Project 4x4 Commuter Mazda

[legoms013]

Skyjacker 6" Drop Brackets and 8" coils in the mail.

Who wants my old Tuff Country 4" brackets when they come off? Send me a pm with your zip and I'll crunch some numbers for you. Won't get the Tuff Country brackets off until late August just FYI. Be nice yo have a buyer set up tho so they can be gone as soon as I take them off that way they don't sit in my yard and ugly the place up, not to mention collect rust.

 

[86 slo-vo]

what size tire are you going to be running? she's be up there with the 8 inch coils

 

[legoms013]

LOL 31s. Yeah it will be tall. Thing is I can justify being taller, but can't justify new tires cuz of what it will cost me in gas.

Might look a little goofy, but it already looks goofy IMHO so whats another 2" approx? Hate on!

Should sag out some though, everything i've read says it will be around 6.5" of lift considering its a supercab 4.0L and I have a heavy bumper/winch combo up front (190lbs). That puts me pretty darn close to 1.5-2" taller than now, and that seems to line up with the fact that the SJ brackets will work well in the 6" pivot hole. We'll see....

 

[legoms013]

Ooh the UPS man must hate me, always having to carry very heavy boxes all the way up to my door step, far from where he gets out of his truck:

Nothing like new truck parts, xmas in July!

6" brackets should be here Wednesday.

And here is a informational tid bit, my current Tuff Country coils have 11-12 windings depending on where you start to count them, and these new SJ coils also have 11-12 windings. Interesting.

 

[88_Eddie]

sweet build

 

[86 slo-vo]

31's and 8 inch lift? i just dont see the need for that, im not hateing just trying to figure out what your going for

 

[Ranger44]

31's and 8 inch lift? i just dont see the need for that, im not hateing just trying to figure out what your going for

Suspension travel.

The skyjacker 8" coils are by far flexier than any other RBV coil. Plus they provide a true 6" of lift on a supercab.

As for the tire size........might just be that the 31's still have life and/or he wants to regear with larger tires, and wants to wait and save for either. It's logical.

 

[legoms013]

It won't be a 8" of lift compared to stock (more like 6-6.5" with my trucks heavy nose). And yes the SJ 8" coils are the softest of what skykjacker offers for RBV.

I commute this truck everyday during the school year down the hill, and bigger tires benefit me in neither the offroading situation (for as infrequent as I get to go) nor the gas mileage front. There isn't money for tires, gears, and consequent gas. But there is money for doing suspension stuff, cuz it doesn't insinuate too much extra gas, at least for what I'm doing.

My 31"s have plenty of life left in them, and with my 3.73's I still get 18mpg, why screw up a good thing lol? As un-aerodynamic and heavy my truck is now, still being able to get 18 on the highway is unheard of, so being a little taller shouldn't hurt that anymore than has already been hurt (in fact I'd bet money of I had a regular stock bumper and camper shell or tonneuo cover I'd get 20mpg).

With my lockers, my suspension setup, and even my tires, I can't complain about the offroad capabilities of this vehicle, and I can drive it everyday without breaking the bank, thats my justification

Oh but tires and gears will eventually come, just so I'm clear. Maybe next year. This whole college thing sucks my hobby money at a monumental rate...

 

[88_Eddie]

31's and 8 inch lift? i just dont see the need for that, im not hateing just trying to figure out what your going for

i agree, why waste money on more lift? if you arent taking it off-road that much, why do you need more flex? i ain't tyring to tell you what to do with your $$$$, just sayin you could save it and get bigger tires or spend it on some other performance mod, like gears.......i still think it looks cool though

 

[legoms013]

One of the reasons to be taller is to possibly fix my enormous rake problem so that the front sits level with the rear. Its off by 2" before I take ~200lbs of tool box out of my bed.

A second reason is cuz I get crap from Jeep/4runner guys about my "pick up" truck, and that shitty TTB that doesn't flex, and doesn't stay aligned.

And because I have little tires, I like to prove ppl wrong when they start hatin' on the trail (love them lockers)

And because its only human nature to want to be "taller". Just like when a noob talks about adding level coils, which turns into buying a 4" budget lift, then swapping in 6" coil, and then converting to a complete 6" kit, and eventually SAS'd their truck. <----thats my story minus the straight axle part.

And perhaps I have to lift more than other folks because I don't have larger tires, clearance is my enemy right now, the 8" coils only partly address that. Larger tires are the other half of the clearance equation that I'm not addressing right now.

The last reason is that this truck will eventually be the dedicated trail vehicle, and won't be doing commuter work anymore, and the SJ brackets and coils prepare me for that phase, without costing me too much gas while benefiting me offroad before I get to that point.

Plus there is no need, nor want for tires/gears at this point. It all just works awesome and can't complain. Thus I spend money else where, aka the suspension.

And i re-iterate that it won't be a full 8" taller than stock, thats not even possible on TTB suspension unless you make, or buy 8" drop brackets and run 8" coils with washers (for my case anway). 8" of lift on TTB is ridiculous anyway, and my motto of "overkill is underrated" fails me in this example.

To each his own

 

[legoms013]

MMmmmmm Beefy. They even sent me the little third pc that goes on the engine cross member as extra plating to spread out the forces, even though I only paid for the Class I pair. How nice of Skyjacker:

Skyjacker gets the award for beefy brackets....all the hype I've heard here on the forums is very, very true. The bracket for the drivers side beam makes my Tuff Country bracket look like some-one made it in their garage...

Came with hardware, and a "Skyjacker" Decal too

 

[-Nathan-]

looks good now get it on!

 

[legoms013]

Hopefully soon. I'm gone all next week camping, and hopefully I can schedule 1 or 2 days off work in a few weeks and make a long weekend of it all.

Will have to do:
1) Brakelines front and rear
2) Remove old bracketry
3) Install new coils
4) Bolt on new bracketry
5) And either bolt on new coils buckets (not here yet)
5A) Or cut up my existing buckets for f250 shock tower mod
6) Measure for Bilstein 5125's or 5150's
7) And hopefully i dont have to touch the rear axle, but its a possibility.
Bolt on old rear shocks to the front (10" travel Ranchos) to get me by until the Bilsteins arrive.

And finally get an alignment the next following business day.

 

[-Nathan-]

I have about 6-7 inches of lift, and with the f 250 shock towers, the 12" 5150's were the perfect length. I'm guessing you will need the same.

 

[legoms013]

I have about 6-7 inches of lift, and with the f 250 shock towers, the 12" 5150's were the perfect length. I'm guessing you will need the same.

Whats your method for your lift over the front axle? As in what coils and drop brackets are you running?