the great suspension question!

titannewbie23 · 07-28-2009, 10:38 AM

ok i am gonna throw this out....let everyone put in their $.02 and when the dust settles i will be buying my lift septemberish(when i get back from vegas).i just need to know what i am dreaming about each night i put my head on my pillow.i have a few questions, then everyone with experience can take this over.i would like to know everything......and i mean everything i wouldneed to lift my truck.i am weighing a few options ...........

1.rancho 4'' lift(i know i need the shocks and struts)
2.procomp 6'' (possible need the new front struts)
3.fabtech 6"????
4.rough country 6"???(kid in town has it)

need to know if i need sway bar end links.. traction bars....shocks stuts etc etc
give me your honest opinon and feedback i would like to take advise from people who know the stuff rather than my buddy who owns a stereo store(he said his(guys... possibly vendor.... said rancho is the only way to go)i am leveled right now truck has 36,000 miles on it and i put about 6k a year on it....this is for looks with a little light offroad mud function. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

**Blackbeauty** · 07-28-2009, 10:44 AM

Firstly, it would be good to know if you're 4x4 or 4x2....

Secondly, this is a sticky for a reason....

Titan Lift and Shock Overview

titannewbie23 · 07-28-2009, 11:30 AM

yeah i forgot in the middle of my rant..........i have a 4x4.

i have read that stick 500+ times and can't decide sounds like the pro comp or rancho but i would like to hear first hand...... the shamwow seems like an awesome product but helps if you know someone that has it<---joke

Pops · 07-28-2009, 12:48 PM

The ProComp Stage I is everything you need for a lift. There's nothing else that's needed on the backend and it's one of the easier ones to install if not the easiest. I've talked to their Tech Support once and they seemed really responsive and I got the answers that I needed. If/when your OEM coilovers are shot, SAW's or Radflos are better than any coilovers that any of those lift kits might offer in a Stage II setup anyway and can be bought through PRG for the same price or less than any of the others.

chunko · 07-28-2009, 12:50 PM

Pops tends to give good advice...

What he said x2.

yamatitan · 07-28-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chunko

Pops tends to give good advice...

What he said x2.

agreed

need 10 letters...

titannewbie23 · 07-29-2009, 04:44 AM

i have been stuck on rancho because of what i have been told by a friend. never really looked at procomp but i have.and also it isn't that i need new front coilovers maybe new front struts.but procomp is a bracket lift in the front right so stock height struts will do?sorry if i seem like i have a 1000 questions i know everything about hondas(ex tuner guy) now i grew up and want to play with trucks lol

Pops · 07-29-2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by titannewbie23

i have been stuck on rancho because of what i have been told by a friend. never really looked at procomp but i have.and also it isn't that i need new front coilovers maybe new front struts.but procomp is a bracket lift in the front right so stock height struts will do?sorry if i seem like i have a 1000 questions i know everything about hondas(ex tuner guy) now i grew up and want to play with trucks lol

Hey, we all learn from asking questions like these. I wouldn't have any answers if i had never asked in the past.

Both the Rancho and ProComp are both Bracket kits. If you were to lay them out side by side, they look the same except for having a different design on the drop brackets. Rancho does make a very nice looking drop bracket but ProComp's also gets the job done well. In all honesty, the only difference you'll notice later is whether the drop bracket has a V shape or is straight, and the 0.5" of height difference, that's it.

We have shocks, not struts, hell if I know what the difference is.

I think Rancho includes replacement coilovers??? If not then they provide a big spacer that attaches to the coilover. ProComp Stage I has a big spacer that attaches to the top of your coilover. The Stage II has their replacement coilovers. In all honesty, both of them suck in comparison to Radflo or Sway-A-Way (SAW). Rancho coilovers are pretty much bottom of the barrel from what I was told by a couple local shops. They said the Rancho lift kit is good but Rancho shocks aren't, I haven't had any experience with them. I do know that ProComp makes their own coilovers in-house but I'm saying that they cannot come close to touching what PRG does.

