LMTV aftermarket shocks

[Waltjg]

I'm interested in the King shocks. How is this project going? Also, if anyone has a decent price on new stock shocks, let me know.

 

[m37charlie]

Whatever you do don't buy a set of Road King 3" shocks. I ordered a set for my 13 ton Unimog camper, told them the weights, sent them the spring deflection graphs, told them I "wanted it to ride like a BMW" (i.e. valved stiff). They used the lightest valving and they were USELESS, like no shocks at all, bounced 3-4 times on bumps on the highway. Their "engineering dept" (the owner) is totally ignorant of the physics of damping (never heard of Hooke's Law, doesn't know the difference between critical and subcritical damping). Don't use them for any sort of custom application, I think they thought my Unimog was some sort of Winnebago.

Charlie

 

[Rebuilder]

Whatever you do don't buy a set of Road King 3" shocks. I ordered a set for my 13 ton Unimog camper, told them the weights, sent them the spring deflection graphs, told them I "wanted it to ride like a BMW" (i.e. valved stiff). They used the lightest valving and they were USELESS, like no shocks at all, bounced 3-4 times on bumps on the highway. Their "engineering dept" (the owner) is totally ignorant of the physics of damping (never heard of Hooke's Law, doesn't know the difference between critical and subcritical damping). Don't use them for any sort of custom application, I think they thought my Unimog was some sort of Winnebago.

Charlie

I could see them not getting it right the first time because "ride like a BMW" is open to interpretation but if you're saying they wouldn't work with you to make it right then that's a problem. I assume they're rebuildable so new valving shouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

[m37charlie]

I actually said I did NOT want a soft ride, but after discussions with them (after I had received the shocks and installed them and determined they weren't going to work) I discovered the appalling lack of understanding of suspension physics that they seem to have. It was not confidence inspiring.

Charlie

 

[scottmandu]

It's going to be next to impossible to get an 8ton leaf spring supported truck to ride like a coil spring supported BMW.

 

[m37charlie]

You obviously know a lot about Unimog, but they have coil springs...
Charlie

 

[scottmandu]

My bad I misread thinking you wanted an LMTV to ride like a BMW.

 

[Levelox]

Haha. That wasn't me.

 

[snowtrac nome]

overall the lmtv rides pretty good for the kind of truck it is, I use mine daily on gravel and un improved roads out here in western Alaska and until I do some suspendsion mods to my 1 ton dodge I'm in no rush to go back to it.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

View attachment 677930

For once, OP delivers!

What was your cost on these?

 

[jlandreneau]

OP did you get the shocks installed?

 

[g4g63tgvr4]

Curious also

 

[Waltjg]

Curious also

Me too...

 

[sargentwolf]

Totally forgot about this thread. They are in and helped a bit. Smoother ride.

 

[g4g63tgvr4]

Can you tell me the specs you sent them to have them made?

 

[sargentwolf]

Let me get back to you tonight after work. I don't have my laptop with me and the paperwork isn't on my phone.

 

[SteveD]

Still waiting on this info.
Thanks

 

[Aernan]

This sounds interesting. I have no idea how to test my shocks to see if they might need upgrading or not but if there is an upgrade option I would love to know.

 

[Aernan]

Did you look at the bottom out rubber bumpers? Can we upgrade to the gas filled ones used on rally vehicles?

 

[NomadTravels416]

Would love to see them installed aswell. Just picked up an M1088 last week and would like to upgrade a few areas of the truck including suspension components.