37"s

[kflips]

BeBe, thanks for the chart! It really helps to explain what I am trying to say below. :thumbs:

I have done a lot of "homework" on my plans for Mr. Blue. With the Alpha I have 4:10s stock, 4 to 1 t-case & 315s, so I am in between the Yellow and the Green now. By installing the 4:56s I will be back in the green with the 315s (very close to the 4:10s and 285s), then with the 37s or 36.5s I will be in Yellow and the Green again which is where I am now.

Since I am already in Yellow and the Green right now and Mr. Blue still gets up and goes with the V8 (city and highway). So by stepping up to the 4:56s and 37s I'm effectivley going to have just about the same final drive ratio I do with the 4:10s and 315s. I know that the front diff/gears/1/2 shafts may be an issue, but there has to be someone who will try it and see what the outcome will be. Spare shafts, tie rods (already carry) and a spare locked CI 4:56 front diff will be part of the plan also. Treating the 4:56s, RCVs, Bebe SOA rear and Hunners Bullet Proof tie rods are also being considered.

Heck, if BeBe didn't venture into unknow territory with the IFS D44 and SOA rear we never would have known if it would have held up either! Maybe I'm just a dreamer but with minds like Brodie, kflips and others thinking about the possibilities I am a firm believer in the "Alpha with 4:56s on 37s with a 1"body lift" coming to fruition and being a reliable daily driver and weekend worrior. We will see, I may have to go back to the 315s if things go boom! But I'll still have the 1" lift, 4:56s locked F&R and a V8!

Putting my mind with the better crew - such an honor -- sooo if "mods" that we plan and test get us to where the driver train has known risk areas -- does a body lift and/or body lift with 2" rancho vs. 4" rancho do the trick? The only 4" rancho T I saw was a rolled one being auctioned in Florida that solidjj and others were thinking of bidding for; plus Brodie has not finished those man steps I will need for the rock bashers.

 

[MUTAINT]

Putting my mind with the better crew - such an honor -- sooo if "mods" that we plan and test get us to where the driver train has known risk areas -- does a body lift and/or body lift with 2" rancho vs. 4" rancho do the trick? The only 4" rancho T I saw was a rolled one being auctioned in Florida that solidjj and others were thinking of bidding for; plus Brodie has not finished those man steps I will need for the rock bashers.

Sorry to get off the thread subject but WTHeck is a 2" Rancho lift? Torsion bar keys??? There are plenty of H3 and H3Ts with the 4" Rancho that wheel them on here with no "tip over" issues that I have ever heard of. PM beachbum, he has the 4" Rancho and has wheeled it.

PS, I saw a "prototype" of the "lady steps":giggle: and they are STOUT!

 

[06 H3]

the rancho rollovers do concern me but I think its more of the driver. I am sure that if I give one of my dumba$$ friends the keys to go offroading they would flip it with or without a lift. Usually its driver error unless your the guy that has sunken in tires with a 5in body lift and extremely top heavy. Which I dont think any of us are around here...

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Putting my mind with the better crew - such an honor -- sooo if "mods" that we plan and test get us to where the driver train has known risk areas -- does a body lift and/or body lift with 2" rancho vs. 4" rancho do the trick? The only 4" rancho T I saw was a rolled one being auctioned in Florida that solidjj and others were thinking of bidding for; plus Brodie has not finished those man steps I will need for the rock bashers.

The one he posted on the other forum was a FTS (Full Throttle) 10" Lift and not the Rancho 4" lift. gfbh3t has a 4" Rancho lift and Daystar body lift on his H3T
http://www.hummer4x4offroad.com/forum/showthread.php?187-Gfbh3t

 

[Portager]

I've given this some thought and I asked myself how would AM General have done it if they had designed the H3/H3T. The conclusion I came to is they would have used Portal axles (AKA geared hubs) like they did in the HMMWV and like most other military vehicle manufacturers do. Portals typically provide 4 to 5 inches of clearance between the axle and the hub, so they increase every clearance number except under the tip of the A arm. In addition, Portals gear the drive train down, which compensates for the increase due to bigger tires (i.e. 37/33) and they allow you to use a lower ratio in the differential. This increases the speed of the shafts but reduces the torque so torque would be lower than the original design specs. The ideal portals for the H3/H3T (which do not exist) would be bolt on portals (so you don't need to built custom A arms, using a 4 gear design (4 gears don't reverse the direction of rotation) about a 4.5" lift and 2:1 gear reduction. A 4.5" lift would allow you to go to 39" tires and between the tires and the Portal lift your ground clearance would increase 7.5" relative to stock and be comparable to the H1. Since the torque would be lower than stock you would not have to worry about the differential or half shafts.

 

[theBroken]

The other nice thing about portals is where the torque takes place out beyond the rest of the system. I looked into this once before. The H1 hubs were actually the cheapest (around 2000$ each corner) over other geared hubs which cost a lot more. But that's just for the front. The rear would have to be a bolt on for a strait axle. If you wanted the same wheel base the axle tube would need to be shortened and with the leaf springs so close to the outside of the axle tube I think a 3/4 link would have to be installed and the leafs removed. That's a better performing suspension system but the problem is your taking a 10,000$ project and turning it into a 15,000$ project just because of the leaf springs being in the way. With some research you may find a old unimog with the rite length axle which would just need the perches welded on and it would be done.

 

[Ron B]

there are lots of guys doing this and some interesting articles on adding portals to trucks. I really like what this guy did with bolt on portals with exploration and some competition in mind:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/37713-An-expedition-truck-on-portals...

the pic he has of the approach/departure/breakover is intersting

 

[ReconH3]

With some research you may find a old unimog with the rite length axle which would just need the perches welded on and it would be done.

