advice on rtc dampner for 80

[howsie]

so got 35's on the way and car has a 5 inch lift.

atm it looks like a standard steering dampner is fitted. I am looking at the three tough dog varients and would like to know people's opinions on each specific one.

first is $165 and is the base model (rtc steering dampner)

second is around $200 and is a heavier duty version of the first (xtreem rtc steering dampner)

and last is about $300 and is basically no 2 but adjustable.

All are RTC. Price for me is a big determining factor so was leaning towards either no1 or no2

[80's_delirious]

Mate do a search, its been covered plenty of times with some good tech.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... 4#p1280934

IMO RTC is a waste of time and money, if your caster etc is correct NO damper is needed. RTC will increase the load on your steering system and takes more effort to steer the wheel. On road, it is at its LEAST effective when in the centre position, which is really the only place yoiu want assistance to centre the steering.

Off road, they may hacve some advantage, but IMO it doesnt outweigh the disadvantages for normal driving. Get your suspension set up right and fit a normal heavy duty damper (not RTC)

[Willy Hilux]

If a cars steering is setup properly, you don't need a dampner at all. RTC ones only hide problems that you might have. Just buy a good aftermarket one.

[stilivn]

Not sure on dampner but adjustable shocks have a very short life as i have found out, only need to compare their warranty to find that out.

[chunks]

If a cars steering is setup properly, you don't need a dampner at all.

Not quite, you will still get a lot of feedback through the steering without a dampner, manufacturers don't fit them for no reason. RTC is shit, go for a good aftermarket damper and you will have no problems.

[howsie]

Mate do a search, its been covered plenty of times with some good tech.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... 4#p1280934

IMO RTC is a waste of time and money, if your caster etc is correct NO damper is needed. RTC will increase the load on your steering system and takes more effort to steer the wheel. On road, it is at its LEAST effective when in the centre position, which is really the only place yoiu want assistance to centre the steering.

Off road, they may hacve some advantage, but IMO it doesnt outweigh the disadvantages for normal driving. Get your suspension set up right and fit a normal heavy duty damper (not RTC)

did a search for +80 +dampner in toyota forum and came up with 3 pages read every thread start to finish and only a little info hence the post i always search first. Maybe i misspelt something or just cant use search properly

[crankycruiser]

dont waste your money on a RTC.

Just get an aftermarket one such as a monroe.. will do the job fine as long as ur front end is set up properly.

[oldmate]

If you have steering issues now I suggest you tell us what they are and get them sorted out.

Shimmys are the most common problem. a steering damper will help, but not for long as the constant shimmy will wear the damper (it's akin to corrugated roads and shock absorbers) RTC or not, it will make no difference to the longetivity. They are caused mainly by loose parts of the front end. bearings, bad bushes, bolts etc.

If you have problems with the steering returning to centre now, try removing the stock damper. It may be rusted up and stopping the steering from centering.

[cruzinnboozn]

dont waste your money on a RTC.

X2

All it did on mine was hide the real issues i had and ended up costing me heaps more in the long run.

[howsie]

the only issue i really have is sometimes when on a particularly bad road and accelerating hard it will steer itself a little bit or when you change lanes on the freeway when the slope of the road changes steering has to backed off as the cars weight centre changes

All of these problems however im being told is a result of a combination of lift and the little bit of play in my steering box.

There is currently nothing major wrong as far as i can tell as i can sit at 140km/h with no shake, rattle and roll and she'll drive straight as an arrow, brake in a straightish line (needs new rotors) and everywhere but changing lanes on freeway and this one road on the way to work behaves normally.

[TheBigBoy]

Agreed on waste of money for RTC. I had 1 and it made things worse. When I got right into the tec side of it. I was told its only used for big heavy tyres (40" and bigger) to help them return after cornering, when they bank right over it takes some pressure off it and helps to right them. But a big foam core 1 is all thats needed.

[oldmate]

I would hold off on buying a damper untill you have the 35s on and you can get an idea of the difference in handling (if any)

If they are a tame 35 inch tyre with a reputation for good road behaviour, then all you'll probably need is a standard steering damper.

