[mtdewmike]

Hey all. Thought I'd share with everyone my next phase of lifting my truck. For those of you who remembered my first thread - Proposed Suspension Lift - I ended up installing the following items back in April:

AC Coils
AC Shackles
Calmini AAL's
Extended Rear Brake Lines
Extended Rear Bilstein Shocks

I had taken measurements from the center of the wheel hub to the bottom of the fender before and after the lift. Here's what I came up with (please note that these are approx. measurements)

Before Lift
Front: 19.5"
Rear: 20"
Rake: .5"

After Lift
Front: 22"
Rear: 23"
Rake: 1"

Well, I placed an order last week with PRG, and just got the shipment in today. It took 4 business days to come in, which I was impressed with because PRG is in CA and I am in MA. But anyway, I got in the PRG UCA's, PRG shackles and Radflo coilovers. I was hoping to install everything this weekend, but the UCA's have some damage to the powdercoating. Greg is already on top of it. I'm going to ship them back, and he'll ship me out another set.

The main reason for getting this set up was the quality of the ride. Since the lift went on back in April, the front of the truck has been very stiff, and the shocks top out on various dips and bumps in the road. I know this is due to the fact that I did not upgrade the stock shocks when the AC coils were installed, and I do not have the extra weight of a winch bumper on the front to help out a bit. I can't wait to see the difference the way the truck will ride.

Also, once everything is installed, I'm hoping that I'll get a full 3" lift in the front, and a little closer to the stock .5" rake. I realize the PRG shackles are longer than the AC shackles, and will bring the rear of the truck up a tiny bit more, but I don't think it will be that much more. We'll see.

I'll keep you updated once I get the parts swapped out, and then installed.

 

[Muzikman]

Curious, why the PRG shackles?

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

Well the PRG shackles are a tad bit longer if you have them set at the highest lifting point... But remember they are adjustable so you can lower them a bit to get the exact rake you want.

Im guessing he wantedthose shackles because they are adjustable and becasue if you see them next to the AC shackles you will fall in love!!

 

[Muzikman]

I just never had the desire to change the shackle length. As for falling in love, maybe, but what is the real advantage of the PRG over the AC?

 

[mtdewmike]

Curious, why the PRG shackles?

*shrug*
Just kinda liked the look of them when I first saw them. And figured I'd give them a shot. And they're bigger. :iconbiggrin:

 

[Mark]

How about "just because?"

 

[XterraPA]

The PRG shackles kick ass, that's why!

Your truck will be dominant and I will be jealous when you complete the front suspension. This just proves I need to make more money and get the TC UCA and radflows.

Go Mike go!

 

[Mark]

We just need someone to lay em side by side and shoot a couple photos. Thats now your job mike

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

IM going to do that tomorrow (heck maybe i can do it tonight).... when i put the PRG shackles on and take the AC ones off.

 

[XterraDude]

Sooo i have a similar front end suspension setup as you right now and i a very much so considering doing the PRG UCA's and the Radflos. Right now the front end is soooo stiff that if i go over a speed bump my front end bounces to a stand still and sometimes on the freeway catches air off small dips. PLEASE TELL ME THAT YOUR NEW SETUP COMPLETELY FIXES THIS. Also how much did he charge you for his new UCA's?

 

[Creek]

I have the PRG UCA's and radflos and PRG shackles with Deaver AAL ready to go on, I just need to lay another coat of spray on the shackles before I do the lift. I'll let you guys know how they are when i get everything done.

 

[mtdewmike]

Sooo i have a similar front end suspension setup as you right now and i a very much so considering doing the PRG UCA's and the Radflos. Right now the front end is soooo stiff that if i go over a speed bump my front end bounces to a stand still and sometimes on the freeway catches air off small dips. PLEASE TELL ME THAT YOUR NEW SETUP COMPLETELY FIXES THIS. Also how much did he charge you for his new UCA's?

Not to worry. Once everything is on, I'll let everyone know how the ride quality is.

I believe the UCA's were the same as the TC UCA's. They were either $599 or $699. Those two numbers stick in my head because whatever price the UCA's were, the Radflo's were the other price.

 

[XterraDude]

Thanks man :cyclops:

 

[OregonX]

I just never had the desire to change the shackle length. As for falling in love, maybe, but what is the real advantage of the PRG over the AC?

