Front End Dive and squishy suspension!
 

Ok so I outfitted the 06 with pro comp ES 9000, replaced the bumpstops with OEM that I scored from a member her off of his 08 Alpha. While under there I did crank up the TB about a inch and a half. (I will post pics latter cause the old ones were so darn warn out, more on the passenger, it seemed like it was to low. So I lifted TB so that there is ,>1/4" of gap between Bump Stop and lower A arm. Now Im getting major nose dive and this thing bounces around like worse than when i had the stock shocks. Whats the deal????

Want to add that Ive been having the (rear brake growl) issue as well. So im guessing the that brake system is not working as it should in terms of "preventing dive by utilizing rear brakes more." But it just seems to be excessive to me. Any discussion on this would help!

Also want to add that I did not get the lifetime alignment done "YET" so that may be a contributor (pulls to the right currently). Also I suspect worn Ball Joints and or sway bar connectors.

For example while driving up the mountain on semi paved road at about 45mph around a turn, this darn thing felt like it was gonna bounce out of control!!! :eek::eek::eek: help :confused:

First off, I would be very skeptical about the Pro Comp shocks, those are for stock ride height if I am not mistaken... so now you have over extended them... that would def contribute to the lackluster ride quality... Did the Alpha Bump stops seem any different from your stockers, other than wear, honestly?

Thanks for the response DAGKANA, Yeah and so to be clear I had to crank the TB because when I put on the new bump stops the driver side actually was compressing the BS (hence the smashed old bump stops) and the passenger side was touching too (supposed to have 1/16" clearance). I cant remember exactly but cranked the driver side like 3 full turns and the passenger side 2 turns. So now the BS are less than a quarter inch above the A arm and even clearance both sides (with a full tank of gas). Dont recall the exact measured height (from center cap to fender) but it was only about an inch increase from what it was before over all measurement. I WILL GET BETTER DATA AND POST SOON.

Oh and the Alpha BS I got were exact same dimensions, but they did seem to be made of a different material. My stock ones were a yellow kinda foam looking deal, and the Alpha ones were more red and seemed less porous if that makes any sense.

So I cant see the shocks being over stretched but then you could be on to something there.

I believe it, I have an 06 too, the OEM bs went for the trail duty ones and there was no comparisson...

Keep us posted on what you discover, but w/ that little change in height I would tend to lean towards something else too, you don't have any excessive weight up front correct?

Wonder if your sway bars could have been messed w/ before you... You can always get alpha t bars as well, slightly stiffer for the added weight of the V8...

Where you located Hawaiian H3? BTW, interesting thread, curious to see what you find on this matter.

They usually rest on the 'bump stops' which is why your getting alot of nose dive now, Either lower it back down where it belongs or opt for trail duty extended bump stops. If you mess with the torsion bars then you need an alignment before you start addressing any other concerns since your suspension geometry is now off. Pulls, hard turning, tracking running off the road when you hit a pothole are all going to be a problem until you have an alignment done.
Playing with the suspension because 'it seemed like it was low' is not what you do. Get the service book, check the ride height specs and go measure, then make adjustments if needed.

All of the above, and if you raised it up and have not gotten an alignment you may be feeling bump steer when it feels like the front end is dancing around. I don't think there is much if any difference in the Alpha bump stops than the ones on an I-5. I have both plus some I made. Longer will take out nose dive and the Trail Duty are a bit stiffer.
The only other cure is to lower it some.
Instead of "turns" measure under the fender lip, down to the axle with hub cap removed. Also for more accuracy and to keep the tape straight use a square to space out from the axle and run the tap down to that rather than bending the tape into the axle or eyeballing it.
Take two aspirin and check back.

I wanted to share my experience with you. My H3 had 66,xxx miles with an untouched under carriage when I did the front lift. I went to 23 1/2 on both sides. After I completed the lift, the drive became very bouncy. like a stage coach on every bump in the road. I waited on the alignment, since I was thinking of lowering the front end back down. I drove it a couple of days and just could not take it.

I knew it could not hurt to replace the shocks, so I ordered a complete set of four Bilstein 5100's. These units are longer then stock shocks and I have heard work well after the front lift. Well, what a difference! Night and day. No more bouncing at all. It drives like the H3 that I know and love again. I have the alignment scheduled for this week and I believe it can only make things better.

There is just a hint of nose dive on hard stops. My stock units are flat and cracked at this point. I would like to install the Trail Duty bump stops, but I'm not having any luck with their web site. I keep getting "stop back soon" when I got to bump stops.

Next on my list is a set of General Grabber red letter tires. I was planing on the 315/75/16's (35 inch) on my stock rims, but I'm starting to think about a set of 325/75/16's (37 inch) on aftermarket rims. That is until I found out they are not available to the general public. I currently run a set of Goodyear Wrangler SR 265/75/16 with only about 6,000 miles on them, but I just don't like the profile.

I'm not sure if any of this helps, but I thought I might share that the Bilstein shocks worked well for me.

Bill

37's on a 3.5?? Enter sluggish acceleration and remove any thought of mpg. I could pass you on a mountain bike.