Armada Rear Springs

[Kooshtaka]

Yeah Greg was telling me about it and he was definitely less than pleased with them. IIRC Greg said that he asked the rep if they would be able to "Hot wrap" the coils to same specs as Eibach and guarantee consistent quality- Rep said no prob and then Greg got word somehow that they couldn't meet the requested specs and Rep wouldn't answer Gregs calls anymore. Shady Reps need to be strung up! lol

[spta97]

Originally Posted by Kooshtaka

Ok so I have an update for everyone on the Rear Springs topic.

I talked to Greg and he is going a different direction altogether on the issue. No longer looking to get upgraded rear spring replacements at this point due to supplier not able to guarantee build quality that Greg would be satisfied with. Soooo... Greg has started working on putting together a direct fit coil over option for us with Radflo struts. Needless to say I'm fairly stoked for this development. They would delete the auto-level shocks, but they would work very well with all applications (lifted, stock, towing, etc). Also Greg stated the spring portion of the coil over would be EXTREMELY customizable and wouldn't interfere with doing some sort of air helper spring in the stock rear springs.
This is most likely wont materialize until sometime after the new year (possibly several months out). ETA is yet to be determined. SO stay tuned and I will update as info comes in. Pops or Richard possibly may make updates also as they have been helping me stay in communication with Greg and they have their own projects going on with Greg.

That stinks. One of the biggest selling points for me on this truck is the auto leveling suspension. I would not be willing to let that go as I often haul a lot of stuff in the back and the auto leveling levels everything out nicely.

[Kooshtaka]

Originally Posted by spta97

That stinks. One of the biggest selling points for me on this truck is the auto leveling suspension. I would not be willing to let that go as I often haul a lot of stuff in the back and the auto leveling levels everything out nicely.

good news is that we are working on different options to reintegrate/allow auto leveling in a different form

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[theJrod]

Bump...

I'm still looking for a good option. I'm currently still have the stock auto-leveling setup (that leaks, but otherwise works) plus the Firestone bags.

The Firestones make towing my toy hauler bearable, but after 30min of driving, the stock shocks are deflated and the whole thing is starting to sag again, even with the Firestones at 50PSI.

Seems like the Firestones just don't add much height by themselves.

I'm debating the following as relatively cheap fixes:

1. Ditch the stock shocks in favor of Ranchos or equivalent.
2. Route the factory compressor lines to the Firestones to maintain the auto-leveling control (still need to determine the stock line size in order to get the right pneumatic fittings).

I think theses mods will make the everyday ride much better, and the low to medium weight auto-leveling should work excellent. I'm a bit worried about how it'll do with heavy weight towing though - still not sure the Firestones can add enough lift to keep it from sagging under a 500# tongue weight.

The Napa springs w/ a 1" spacer (or SE springs?) may be the third required step to make this a complete solution. Are there any sources for the Napa springs still?

[Beau]

1st of all:
TheJrod, great avatar of Ben Spies!

2nd of all: I am with you, still looking for options to make the rear end a bit more stout. I don't have auto level, just springs with air bag helpers.
Maybe my next move will be a set of Timbrens?

http://www.timbren.com/

[E&J push'n wind]

NCP2773543 is the part # for the non tow springs at Napa, from their website.

If U R having a leak issue, better to find the source B4 U invest a lot of time & effort into it. U might use the original compressor and ditch the OEM shocks, that's what Pops did. But, if the source of the leak is the compressor and not the shocks. U end up working against yourself. Just a thought FWIW.

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[theJrod]

Well I just hooked up the stock compressor to the Firestone bags, and fired it up. It leveled the truck just fine (no weight in it of course), maybe not quite as high as with the stock shocks. Now I sit back and wait to see if that solves the leak issue. If it does, the stock shocks are getting yarded, and I'm on to my next decision: Ranchos or other? Then finally, stiffer springs, or 1" spacer?

[E&J push'n wind]

Jrod,

Get a spray bottle and some soapy water, effectively what we call "leak seak" and spray it all over where you have conections. If it's leaking it'll show.

As far as spacers or stiffer springs, it really is in what you are looking for. A stiffer spring will have a higher spring rate which of course will increase its ability to cary more weight. The spacer may give you the height you want but it will not increase ability to cary more weight and then the difference in cost.

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[theJrod]

So the stock compressor hooked up to the Firestones didn't leak over several hours and several miles, but I did come out the next morning to flat bags. I suspect there's an overpressure release on the stock system that's letting the air out. The Firestones just can't get the lift the stock shocks can, so I think the compressor runs until max pressure/timeout, then just shuts off.

At this point, I've unplugged the stock system entirely, and I'm manually filling the Firestones. Ranchos will be installed this week, as well as 1" spacers to get some ride height back. The Firestones will from then on be used for supplemental weight carrying ability.

Heavier-rate springs would be great, but I'll be damned if I'm spending much more than $100 on this thing. It's already 7 years old, and brakes are up next...

[armada123]

Hey Jrod what type of spacers did you use? I was thinking the same thing for the rear. Thanks


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