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The Top Ten Suspension Mistakes

What To Avoid With Your Suspension

We have all made mistakes. Whether it that annoying third wife, a particular night in Vegas that nobody speaks of in public, or that tribal tattoo you thought would make you so cool, all of us have done things that we regret. Making mistakes is just part of life. If you haven’t made a few, you probably haven’t done much living.

While everyone makes mistakes, not everyone learns from them. If you can’t learn from your mistakes, you are just bound to repeat them. Some people wander through life doing the same thing over and over again with the same results. That is the definition of insanity. Others are not able to learn a valuable lesson from what went wrong.

There can be a ton of mistakes made when it comes to the suspension on your vehicle. It doesn’t matter if you are putting on a long travel system, a slight lift, or just trying to get the best out of your suspension, we see people make mistakes all the time. We have also made some mistakes ourselves. Suspension is a complicated topic, and it is easy to get it wrong.

Since we don’t want you to screw up your suspension, we decided to write this article. What follows are 10 of the most common mistakes we have seen people make with their suspensions or have made ourselves. Give it a good read and learn from the mistakes of others before making them yourself.

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Flash Over Function

The old saying “chrome doesn’t get you home” definitely applies to suspension. We have no problem with people wanting their rigs to look good. We want the same thing. But how your suspension performs is way more important than how it looks. Some people dump a stupid amount of money into powder coating and chrome shocks. While all of that might (and we heavily emphasize might) make your suspension look better, it will do nothing for the way it performs. Invest your money into what actually makes your suspension work better and not just look better. Nobody wants to relive the triple shocks and fluorescent shock boots of the 1980s.

Not Thinking Of Your Suspension As A System

One of the biggest mistakes is not thinking about your suspension as a complete system. Every component of your suspension needs to work in harmony with each other. Replacing one part of your suspension can directly affect other components. Often people focus on the sexier pieces of their suspension and forget about the rest. But if you only focus on your blingy shocks and nothing else, you are going to have a suspension that doesn’t work that well.

Remembering that you have both a front and rear suspension is also important too. We have seen lots of people focus most of their attention (and money) on their front suspension. But you are going to have a rough ride if your rear suspension can’t keep up with the front. Make sure to pay equal attention to all of your suspension.

You don’t have to go as full bling as these super plush Bilstein B8 8100 rear bypass shocks for the Toyota Tacoma. But investing in a quality set of shocks valved specifically for your vehicle will make a big difference. Don’t skimp on the shocks. 

Skimping On Shocks

Shocks play a massive role in suspension performance. Get the wrong ones and your rig can be stiff as a board or as mushy as a sidewalk banana. Often, budget shocks feature generic valving that isn’t vehicle specific. Properly dialing in compression and rebound valving takes time and lots of testing. Don’t expect all of that effort to go into a $30 shock. What you will usually get is valving that is a best guess based on the vehicle’s weight and other factors. That might be okay for the street, but will leave a lot to be desired in the dirt.

Investing in a quality set of shocks should be a priority if you want your suspension to perform in the dirt. Larger-diameter monotube shocks hold more fluid for better cooling. And, they have larger pistons that yield more control in rough terrain. Remote reservoirs offer even better cooling to fight fade. Adjustable shocks allow you to dial in compression or rebound even further. There are a lot of options out there and it can all get confusing. If you have questions about which shocks are right for you, check out our story on how to pick the right shocks. The most significant advantage that more expensive shocks offer is that they are almost always valved specifically for your vehicle.

Mixing Suspension Kits

We get an alarmingly high number of questions about mixing one lift kit with another. Usually, people are looking to try to gain some extra lift by blending two separate lift kits. This approach is questionable at best. Engineers design a suspension system to provide a certain amount of lift. Yanking the 2-inch spacers out of leveling kit and adding them to a 3-inch kit might give you 5-inches of lift. But often it is pushing that kit outside of what it was designed for. Could it work? Maybe, but most of the time it is like eating gas station sushi. You don’t know what you are going to get. It might be fine, or it could kill you. Do yourself a huge favor and don’t mix suspension kits.

Bump stops are usually an afterthought until you run out of suspension travel in a hurry and are peeling your face off of the steering wheel. However, they are a critical part of your suspension system and shouldn’t be neglected. 

