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Soften M1123 suspension

Maxjeep1

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Coolboatguy has this all figured out and I seen his stuff. He has a lot of money in figuring out what works and what doesn’t! Ask him what he wants for it!
 

Glider

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I put in in all 4. I also ran with factory shocks and Cepek adjustible shocks. I cut 1 coil from all springs. If I remember correctly I would have done 1 1/2 for rear. The factory shocks are very stiff, even with softer springs. I have cepeck adjustible from 0-9, 0 is softest 9 hardest. I have all 4 set to 3 it rides pretty darn good.

 

coolboatguy

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I put in in all 4. I also ran with factory shocks and Cepek adjustible shocks. I cut 1 coil from all springs. If I remember correctly I would have done 1 1/2 for rear. The factory shocks are very stiff, even with softer springs. I have cepeck adjustible from 0-9, 0 is softest 9 hardest. I have all 4 set to 3 it rides pretty darn good.

I used m998 shocks because I had a set of new ones lying around. They aren't terrible with a little speed. But the cost was 25 each so that's hard to beat. On my truck I have fully adjustable 2.5". I only cut off a 1/4 of a coil in the rear. 1 full in the front. They sagged a little after a year or so and I installed the spacer in the rear. If you want to trim them down more but not lose softness, you should grind the corner down where the wrap ends. 1/4" is 1/2 ride height.
 

badger_610889

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My M1123 came with the pre-MAK springs re-installed. While the truck is much lighter than the A2 (the A2 is a slantback, heavy doors, AC, hard roof, etc.) the suspension on the 1123 is way nicer than on the A2 which feels like go-kart suspension.
The rear coils are easy to identify as the variable rate springs (I guess). Highly recommended if you get a chance to find some! I'll post a pic.
 

coolboatguy

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las vegas
My M1123 came with the pre-MAK springs re-installed. While the truck is much lighter than the A2 (the A2 is a slantback, heavy doors, AC, hard roof, etc.) the suspension on the 1123 is way nicer than on the A2 which feels like go-kart suspension.
The rear coils are easy to identify as the variable rate springs (I guess). Highly recommended if you get a chance to find some! I'll post a pic.
I actually chucked those into the trash. They are nicer than stock but really unless you're going to use the truck as a 2.5 ton vehicle just dump those springs. I don't highly recommend those at all. Remove the shocks and push up and down. I bet you have 3.75 inches of shock shaft showing currently. On a 4 inch shock. Its below average at best.
 

badger_610889

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I actually chucked those into the trash. They are nicer than stock but really unless you're going to use the truck as a 2.5 ton vehicle just dump those springs. I don't highly recommend those at all. Remove the shocks and push up and down. I bet you have 3.75 inches of shock shaft showing currently. On a 4 inch shock. Its below average at best.
Please don't trash them!
It might depend on what you want. I like the smoother ride, still even too stiff for off-road. Not hauling rocks nor sand though...
 

zr2yz125

Member
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Location
Knoxville
I just went thru all of this. My 1123 was MAK'd and still had the 3k springs on it. I just replaced the rear springs with variable rate (did the cast uppers, the front lower bolt is not even close to being fun to remove). I did the front springs with the 954lb and disconnected the sway bar. It is a whole different vehicle. I used to have a hard time doing 10mph on my gravel driveway, now I can do 25+ without getting bounced out of the seat. One of the trails I drive weekly used to be 10mph tops before I would get tossed so hard the seatbelt would stop me from flying out of the seat. I drove it multiple times yesterday at 10, then 20 then 30mph and it was great! I now have the vehicle I thought I was buying!

1662047263276.png
Pic - Rear Left spring is MAK, Right is Variable. One Variable is already installed.



1662047338614.png
Pic - Front, Left is 954lb, Right is MAK

For driving around town, the MAK springs rode great....but I bought this to offroad and the MAKs were TERRIBLE!

I posted in July about disconnecting my shock absorbers to see if they were the culprit in the rough ride. After changing only the springs, I can definitively say it was the springs.
 

Vapor Trail

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Kentucky
I have some questions about what's written above. What is MAK'd? Why would you cut springs off, because they'd raise it too much? If they're going to sag I'd just leave them alone. I thought an M1123 was an A2?
 

coolboatguy

Member
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Location
las vegas
I just went thru all of this. My 1123 was MAK'd and still had the 3k springs on it. I just replaced the rear springs with variable rate (did the cast uppers, the front lower bolt is not even close to being fun to remove). I did the front springs with the 954lb and disconnected the sway bar. It is a whole different vehicle. I used to have a hard time doing 10mph on my gravel driveway, now I can do 25+ without getting bounced out of the seat. One of the trails I drive weekly used to be 10mph tops before I would get tossed so hard the seatbelt would stop me from flying out of the seat. I drove it multiple times yesterday at 10, then 20 then 30mph and it was great! I now have the vehicle I thought I was buying!

View attachment 877974
Pic - Rear Left spring is MAK, Right is Variable. One Variable is already installed.



View attachment 877975
Pic - Front, Left is 954lb, Right is MAK

For driving around town, the MAK springs rode great....but I bought this to offroad and the MAKs were TERRIBLE!

I posted in July about disconnecting my shock absorbers to see if they were the culprit in the rough ride. After changing only the springs, I can definitively say it was the springs.
Well the stiffer it is, the faster you need to go anyhow to make it comfortable..
 

zr2yz125

Member
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Location
Knoxville
I have some questions about what's written above. What is MAK'd? Why would you cut springs off, because they'd raise it too much? If they're going to sag I'd just leave them alone. I thought an M1123 was an A2?
MAK is Marine Armor Kit. The MAK springs are used with the MAK armor. From what I read the MAK armor weighs 3500# - so the MAK springs are designed to work on a vehicle that weighs #3500 more than my vehicle currently does - thus the stiff ride. Yes, the M1123 is an A2.

I did not cut springs, I bought new ones. If you look at the pics you will see that the new springs are longer than the MAK springs.
Here is a sping chart: Springs, usage, load and coil diameter (hummerknowledgebase.com)
 
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zr2yz125

Member
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Location
Knoxville
Well the stiffer it is, the faster you need to go anyhow to make it comfortable..
Not entirely true. The MAK spring rate is too high to compress with the unloaded vehicle at any sane speed...and when it does finally compress the rebound shoves the chassis upward with such force that it launches things / people out of the vehicle that aren't strapped in at speeds that a leaf sprung jeep would not have issue with...and I'm talking about 20MPH in a graded field.
 

coolboatguy

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las vegas
Not entirely true. The MAK spring rate is too high to compress with the unloaded vehicle at any sane speed...and when it does finally compress the rebound shoves the chassis upward with such force that it launches things / people out of the vehicle that aren't strapped in at speeds that a leaf sprung jeep would not have issue with...and I'm talking about 20MPH in a graded field.
I completely agree with you. I've been pounding the wheel position/wheel travel drum for a while now as seen in my previous posts about whether the truck was riding too low. And to think people are still wanting to lift their rigs even more is ridiculous. With that said, my comment was purely in regards to spring rate and suspension frequency. The armada springs ride at a 50/50 to 60/40 position and are soft as hell. I drive mine in whoops, hard pack with sharp rocks, rock crawling and etc as fast as the 6.2 will get me.
The simplest test is to do an articulation test. If a tire lifts, they are too stiff.
 

badger_610889

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M1123 is an A2 indeed.
My bad when I referred to my A2 I meant my M1043 A2. It's a heavy slantback which is great but I hate the suspension on it. It's nice on freeway though :)
 
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