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Suspension TechnologySuspensionology In this section we are attempting to bring you answers for the most frequently asked questions. Much of what you read will be our opinion, however it is an opinion based on years of listening to our customers and our own hands on real world experience. At WH you are in the drivers seat. If you want to discuss any of this in more depth, pick up the phone or send us an e-mail. That's what we're here for. WILD HORSES approach to ride quality A balanced or unbalanced combination of the following items will directly effect the ride quality of your Bronco. The ride quality is subject to the drivers personal preferences which vary from one to the next. WH uses a balanced approach to suspension design to provide a ride quality compatible with most drivers. When we began driving Broncos all the lifted suspensions available at the time were stiff as a board. Now we have seen that pendulum swing completely in the other direction and produce some vehicles we would consider trailer only, not suitable for street use. WH has endeavored to maintain suspension systems and component designs compatible with street use that maintain a great overall ride quality. Let's look at the things which most effect the ride quality.
Travel, Travel and More Travel Now that we have your attention, let's talk about suspension travel. First, for those of you new four-wheelers, travel, in simple terms, is the amount of movement your suspension allows your front and rearend to move up and down. Articulated travel is measured with one tire stuffed in the wheel well and the other dropped out from under the wheel well on the other side. We have noticed over the last few years the proliferation of heimed, wristed, twisting, swiveling, rocking, well you name it, some one has welded it or modified it on their Bronco to provide more travel. While there are many great ideas out there, we have also seen some of these Broncos become completely un-streetable. You can make the suspension too loose and the springs too soft and this creates instability not only on the street but on the trail. If all you do is trailer your Bronco to and from the trail that may be fine if that's the ride you like. One of our goals with WH suspensions is to provide what we call controlled travel or stable travel. Our rigs fly down the highway at 70 mph do the trails and drive back home. So there you have another pitch for our suspensions, now on with travel school. We want to bring your attention to the things that hinder travel on early Broncos. We'll start with the rearend. First, the emergency brake cables become too short on lifted Broncos, especially the driver's side cable. The easiest way to tell if this is a problem on your Bronco is to jack up the rear of the Bronco (at the frame to unload the suspension) while keeping an eye on the E-brake cable. You may notice that as you raise the Bronco, the cable becomes stretched. If this happens, your E-brake cable becomes a limiting strap. What does it limit? Travel! Next, you must consider the brake line which is installed between the frame and the rearend housing. If this stretches too far, you've got a serious problem on your hands. Now, let's look at the rear shock mounting position. We admit that we have run the trails with the standard dual shock setup without many problems, however, relocating your rear shock mounts to a long travel setup will allow you to install longer shocks which will ultimately provide more travel. If you want every inch of travel and all the performance available from your springs, this is the way to go. The front end has similar considerations with the brake line. The factory shock mount does not allow for a long enough shock. Customers have called wondering why their front shocks fail. What happens on the Bronco front end is the shocks bottom out before the frame hits the bump stops on the front end, and this destroys the shocks. The least you should do to save your shocks on the front is to put on taller bump stops. A better way to go is to install a long travel system. These systems allow for mounting longer shocks which gives you more travel. Off-road travel is the name of the game, and if you need it we'll be glad to help. Spring design is of great importance for good travel. The longest shocks you can get won't do a bit of good with stiff springs. We use springs specifically designed for the early Bronco and our long travel suspensions. Caster Angle The caster angle is defined as the number of degrees backward (positive) or forward (negative) of the tilt of the king pins (Dana 30) or ball joints (Dana 44) in relation to a vertical line through the center of the front end. Caster correction on lifts over 3.5" These are our observations from years of building early Broncos. We know there are always exceptions to the rules, but we have noticed about 90% of Broncos with wandering problems are the result of incorrect caster. The specification for Bronco caster is +4 to +9 . When the Bronco is lifted the caster will move in the negative direction. Properly installed degreed C-bushings will move the caster back in the positive direction. Because of the caster issue about 50% of Broncos going to a 4.5" lift and most Broncos going to a 5.5" lift will need more caster correction than the standard 7 degree C-bushing. The additional correction can be addressed in a number of ways. These three are the most common.
The following is our recommended tire and suspension size. We've included pictures in the suspension section to help you decide what look you're after.
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