Tom,
As usual, right on the mark. Sorry about your brother in law. I lost one of my
army buddies in a jeep roll over. He went too fast. The old style jeep was too
high (No roll bars issued). He flipped it and was very dead. Delightful
topic. I use my SUV for in town and highway traveling up some very twisty roads
to the White Mountains area of Arizona. I now go alot slower than in my
previous vehicle. I do put on alot of miles (almost 9,000 in 3 months).
Guy
Thomas Walter wrote:
> Folks, Normally I tend to YELL when we get off topic. In this
> case, a lot of us do have SUV's and Leigh has a good point.
> Shocks, Springs, and Sway bars all play a part in the vehicle
> and the handling.
>
> For STREET driving I like very firm shocks (Bilstein), stiff
> tires (better response, less roll momentum as Gary pointed out).
> IPD (Best known for Volvo stuff) sells sway bars/suspension for
> the bigger SUV's, too.
>
> For OFF road, it is totally different. Softer shocks, taller springs,
> softer tires. Disconnect the sway bars. This allows for maximum
> suspension movement over rocks, ledges, etc. Oh, top speed
> normally is "2 to 25 mph" in that configuration.
>
> Usually the OEM's have to split the two extremes. They are very
> aware that most buyers do not plan on going off road, but want
> a softer "car like feel" for most driving.
>
> Irony... I plan on RAISING my Land Cruiser (FJ60 Wagon) for
> ground clearance. On the bright side the engine allows for a top
> speed of 65 to 70. Not the fastest rig out there.
>
> Sad part is people assume that SUV = Safety. Not so. As most
> of you know my Brother in Law was killed last year in a Jeep
> Rollover. Fully belted in, but broke his neck from the impact
> (roof caved in), died of complications after being in ICU.
>
> For a while I kept a running tally on "SUV's rolled". I finally gave
> up counting, as it was an average of ONE VEHICLE PER WEEK.
> My 60 mile commute means lots of traffic through town. Quite a
> high count, and there is one area on "Mopac" heading north that
> is SUV gutter. High speed left, when traffic starts slowing quickly.
> Too fast, a little turn, and just hitting the brakes at the wrong time...
> and it you can see them flip. Single car accidents, but with the
> same conditions, and a little "bump" it doesn't take much to roll.
>
> Other "not too swift" maneuver was a Suburban that did a left
> turn, while going about 60, into a apartment complex. The 'burb
> had new paper plates, and overshot the left turn. Into the ditch,
> and did a back flip landing on the roof. Driver was OK, still belted
> in. You'll have to realize due to flash flood and heavy rains in Texas
> the roads have more camber for water run off, and ditches that
> will be a good 5' across and 5' deep in sections.
>
> Sorry for rambling on, but SUV's do make for a nice tow vehicle
> and road trip vehicle. They will be around for some time, but if you
> want something to go fast and corner... take the roadster!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tom Walter
>
> shifty wrote:
>
> > Are there any aftermarket shocks, springs and/or anti-sway bars available?
> > Would any of that help the handling and stability of anything that high up
> > in the air? Lowering the ride height by an inch or two would lower the
> > center of gravity.
> >
> > Leigh Brooks
> > BADROC
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