Is this the dumbest setup ever???

I just picked up another 2.5 gen 4x4 after foolishly letting my other go when the market was hot. I was thinking I wanted a 3rd gen… but I didn’t like it after a test drive for the $20k difference.

This build will mostly be a family camp rig, so very mixed usage. I tow our 4000lb camper with 650lb tongue weight a lot. I generally have about 250lbs of cover/gear in the bed as well. I’ve been laying out my goals and trying to match up some all around performance, and came up with a kinda silly idea that has me curious.

Going for plenty of clearance for dirty5s so radflo or elka 2.5s all the way around, so front is easy. For the rear I was thinking deaver AAL, with coachbuilder 1” shackles… and the crazy part, roadmaster active suspension. I’m thinking it should ride pretty well, loaded and unloaded with the claims the RMAS owners make, plus have enough lift.

I know it seems excessive but I kinda wanna see what that combo would be like, have a lost my mind?

 

I would not run shackles, add a leaf and RAS. RAS will give an inch lift. If you need more I would stick with shackles, they are available in just over half inch lift on up to .175 lift. I would skip the add a leaf altogether.

 

so you don’t think the shortest shackles would provide the claimed benefits? I ask because everyone running them says amazing things, no matter the leaf pack. With the deavers being a progressive overload replacement, I was thinking it was in upgrade to a weak link. The thought of all 3 came when I thought of just the deavers and shackles, what would a solution be if I had too much sag. I want close to 3 all the way around to maintain factory rake when empty.

 

i recently talked to deavers about an install as they are local to me. The rep was not budging on using the total chaos stock style shackles. Those are what they designed the deavers with. I asked him about maybe using coachbuilders because they are so beefy and he just was not having it. I dont see how it would matter if they are the same length but I have some time to research it.

 

Maybe he's worried about the gap that will probably be between the beefy CB shackle and the spring pack bushings.

 

RAS owners love RAS. I went with Airbags because I can level the load on the fly very easily.

Remote res Elkas front and rear, Icon add a leaf, Coachbuilder +1, Firestone airbags and Daystar cradles. Similar tongue and higher bed weight with no issues. Then unhitch, reduce the air in the bags and go on the trail to the fishing lake.

 

What i was thinking is that since it requires a longer shackle, maybe they thing the welded cross beam in the middle of CB or Toytec shackles would hit the frame.

 

There's a cutout in the CBs that accommodates the frame and limits lateral shackle movement

 

Ill have to press the guy on it a little more when it comes time to actually do the install. Not a big deal, but i figure if i am going to spend the money to get the suspension right, may as well get the benefits of beefy shackles as well. I guess the advertised lift with the U478 springs is with those shackles included.

 

interesting. I’m still digging through options, but my thinking mirrors your own.

 

That’s certainly my other option, I haven’t run the cradles but have had bad luck with bags in the past that the cradles should fix, just a little gun shy lol.