Road Active Leaf Spring Upgrade

[Greywhale]

So I bought a new toy, and with that came towing in my ranger for the first time. Needless to say, the Icon leaf springs are not up to the task even at level 3 im riding the bump stops, though they have been awesome offroading. Anyone here had experience with the roadactive leaf helpers? Are they good/worth it? I'd rather not replace the whole leaf packs.

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[Frenchy]

Perhaps get a different leaf set

 

[Frenchy]

To be more specific I recommend going with Old Man EMU Leafs over the Icon Leafs. Just the basic Old Man EMU Leafs hold.more than the icon leafs at level 3. I would calculate what your normal load in the bed is plus what the tongue weight of the trailer is. That will help you pick out the correct leaf. What I suspect is either the basic or medium duty Old Man EMU leaf pack

 

[Big Blue]

So I bought a new toy, and with that came towing in my ranger for the first time. Needless to say, the Icon leaf springs are not up to the task even at level 3 im riding the bunp stops, though they have been awesome offroading. Anyone here had experience with the roadactive leaf helpers? Are they good/worth it? I'd rather not replace the whole leaf packs.

Couple things what is the weight of the trailer loaded and what is the tongue weight? It looks from the photo (not a good angle) like the trailer axle is quite far back. Most of the weight of the RZR is ahead of it so your tongue weight is probably heavier than it needs to be. It should be 10-15 percent of trailer weight. You may need to relocate the RZR on the trailer to distribute the load better. You also need a bigger drop on your hitch, the trailer should be level to slightly low, not tongue high as it is. Also looks like you have a pretty good all the time load in the bed.

 

[Greywhale]

Couple things what is the weight of the trailer loaded and what is the tongue weight? It looks from the photo (not a good angle) like the trailer axle is quite far back. Most of the weight of the RZR is ahead of it so your tongue weight is probably heavier than it needs to be. It should be 10-15 percent of trailer weight. You may need to relocate the RZR on the trailer to distribute the load better. You also need a bigger drop on your hitch, the trailer should be level to slightly low, not tongue high as it is. Also looks like you have a pretty good all the time load in the bed.

The trailer is about 1250 lbs itself, the rzr sits at 1900lbs. It's a 14' trailer and the rzr is about 11'. I positioned the rzr about 1.5 ft from the front, placing the rear tires (heaviest part) just on the back side of the trailer. I could probably move it back a foot but I wanted more weight toward the front. The Icon leafs at level 3 are only rated at about 600lbs of load, but the truck is lifted at almost 4", my weighsafe hitch is also at its lowest position. Not sure my best route, but all new equipment wouldn't be ideal.

 

[Greywhale]

To be more specific I recommend going with Old Man EMU Leafs over the Icon Leafs. Just the basic Old Man EMU Leafs hold.more than the icon leafs at level 3. I would calculate what your normal load in the bed is plus what the tongue weight of the trailer is. That will help you pick out the correct leaf. What I suspect is either the basic or medium duty Old Man EMU leaf pack

That's originally what I am attempting to avoid, but if I want to put my RTT on and tow, plus all the other goodies, I may need the heavey load springs if the active road things aren't able to fix the issue.

 

[Big Blue]

The trailer is about 1250 lbs itself, the rzr sits at 1900lbs. It's a 14' trailer and the rzr is about 11'. I positioned the rzr about 1.5 ft from the front, placing the rear tires (heaviest part) just on the back side of the trailer. I could probably move it back a foot but I wanted more weight toward the front. The Icon leafs at level 3 are only rated at about 600lbs of load, but the truck is lifted at almost 4", my weighsafe hitch is also at its lowest position. Not sure my best route, but all new equipment wouldn't be ideal.

You really need to weigh your setup fully loaded at a CAT scale to know what your axle weights are. I fear you may be pushing the limits on your rear axle weight rating. And changing springs or adding helpers/air bags does not change that rating. As far as the hitch you need to get the trailer level. Towing nose high is a recipe for sway. Getting rid of the current squat will just make the issue worse. As I said weigh it. You've got to know your starting point before you can make decisions on next steps.

 

[puda]

Not to hijack this thread, but do you not get crazy vibration lifted that high? I can say the Old Man Emu suspension (full BP-51 with 600 lb springs) on my '21 Tremor was not good and I would recommend staying away from it. I'll be putting the tent and gear back on my truck shortly and I'll likely be adding some Timbren SES or Sumo Springs. If you have moved to remote reservoir rear shocks you can probably add air bags without modification. Similar to your situation, I don't have all the weight on my truck all the time. Even way back when I first started talking to Old Man Emu they told me to get the lower weight springs (probably similar to what you have) and add air bags. The air bags look to require modification with the piggy back shocks from what I have seen. I'm interested to hear what you ultimately go with, these are really just ideas and info I have learned along a similar journey.

