Suspension And Engine Mods?

Powerstroke214

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Plus carli's claim that their leaf springs cure suspension wrap and ride better than stock is a load of chit.

Most seem to say that the ride is far better than stock :shrug: but that the sag a lot w/ a load. I'm not trying to argue or disagree, just curious to why you think that they don't ride better than stock. And is that with the full spring pack or the add-a-pack?

From what I've gathered thus far, money aside, I'd do a Carli pintop w/ OUO trac bars and ALAs or 4 link.

More on topic, OP if you haven't noticed, you're gonna be paying a pretty penny for what you want, Icon, Carli, PMF etc. is pretty much all gonna be >$4k for their top of the line set ups.
 

Breaking Habits

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I would run stock leafs and One Up traction blocks. You dont lose any towing capacity, and once axle wrap is under control with OUO Bars , the harsh ride disappears.

The what carli claims their rear kit does is obsurd. You cannot stop wheel hop, prevent axle wrap, maintain towing capacity, and better than stock ride quality

I need to get Guy Gamerdinger to chime in, as we went over this over a year ago, and he can give you FIRST HAND experience about what im preaching
 

smokinstroker

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The what carli claims their rear kit does is obsurd. You cannot stop wheel hop, prevent axle wrap, maintain towing capacity, and better than stock ride quality
^^^
This I agree with 100%

Not trying to argue with Jared here as I see where he is coming from. But after installing and riding in a few carli trucks along with countless Icon trucks, I'd go carli every time. Yes this is personal preference as I like the softer spongy ride.

Carli has both an add a pack and a full pack for the rear utilizing softer springs but more of them to "keep load capacity" yes they are very soft and you will get just as much axle wrap with them as stock springs. (Regardless of rear choice; new springs/blocks, traction bars are worth their weight in gold)

I will tell you icon shocks have more of a tighter controlled feeling on the road. Some relate this to the word stiffness. Upgrading to a cdc valve will help you dial in the shocks ride to your liking (soft/firm)

With all this I am relating apples to apples, Carli pintop vs Icon coils (with the exception of the rear springs from carli, as that is what really changes the trucks ride off road and washboards)

We are not talking about a coilover kit.
Both icon and carli will leave you with a smile and you will feel very controlled in the truck.
 

Super08Duty

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The what carli claims their rear kit does is obsurd. You cannot stop wheel hop, prevent axle wrap, maintain towing capacity, and better than stock ride quality


I agree with all of that except ride quality. With full dealers and kings in the back my truck handles better than a stock truck. No more bouncing the rear end sideways over a bumpy curved road. definitely noticeable ride improvement. Not trying to argue with you Jared, just my personal opinion.

My axle wraps worse than with stock springs, and towing is also terrible sense you can't use factory overloads. Bags are a necessity.
 

smokinstroker

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I agree with all of that except ride quality. With full dealers and kings in the back my truck handles better than a stock truck. No more bouncing the rear end sideways over a bumpy curved road. definitely noticeable ride improvement. Not trying to argue with you Jared, just my personal opinion.

My axle wraps worse than with stock springs, and towing is also terrible sense you can't use factory overloads. Bags are a necessity.

I was hoping you would post up Colton.
Just for reference Colton is running 24s and 37" mud tires and his truck handles and rides smoother than any stock truck I've been in.
 

6.0L Stroker

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I've got a Carli backcountry kit and had the full Deaver Springs. The kit road really nice and flexed good. I'm not dissing Carli as I liked it. But for towing it needed bags bad because those full deavers will sag. I now have OUO traction blocks on the rear with my stock Springs and ride feels a little stiffer than with the Carli Springs. Now I have my overloads back. Plus no more axle wrap. The bars don't make the ride any rougher and there is no noise associated with them. They work great and you get what you pay for.

Guy

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50_shooter

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So, is the 4.5 pintop kit basically the equivalent of the high end icon?

Jared, what is the price of the kit you recommend, with the alas and traction blocks? Will this control the front when pulling? These things look like they are gonna come apart when pulling a tuned truck with a stock front suspension. Although I haven't seen one break anything, it sure looks hard on things. Darn steering wheel and dash about to shake out of the truck, lol

Its hard for me to swallow over 10% of the price of the whole truck for a lift though. Oh well, everything is high now a days (I sound like my grandpa, Im 37).
 

