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Suspension & AxleTechnical discussions regarding alignment, stock and modified suspensions, lift kits, axles, hub conversions, gearing and steering.
This is a discussion thread titled "Increasing rear Articulation", within the Suspension & Axle forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
I have a add-a-leaf and a 1 inch block in the rear of my Tundra, what could I do to increase the amount of flex my rear axle has? Any suggestions?
-Mack
__________________ 2003 Phanton Grey 4x4 Limited Tundra
2.5 King Coilovers
Total Chaos UCA
Bilstein 5100's
Wheeler's add-a-leaf
33" Mickey Thompson MTZ on Classic Locks
Magnaflow Exhaust
Outlaw Intake
JBA Headers
4.56 Gears
Rear Diff. Extended Breather
Skidrow Skidplate
Custom Front and Rear Bumper
Trimmed Bedsides
Now due you want to increase total travel on eacg side or how much articulation you can get out of the rear end. With the standard leafs I dont think you can more than a total of 9 inches with the shocks removed(ie. remove shock and measure from the bumpstop to its contact point on the frame). With my Deaver race pack in my truck I can get a total of 11 inches thats if I removed the factory bump. If you went with Deavers SUA kit you could pull about 15inches, but will require modifications.
The vertical difference I can get right now from the bottom of the high side tire to the plane of the low side tire is probably around 15-18 inches, just a guess since I didn't have a measuring tape, and it might be more since the bed wasn't loaded and i had another few inches to the bumpstop on the high side. That's with a longer spring (more arch, not more distance between fore and aft eyes) from Alcan.
In order to use the available travel from a longer spring you also need to run a longer shock, extend the rear brake line, and put some slack in the e-brake hanger on the left side of the frame.
You won't be able to increase the articulation range in the rear with a block or add-a-leaf since neither changes either the distance between the bump stop on the axle and the plate on the frame, or the length of the main leaf.
A new spring pack with more arch (longer main leaf) will increase your potential flex, longer shocks will let you use it. I don't know for certain since I never tried it myself but you might get a little more from the stock springs if you go to a longer shock, the shocks are the limiting factor for downtravel at all four corners.
w/o modifying your upper shock mounts you will not be able to acheive more than 8-9" of wheel travel. the Bilstein 5100 is the only decent aftermarket shock you can mount to the factory mounts but iirc it only has an 8" stroke.
right now i have a pair of 10" 7100s in the back, they work great. the top has an adapter for the shock mount, i had to drill out the mount to fit the bolt through, but once the adapter is in you can run any "normal" shock you want.
travel measured from full droop to full compression with the axle horizontal is just gonna be the extendable length of the shock shaft, unless you have 16" shafts or something. right now i have about 10"...that's different at the wheel by a couple inches.
i'll try and get a measurement for real rather than guessing...
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Increasing rear Articulation
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