Advocate I
4runner payload paradox
- Thread starter Mikeblack
- Start date
zcostilla
Rank III
Traveler III
- 603
- First Name
- Zac
- Last Name
- Costilla
- Member #
-
44185
- Service Branch
- USAF ‘93-‘13
I believe my VW TDI has a brake fluid flush service interval of 60,000 miles
Member III
This is standard. ^^^^^^^^^^^^ and the strips rock. In my intro brake class, I have a competition between the students. Not the worst brake fluid but the best. 20-30 students and i will get maybe 3 with good brake fluid.
This surprises me, but its VW so maybe not. I never say cant happen.
In a nut shell. Brake fluid absorbs water (Hygroscopic). As is absorbs 2 things happen. Acids form and its boiling point drops. Water vapor molecules are smaller than the pores in your brake system. It literally pills the water out of the air through the metal. As was stated earlier its a time thing not a mileage.
The brake fluid manufactures want you to replace it when its about 10 - 20 percent saturated. With DOT 3 that's about 2 -3 years. Dot 4 is half that at
1-1.5 years. The auto manufactures factor in a percentage of acid into their fluids and are roughly double that.
I run a synthetic DOT 4 and its life is 8 months-1 year.
Bottom line is, The longer you wait, the more acid. The acid attacks the silicone in the rubber and the soft metals decreasing their life span.
Minimum brake fluid total replacement is every brake job, twice that if its European or DOT 4.
Wow...total thread hijack.....sorry.
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Member III
Higher quality shocks but Icon is Icon and they're all digressive. They're really popular for some reason but I prefer a progressive shock like King or Fox for overlanding type stuff. Icon is better on road and good for preventing bottoming out but they're too aggressive on the valving IMO for washboard roads and whoops. King and Fox will be softer on road with more roll but they take little hits much better.
If you do more road or smooth fire roads, the Icon kits are ok but if you are more on trail, I'd be looking at Fox/King and building a custom kit around those. You can also get them custom valved based on your F/R weight if you order through Accutune or Filthy. Properly valved shocks will make a world of difference over anything off the shelf and a lot of places won't do it with Icon. I say this every time but King and Fox are the gold standard race shock for a reason.
Enthusiast III
Member III
Basic OME (the yellow ones) is good for what it is but I prefer Bilstein in that price range. BP-51 is extremely overrated IMO. Again, people love them for some reason but I can't help but feel it's just lack of experience with other brands. They're a 51mm shock body (2.0") but have a fatter shaft like a 2.5" shock. That means less oil in the tube which means faster fatigue. The valving also isn't as flexible due to the smaller body so if you are looking at them, just get some 2.0 King or Fox shocks with reservoir and you'll get comparable performance at a much lower price.
Again, the real benefit of spending big on shocks is the ability to valve appropriately and rebuild instead of replace. King and Fox are ubiquitous and you can find shops across the country that will do them, frequently with parts in stock. Icon is a lot more rare because their valving isn't as easy to adjust (and you don't find the same level of experience) and to my knowledge, when a BP51 shock is done, it's done an has to be replaced.
Enthusiast III
So would you recommend doing a King shock with a triple bypass system. Saw a video on that looking for your opinion on it. From a practical standpoint having mechanics that can work on it is a lot better than having a boutique suspension system
Member III
If you cant do your own work, you need to stay basic.
I was a dealer tech for 25 years before finishing my degree and going into teaching these things. From a tech stand point, most can do proper maintenance. When your working on a vehicle, you have to guarantee any work you do. All the diagnostic info and specs come out if books. When you have a modified vehicle, there is no spec. Modified vehicles take longer to work on and you don't get paid any more.
Lets say you run all stock suspension except for a King/Fox remote reservoir shock. You have a "noise" going over bumps. The shock itself can intimidate a tech that doesn't understand what it is. You end up with costly repairs and if it still has the problem, he will blame it on the shock, whether or not its to blame. If it is the shock, where does he get the correct one? This is something I have watched my whole life.
Between myself and my friends, we have built and ran a number of desert and track race vehicles. Bypass/ non bypass shock's (rebuildable) can cost 200-400 a set to be rebuild. Aftermarket arms designed for longer travel are not designed to last, their designed to travel, but need to be rebuilt regularly or they can fail.
