Showing posts with label Trucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trucks. Show all posts

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Are There Specific Heavy Duty Suspension Systems For Off-Road Trucks?

Are There Specific Heavy Duty Suspension Systems For Off-Road Trucks?

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Some of you might be interested in off-road trucks. When you say off-road trucks, you must prepare yourself and your truck to handle all kinds of terrains and roads. Heavy duty suspension systems ensure smooth journey and so make sure that your truck is installed with the best heavy duty suspension systems to handle all kinds of roads and terrains; in short, your truck should be well equipped as a heavy military vehicle would to face all terrains, roads and climate.

Well, if you are contemplating off-road trucks with a combination of long-term survival and self-sufficiency, reliability, durability, safety, capability, and comfort, then the following points might help you.

How does it Work?

Heavy duty suspension systems for heavy duty, off-road trucks incorporate unique axle connections that distribute the load more evenly, over a wide footprint. They are designed for durability and a better ride and are engineered for all standard heavy duty trailer applications, including platforms and drop decks, dump trailers, and fixed-axle vans. Its tri-functional bushings at pivot points improve ride stability and driver comfort. An induction hardened camshaft system produces less suspension wear and longer operational life.

These heavy duty suspension systems are manufactured for heavy-haul vehicles such as those used in logging and mining, but the suspension is also appropriate for tankers, livestock and grain trailers, and container chassis. Its beams and axles are designed to live longer in off-road and other applications.

Braking systems are critical components with heavy duty, off-road vehicles and these customized suspensions include brake shoes as standard equipment. The suspension lift kits also minimize front-end dive caused by heavy braking. It is extremely important for it to have front lift kits which increase the off-road trucks center of gravity and cause extra body-roll.

For a street-driven application emulsion shocks are more than enough, but in off-road conditions a reservoir shock is recommended which subjects the shocks to excessive heat by increasing the oil capacity. The four corner shafts will help give more resistance to compression and act more like an air spring in heavier trucks whether it is in the desert, dunes, mud, or on the trail.

Coil over shocks are customized shock absorbers for desert cars, pre-runners, sand rails, rock crawlers, dune buggies, and many more off-road and racing conditions. A coil over shock has more easily adjustable features than standard suspension, and the reason they are so popular is that they can be finely tuned and adjusted accurately. Most people like the smooth ride a coil spring can provide.

If you have larger tires or upgraded power and gearing, you will probably need the optional replacement leaf springs. It all depends on how you like your truck to look. If you prefer it to be level, then stick with the 5" rear blocks. If you prefer the raked look, then you can choose shorter blocks.

Bump stops are a great way to smooth out even the harshest hits while protecting your chassis from the extreme energy transfer impact.

Generally, off-road racing shocks need to be charged with nitrogen only. DO NOT USE compressed air as it can cause a number of problems. The oxygen and moisture in compressed air will corrode ferrous materials. Not only that, nitrogen is more stable through a greater pressure and temperature range.

With the significantly increased oil volume and a large diameter piston head these shocks can just about take any suspension!

Beat all terrains, roads and climate with the best suspension systems. Make your journey a smooth one with an intelligent choice of suspension systems

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Stereo System Upgrades For Cars and Trucks

Stereo System Upgrades For Cars and Trucks

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Most people want to personalize their ride with stereo upgrades and the latest bling items. In this article we will discuss the latest options for upgrading your vehicle's sound system. The first thing to start off with is deciding where to put all the components. Many people will want the CD changer out of view. Simple sheet metal brackets can be made to mount it inside a console below the surface to where the console lid clears the unit and goes undetected from any one's view. The head unit with AM FM tuner can be installed behind the glove box lid using 20 gauge metal and bent to hold the unit which is standard size with a built in bracket system. To hide a sub woofer there are many places.

A good location is behind the rear seat up against the package tray where there is ample room to upgrade to a much larger speaker. A paper board mockup will allow you to know how big of an enclosure to purchase at your local supplier. Be sure the minimum air space required was met while holding it all in place. All major speakers MFG list their minimum air space requirements for any given speaker. You may have to modify the back of the rear seat a bit to allow the sub clearance and removing a wire or two will not make much difference in supporting your back. Another place is where you rest your feet in the front seat. The kick panels are an excellent place for the front speakers. You can angle them to still allow good foot room while the sound waves hit the opposite side passenger directly for optimum sound. When installing sound systems we always look for what the vehicle will offer for locations that allow different alternatives such as places to hide speakers and different sound box sizes depending on ones desires.

If you're looking for first row, front seat sound then a mid range front floor speaker where the floor is cut out to house 8 inch Dyn-Audio mid range speakers is the ticket. Pointing them directly at the front seat passenger's ear for max sound is the only way because they are directional speakers. Right under the dash is a great place to install Image Dynamic Horn speakers for highs/tweeters that offer super crisp vocals and the lead guitars will come to life. In effect it will sound like an entire band is sitting on the hood of the car with unreal clarity and 0 distortion detected by any humans ear. When building hi-level systems such as this high power is needed so the front speakers would be powered by a JL 450/4v2 amp for max output with 1 gauge power leads and crossovers with separate equalization installed. For subwoofers you need a lot of power such as 2-1000 watt JL amps to provide power for a qty of 6 -10 inch W6 JL drivers in the trunk. Image Dynamics EQ will allow complete adjusting to the system.

Installing an EPICENTER by Audio Control is a nice component that allows you to bring out more bass in older music then it originally had. It features A Dial Rotation. Your fuse block needs to be upgraded when you go this route to massive 1-0 wires and relays to keep everything powered up safely. Hiding wiring where carpet can cover over them and away from heat sources like exhaust systems is very important and a door step plate channel is an excellent way to run the wires front to back. We like Optima batteries to power everything as they are gel and have no acid residue. Yellow Red and or Blue top are built for marine use for extra reserve capacity. Keep in mind that you may have to upgrade the amps in your alternator and these are available at most auto parts stores. XM satellite radio is another nice touch. On projects where other components are taking up space you have to improvise.

To build a custom Sub Box take MDF Wood and cut out 6 MDF rings on a router to accept JL W6 speakers. Then mount/glue them in the right matching angles and you are then ready to start covering them. We take fleece and cover them tight using a staple gun then they are wrapped and ready for some fiberglass resin work. Mix up and coat them with resin saturating all materials to get a strong first layer to support thicker matting later.

You can then use a porter cable tool and buzz out the speaker sections. The next step is to tape it off to get ready for the outer cover. Wrap it much in the same way but use polyester cloth and tape the edges around the cars trunk perimeter. Then trim it out much in the same way and also cut out a shaped hole in the back section to allow the sound to come toward the front of the car, The trunk hinges get a U pad treatment that stays with the hinge and fits with a small gap when up, just behind it you can add a trim piece to finish it out.You will then want to sand it down and apply some hi build primer and you are almost done. Simply mount the speakers with T-nuts that have teeth which pull in to the MDF wood when tightened.

Article provided by the Hot Rods team of Jeff Lilly Restorations!

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