I can't resist jumping berms- truss? Boogie bumps vs Hydros?

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Thu Mar 02, 2017 10:07 pm

So, the last few trips out have pretty much shown that I don't possess the self control necessary to just keep running my stock front bumpstops. I think the rear are okay for now, guess I'll find out once the frontend is set up nice. I am looking at Thuren's Boogie Bumps or Carli's Hydro pnuematic bumps. Obviously the pricepoint vastly differs between the two but, I'm wondering what y'all have found to be the better setup?

Additionally, I find myself seriously looking at the Carli Truss again but, I am wondering, for those who are running it, did you remove and tear down your front axle completely, or did you have it welded on with the axle under the truck and the weight of the truck on it? (convincing arguments could be made for either approach) I am wondering if the best approach might be to get a new bare housing and send it directly to Carli for truss installation and then put my parts into it, then bolt it under my Wagon but, I would hate to contemplate the $$$ to that approach! (could be wrong but, looks like the bare housing alone is nearly $2k?) How much difference is there between our front axle housing (13 and older) and that of a normal 2500?

Post by **DamageWagon** » Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:03 pm

Thuren truss. Guys are going Mach-1 in cummins trucks and they don't break. It is designed to let the axle flex a little naturally. The Carli truss doubles as a snowplow, costs a lot and takes around three lifetimes to weld on. Plus it takes about 7 billion BTU's of energy to stick the Carli truss on. Although at that point your axle could go under an Abrams...

Boogie Bumps for a single, pretty aggressive hit. Hydros for repeated hits (think whoops), or super gnarly hit preparedness.

One of the biggest helpers to prevent a bent axle is your bump stops. Aggressive bumps bend axles easier than smoother progressive bumps.

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RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:23 pm

I think the Carli is kind of tricky to the eye. Initially when looking at it, I dismissed it as being way too ground clearance robbing but, the more I look at it, the more I realize that possibly not all that much ground clearance is actually lost with it. (when you look at my Wagon's current setup which is the stock steering stabilizer skid, a Carli diff guard, and my stock control arm mounts that are bashed the crap out of, LOL! The bottom of the diffguard and the bottom of the axle truss seem to be the exact same point (though the diff guard would need cut to fit the truss, it looks like), I think the steering stabilizer skid and the control arm mounts pretty much align with the bottom of the truss (obviously the steering stabilizer skid wouldn't work with the truss though)) BTW, I like the description you give on the Carli truss, LOL!!!! Thanks DamageWagon!

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Thu Mar 02, 2017 11:28 pm

Sounds like Boogies might be the hot ticket for my Wagon, the hits are one at a time, not whoops. (the sections I am thinking of, if I hit them fast enough for them to be repeated hits, bumpstops would be the least of my worries as my Wagon would be wrapped around a few trees, LOL!) I initially contemplated Boogies when I got my suspension, I should have gone ahead and gotten them! Thanks DamageWagon!

bstefanic · Post by **bstefanic** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:06 am

I've been debating between boogies and hydros for my build (hell already have the hydro cans) but talking with thuren going to with boogies first and can always upgrade. Hydros can be difficult to get set up right. Not to mention lee beats his truck like a red headed step child and his boogies have been working great

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 10:42 am

It's just his wheels that need their own bump stops.......

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RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:02 pm

I did not realize that Lee runs Boogies, I would have thought he'd be running some space-age trophy truck unobtanium stuff, LOL! Well, if Boogies are surviving under his truck, that's definitely a great advertisement for them right there! Is he running Boogies both front and rear?

LMAO! Yeah, he does need something to protect his poor wheels! At the rate he chews through wheels he may just need to adapt MRAP wheels onto his truck, LOL!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 2:27 pm

That dude needs solid 17" bar with a hole pattern machined in it. I follow him on Instagram and I swear he's going through at least 1 wheel every three weeks. Usually they go in pairs.

Don't get Carried away by knowing he has Boogies. He also has Internal Bypass shocks, he could almost remove his bump stops and not know the difference. Boogies have a solid reputation though, and like bstefanic said, to install Hydros can be a pain. Carlis way is easier but still.

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coder · Post by **coder** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 5:43 pm

There is a non-truss option that I like, the Synergy Dodge AAM 9-1/4" Inner Axle Sleeve Kit that is more stealth and potentially cost effective to install (less welding) and it will not affect ground clearance. These things weight 40 lbs. together so I'm sure they are plenty strong.

http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-Dodge ... 30923.html

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 6:50 pm

DamageWagon wrote:That dude needs solid 17" bar with a hole pattern machined in it. I follow him on Instagram and I swear he's going through at least 1 wheel every three weeks. Usually they go in pairs.

Don't get Carried away by knowing he has Boogies. He also has Internal Bypass shocks, he could almost remove his bump stops and not know the difference. Boogies have a solid reputation though, and like bstefanic said, to install Hydros can be a pain. Carlis way is easier but still.

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LMAO! Yeah, that 17" bar stock sounds like a winner! I was glad to hear that he got the full coverage lifetime warranty on those Trailready wheels, LOL!

