Looking for more down travel

[bobbysmores]

New member and usually visit another talon forum but wanted to get some opinions here as well. After many trips and many mods to my talon x4 I am thinking that to improve my rock crawling comfort and ability I need to find more down travel.

What i am running now:
31" GBC tera masters on oem front rims all the way around
300lb 6" tender on stock lower spring (325lb) on front
400lb 6" tender on stock lower (400lb) in rear on TTC extended arms

Ride is pretty great. wife approves. but I think i can eek pout a bit more softness.

I am gonna try

front: 200lb tender (8") on stock lower with crossover ring and 150PSI nitrogen charge (adding shraiders)
Rear: same arms but 300lb tender (10") on stock lower

I run right around 14.5" ground clearance but measuring my droop at the tire... out of the 14 inches of wheel travel only get about 4 inches down (18.5) ground height. This is at a 25 degree cv axle angle.

Now to get the shock back into the middle of its travel of 8.3".... i think I can run a bit more cv angle in the front. maybe lowering the upper mount by an inch via some welding or a 2" lift kit bracket... i can always limit total down travel with a strap but I don't know the ball joints max angle.... I'm sure the cv at 30 degrees or 28 would be fine . In the rear The ttc arms are supposed to gain about 1" of wheel travel so have a it extra back there already thus my focus on the front.

Other option is much more expensive... 4" portal lift, 15% and back off the tender preload about 2.5".. This should move the shock into its travel range better and I would maintain at least 15" of ground clearance. but I don't know if the stock wheel swill work... Im already unhappy with the power steering and 33s may be great but if im dropping that coin on the portals... ps and tires would have to wait a while.

anybody running the portal with stick wheels ur input would be appreciated. also anyone who know more than i do (very little) about suspension travel and how to maybe improve mine please chime in.

 

[Admin]

 

[Robobrainiac]

Someone should be around shortly to help with your quandary. In the meantime @SuperATV should be able to verify wheel and portal fitment.

I run a pioneer. Not a talon. I can say from personal experience ; if the bracket lift is similar to the what is used on a pioneer, I would recommend staying away from that route. If you are currently happy with the tender ride, the altered bracket/shock angle will just about put you at square one.

Also from what I have seen and heard; portals are generally not liked for rock climbing. It would be like hiking in high heels. It may give your crotch more ground clearance but at the risk of breaking off a shoe. I do not have first hand experience with this. Just what I have heard from others.

 

[bobbysmores]

Today i got to speaking with an offroad shop that makes lift parts for the talon. They have 3" lift arms front and rear for our rigs and confirmed 3" is close to the limit for the axle and ball joints. So i went on amazon to order a 3" shock lift bracket for the front.. my plan being to add it to the rig currently measure its effect on height, should put me at about 17.5 to skid... and lower it back on down before messing with springs. I dont mind the front riding about a inch higher than the rear to help with the bucking issue inherent on the talon... So hoping I end up at 15 or so front clearance to skid but gain 2" of down travel up front which should put me in line with the rear after my extended arms and the factory travel numbers.

 

[Remington]

New member and usually visit another talon forum but wanted to get some opinions here as well. After many trips and many mods to my talon x4

Welcome from Michigan!
I thought we were the ONLY Talon forum🤔
Defiantly the best tho😏

We need more info than you just have an X4
What yr, color, ALL mods and such. Its a rule here especially for newbies. Its been known to get hostile around here if you dont. So please provide before proceeding. Much appreciated

 

[DRZRon1]

Today i got to speaking with an offroad shop that makes lift parts for the talon. They have 3" lift arms front and rear for our rigs and confirmed 3" is close to the limit for the axle and ball joints. So i went on amazon to order a 3" shock lift bracket for the front.. my plan being to add it to the rig currently measure its effect on height, should put me at about 17.5 to skid... and lower it back on down before messing with springs. I dont mind the front riding about a inch higher than the rear to help with the bucking issue inherent on the talon... So hoping I end up at 15 or so front clearance to skid but gain 2" of down travel up front which should put me in line with the rear after my extended arms and the factory travel numbers.

let us know how it works out - if this is a bracket lift, rule of thumb is they chew thru axles, etc...


just an fyi - properly tuned\sprung shocks will significantly reduce the bucking

 

[bobbysmores]

Remington:​

Sorry about the lite details on the other parts... 21 x4 with 1/2 skid plate. Run a pack out in the rear with the small cooler and tools.. spare on the SATV tire mount above those, SATV rear bumper, SATV tree kickers (soon to be swapped for rock sliders from Texas tough customs). Poly rear windshield, poly flip up front windshield. Pods lights front and rear. MB quart Talon stereo with 6.5 pods, two amps, 8" kicker sub under pass seat. 2nd battery up front, 4500lb winch. So shes got some wieght. usually two passenger deal

DRZRon1​

I have the springs set pretty sweet honestly. drives way better than stock, minus the shraider valves to make adjust nitro pressure most of what I am doing with it now is testing different tenders and actually making it a true dual rate setup with crossovers.. she doesn't buck horribly for me but then again the whoops at uwharie arent really great for jumps. the longer rear arms help with that as well as the rear weight. but if keeping it an inch lower helps more im game.