[brissle]

ive just got the base model tough dog damper (not RTC) , which come with the kit and had no probs with 4inch lift and 35's

[80's_delirious]

the only issue i really have is sometimes when on a particularly bad road and accelerating hard it will steer itself a little bit or when you change lanes on the freeway when the slope of the road changes steering has to backed off as the cars weight centre changes

All of these problems however im being told is a result of a combination of lift and the little bit of play in my steering box.

There is currently nothing major wrong as far as i can tell as i can sit at 140km/h with no shake, rattle and roll and she'll drive straight as an arrow, brake in a straightish line (needs new rotors) and everywhere but changing lanes on freeway and this one road on the way to work behaves normally.

did you look at the link in my first post?

My 80 was doing similar (4" lift and 33"s or 35"s) I changed all tie rod ends, kingpin bearings and wheel bearings. It made a huge difference to how direct the steering was. With the amount of lift you have, tie rod ends will need to be changed far more often than normal, it only takes a little bit of play in tierod ends to cause it to wander with lift and large tyres. Large tyres will also add more load to the wheel bearings and kingpin bearings, so check them regularly too.

Have you had your caster angles checked?

[howsie]

did look and learnt a fair bit . Wheel bearing play and all play in front end is getting checked this afternoon. I've got a kit on the way for a front end bearing and seal rebuild, as well as new front rotors and pads. load proportion valve is getting lowered to match the lift (ie lifted 5" drop valve 5") and a new tie rod is coming as soon as i find the cash.

Will be sticking with the current dampner for now as tires are BFG muds and from most accounts are a pretty well behaved tyre. if i need it replaced will look at a 45mm foam cell aftermarket job.

[stilivn]

did look and learnt a fair bit . Wheel bearing play and all play in front end is getting checked this afternoon. I've got a kit on the way for a front end bearing and seal rebuild, as well as new front rotors and pads. load proportion valve is getting lowered to match the lift (ie lifted 5" drop valve 5") and a new tie rod is coming as soon as i find the cash.

Will be sticking with the current dampner for now as tires are BFG muds and from most accounts are a pretty well behaved tyre. if i need it replaced will look at a 45mm foam cell aftermarket job.

Correct me if wrong but i think its lift 5" lift valve 5"

[howsie]

yeah no your more than likely right that was tomorrows research topic.

Have been told after getting it checked castor angle is correct dampner bushes are stuffed and wheel bearings have maybe 0.5mm play which i was told was normal. When i get front rotors done ill get them to adjust wheel bearing a little bit

[mick80]

the only issue i really have is sometimes when on a particularly bad road and accelerating hard it will steer itself a little bit or when you change lanes on the freeway when the slope of the road changes steering has to backed off as the cars weight centre changes

All of these problems however im being told is a result of a combination of lift and the little bit of play in my steering box.

There is currently nothing major wrong as far as i can tell as i can sit at 140km/h with no shake, rattle and roll and she'll drive straight as an arrow, brake in a straightish line (needs new rotors) and everywhere but changing lanes on freeway and this one road on the way to work behaves normally.

did you look at the link in my first post?

My 80 was doing similar (4" lift and 33"s or 35"s) I changed all tie rod ends, kingpin bearings and wheel bearings. It made a huge difference to how direct the steering was. With the amount of lift you have, tie rod ends will need to be changed far more often than normal, it only takes a little bit of play in tierod ends to cause it to wander with lift and large tyres. Large tyres will also add more load to the wheel bearings and kingpin bearings, so check them regularly too.

Have you had your caster angles checked?

ill second that i did all of mine and its like a brand new car
cheers mick

[stilivn]

yeah no your more than likely right that was tomorrows research topic.

Sweet had me worried there as i raised mine.

[80's_delirious]

find out if your mechanic has experience with lifted 4by's. Get them to make sure everything is 100% not just 95%.
I had mine checked by 4x4 mechanic who was recommended, and was told it was all good, but it still wandered a fair bit. When I started looking for problems myself, I found a small amount of play in tie rod ends and wheel bearings so changed them all. It made a big difference.
You might find with 35"s that it will wander more if you have a little play in TRE or bearings. I found that my 35"s feel a little vague compared to 33"s and everything needs to be tight.
Tie rod ends wont cost a lot.

See if you can find out what the caster angles are?