FYI, most "off-road" shops can bolt on parts only. Unless they run a similar system, most couldn't diagnose an issue. Next thing you know, you have all new arms because the guy working on it didn't know or didn't care that the worn out ball joint could be replaced. In the case of a custom arm, it can be a heim joint or Johnny Joint. Not a factory ball joint.
I no longer have my Rock Crawl TJ nor do I have a desert truck any more. I've built my Cruiser to go out and explore like I did when I was younger. I can build anything I want, but I keep it simple.
I personally am not a fan of OME. Do they build a good spring and shock? Yes but, they like to run their shocks stiffer than necessary and their springs fatigue fast.
I don't base this opinion on 1 vehicle, but on mine and several I have helped people with. My current set up is from Dobinson. The shocks are larger diameter than the OME's, properly valved and the springs are a better quality. If I wasn't happy with these I would have went ICON
People will "advise" based on the 1-2 vehicles they have owned or wish they owned. Any kind of vehicle mods can be a rabbit hole that can be costly and frustrating if you don't have the ability to at least diagnose things yourself.
Hopefully I don't offend anyone with my opinions. I have been dealing with off-road suspensions from street to racing as well as being a dealer tech for most of my life. These are things I have seen and or dealt with.
Member III
forgot to add
Pretty much everything @LostWoods said was spot on.
Pretty much everything @LostWoods said was spot on.
Enthusiast III
I am not offended at all. I guess it's the new pc culture that makes people walk on their toes about their opinions. But I am not familiar with this whole world of overlanding, but I like to know it. So that requires me to listen to those have been doing it longer than I have been alive in some cases.
So with that said it's always great to bounce ideas of things I've seen in videos, articles and other forums. It's always a good thing to put Foolish Pride and ego aside when it comes to learning something that you do not have expertise in. And this case I'm the one without the expertise or experience, but by listening I can gain that experience and knowledge from those that have done it before me and avoid the costly mistakes as you say.
For Me I'm not trying to go racing in my SUV. My main concern is when I start loading the vehicle up I want to avoid suspension fade. I want to avoid the issues of having a heavy load but the vehicle cannot support itself when it leaves Hardball and onto off road. Longevity is key in most respects. And if I was a goal on long trips either Solo or with a partner to be able to fix my gear if I have a good foundation of knowledge to build off of.
I Know my questions may seem naive but I'm always willing to ask them so I can gain some further Edge and doing a proper and practical build on a rig. Also not getting ripped off at the mechanic shop is a plus.
I think for you it will be really cool if you had a YouTube series to explain a lot of these fundamentals and how to apply a practical solution and troubleshooting when it involves the topic of overlanding.
Member III
This is the reason I got into teaching. I teach basic-advanced suspensions, brakes and electronics. I am surrounded by people with the same interests I have. In the shop it was all about fixing the car. Very few "techs" I worked with had race vehicles. They were too much hassle. Now I'm surrounded by instructors who have performance vehicles and students who want to know how to build them and work on them.
Best part is all the vacation time to go out and play.
Enthusiast III
If I had to make a small recommendation, it would be nice to see one or two minute videos on things you've learned and explain in a simple format from basic to Advanced. Another approach would be answering common issues with building rigs explain for the Layman like myself. It's always good to gain knowledge from those I've done it before and a good conversation along the way too.
If You could pass them or knowledge my way involving Tire selection and the use of weight distribution. Also the pros and cons between a beaded sealed tire and a regular one.
Member III
@smritte is spot on. I learned suspension helping with race trucks in CA's high desert and that's the only place a triple bypass belongs. Honestly, it's overkill for all but the most refined and tuned chassis and most still ran regular remote reservoir 2.5's. The function of having the adjustable valves outside is that
The best thing you can do for your suspension is plan for some Fox or King 2.5's with reservoirs (last part is critical for tuning) and then sit on that money. If you plan on doing all your work in a year or so like I am, suspension will be the last thing I do on my Gladiator because then I can put a fully loaded truck on a 4-corner scale and get the suspension tuned based on travel and corner weights to get close to where I need to be. If you plan on stretching out the timeline, you can do suspension early but I seriously suggest getting them rebuilt and revalved once you are done. The difference in feel from an off-the-shelf shock and a properly tuned one is night and day.