You can just get some Bilstein 5100's to replace your factory shocks and keep whatever coilover spacers you got with the kit in. PRG sells them preassembled or you can just buy the shocks and rent a Heavy Duty spring compressor to change them yourself. The thing is though, do you really want to spend all that money and time on a lift then just keep spacers in with your OEM springs??? The Eibach springs that PRG mounts on the Radflo and SAW are soooo much better than our OEM springs.

You are gonna spend at least $1,000.00 for ProComp coilovers and I think the Rancho coilovers are up there too. Or you can get custom tuned Radflo or SAW coilovers that you'll never need to replace again from Greg for very close to $1,000.00 if not less if you catch him at a time that he can offer special pricing. By custom tuned, I mean that Greg custom builds and adjusts the valving on the shocks according to what you tell him you're looking for. Noone else does this for us. Anyone you go to will use the manufacturer specified valving for those and the manufacturers seriously haven't spent enough time on the Titan to know where it needs to be set at. Greg owns a Titan and has built suspension systems for more Titans than anyone else in the world has. There's noone else who knows this truck as well as he does. It's a skill that's like a fine art and he is the Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Leonardo da Vinci of suspension for us.

Sorry to be so opinionated but I'm on this same path as you are and I'm just only one step ahead of you, there's alot to learn, and it's taken me 6-months of asking and reading to learn what I know up to this point. I've been pestering Greg with questions every day since last Friday and abusing alot of his time just to learn why we should use Radflo or SAW instead of Fox, ProComp, Rancho, Bilstein, King, or any of the others. There's so much involved, it's at least 4-hours of conversation, most of which is way above my understanding of how shocks work.

If for some reason you do want to save $$$ on shocks, Bilstein 5100's are the only way to go. Just keep in mind that the $1,000.00 spent on the Radflo or SAW will pay for itself if you keep your truck because they will never need replacing. Also, Greg can Powdercoat the Eibach springs Black, Red, or Blue for dirt cheap. He can powdercoat them other colors but the price jumps depending on how tough it is to mix the colors to match.

Hope that helps. We also have a thread just started about Radflo vs SAW because they are both the best quality for us and it's like comparing the best tasting apple pie to the best tasting cherry pie.

titannewbie23 · 07-30-2009, 08:28 AM

wow guess that sums it up! now i just have to price shop. thanks pops

couldn't have asked for a better break down. i have found a rancho kit from a private seller fully intact never installed in the box for cheap.but as well i might just go with the pro comp one kit.....one shot...... well maybe new shocks for the front and coilovers down the road.........

NBhunter80 · 07-30-2009, 08:41 AM

Yeah, good advice from Pops. One other added bonus of the Procomp kit is that (correct me if I'm wrong) it is the only true bolt-on kit. That means that no cutting or welding is required to install the kit, and therefor it is really easy to return to stock. That is great if you ever sell the Titan or trade on a newer one, you can pop the lift off and return to stock before you sell/trade. You never get extra money for the lift in trade/sale value. You can then sell the lift or install it on your new T and save yourself some cash. Good luck!

Pops · 07-30-2009, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NBhunter80

.... One other added bonus of the Procomp kit is that (correct me if I'm wrong) it is the only true bolt-on kit. ...

I could be wrong but I think the Rancho is also a true bolt-on.

yamatitan · 07-30-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pops

I could be wrong but I think the Rancho is also a true bolt-on.

you have to drill holes for the rancho kit but other than that its bolt on.

NBhunter80 · 07-30-2009, 08:55 AM

You are right pops, according to their advertizement you only have to drill "less than 6 holes". But they state that no cutting is required.

titannewbie23 · 07-30-2009, 11:46 AM

not sure who said it but i hear with procomp there is some "trimming". and you are right rancho says"less than 6 holes" hmmmm. as i said before gonna be septemberish but i am now heading tward pro comp

yamatitan · 07-30-2009, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by titannewbie23

not sure who said it but i hear with procomp there is some "trimming". and you are right rancho says"less than 6 holes" hmmmm. as i said before gonna be septemberish but i am now heading tward pro comp

there is no trimming anything with the procomp kit. I promise I installed mine myself I did grind the steering stops on the spindles but those are a procomp part not a oem part and thats optional.