I appreciate the heads up, but I wont be able to test drive a Carli truck any time before I get my kit. I'm sure its not going to be "absolutely amazing" because I'm just going with the Backcountry kit but I have no reason to believe that it will ride worse than my truck already does. I can't see properly tuned progressive rate coil springs with Bilstein 5160s in the front and an add a pack with Bilstein 5160s in the rear riding worse than my truck does now. But just because I like advice, do you have any recommendations for suspension before I order my Carli kit?

 

Bingo! The chalk line test is the end all test IMHO. And as I worked for Discount tire in high school and college (all 6 and a half years of it) i am a bit of an amateur tire expert. Seriously though the chalk test is the best. It will freak you out though when you get the best results from very low tire pressures. On my dodge and I suspect on my '13 SD (with the lift/wheel/tire combo laying on garage floor) the chalk test had me just below 40 psi in front and 34 out back unloaded. Mind blow!!

 

The red Super Duty in the Carli promo vids from 2011 with the factory 17" s and the red wall General Grabbers is a Backcountry kit. You can watch them hammer on it pretty good on their website and on YouTube. Same truck know wears bead locks and is beta testing a King 3.0, radius arms, trussed axles, with limiting straps and is happy in the air Dukes of Hazzard style.

 

That red truck belongs to the owner of Carli suspension, Sage Carli, and in those videos it had the 4.5" 2.5 Pin-top kit. I know that because I've been studying up on Carli suspension at powerstroke.org. There is a member on the org that works for Carli suspension and that's what he said. But you are correct that they are now testing larger and much, much more aggressive suspension.

 

Then we are getting Different info bud. Dan (sales manager for Carli) told me that Sage's truck in the original vids was their "Backcountry" which was the 7100's, not the 5160's as it is now in 4.5 of lift. Incidentally the 7100's are 2.0 diameter. The King 2.5 's were the next on that truck months later but if you watch and listen to the long promo vid the test driver asks something like "what shocks are these?" (I'm paraphrasing) and Sage says these are the middle of the road. And they both laugh...so 7100's, then the King 2.5's, then the coil overs, then the King 3.0's, next 3.5's on that red Super Duty. Dan's silver 6.0 (now with orange bead locks) has been beta testing all of 2.5 inch lifts. That is the reason I went with a more inexpensive shock as I'm waiting to see what works best in the spendy shock category.

 

My apologies, I must have missed the part about him running a different kit. Either way I'm sure my truck will ride nice with the 5160s that come with the current Backcountry package

 

Man your truck will be so different. When I first "fixed" my '05 Dodge I was on cloud nine. About that time my buddy that already had the same truck/lift/tires was starting to complain about his truck riding poorly again. We were talking about it on the way to the gym on our phones and I realized that for the first time I was keeping up with him in traffic. I had an aha moment. When you first get your lift you realize the difference but as time passes it feels less different, like performance upgrades feel less fast. Look at your avg. mph on your trips. If you have roundabouts or big exaggerated curves on highways you frequent look down and take note of your mph. Then get your lift and get used to it and then compare your old mph with your new mph on the same same. I swear when I would take somebody for a ride in my Dodges that knew how all of these 3/4 ton and 1 tons trucks rode they would initially say "yeah this feels smoother" but hop off road or take a 270 degree turn onto a hwy 20 mph faster than you used to (or they are aware the truck can) and they will grab the "oh $&@!" handle fast waiting for the worst. I made a few grown men start to scramble backward in the front seat like a cat trying to avoid water.

 

Not to jack the thread here, but my issue may be related to the discussion and I could use some help. I have a clunking noise coming from under the left side of the truck, most noticeable when I turn left and go over a bump. I can also hear a tremendous amount of noise which I would attribute to body shift on the the truck (2013).

I'm thinking it's something the suspension, but don't know.

 

Hey Mike If you would fill out your signature including details about aftermarket parts (suspension in this case) it will help narrow down possible fixes.

 

Totally stock 2013 with 10,000 miles on it. Not sure what you mean about filling out my signature

 

Your signature displays under your posts. Allows you to write up what kind of truck you have and what you have done to it. Like mine under my post

 

Kevin,
Are you towing or hauling anything in the bed of that truck? I have an affordable recommendation for you. It's called the StableLoad. It works with your existing overloads and prevents bouncing in harsh terrains like you are talking about. It also reduces side to side sway, body roll and sag if you are encountering that problem. It's also a simple DIY project.
I would like to extend my tech support line to you: 800-246-8132. Ask for our head tech Matty, he can help you troubleshoot this real quick.

- Torklift Jen

 

Carli kit went on today. Its is amazing with wheel/tire/ air pressure drop combo. Going to get it hot tomorrow and then check it out underneath. If all goes well I'll wax it and take pics. I'm going to start a new thread for it so all of the pics and my anecdotal info is in one place for search purposes.