Bumpin’ It

Bump stops are one of the most overlooked suspension components there are. The role bump stops play is a vital one. They cushion the blow as the suspension runs out of wheel travel. Most people never think about them until they run out of suspension travel in a hurry and crack a tooth or pummel their kidneys into goo. Save a trip to the dentist and take a close look at your bump stops before you run out of wheel travel.

Most OEMs use a soft rubber bushing as a bump stop, which works fine for the street. Get above a crawling pace in the dirt though, and running out of suspension travel can be extremely jarring. That is because the suspension components blow through those squishy rubber bushings and make hard contact. Sometimes it feels like metal is making contact with metal. Sometimes it is!

The solution is upgrading to harder polyurethane bump stops like those offered by Energy Suspension. Hydraulic bump stops can also installed, but this can require custom fabrication. Some companies, like Icon Vehicle Dynamics and Rubicon Express, offer bolt-on hydraulic bump stops for more popular applications. They do a great job of softening the blow and keeping your teeth intact.

Getting Bagged

Air bags are another suspension component that is often overlooked. If you tow or haul a lot of weight, air bags make a big difference in how your suspension behaves. Without them, the rear of your vehicle will feel mushy as it compresses under load. This effect can lead to squirrely handling and sloppy steering. Driving like this (especially with a big trailer) is nerve-wracking and not exactly fun. Plus, it can be downright dangerous in an emergency situation.

Air bags are a simple and effective solution to this problem. Around for over a century, air bags work by increasing the spring rate. Best of all, that rate is somewhat adjustable by adding more air. And, you can even leave them empty when unloaded for a better ride. Air bags systems are available for a wide range of budgets. Basic systems come with bags with no air source. More elaborate setups come with bags, a compressor, a storage tank, an app, and a wireless controller allowing you to adjust pressure on the fly. Whatever your budget, they are worth the price for those that tow and haul regularly.

Never skip the steering corrections that are often necessary on taller lift kits. And, just as importantly, make sure to upgrade your vital steering components if you plan to run larger tires and hit the trail.

Stout Steering

Yes, steering is technically not suspension. But it is something you need to pay attention to. It varies by vehicle, but usually steering corrections are required if running a lift of more than 3 inches. These corrections can range from a simple track bar drop bracket all the way to a whole new steering system. Make sure not to forget about them.

Making sure that your steering system is strong enough is just as important. Don’t expect to throw 40-inch tires on your rig with stock steering. The bigger the tire and the harder you use your rig, the more you will have to upgrade your steering system. This can range from beefier tie rods and steering links up to a hydraulic assist system to turn big tires.

Getting Shafted

Like steering, drive shafts are not part of your suspension system. And just like your steering, you do need to think about them any time you lift a vehicle. The more you lift a vehicle, the more likely you are to need new drive shafts. Skipping drive shafts is not something you want to do or cheap out on. The wrong drive shafts can lead to lots of vibration issues and even damage to your transfer case or differentials. In a worst-case scenario, a drive shaft can snap at speed and turn your rig into a pole vaulter.

Big blocks like this can cause massive amounts of axle wrap. This Super Duty was built in a hurry to get it to Moab in time for EJS, but its owner planned to swap out the blocks for custom springs ASAP. 

Not Big On Blocks

Blocks are a simple and cheap way to add lift to a rear leaf-sprung suspension. Going too big with blocks can also introduce lots of axle wrap. The axle wants to twist as you get on the gas. The farther away the axle is from the leaf spring, the more it acts as a lever. In the dirt, axle wrap can get even worse under hard acceleration or when climbing up an obstacle. But, it isn’t only a problem on the trail. We have seen lifted trucks hopelessly hopping their way up a slick boat ramp. The owners seemed perplexed, but it was easy to spot the massive blocks they were using. The solution is to run as small of a block as possible or run an add-a-leaf. If that isn’t possible with the amount of lift you want, a new set of leaf springs will have to be custom made.

Maintain It

Most people throw on a suspension lift and forget about it. Your suspension does need maintenance just like any other part of your vehicle. Fail to maintain it eventually it will fail. Inspect any joints for wear and replace them if needed. Check the torque on suspension bolts before heading out on the trail. We also keep a close eye on shocks to make sure they are not leaking. And, getting your suspension aligned isn’t a one-time event. Maintain your suspension and it will perform better for a lot longer.