Johnson Rods/Gap tool body roll

I'm wondering from those of you running Johnson rods or using the gap tool to lift your LR4 if you feel that it's a lot more squirly on the highway? When I use my gap tool to lift it I feel that on windy highways that the body roll is a little scary. I do have 1,000lbs of extra steel on my LR4 (bumpers, skid plates, roof rack, sliders etc) so I'm sure that doesn't help.

I am running 275/65R18 BFG AT's on Compomotive wheels, the wheel wells have been trimmed so that I can run those tires in stock height and they don't rub. I would like to go to a bigger tire (mainly for looks if I'm being honest, but also because I off road a lot) but that would require me to us my GAP tool and run it lifted full time and an alignment.

Just wondering if others have noticed this big difference in handling with it lifted also?

Thanks,

Jud

If you go with larger tires that also require a permanent lift to fit, you gotta change your driving habits. It's those pesky laws of physics, amplified on a vehicle as morbidly obese and with the aerodynamics of a brick as the LR4. Your center of gravity goes up on squishier tires with lots of extra sidewall, and your body roll and vague handling all increase exponentially. The engineers at LR obviously did their homework on this- and a bone stock LR4 is not exactly a slalom champ to begin with.

I didn't bother trying with the LR4, but drove my old RRS with 285/60/18s in +50mm (2" and change) for several days on my regular daily commute, just to see what it would feel like. Honestly, I thought it handled like crap, feeling ponderous and imprecise on the highway, squirmy and unsteady in high speed turns, squatting too much when stopping in a hurry, and borderline dangerous for my liking. I doubt an alignment would have fixed all that. It did look great when parked, but I never got used to that setup and would never upsize my tires to something that wouldn't fit stock height. That's because this is my daily driver, not my weekend toy. If it was, I'd adjust my driving style and probably be OK with it. But in my experience you definitely give up an awful lot of predictable handling on the road by going with rods.I actually think that, as a pavement pounder, the LR4 really shines when it is about an inch lower than regular height. I wish high speed mode happened at 50-60 mph, not 100 as designed.

PS: Also think about what would happen if your suspensions crapped out and your car was sitting on the bump stops. Would your wheels still turn in that condition? Would you be able to steer or would the car basically be undriveable? No electronic gizmo or mechanical rod is gonna help if an airbag bursts and your car goes pfffft...

I uses Johnson Rods, but I still have 255/55R19 AT tires. As soon as I put the Johnson Rods on we did a 4 wheel alignment because of the independent suspension a lift changes the suspension geometry, but after the alignment it seems to do well on and off road. We're about to go to the 255/60R19 Goodyear Wrangler Kevlar tires to get some more sidewall and I'm hopeful that I'll still be able to do a 4 wheel alignment that maintains on road stability.

I run rods full time with 275/65R18's. I drive on and off road all the time and the ride is just fine for me.

So after you installed the rods did you ever drive it before you had it re-aligned and if so did the vehicle feel more stable after you had it aligned?

Thanks,

Jud

Adrenalinsports said:

So after you installed the rods did you ever drive it before you had it re-aligned and if so did the vehicle feel more stable after you had it aligned?

Thanks,

Jud

Click to expand...

I think it would have to get better, just from the funky negative camber that you have if you lift from a normal alignment.