Towmater build

[audibahn]

Cycled the front suspension while replacing the shocks and coils with Rubicon takeoffs to get a good baseline of limits. Removed the coils and jounce bumpers, disconnected swaybar, and left shocks and trackbar attached to simulate maximum droop and compression.

Replaced the stock max tow front springs 68507802AA/68507803AA with Rubicon 68506362AA/68506363AA parts. Left the rear max tow springs in for towing purposes.

Also replaced all 4 max tow shocks with Rubicon Fox shocks.

A few takeaways:

- Swapping front springs resulted in a 5/8" lift.
- These specific Rubicon springs are 3/8" shorter than the max tow springs. They all have the number of coils but the Rubicon coils have a slightly bigger wire diameter.
- My 285/70/17 KO2s will tuck nicely into the fender at full compression with the other end of the axle at full droop. The tires will rub the fender when trying to turn.
- Max Tow and Rubicon shocks have the same collapsed and extended lengths.
- Bump stops would be needed for shocks longer than ~16.5" fully compressed.
- Maximum usable extended shock length appears to be around ~28" at which point the front control arms/trackbar/driveshaft start limiting further downtravel. That's way beyond the 23.8" Rubicon Fox shocks extended length.

Using two floor jacks to raise/lower the front axle and each side independently:

Max tow springs (left) vs. Rubicon springs (right):

Wheel tucked into the fender at full compression:

Rubbing at compression and turn:

16.5" between shock bolt tops at full bump:

Axle at full droop with shocks disconnected:

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[Brandon Glads]

Keep up the good work buddy ! Great build

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[audibahn]

Swapped the Max Tow / Rubicon combo for a Mopar 2" lift. Gained 3 1/4" lift up front and 2 1/4" in the rear. Curious to see how the rear Mopar springs compare to the Max Tow springs once I hook up my camper.

 

[audibahn]

Ditched the trifold tonneau cover for an ARE Classic topper. It weighs in at 160lbs. Outdoorsman win-doors, headliner, OTR paint, sliding front window.

 

[antwon412]

that seems like way too much trailer for that truck. I’d be back in half ton territory.

 

[RealTruck]

Ditched the trifold tonneau cover for an ARE Classic topper. It weighs in at 160lbs. Outdoorsman win-doors, headliner, OTR paint, sliding front window.

The topper really bring the whole look together. Have you had a chance to find out how the Mopar springs compare to the Max Tow springs with your camper hooked up?

 

[audibahn]

that seems like way too much trailer for that truck. I’d be back in half ton territory.

I could always install a bigger lift and bigger tires to make the trailer look smaller

 

[audibahn]

The topper really bring the whole look together. Have you had a chance to find out how the Mopar springs compare to the Max Tow springs with your camper hooked up?

I agree. The topper follows the lines of the truck just right.

I'm pleased towing with the Mopar lift as it carries the weight just as well if not slightly better than the Max tow suspension. I was concerned that the Mopar coils would be softer but that wasn't the case.

When hooking up about 700lbs of tongue weight, and measuring at the center of the rear fender, the Mopar coils compressed by 2". Max Tow coils compressed by 2 1/2". Measured at the hitch, the difference was even more pronounced: 4" drop with Max tow vs. 3" Mopar coils. In short, less squat with Mopar coils than with Max tow coils.

Either way, I'll be installing air bags to complement my weight distribution hitch.

 

[RealTruck]

I agree. The topper follows the lines of the truck just right.

I'm pleased towing with the Mopar lift as it carries the weight just as well if not slightly better than the Max tow suspension. I was concerned that the Mopar coils would be softer but that wasn't the case.

When hooking up about 700lbs of tongue weight, and measuring at the center of the rear fender, the Mopar coils compressed by 2". Max Tow coils compressed by 2 1/2". Measured at the hitch, the difference was even more pronounced: 4" drop with Max tow vs. 3" Mopar coils. In short, less squat with Mopar coils than with Max tow coils.

Either way, I'll be installing air bags to complement my weight distribution hitch.

Mopar for the win!

 

[audibahn]

Airbags are in. I used the Airlift 60830 with an extra hockey puck on the bottom to fill in the height of the Mopar lift. Mounted the Schrader valves on the bottom of the rear bumper and ran separate lines. Left the coil isolators in place until I notice any rubbing on the bags.

 

[audibahn]

Mopar LED conversion of headlights, tail lights, and daytime running lights. Changed all the appropriate settings via JSCAN.

Also installed Mojave footwell lights that stay on while driving and are adjustable by the ambient dimmer dial that controls the door handle lights.

 

[Blade1668]

Mounted a set of Mojave wheels with 285/70R17 KO2s load range C. They come in at 75lbs per corner for the wheel/tire combo.

Tire height for the KO2s is 32 1/4" at 36PSI . They are 1.5" taller than the stock 245/75 Duelers.

I used JSCAN to set the tire ratio to 33". Stock ratio from factory was 31.93".

The Duelers and stock wheels are much lighter at 55lbs per corner. I'm keeping them for now so I can see how they tow compared to the 33s.

You will definitely notice the difference towing with OEM vs the KO2s. I definitely didn't like the OEM HT tires vs OEM AT tires. The HT's seemed to find every dang nail or road debris for flat tires. Bicycle tires have more resistance to flat tires from my experience. I stopped packing my Safety Seal plug kit and air compressor up when I used that set. It was the second set of tires I used, I bought my current tires due to being tired of plugging them. But they were better mpg's towing, I actually got better mileage with factory AT tires than the HT's though.

 

[Shelstead]

Have a 2023 tow max and love the way it tow my Geo Pro run lt255/75r17 tire camper loaded weights around 4200 pounds

 

[audibahn]

You will definitely notice the difference towing with OEM vs the KO2s. I definitely didn't like the OEM HT tires vs OEM AT tires. The HT's seemed to find every dang nail or road debris for flat tires. Bicycle tires have more resistance to flat tires from my experience. I stopped packing my Safety Seal plug kit and air compressor up when I used that set. It was the second set of tires I used, I bought my current tires due to being tired of plugging them. But they were better mpg's towing, I actually got better mileage with factory AT tires than the HT's though.

Yeah, the OEM tires were pretty flimsy with thin sidewalls and lost traction rather easily in the snow. I had a chance to test out both tire sets over the summer. With the OEM Dueler ATs the engine had to work less, with fewer down shifts, and less strain towing up inclines. Fuel consumption towing was about the same at 10.5 mpg over a 200 mile stretch.

The various max temperatures stayed the same with either tire set. This was the highest I've observed at 10,600ft elevation.

 

[audibahn]

Have a 2023 tow max and love the way it tow my Geo Pro run lt255/75r17 tire camper loaded weights around 4200 pounds

Nice setup! Are these KO2s in your picture? They look wider. I considered that specific tire but ended up swapping my KO2s with a set of Toyo AT3s in P285/70/17. At 47lbs, they are one of the lightest 33" tires I could find.

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