50_shooter

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I'm not sure if I can even run airbags. I think I read somewhere that if you have factory gooseneck (which I do) that the long travel bags wont fit.

That is another question. Will I be able to pull a regular gooseneck occasionally with the 4.5 and 35's?
 

Super08Duty

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I'm not sure if I can even run airbags. I think I read somewhere that if you have factory gooseneck (which I do) that the long travel bags wont fit.



That is another question. Will I be able to pull a regular gooseneck occasionally with the 4.5 and 35's?


You can make carli bags work with the factory hitch as well as a B&W hitch. I had to make the holes larger on my long travel bag brackets. Haven't had a problem with them and they work perfectly. You won't have any problems towing a gooseneck with that setup.
 

LovinPSDs

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I dunno if anyone wants to pitch this idea, but if I was only running 35s AND could do it all over again... I'd do a high end leveled setup...

ALA's with a 2.5" coil up front
Traction blocks + 1-1.5" in the rear
High end shocks all the way around

That's just my two cents.. Spend the money you saved on Amp Steps. Truck will look alot bigger with no running boards but it's still usable. I can't confirm if 35s and a 4.5 will fit a gooseneck, but it would be pretty close on mine.
 

Powerstroke214

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I dunno if anyone wants to pitch this idea, but if I was only running 35s AND could do it all over again... I'd do a high end leveled setup...

ALA's with a 2.5" coil up front
Traction blocks + 1-1.5" in the rear
High end shocks all the way around

That's just my two cents.. Spend the money you saved on Amp Steps. Truck will look alot bigger with no running boards but it's still usable. I can't confirm if 35s and a 4.5 will fit a gooseneck, but it would be pretty close on mine.


True dat. Because of how much bigger the wheel well is on the newer trucks, I'd go 37s for a 4.5" for 35s, Carli or icon 2.5" lift, ALAs and OUO traction blocks with amps would be perfect IMO


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50_shooter

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will 35's fit without any rubbing and look right on the leveled kit? i thought about going that route, since i have the hitch and like to reach stuff in the bed... i just thought it would look tougher with the 4.5 since its a long bed. i bet the 2.5 is a lot more user friendly. put on amps and a front valance would definitely help
 

Powerstroke214

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35s will fit stock.

Matt's truck, stock height w/ 35s
y8ytyban.jpg



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LovinPSDs

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will 35's fit without any rubbing and look right on the leveled kit? i thought about going that route, since i have the hitch and like to reach stuff in the bed... i just thought it would look tougher with the 4.5 since its a long bed. i bet the 2.5 is a lot more user friendly. put on amps and a front valance would definitely help

Don't get me wrong, I love the way my truck with the 4.5 and 37s looks.. it's also a CCLB, but I really think you'd be pushing it for a gooseneck.

When you pull the running boards the truck actually looks "more lifted" if that makes sense. You can pull them off pretty easy in the driveway to just have a look. Then figure the whole thing will be going up about 3" from lift and another 1-2" from tires depending on what you want to run. In your head you want to go higher, so kick the rear up a small amount with the traction block also if you don't mind a slight rake. You'll hardly notice in a long bed.
 

Breaking Habits

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The wheel wells in 11+ truck are slightly smaller. The exact same 5.5" Icon kit on my buddys fiance's truck with 22x10.5 Greg Welds and Toyos That cleared perfect rubbed like SIN on my 2013 with the EXACT same wheels and tires.

So.. that being said. I would not try 37s on an 11+ with a 4.5". From someone whose done it and changed it
 

LovinPSDs

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I thought they looked smaller... Powerstroke214 above mentioned they were bigger and I was confused.

I'm sticking to my guns.. 2.5", ALAs, OUO + 1-2" in the rear. Quality shocks, 35s
 

6.0L Stroker

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My 37s on 20x9 bmfs were perfect on my Carli 4.5 only thing I did then was space the bumper forward 1/4in they never rubbed turning or anything while flexing. Now when I switched to 20x10 AFs I had to space the bumper a little further forward and trim a little bit of the factory fender flare and pull the inner liner back on the drivers side. Now they don't rub unless I turn and flex the truck fairly well. Here's the 2 different wheels tires are the same. I just swapped them to the AFs.
va8ymuqu.jpg
u6uvu5u6.jpg


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