Mass update I have been working on this post for a while in my Private Thread so that
@Hondasxs could move it to my build thread all at once.
As some of you know after 4days in Tackett in October we were leaving to load up and head home when I had a moment of inattention on a green trail.
This lead to me ripping the right front a-arm off the frame and bending a SATV upper and lower in the process (which they warranted really quickly). @snuffnwhiskey who is an all around nice guy and true American. I have to kiss ass here because without the work he’d already done putting long travel on White Lightning and his willingness to help, the Rock Donkey would’ve been scrapped due to $1 worth of torn metal. I also would probably still be stuck a few miles into Tackett, but the flatbed on a WhiteLightning got me out. He offered to get it going with mounts modified from his long travel design, after some discussion and me realizing I needed the long travel to even try to keep up with his Snuffoneer it became more than just the mounts
My bumper took a good beating so when I got home I cleaned it up straightened it out, braced the bends, lowered the lightbar mount, and coated it with
MonstaLiner.
@snuffnwhiskey created the long travel design.
Using SATV 6” lift kit axles, YXZ front Fox shocks, RZR Rear Fox shocks, new Springs, new mounts, new valving, larger ball joints, longer tie rods, longer brake lines, bracing in several places, heim joints, (2) ½” bolts instead of (1) 10mm or the upper front mount, 6/1 offset wheels...a LOT more....
After taking the ROPS off and putting her on the operating table since my shop isn’t built yet. I cut the front mounts off very carefully with a plasma then ground them flush with the frame. This was tedious and dusty taking the time not to gouge the frame or cut anything important.
In the process of getting down off the mountain with the a-arm torn loose it pinched and tore the brakelines. For those that don’t know the 16’ Pioneer has a single brake reservoir in the master cylinder for front and rear brakes. So I purchased a 17’ master cylinder, spacer, and new hose from the fluid reservoir, then when I went to change the reservoir I realized Honda in their weird logic, used the reservoir from a CR-V so the lines are a M12 not the 16' Pioneer M10. I had to reflare the lines and make new lines, since all of the lines to a junction block under the front floorboard had to be changed and are STILL on back order.
You get about a little more travel a Talon X and can easily fit 32’s, it also relocates the ball joints to near the center of the wheel using the 6/1 wheels so there is less stress on not just them but the tie rods and steering rack, meaning that even though it’s wider at 73” than the 69.5” it was, there’s less stress on parts due to spacers and 5/2 offset. Bigger tierods with heims instead of tie rod ends complete the steering geometry. It steers much easier than the 30's I had.
30” Black waters with 60% tread compared to new 32” TerraHooks. They really help crawling over rocks and ledges, the tread is a great hybrid of the Evos and Bighorns to me. I like them very much so far. I am not a mudder but the times I have had to cross a mud hole to finish a trail they did well.
The 32’s leads to an IGR, I went straight to
Reduction Boss on FaceBook they have the patent for the IGR for the Pioneer. As he requested, I’m not sharing pics of the IGR.
IGR requires the speedo healers and PCV with Autotune OR a Talon ECU with a lot of adjustments to fuel and DCT maps made via a
PV3 by a determined someone. It has more power to crawl since with the IGR and 32’s it’s just about 3% lower geared than factory with stock tires. The issue with putting a Talon ECU in a Deluxe Pioneer is the ECU keeps looking for i4wd and while it works it makes the 4wd mode indicator flash on the dash, annoying but not a big deal. I just have to keep the Flux Capacitor ( the box under the drivers side rear passenger footwell) adjusted well.
You should have realized by now 95% of the credit for this modification is attributed to Snuff, I’ll take credit for the remaining 5% in case something fails so I don’t tarnish his reputation as a master fabricator. He is Dr Frankenstein, I welded the a-arms and maybe had 8” straight of stacked dimes in 80’ of welding, but I got a LOT better with his help.
YXZ Fox front vs Honda Fox Front
Added schraders, new springs, and crossover rings. Tuning again by snuff... based off White Lightning.
Added the factory sway bar back on the machine, I took it off when I installed the SATV arms and Pioneer Fox Shocks. Used the POPO rear shocks, Joey found them and they were the right length, I added an extra fire extinguisher just in case. I had to rebuild, revalve, and respring them as well. This is a work in progress as Joey and I are using slightly different rear shock geometry and our weights are different. Mismatched colors are due to available springs vs purchased springs.
So far I am really enjoying the roughly 50-60% more travel it rides amazing with the suspension and the extra sidewall. Clearing obstacles is more fun because I can do it now, but sometimes not as much fun because I can do it a LOT easier now. It is far more stable, there have been a few times when I would have most definitely flopped it on its side factory that it has been very stable, but adding weight as low on the machine as you can add it, removing it from the roof and making it almost 14" wider will do that.
The extra width did mean we had to make our own flares. Which do look ridiculous and like a "magic carpet" but they work better than the mud busters and won't be permanently damaged if they rub a rock or tree. We used a pattern based off of the Mudbusters but much wider, and braced in a few places with some thing HDPE. There is NO mud in the cab now unless it flings off the tires and flies back into the cab through the open windshield area. The extra width also meant tree kickers to keep from getting the rear tire hung against a tree. Since I had near flattened the side rails under the rear passenger step, I cut them and bent them back down.
Using 2" angle I straightened them out, this gave me a place to mount the rear passenger steps to.
Using 5/16 wall tube I triangulated and braced the angle to the frame. It should not bend up and since 32's were as large as I "plan" on going I made it only ¾ of an inch from the rear tire to keep a stump or rock from getting in there and trapping me.