That is a good point on the shocks. As to the Hydros, I was looking at Carli's, their mounting is a LOT easier than most. But, I personally would only run them if I ran their truss. (without the truss, I would be afraid I'd whack the hydros on rocks, with the truss they seem better protected) Speaking of whacking Carli parts on rocks, I need to put my rear Kings back on before Moab, hopefully I won't rip a reservoir off on a rock like I did at Uwharrie! (I don't have time before the trip to figure out a way to mount them reservoir up but, I need to change out my stock Bilsteins as one has been blown for quite a while now, DOH!)

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 6:51 pm

coder wrote:There is a non-truss option that I like, the Synergy Dodge AAM 9-1/4" Inner Axle Sleeve Kit that is more stealth and potentially cost effective to install (less welding) and it will not affect ground clearance. These things weight 40 lbs. together so I'm sure they are plenty strong.

http://www.synergymfg.com/Synergy-Dodge ... 30923.html

That's an interesting option, thanks for posting it up!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:21 pm

I'm curious how those synergy sleeves work. They seem like a waste in my opinion, because they reinforce the axle tubes themselves, but it isn't the tubes that bend. It is the axle housing where the tubes press in - the holes in the housing become ovals. The tubes stay straight, the holes open up in the housing and that is what a bent axle is. I would just do a truss and be done with it, unless there is good evidence that the Synergy sleeves actually help. Maybe Colibri could pitch in at some point, he seems to have found a way to have broken his Full-Abrams axle - Carli truss, synergy sleeves, Carli diff cover and all, and he still broke it! lol

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RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:33 pm

DamageWagon wrote:I'm curious how those synergy sleeves work. They seem like a waste in my opinion, because they reinforce the axle tubes themselves, but it isn't the tubes that bend. It is the axle housing where the tubes press in - the holes in the housing become ovals. The tubes stay straight, the holes open up in the housing and that is what a bent axle is. I would just do a truss and be done with it, unless there is good evidence that the Synergy sleeves actually help. Maybe Colibri could pitch in at some point, he seems to have found a way to have broken his Full-Abrams axle - Carli truss, synergy sleeves, Carli diff cover and all, and he still broke it! lol

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Good point, now that I think about the fail pics I've seen, it seems like the failures are almost always at where the tubes go into the housing.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:58 pm

Synergy sleeves will add strength to the tube but will break your center section instead.

Trusses- thuren>carli I've had both, the carli is good but the thuren is better. If you want gold tooth baller status send your bare housing to creative fab in California and they will chemical strip your housing to clean bare steel then put it in their aam 9.25 fixturing jig and weld it up and fully plate around the thuren main tube. It's insanely strong. Dom hit a boulder that was half buried in the desert with his front axle while doing about 60 mph. Didn't break and didn't bend. It's what I have as well, after breaking my front end with carli truss and synergy sleeves I was tired of half measures lol.

I have hydro bumps front and rear, the rear only engage landing a jump usually. The front is another story. They smack against the frame pretty frequently in daily driving, not enough force to compress them, just enough to make an irritating noise lol. If you can stand the clatter they're the shit, I have bypasses out back so my truck clickety clacks down the road anyway lol. Hydro plus good shocks will haul ass through gnarly shit you wouldn't believe. I've blasted through literal single track winding through trees at 45-50mph and it felt like a cloud of titties. Other trucks were taking the same trail in 4lo at 3-5mph. Boogies are way more cost effective and zero maintenance though. They're probably better all around for soft quiet engagement and progressive bottoming control but nothing beats hydros for hard and multiple hits. Get a nitrogen tank and shock manifold and you can adjust your pressures and service the shocks and bumps yourself.

Mule · Post by **Mule** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:08 pm

Sounds like it's time to add a dirt bike to the garage

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:10 pm

Colibri wrote:Synergy sleeves will add strength to the tube but will break your center section instead.

Trusses- thuren>carli I've had both, the carli is good but the thuren is better. If you want gold tooth baller status send your bare housing to creative fab in California and they will chemical strip your housing to clean bare steel then put it in their aam 9.25 fixturing jig and weld it up and fully plate around the thuren main tube. It's insanely strong. Dom hit a boulder that was half buried in the desert with his front axle while doing about 60 mph. Didn't break and didn't bend. It's what I have as well, after breaking my front end with carli truss and synergy sleeves I was tired of half measures lol.

I have hydro bumps front and rear, the rear only engage landing a jump usually. The front is another story. They smack against the frame pretty frequently in daily driving, not enough force to compress them, just enough to make an irritating noise lol. If you can stand the clatter they're the shit, I have bypasses out back so my truck clickety clacks down the road anyway lol. Hydro plus good shocks will haul ass through gnarly shit you wouldn't believe. I've blasted through literal single track winding through trees at 45-50mph and it felt like a cloud of titties. Other trucks were taking the same trail in 4lo at 3-5mph. Boogies are way more cost effective and zero maintenance though. They're probably better all around for soft quiet engagement and progressive bottoming control but nothing beats hydros for hard and multiple hits. Get a nitrogen tank and shock manifold and you can adjust your pressures and service the shocks and bumps yourself.