That's exactly what we did for these vehicles we built. These are Unimog axles with HMMWV hubs and rims.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[06 H3]

I would love portals but they cost too much and they seem a bit tough to get working on the H3.

 

[Ron B]

anything is possible (all you gotta do is throw $$ at the truck and see what sticks). It is a commitment though -- better really love the truck and plan to keep it "forever" to dump serious money into it that you'll never get out. Doing stuff like that is really cool but often an experiment -- solving a few problems and creating some you never considered. My airbag mod has done that to me -- It's benefits just barely outweigh the disadvantages so I stick with it.

 

[06 H3]

anything is possible (all you gotta do is throw $$ at the truck and see what sticks). It is a commitment though -- better really love the truck and plan to keep it "forever" to dump serious money into it that you'll never get out. Doing stuff like that is really cool but often an experiment -- solving a few problems and creating some you never considered. My airbag mod has done that to me -- It's benefits just barely outweigh the disadvantages so I stick with it.

The one thing is that I do love this rig and dnt plan on selling it. That's why I need to do things in steps. I can't throw 15k all at once. hopefully I will be able to one day though. Just gotta work hard.

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[Ron B]

a mistake I made was doing a lot at once -- so when issues crept up it made it difficult in some cases to figure out what it was.

 

[kflips]

Sorry to get off the thread subject but WTHeck is a 2" Rancho lift? Torsion bar keys??? There are plenty of H3 and H3Ts with the 4" Rancho that wheel them on here with no "tip over" issues that I have ever heard of. PM beachbum, he has the 4" Rancho and has wheeled it.

PS, I saw a "prototype" of the "lady steps":giggle: and they are STOUT!

What do I know -- 4" lift looks good, I must have been drunk when Gino was explaining it to me at RC and who reads when they can ask dumb questions of smart people. And for 06 H3 - if you've seen me drive you would not give me your keys.

Looking forward to those "lady steps"

 

[gfbh3t]

Must have been the alcohol I said 4" rancho, 2" daystar torsion bar keys, 1" daystar body lift. Kflips next time at RC you can drive mine to see if you like the lifts.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

:corn:

 

[Hans3T]

Must have been the alcohol I said 4" rancho, 2" daystar torsion bar keys, 1" daystar body lift. Kflips next time at RC you can drive mine to see if you like the lifts.

Think you'll be able to make it for November?

 

[06 H3]

And for 06 H3 - if you've seen me drive you would not give me your keys

Lol I wheel as cautious as possible but as hard as necessary lol hence the dents


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[Hans3T]

Lol I wheel as cautious as possible but as hard as necessary lol hence the dents

That seems sort of oxymoronic...

 

[gfbh3t]

I plan on being there.

 

[Hans3T]

Wicked. :cheers:

 

[Hans3T]

:bump: I've been bored and have been thinking about this topic again some.

Seems like what I have gathered is that to effectively run 37"s, we must:

a) Re-gear to 4:56 or higher

b) Have either a Daystar 1" body lift or Rancho/Tuff Country 4" lift (or both :wink

c) Upgraded upper control arms to handle the heft

Does that sound right?

BTW, I would love it if somebody would post up the tire sizes that will fit OEM wheels (from a 32" to a 37" or so). If someone does, I will make up a chart and put it in a separate thread for all to see. I would do it, but I honestly don't know all the numbers... :emb: Just a thought.

 

[06 H3]

I know on facebook someone said something about the UCAs but I wouldn't even be too concerned about that. 4.56s and a V8 will stress out the front diff even more.

Here's my thought, we all fear that 37s are going to destroy the front end and it's pretty reasonable to assume that but we haven't really had cold hard proof that it will because we are all afraid to do it. You have a better setup for 37s then me. I will probably have less offroad performance with 37s because the I5 would need 5.13s or 5.38s...35s with 4.56 is already pushing it for the I5

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[4speedfunk]

The 5-cylinder needs all the help it can get. I'm now running 35"s and 5.13s...and I love em! I'm surprised how "drivable" it is with such low gearing. Acceleration and shifting are similar to stock, and it has the power it used to have before I put on the big tires. Now it stays in 4th on the highway, and doesn't feel like I'm dragging a parachute everywhere. I tried low-range for the first time yesterday. The 4:1 with 5.13s is absolutely sick...the creepy-crawly-est rig I've even driven.

Saving up for 37"s.

 

[06 H3]

The 5-cylinder needs all the help it can get. I'm now running 35"s and 5.13s...and I love em! I'm surprised how "drivable" it is with such low gearing. Acceleration and shifting are similar to stock, and it has the power it used to have before I put on the big tires. Now it stays in 4th on the highway, and doesn't feel like I'm dragging a parachute everywhere. I tried low-range for the first time yesterday. The 4:1 with 5.13s is absolutely sick...the creepy-crawly-est rig I've even driven.

Saving up for 37"s.

Do you feel like 5.13s and 37s will put you back to square one? I know it's a pain seeing you just did all that work but 5.38s could work for you in the future if you go 37+

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[4speedfunk]

5.13s and 37"s pretty much equal the stock 4.56s and 32"s. I think 5.38s are over-kill (at least with my current set-up). Plus, if I ever went lower than 5.13s on my gearing, I'de probably want upgrade to D60 and 14-bolt FF axles. Not sure the D44 and 8.6 could handle more tire and still be dependable. IMO...that would also be pushing the limits of "streetable". No trailers around here, so that means keeping things somewhat sensible with gears & tires. I think 5.13s and 37"s is the practical limit. Any more than this...and its time for a TJ and trailer (like everybody else) -LOL