Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Lowering pickup on HWY, raising for off road/snow?

stillsearching · 09-13-2015, 03:02 PM

Some of us live in nice climates and can drive things like a scooter, small motorcycle, or low slung economy car year round. And then there are those of us who dont. :) When I finish a move to the country sometimes I have to go places that even a big tire upgrade wont take you. If this can be done with the same one vehicle it's alot better because all other MPG upgrades will be built into it since offroading is uncommon.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify/reengineer the suspension of a 4x4 pickup so that it can ideally be raised up when you need to fit large tires for ground clearance, and actually be LOWERED (not just stock height) when you are on the highway.

It is possible that a solid axle suspension would be more suited to this - because the geometry changes with an independant suspension which is cranked down to some mid-way position (for the highway drop) is likely to create problems. However if anyone with either an engineering background or understanding independant suspension geometry has ideas to the contrary i'm all ears. Since i've never modified or changed any suspension ever i'm not even fully sure whats involved though, only played around with powertrain stuff so far.

What i'm thinking about is some way to first increase the total suspension travel of a live axle vehicle, air bags could provide variable spring rates, but i'm still not sure of the best way to change ride height. The ideal would be something like 14 inches of travel - where I could either force it to use the bottom 7 inches (highway slam) at a higher spring rate, the top 7 inches (tallest tires) or the full range of travel (medium tires) with softer spring rate for working in fields, getting through snow and similar. It doesn't have to be 14 inches (and the lowest to highest difference is 7 inches) thats just a random example of ideals I had in mind. Some tough strong way that will take everything from off roading to heavy towing, and not just cranking down springs throwing the geometry all out of whack messing up highway or higher speed stability. It doesn't have to be an instant change - even something I manually crank up or down would be tolerable, though automatic could be more convenient of course.

This is just a brainstorming and source finding post, seeing if anyone has random relevant ideas or has seen things elsewhere that could work.

09-13-2015, 03:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
stillsearching EcoModding Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Minnesota Posts: 201 Thanks: 45 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Lowering pickup on HWY, raising for off road/snow? Some of us live in nice climates and can drive things like a scooter, small motorcycle, or low slung economy car year round. And then there are those of us who dont. :) When I finish a move to the country sometimes I have to go places that even a big tire upgrade wont take you. If this can be done with the same one vehicle it's alot better because all other MPG upgrades will be built into it since offroading is uncommon. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify/reengineer the suspension of a 4x4 pickup so that it can ideally be raised up when you need to fit large tires for ground clearance, and actually be LOWERED (not just stock height) when you are on the highway. It is possible that a solid axle suspension would be more suited to this - because the geometry changes with an independant suspension which is cranked down to some mid-way position (for the highway drop) is likely to create problems. However if anyone with either an engineering background or understanding independant suspension geometry has ideas to the contrary i'm all ears. Since i've never modified or changed any suspension ever i'm not even fully sure whats involved though, only played around with powertrain stuff so far. What i'm thinking about is some way to first increase the total suspension travel of a live axle vehicle, air bags could provide variable spring rates, but i'm still not sure of the best way to change ride height. The ideal would be something like 14 inches of travel - where I could either force it to use the bottom 7 inches (highway slam) at a higher spring rate, the top 7 inches (tallest tires) or the full range of travel (medium tires) with softer spring rate for working in fields, getting through snow and similar. It doesn't have to be 14 inches (and the lowest to highest difference is 7 inches) thats just a random example of ideals I had in mind. Some tough strong way that will take everything from off roading to heavy towing, and not just cranking down springs throwing the geometry all out of whack messing up highway or higher speed stability. It doesn't have to be an instant change - even something I manually crank up or down would be tolerable, though automatic could be more convenient of course. This is just a brainstorming and source finding post, seeing if anyone has random relevant ideas or has seen things elsewhere that could work.