[Moph]

This is interesting ... was cleaning out the shed the other day and found my swaybar, so fitted it up and even flexed the Zook for giggles. That's a '93 tintop with 2" BL, RUF and +30mm shackles so I do get a fair bit of body roll on corners. Haven't had it on there since it was stock, so wasn't real sure whether it would even fit without binding.

Definitely retarded front flex a bit - I reckon it's probably 2-3" shy of the articulation with it removed. I'm pretty certain it made a difference on road though, so I've decided to keep it on there for a bit and see how it goes.

Interestingly I just found that I have three similar photos at different stages in the build. Bracing the shackles has had a huge impact on flex (compare Photo 1 to Photo 2) ... fitting the swaybar has been far more minimal (Photo 2 to Photo 3). Of course if I had have fitted the swaybar without bracing the shackles, I probably would have gone straight from Photo 1 to Photo 3 anyhow.

Despite having lost a considerable amount of flex by bracing the shackles and refitting the swaybar, I think I'm actually happier with the Zook set up like this than I was when it was uber-flexy. Haven't had it offroad yet, but with lockers F&R I don't think the reduced flex is going to worry me all that much, while the increased on-road stability and longer bush life are pretty big plusses.

So... what'dya reckon? Is stability and bush life more important than flex for a locked Zook? Or am I barking up the wrong tree



1) WITHOUT SWAYBAR, WITH RUF (NO CHASSIS EXTENSION), +30mm UNBRACED SHACKLES:


2) AS ABOVE BUT WITH BRACED SHACKLES AND NEW BUSHES


3) AS ABOVE BUT WITH SWAYBAR FITTED




SIDE VIEW AT PHOTO 1 STAGE (TYRE BELOW CHASSIS)


SIDE VIEW AT PHOTO 3 STAGE (TYRE NEAR TOP OF CHASSIS)

[SierraDan]

I ran bugger all travel for ages. Lockers got me around though. The advantage of flex in my opinion is balance for me. Obviously if you can get all wheels on the ground twin locked then you will have more traction to get through.

[GRPABT1]

I agree with Dan, flex is best when it's balanced front and rear which creates stability. While a zook with twin lockers will go just about anywhere if you also have a balanced flexy suspension setup then the rig will be more stable and flat without lifting wheels and seeing sky all the time. If you have an uber flexxy rear with a stiff as a board front then this will still cause the body to move with the front creating a tippy and spooky at times ride.

[alien]

i noticed this with my shackles... while not braced as such, the greasable hilux shackles have fixed pins at one end (see pic below)


so theres no flex in the shackle itself. IMO it sharpens up the handling.