 

[Frenchy]

Not to hijack this thread, but do you not get crazy vibration lifted that high? I can say the Old Man Emu suspension (full BP-51 with 600 lb springs) on my '21 Tremor was not good and I would recommend staying away from it. I'll be putting the tent and gear back on my truck shortly and I'll likely be adding some Timbren SES or Sumo Springs. If you have moved to remote reservoir rear shocks you can probably add air bags without modification. Similar to your situation, I don't have all the weight on my truck all the time. Even way back when I first started talking to Old Man Emu they told me to get the lower weight springs (probably similar to what you have) and add air bags. The air bags look to require modification with the piggy back shocks from what I have seen. I'm interested to hear what you ultimately go with, these are really just ideas and info I have learned along a similar journey.

Not sure what you are talking about. When I had my Rander I had the Old Man EMU lift for 2 years and did not experience a vibration problem you described. BTW the height of the Ranger would be the same with that kit regardless of if the truck has the Tremor Package or not.

 

[puda]

Not sure what you are talking about. When I had my Rander I had the Old Man EMU lift for 2 years and did not experience a vibration problem you described. BTW the height of the Ranger would be the same with that kit regardless of if the truck has the Tremor Package or not.

I'm not referring to the vibrations when I speak to the ride quality on the Old Man Emu suspension. I'm comparing it to the ride of the truck before and after, and I would say it was not pleasant. In the dirt, it was good. On the big woops, it was good. Driving over a crack in the pavement was a jarring event. Whether the suspension is better is a relative thing, which means that your overall impression will be different depending on what you started with. If you start with a raw potato and someone gives you a French fry you'll probably be pretty happy and tell everyone how great french fries are. But, if you start with a fully loaded baked potato and someone gives you a french fry you may be disappointed. Then again, some people really like French fries. I guess we are all welcome to our own opinions. How's your truck driving these days?

 

[Frenchy]

I'm not referring to the vibrations when I speak to the ride quality on the Old Man Emu suspension. I'm comparing it to the ride of the truck before and after, and I would say it was not pleasant. In the dirt, it was good. On the big woops, it was good. Driving over a crack in the pavement was a jarring event. Whether the suspension is better is a relative thing, which means that your overall impression will be different depending on what you started with. If you start with a raw potato and someone gives you a French fry you'll probably be pretty happy and tell everyone how great french fries are. But, if you start with a fully loaded baked potato and someone gives you a french fry you may be disappointed. Then again, some people really like French fries. I guess we are all welcome to our own opinions. How's your truck driving these days?

Leave a truck unloaded and you will feel bumps with no surprise. With Old Man EMU Suspension I myself have learned with not the Ranger and my old 93 Pathfinder that it is comfortable when you have a constant weight in the back(assuming we speak about the Nitrocharger suspension since I can't speak for BP-51's) if you leave it unloaded expect the truck to ride like a truck, simple as that.

 

[Raygunn]

So I bought a new toy, and with that came towing in my ranger for the first time. Needless to say, the Icon leaf springs are not up to the task even at level 3 im riding the bump stops, though they have been awesome offroading. Anyone here had experience with the roadactive leaf helpers? Are they good/worth it? I'd rather not replace the whole leaf packs.

I installed the RAS on the advice of Grumpaw. I tow a TT at about 550lbs. tongue weight, 4500 total. After the install, it reduced the amount of 'squat' significantly. Very easy install too.

 

[Frenchy]

I installed the RAS on the advice of Grumpaw. I tow a TT at about 550lbs. tongue weight, 4500 total. After the install, it reduced the amount of 'squat' significantly. Very easy install too.

Your truck looks like it's been leveled. Am I wrong? If I'm correct I would recommend bringing the front down a little bit so you don't have as much squat in the rear. When loaded with that trailer you're better to have the rear end higher than the front

 

[puda]

Not sure what you are talking about. When I had my Rander I had the Old Man EMU lift for 2 years and did not experience a vibration problem you described. BTW the height of the Ranger would be the same with that kit regardless of if the truck has the Tremor Package or not.

What information are you using to determine the height of the Ranger with the lift?

 

[Frenchy]

What information are you using to determine the height of the Ranger with the lift?

The fact that the only changes between Tremor to non Tremor are the leafs, shocks and struts. Remove all that on both a Tremor and non Tremor and install the Old Man EMU lift (assuming both trucks have the same size tires) both will be the same height. It's that simple

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