Towing Question.

[Quicka]

Just after the views of the forum population really, I'm looking to by a caravan but at the moment the old girls suffering from a bit of saggy bottom syndrome...Do i...

(A) Just put uprated springs on the back?

Or

(B) Go for a full 2" lift kit from roughtrax?

Will the 2" lift be too high?

Help out the towing virgin please?

[stormforce]

Just after the views of the forum population really, I'm looking to by a caravan but at the moment the old girls suffering from a bit of saggy bottom syndrome...Do i...

(A) Just put uprated springs on the back?

Or

(B) Go for a full 2" lift kit from roughtrax?

Will the 2" lift be too high?

Help out the towing virgin please?

it will depend on what you want to spend really.If you don't really want a lift then just go for the milners 20% uprated springs and they shoud be fine for towing

[Predictable Bob]

Go for the 2" lift - dunno about Roughtrax though (Somebody will advise what's best no doubt)

You can always use a drop plate to correct the towball height ......

This just happens to be part B of my grand plan .....

[marky]

20% Stronger springs will be fine & a quick fix. It all down to time & money

[Quicka]

Go for the 2" lift - dunno about Roughtrax though (Somebody will advise what's best no doubt)

You can always use a drop plate to correct the towball height ......

This just happens to be part B of my grand plan .....

Ha Ha!! Thats what i wanted to hear!

Now i can justify getting the lift kit! Woo Hoo!!

Cheers Bob!

[Predictable Bob]

Tony's doing a service and a couple of jobs on ours at the moment - I'm a little concerned about the saggy rear so he's going to have a look and see if it needs any attention

My only problem is finding a way to justify the wheel spacers that it needs ......

[dirtydog]

id just put stronger springs on TBH...


...unless you want a lift anyway...

[Maverick]

I've got the LA Supertrux 2" lift kit fitted to mine, with ES9000 shocks. It's got a realy firm ride, that allows to get away with silly cornering, and tows a dream. But I did have to fit an adjustable tow hitch as it towed slightly nose up, and some people firm the ride too firm.

With my sisters truck I just wacked milners 20% stronger springs. She's happy with it, and her husband loves it, says that if he puts the shocks on "hard" it handles just like a normal car, and tows superbly.

So the choice is yours really, they both have good and bad aspects. The quickest, cheapest, and easiest is the 20% stronger springs.

[marky]

Tony's doing a service and a couple of jobs on ours at the moment - I'm a little concerned about the saggy rear so he's going to have a look and see if it needs any attention

My only problem is finding a way to justify the wheel spacers that it needs ......

Just BUY them dont be shy. Mine has spacers on & she looks good.

[chrisinflight]

Hi Folks,
Suspension lifts are great for off-roading, view of the road and looks but to put it quite simply TOWING IS BETTER AND SAFER WITH NO LIFT and just heavy duty springs.

[Maverick]

TOWING IS BETTER AND SAFER WITH NO LIFT.

Is this true if you use the heavy duty shocks?
I only ask (and I'm not saying your wrong) because as I said above I have the LA SuperTrux 2" lift with ES9000 shocks and the towing is much improved than before.

[chrisinflight]

Is this true if you use the heavy duty shocks?
I only ask (and I'm not saying your wrong) because as I said above I have the LA SuperTrux 2" lift with ES9000 shocks and the towing is much improved than before.

Hi Maverick and all ,
The new springs and shocks have firmed up the ride- which has been a vast improvement to the old saggy, soft springs.
If you have the same firm shocks and springs with no lift it will tow better due to lower centre of gravity. Using a drop-plate is fine but this means you still have weight high up and weight low-down means stability. Theres nothing wrong with towing even with 3-4 inch lifts providing the tow-ball and hitch sit more or less level. If you tow everyday, like me, then my advice would be to have heavy duty std. height springs and shocks. If towing is occasional then go for the susp. lift.

[nero279]

I would say a lift makes no more difference to towing than it does to normal driving, provided the trailer is loaded properly and the hitch is kept at the correct height, ie) the trailer sits level and the weight is not too heavy for the car.

If you take the $$$$ though it'll bite you. If you lift it and find you're geting a lot of body roll you have to think of what your towball will be doing and the effect this is gonna have on your trailer. You have to be sensible if you're getting a lot of body roll, you've got 2 choices a) stiffen up the suspension to eliminate some of the body roll, b) drive appropriately. The guys on here with big lifts etc. I'm sure will tell you that as they've lifted their trucks their road manners have got worse (the trucks not the peoples!)

Also bear in mind the stresses on a bigger drop plate a 2" drop plate won't affect the towbar much, but if you were to put a 10" drop plate (taking the $$$$ again i know but trying to make a point) you have 2 problems again 1) making the plate rigid enough that it doesn't bend, 2) the forces on the towball are exagerated to the bar by a 10" lever, meaning you could easily be stressing the actual towbar more than you realise, the bar will either warp or break when it's over stressed, or transfer the stress through to the chassis on the truck, thus moving the truck around more so moving the bar then the ball then the trailer then that pulls on the ball then the bar then the truck and it just goes on until something gives or rolls.

However i guess if instead of applying a drop plate to the surf you raised the hitch on the trailer....
....you'd still be creating the same extra leverage and it would have exactly the same effect

- Guess I just buggered the original theory then!!!

[andrewlee31]

bin the wobbly box, and lift the thing

[RodLeach]

I would say a lift makes no more difference to towing than it does to normal driving, provided the trailer is loaded properly and the hitch is kept at the correct height, ie) the trailer sits level and the weight is not too heavy for the car.

If you take the $$$$ though it'll bite you. If you lift it and find you're geting a lot of body roll you have to think of what your towball will be doing and the effect this is gonna have on your trailer. You have to be sensible if you're getting a lot of body roll, you've got 2 choices a) stiffen up the suspension to eliminate some of the body roll, b) drive appropriately. The guys on here with big lifts etc. I'm sure will tell you that as they've lifted their trucks their road manners have got worse (the trucks not the peoples!)

Also bear in mind the stresses on a bigger drop plate a 2" drop plate won't affect the towbar much, but if you were to put a 10" drop plate (taking the $$$$ again i know but trying to make a point) you have 2 problems again 1) making the plate rigid enough that it doesn't bend, 2) the forces on the towball are exagerated to the bar by a 10" lever, meaning you could easily be stressing the actual towbar more than you realise, the bar will either warp or break when it's over stressed, or transfer the stress through to the chassis on the truck, thus moving the truck around more so moving the bar then the ball then the trailer then that pulls on the ball then the bar then the truck and it just goes on until something gives or rolls.

However i guess if instead of applying a drop plate to the surf you raised the hitch on the trailer....
....you'd still be creating the same extra leverage and it would have exactly the same effect

- Guess I just buggered the original theory then!!!

I dont tow, Never have...probably wont have any need to! BUT

i agree, when i went up 2" my truck handled suprisingly worse. Ive got some ES9000's to fit soon so hopefully that will 'take up the slack' so to speak.

At the end of the day, What ever lift your running, you will just have to take into account the poorer handling etc. Its not a problem.

2" on es9000's will probably handle better then stock! +wheel spacers firming it up a bit more, albeit a small part. I'd chuck a lift on!!!