I had them both laying side by side about 2 months ago when I swapped the AC's out for PRGs. I will say right off the bat that the adjustability was not something I needed either. But it is a cool feature for those who wish to take advantage of it.

Powdercoated vs. rattle-canned. My AC shackles were rusting up like crazy, from top to bottom, even in places where they had not been scratched. I didn't wan't to have to sand them and re-paint them. I think that the PRG shackles will require less maintenance, so-to-speak.

If you notice, the squared off ends (cheaper to make, I'm sure) of your AC shackles hang below the wrap end of your leaf spring. I had some nicks and scratches on them beforehand, but the Rubicon pretty much ground them down about an eigth of an inch. The ends were rusting as well.

The PRG shackles have laser-cut rounded ends that don't hang below the leaf spring. Less stuff for rocks to get hung up on.

 

[XterraVT]

KICK ASS Mike!!!!

You will love this set-up.

If I'm around for the mod day I'll swing on up and give you a hand.

DaveP

 

[mtdewmike]

Well, this past weekend, I was finally able to get the parts (PRG UCA's & shackles and Radflo coilovers) installed on my truck, with the help of a couple friends from Nexterra. I must say, the difference in ride between the AC coils/stock Bilstein shocks combo and the new Radflo's is night and day. The front end feels close to the factory ride once again. No more topping out of the front shocks. I can hit speedbumps without having to crawl over them anymore. The rear suspension is still stiff because of the Calmini AAL's, and I'm fine with that, for now. I may swap out the rear bumper for a tire carrier bumper in the future, which would decrease some of that stiffness.

I also gained the height I wanted. As I stated in the first post, these were the approx. measurements I had:

Before Lift - Stock
Front: 19.5"
Rear: 20"
Rake: .5"

After Lift - Phase 1
Front: 22"
Rear: 23"
Rake: 1"

After Lift - Phase 2
Front: 22.5"
Rear: 23"
Rake: .5"

I now have a full 3" lift, front and rear. FYI, I have the PRG shackles set to the highest setting possible.

I took pictures, but have not pulled them off the camera yet. I'll try to remember to do that either tonight or later this week.

 

[IZVERG]

PICS!!! We're visual learners from as far as I can tell!!!

 

[nalu's one]

Howzit, mtdewmike You are running the same set up as myself except for the uca's and the shocks.
My first question:
I went out and measured my rear lift and I'm sitting at 24" from center wheel to the bottom of wheel well. I have the calmini aal and prg shackles at highest setting just like yours. How is it we have a 1" difference in lift, in the rear?
Would us running differnt shocks make that 1" difference?
Does that mean one set of our shocks could be over extended or restricted?
Did you remove or keep your load level leaf?
And for the front, How much did you adjust your coilovers if any?
Thanks, nalu's one.

 

[mtdewmike]

Howzit, mtdewmike You are running the same set up as myself except for the uca's and the shocks.
My first question:
I went out and measured my rear lift and I'm sitting at 24" from center wheel to the bottom of wheel well. I have the calmini aal and prg shackles at highest setting just like yours. How is it we have a 1" difference in lift, in the rear?
Would us running differnt shocks make that 1" difference?
Does that mean one set of our shocks could be over extended or restricted?
Did you remove or keep your load level leaf?
And for the front, How much did you adjust your coilovers if any?
Thanks, nalu's one.

Hmm, good questions.
1. I'm not sure why there would be a 1" difference in the back. The rear shocks I have are the ones that came from this package: Xterra Deluxe Suspension Package With Bilstein Shocks Which rear shocks do you have? Maybe mine are restricted. I'll have to investigate now.
2. I kept the load leaf.
3. I didn't have to adjust the coilovers at all. Greg set them just right.

 

[Turtle]

Your shocks shouldn't be a problem in the lift height difference unless you have your shocks topped out. That is definitely not the case. That said, here are my lift height differences from you guys for something else similar to compare to.

Deaver mini pack (gave originally 1.25" of lift after full settling). Added PRG shackles on the middle setting (1.5" lift). Stock shocks so far with plenty more room to full extension. Stock rear bumper with trailer hitch.

Rear height 22.5" hub to fender.

My front is the Radflo's with stock UCA giving ~21.5" Hub to fender.

Sorry if I just muddied the waters or butted in where my info doesn't really help.