Member III
Highly recommend Filthy Motorsports' channel on YouTube. Not a lot of videos but those that are there are seriously a wealth of general knowledge on the topic.If I had to make a small recommendation, it would be nice to see one or two minute videos on things you've learned and explain in a simple format from basic to Advanced. Another approach would be answering common issues with building rigs explain for the Layman like myself. It's always good to gain knowledge from those I've done it before and a good conversation along the way too.
If You could pass them or knowledge my way involving Tire selection and the use of weight distribution. Also the pros and cons between a beaded sealed tire and a regular one.
Filthy Motorsports
Filthy Motorsports is an off-road race shop in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in high-end off-road parts and suspension tuning. Please visit FilthyMotors...
Member III
At work, the managers want me to video my lectures. Some people are good in front of a camera, I am not. There are very few forums that I will post in, this is now one of two. There are too many "backyard fabricators" that just like to argue. I don't deal well with people like that.
Tire's are something based on what your doing and where your doing it. I've tried a few different brands and not been happy with most. I have some Cooper AT's on now and will never run them again. Their a good street/dirt, quiet tire. I hit snow/mud and that's where I stop. Each time I get away from BFG I regret it and go back. BFG doesn't work for some people and will advise against.
Daily driver means you lean more street. "Toy" means you lean more performance. Both have compromises. If you drive more snow/mud you lean toward mud type tires but now you deal with noise. Quiet means less mud/snow performance. Finding the balance there is hit or miss.
Most of my knowledge has been gained by first listening to "experts", then finding out they were either wrong or what they advised me on doesn't match what my goals are. In order to learn you have to fail. If you never fail, you never learn the limits of what your doing. If you don't understand how something works and you fail, you gain nothing because you don't know why it failed. This is what drove me back to school to finish my degree. Now if I fail, I know why and can compare things. If you don't know how to "tune" suspension, you buy non adjustable parts. I recommended ICON and Dobinson because they come tuned pretty well. People who can do their own tuning want things simple to tune. For me King is easiest and Fox is next.
What does this mean? Try something. Do a mod, see how it works and if it does what you want. Never stop questioning and never accept "good enough".
Just so you know, I constantly advise against modding your daily driver.
Tire's are something based on what your doing and where your doing it. I've tried a few different brands and not been happy with most. I have some Cooper AT's on now and will never run them again. Their a good street/dirt, quiet tire. I hit snow/mud and that's where I stop. Each time I get away from BFG I regret it and go back. BFG doesn't work for some people and will advise against.
Daily driver means you lean more street. "Toy" means you lean more performance. Both have compromises. If you drive more snow/mud you lean toward mud type tires but now you deal with noise. Quiet means less mud/snow performance. Finding the balance there is hit or miss.
Most of my knowledge has been gained by first listening to "experts", then finding out they were either wrong or what they advised me on doesn't match what my goals are. In order to learn you have to fail. If you never fail, you never learn the limits of what your doing. If you don't understand how something works and you fail, you gain nothing because you don't know why it failed. This is what drove me back to school to finish my degree. Now if I fail, I know why and can compare things. If you don't know how to "tune" suspension, you buy non adjustable parts. I recommended ICON and Dobinson because they come tuned pretty well. People who can do their own tuning want things simple to tune. For me King is easiest and Fox is next.
What does this mean? Try something. Do a mod, see how it works and if it does what you want. Never stop questioning and never accept "good enough".
Just so you know, I constantly advise against modding your daily driver.
Member III
Best adrenaline rush ever. 100+ mph across the desert. OH YEA
Member III
I still don't know how drivers have room in their seats for those gigantic balls. Did quite a few ride-alongs tuning engines and the like and holy shit those guys are fearless.
Autism Family Travels
Rank IV
Enthusiast III
I have read that fox were stiff on road. hmmmm pretty cool to hear other wise. I may go that route then.
Member III
It's all in the tuning. They're a little stiff out of the box but if you get them set up right, they are excellent.
Member III
One of my buddies is becoming known for his suspensions in the local desert scene. He showed me a video of one of his builds in an open class truck. The guy was doing over 140. Fearless and micro focused. 100+ mph crash is not something I want to experience.
