive without being harsh and handles like they should have from Isuzu.

Just my thoughts

 

[robertdarin]

i agree with endo...but those torsion bars from independent4x are big dollars...that is if you don't work there all and all that would make for a really nice rig!...btw how is that unicorn (rs) commin' allong?

 

[endo]

i agree with endo...but those torsion bars from independent4x are big dollars...that is if you don't work there all and all that would make for a really nice rig!...btw how is that unicorn (rs) commin' allong?

The unicorn is coming along well.
And big dollars is a relative thing.
Not really that much more than a really good set of leaf springs.. (deaver etc...)
BUT, damn what a difference.

Look at it this way, a sway-a-way suspension for a 4-runner is 1440.00 ish you get front springs (coilovers) and shocks rear springs and shocks and that it.

You could get springs shocks and t-bars for less than a grand and have the same ride quality @ 2/3rds or less of the price.....
1026.00 gets you 2 coils 4 shocks sway bar bushings and 2 sway bars.

Not bad when you think that a TJ lift of 3-4 inches is about the same and still short arm!

ENDO

 

[madizell]

Thanks for the input. Personally, I like the sound of the 929's, T-bars, and matching shocks, all for a bit under $1K.

 

[double moo]

Last spring I did a similar set up on my '93...


OME 912s w/ 1" pucks
Indpendent 4x4 hd torsion bars - made by Sway Away - cranked to
match the rear... and support the ARB bumper and winch
OME nitro chargers valved specific to the trooper
Poly sway bar bushings
Ball Joint flip w/ spacer and new bump stops
Indy 4x4 HD tie rods

Wish I had done it all years ago - a touch harsher on freeway bumps but better all the way around. Less body roll, tighter handling, better off road, etc. The truck feels more confident in al situations.

Since this shot I have added IPF Lights and and Tmax Winch.

 

[madizell]

Does the ball joint flip cause any alignment problems when it comes time to have the front end aligned?

 

[bigreen505]

Does the ball joint flip cause any alignment problems when it comes time to have the front end aligned?

Other way around, it solves the alignment problems caused by a torsion lift. No spacer for a mild lift (e.g. just enough torsion crank to prevent rubbing on 235 or 265), spacer if you are going bigger. You do need a shop that is pretty competent and understands lifted vehicles to really get it aligned.

If he has a '95 and is planning a ball joint flip, it is probably a good time to replace them.

 

[madizell]

Thanks for the tip.

 

[jl8088]

I have nearly the same suspension as double moo:
OME912 Springs with OME nitrocharger firm shocks. They're perfect for my application.

The springs choice is pretty important so you might want to ask your buddy how much weight he plans to carry as i've heard the heavier duty OME springs can be pretty damn stiff.

Indepent4X puts the OME912 spring in with its lift kits as you get some lift (~1 inch and it's flexy. I've carried 4 people and all of our gear (~150-200lbs) on some pretty tough trails and it worked great. If i was carrying a motorcyle on my hitch or 400lbs in the trunk alot i'd opt for the heavier duty springs.

 

[Incusus]

I have the 919's on my trooper, and would highly suggest the 912's (and perhaps new top hats if you want another inch or two of lift) if you dont regularly carry an additional 200+lbs in the rear. The ride is rather harsh otherwise. That said, I love my 919's, they give me the option to really load the truck down and still keep it level. Get the matching OME shocks, dont waste the money on anything else, its made to work together.

I agree that unless you are running a bumper or winch up front that HD torsion bars are not needed. I'm still running the stock ones and cranked them for a lift (nose is a bit lower than the rear so it evens out when loaded down...). I have not had to reindex them.

I also agree on the greasable torsion bar bushings from Indi4x, just be careful as its easy to rip a grease fitting off when lubing if your not careful as there isnt much metal holding them on. Keep your torsion bar on unless you are going to be using this primarily off road. IMO, its not worth the trade off to gain a bit more travel off road and compromise cornering on road if you are'nt wheeling constantly.

for what its worth, my setup is:

OME 919's
OME nitro chargers, firm valving up front, medium in rear.
Poly sway bar bushings
Ball Joint flip, removed front bump, low profile bump in rear
Torsion bar crank

 

[madizell]

Thanks for the input. I will pass it on.

 

[safirentals]

I run a rental company in Mozambique. Road is lets say 50% dirt track/potholes and 50% smooth tarmac. I have an isuzu bighorn (chassis UBS73) with rear springs that are shot. Now am thinking either OME 912 or 919/possibly even 929, I don't really mind the ride being a bit harsher, just want to avoid bottoming out as it is now. The issue i have is: present shockabsorbers are fine: no desire to invest another 600 USD in OME shocks for a car I will be selling in another year if there's no need: what are your thoughts on OME 912/919/929 springs in combination with stock shocks?

 

[safirentals]

Squatchout, thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have much choice here; availability is limited: even if I order OME in South Africa (3000 kms away) I can only hope to get what I've ordered. Calmini etc is a bridge too far.