Sweet! Thanks for the info Colibri! That really sounds like the way to go! (makes me feel warm and fuzzy to hear words like fixturing jig, I am quite often amazed by just how far welding can warp things when done without a jig!) Did you do anything to the upper part of the inner Cs? I see that the Thuren truss beefs the lower portion but, it doesn't look like it does the upper? That's crazy that you busted a sleeved and trussed axle, well done sir! Sounds like you've got a bomb proof setup now! I fear you may have set the bar too high for my expectations now though- now I want to save until I can get a new bare axle to send out there and be trussed (can't stomach the down time of yanking the axle from my truck and shipping it all the way across the US and can't afford to ship it in a quick enough manner to make the downtime okay, LOL!), which means it'll be a looooooong way off. Hopefully some Boogie bumps will cushion landings enough for now. (I don't think hydros are really worth the $$$ for me unless my axle is trussed) Do I dare ask what shocks you are running?

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:26 pm

Haha thanks, I think boogies will serve your needs quite well. They really are very good. The Thuren truss doesn't address the upper inner c's but creative Fab does. Mine is boxed in with 3/8" plate by them, I'll attach a link that shows their process. I'm running king 3" 4 tube bypasses out back and 3" smoothies up front for now, changing the fronts out for some ibp's later this year. I can't wait to see what you do, I really like your truck and love that you put it through its paces so thoroughly

http://dodgetrucksxtreme.com/index.php?topic=11820.0

nts007 · Post by **nts007** » Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:58 pm

I just love how the thread starts with "I just can't resist jumping berms" ....hahaha

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:32 pm

Colibri wrote:Haha thanks, I think boogies will serve your needs quite well. They really are very good. The Thuren truss doesn't address the upper inner c's but creative Fab does. Mine is boxed in with 3/8" plate by them, I'll attach a link that shows their process. I'm running king 3" 4 tube bypasses out back and 3" smoothies up front for now, changing the fronts out for some ibp's later this year. I can't wait to see what you do, I really like your truck and love that you put it through its paces so thoroughly

http://dodgetrucksxtreme.com/index.php?topic=11820.0

AWESOME!!! Thank you for all the info and the kind words!

Sounds like you've got an awesome setup!!!!

Edit: I see that you have an awesome setup! (just looked through a good bit of your build thread and...WOW!!!!!! Great work!)

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:35 pm

Now I am wondering.... should I order now so I can put the Boogie bumps on before Moab? I had assumed Moab was going to be all slow and technical but looking through some of the pic threads, it looks like there are some fast areas too. So now I wonder if I should try my best to add them before?

Post by **DamageWagon** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:57 pm

If you need Boogies for Moab you're going to need a parachute too. You don't need boogies for Moab. In fact, leave your clapped out Bilsteins on too.

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YouTube · Post by **OffroadTreks** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:26 am

You're not going to be going fast in Moab.

RAM4ROKS · Post by **RAM4ROKS** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:55 am

Please bear in mind, I am not talking about going fast on the actual slick rock trails!

I am assuming (and the pictures I'm seeing seem to confirm) that there is a fair bit of driving on unimproved dirt roads to get out to the actual crawling trails? (never been but, I am hesitant to assume that you turn right off the highway onto the slickrock?) Some of the vehicles in the pics look (by virtue of the positioning of the dust/dirt/mud on/in them) that some patches of dirt road may have been driven at a pretty good clip?

Just trying to cover my bases! I'd hate to have to slow down the group due to being unprepared! (and yeah, the rear Kings would be going back on if Boogies were going on!) If no fast sections then yeah,stock hard rubber snubbers and clapped out Bilsteins will be in full effect!!!!

Post by **DamageWagon** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 1:43 am

Most of the guys in this trip are going to wipe their trucks down with a diaper when they're done with each trail. You don't have to keep up with anyone. In fact they may send you first since yours already has its first scratch

By the way, I hear you get more travel if you remove your bump stops

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YouTube · Post by **OffroadTreks** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 10:20 am

Poison Spider has a high-speed area, after a long crawl, but it was soft. But actually, a lot of the trails are right off the road. Hells Revenge starts with a parking lot. Poison Spider off the highway. Top of the Road does have some back road, but it's all twisties and there are actual houses back there with a speed limit (35mph).

So if you're worried the group will be going 60mph desert racing, no we won't.

We went fast at the end of Elephant Hill last year, but that was after the squeeze, and it was mostly fast thru sand, no rough bumps or jumps. I don't think we'll do Elephant Hill this year, as trucks like mine (stock) and gtoMike 37's on h2 wheels barely made it thru the squeeze. And I think dudes with aftermarket wheels are not going to make it. Plus 20 people thru a section that requires multiple spotters where your truck has only a few inches of room on each side, we'd be there all day.

Might be because we focused on a lot of technical trails. Maybe there are others you can go faster on. Like down Shafer and White Rim, but they technically have a speed limit of 15mph, but I see people out there, myself included going way faster. But suppose a ranger could cite you maybe.

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