 

[DRZRon1]

Remington:​

Sorry about the lite details on the other parts... 21 x4 with 1/2 skid plate. Run a pack out in the rear with the small cooler and tools.. spare on the SATV tire mount above those, SATV rear bumper, SATV tree kickers (soon to be swapped for rock sliders from Texas tough customs). Poly rear windshield, poly flip up front windshield. Pods lights front and rear. MB quart Talon stereo with 6.5 pods, two amps, 8" kicker sub under pass seat. 2nd battery up front, 4500lb winch. So shes got some wieght. usually two passenger deal

DRZRon1​

I have the springs set pretty sweet honestly. drives way better than stock, minus the shraider valves to make adjust nitro pressure most of what I am doing with it now is testing different tenders and actually making it a true dual rate setup with crossovers.. she doesn't buck horribly for me but then again the whoops at uwharie arent really great for jumps. the longer rear arms help with that as well as the rear weight. but if keeping it an inch lower helps more im game.

fyi - the nitrogen is intended to prevent cavitation/bubbles in the shocks - changing pressure won't change the feel of the shock. whats important is to actually have a seal and a nitrogen charge and not be working with aerated churned up bubbles in the oil/valving

 

[SuperATV]

If you're looking for more "true" travel, the last thing you want to do is add a bracket lift. It will also stiffen your ride.

You can only increase "true" travel with a longer shock stroke/longer shock and added width.

Portals are a game changer for rock crawlers. Its like having a cheat code. You get the 4" lift, the added 8" lift, and the gear reduction. Though you are 4" higher, you actually lower your center of gravity because of the added 8" in width. You're super narrow for rock crawling, so this would help immensely. You don't gain "true" travel because the shock stroke is the same, but you do gain articulated travel because the high and low point of your tire during travel is increased because of the width.

You should be ok with portals on those stock wheels. I don't remember the specs offhand, but as long as you have at least a 14" wheel, you can get away with it. You are NOT supposed to have more than 5" of offset, but if the stock wheels do...some people go for it anyway and take great care to make sure there's no rubbing and the brake lines are secured out of the way. If your wheels are no more than 5" offset, you have nothing to worry about.

Wheel Requirements:

• Wheels need to have a center hole of at least 3.25" (82.55mm) or require a 1” wheel spacer
• 14” or larger wheel required
• Cannot exceed 5” backspacing
• Not compatible with dual beadlock wheels

 

[bobbysmores]

Thanks for the info SATV. Perhaps the term you used "articulation would be a better way to describe what im looking at. Ill see after Monday where im at measurement wise. my effective rate before crossover with the new springs will be about 50lb lighter if i remember correctly from my math to combat any added stiffness

 

[SuperATV]

Thanks for the info SATV. Perhaps the term you used "articulation would be a better way to describe what im looking at. Ill see after Monday where im at measurement wise. my effective rate before crossover with the new springs will be about 50lb lighter if i remember correctly from my math to combat any added stiffness

Have you removed your sway bars?

 

[DRZRon1]

Thanks for the info SATV. Perhaps the term you used "articulation would be a better way to describe what im looking at. Ill see after Monday where im at measurement wise. my effective rate before crossover with the new springs will be about 50lb lighter if i remember correctly from my math to combat any added stiffness

where are we at with this?

 

[bobbysmores]

For the update.
Installed my new front springs with crossover rings using a 3" bracket lift via amazon to move the shock. I measure about 4" of shock rod protruding form the front shocks (7.3" of travel in total) with front ride height set at 15.5 at bottom of 1/2 skid. this is on 31" bc tera masters@ 12psi. so far in my front yard and flexing through the drainage ditch It does great and i have better down travel of the front wheel and more stability when articulating before the whole unit starts to tip. I did Place a limit strap from bolt to bolt to limit overall shock extension to 24" roughly. ill grab some pics when i can and will report back. FYSA i am running 2 ten inch springs up front @250 on top/350 on bottom. this gives me a nice spring frequency and feels great. Not quite a long tavel, not quite portals but I gained a little hieght and put the shock in the middle of its travel... id say was a sucess