Steering and SUspension upgrades

Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
I have been recommended to change the following by someone who knows their stuff. I need to know if people have done the same, what I can expect to pay and what improvements are best.

I would also like to know what a couple of things are/do!

ZQ8 steering box
tie rod ends (sleeves?)
pitman armn
idler arm

How good are sway bars? I am thinking about a coilover kit but was wondering if I should do one or the other or both i.e. coilover kit or sway bars, or coilover kit AND sway bars.

Maybe front coilover and rear sway. Does the front sway make a difference with the coilover setup? TIA

Mark
 
Last edited:
psmvchaser

psmvchaser

Member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

Do the ZQ8, idler and pitman arms and a get a steering shaft (Renz or RPM).

Then throw on a rear swaybar and the thing will feel like a new truck!
 
sy538

sy538

New member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

I got a kit from PST. It is installed but I still need tires and an alignment. I got their kit, the inner tie rod ends, and the idler arm for $340. I still need torsion bar mounts.
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

sy538 said:
I got a kit from PST. It is installed but I still need tires and an alignment. I got their kit, the inner tie rod ends, and the idler arm for $340. I still need torsion bar mounts.
Click to expand...


What kit was it?
 
sy538

sy538

New member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

I wanted to reply here instead of to the PM partly because someone else might find it useful, and partly because there are a lot of people around here that know more about this stuff then me that might be able to correct or clarify what I’m saying.

The PST kit is replacement parts only. Ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, sway bar bushings and other stuff wear out and make the suspension and steering loose. The polygraphite (PST says its polyurethane that doesn’t squeak) parts are IMO better then stock, but it’s not a big upgrade because I doubt you could tell any difference if this was installed on a new truck. My truck needed this stuff, so I thought I would replace it with better then stock parts. I think it was cheaper too. The measurement that they ask for is the sway bar. I believe it is 32mm/1.25”. They, for some odd reason, don’t use part numbers as far as I can tell.

A ZQ8 steering box is out of an extreme I believe, it has a faster ratio then the stock steering box, so your wheels turn farther and faster then they would with the stock box with the same turn on the steering wheel.

I don’t know much about the coil over setup, as I haven’t spent much time here the last 6 months or so. If you are thinking about going that direction I would find out as much about it as I could before I bought anything just to make sure you don’t end up with any parts that you can’t use.
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

cool...thanks guys!

Ian - I appreciate it.

rene - friday morning man....friday morning!
 
sy538

sy538

New member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

I'm sure that I seen somewhere awhile ago that Pep Boys was the place to get torsion bar mounts, so I just called them to make sure they have them before I go to get them as I’m not real close to a Pep Boys, and they say they don’t carry them. The guy I talked to was about as sharp as a bowling ball, so I’m wondering if Pep Boys really doesn’t carry them anymore and if not, does it really matter where I get them?
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

what sway bars do people have? I was going to get the Bell Tech on BLT - 5525 but heard suspension techniques do them as well. Which one is best? Part number / dealer / cost for Suspension Techniques?

cheers again guys...
 
hideakimura

hideakimura

NipponSyTy
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

Those 2 are same.

DC04.jpg
 
HighPerformanceTrucks

HighPerformanceTrucks

Lift & Shift Specialist
Re: Steering and Suspension upgrades

Re: Steering and Suspension upgrades

I thought we went over the sway bar and coil over stuff previously. I will briefly reiterate what we discussed before. Use the lowest rate spring possible w/o causing any bottoming out or contact with fender wells and adjust your body roll with an adjustable front/rear sway bar. You can also use the sway bars to reduce understeer/oversteer. You will notice a dramtic improvement in handling over just doing the front coilover kit if you do a coil over conversion in the rear as well.



army helo pilot said:
I have been recommended to change the following by someone who knows their stuff. I need to know if people have done the same, what I can expect to pay and what improvements are best.

I would also like to know what a couple of things are/do!

ZQ8 steering box
tie rod ends (sleeves?)
pitman armn
idler arm

How good are sway bars? I am thinking about a coilover kit but was wondering if I should do one or the other or both i.e. coilover kit or sway bars, or coilover kit AND sway bars.

Maybe front coilover and rear sway. Does the front sway make a difference with the coilover setup? TIA

Mark
Click to expand...
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

yeah we did...I am just getting back into it.

I ordered the rear sway bar but am holding off on the front stuff until I find out a few more things -

1) How difficult is it to get rack and pinion steering into the truck

2) which coilover setup to go with

3) Any joy with your rear coilover plans?

I scared myself the other day not by going fast but just the poor steering of the truck. I was on a narrow country lane in the UK and hit a small hole and the wheel just ducked right (we drive ln the left :) ) and it swerved badly.

The subsequent roll was horrible and I thought - what if there was an oncoming vehicle, or if there were kids playing by the road?

I'm waiting on the sway bar so hope it will be good.

As far as hideakimura's pic goes - are the red shock absorbers in addition or replacements of stock parts? Am too lazy to go downstairs and look under the truck. :D (I'm going to get told off by you guys!)
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

thanks it all does!

That would make the car more firm on the road right? It is a trade off with comfort versus handling?

How much are they? What others can you use?

Thanks again :)
 
C

CKEITH

Doghouse Member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

army helo pilot said:
thanks it all does!

That would make the car more firm on the road right? It is a trade off with comfort versus handling?

How much are they? What others can you use?

Thanks again :)
Click to expand...

thy kyb's will stiffen the ride a lil bit. nothing to unbearable. you can pick them up from summit or jegs for about 40.00 each. well worth the $$$ in my opinion. but someone else may disagree. do a search on kyb shocks on this site. there are many members running these on stock front and rear suspension trucks with real good results. :2cents:
 
HighPerformanceTrucks

HighPerformanceTrucks

Lift & Shift Specialist
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

army helo pilot said:
yeah we did...I am just getting back into it.

I ordered the rear sway bar but am holding off on the front stuff until I find out a few more things -

1) How difficult is it to get rack and pinion steering into the truck

It will be a bitch and we are postponing this modification as we are pressed for time before the hillclimb event.

2) which coilover setup to go with

Get the best you can afford.

3) Any joy with your rear coilover plans?

Was this question intended for someone else?
Click to expand...
 
super-gt

super-gt

New member
Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades

army helo pilot said:
1) How difficult is it to get rack and pinion steering into the truck
Click to expand...

I've seen some people attempt it but fail. I've been looking into it awhile for my GT but with no luck. The problem is I haven't found a rack that would actually fit the truck. Lengthwise, tie-rod to tie-rod isn't too big of an issue. Where the problem seems to be is finding a rack that has joints in the correct place to line up to where the A-arms pivot. That seems to be the issue that I keep seeing is people put in a rack where physicaly it fits but it doesn't align correctly with the A-arms, thus they get MAD-bumpsteer. I'm still trying to find a rack that fits my truck, but no luck yet. I guess there is a conversion rack for S-10's but it is a manual rack :(

-Taylor
 
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