Carli complementary rear blocks

FWIW, the previous photos are with the bags at 5 PSI (the minimum Firestone recommends.)

Here’s a photo with the bags at 0 PSI:
CB29004F-C7D9-4523-87AD-ED0E87F25C2E.jpeg
 
New setup looks great @oops

Do I recall you getting Sulastic Shackles awhile back? If so, do you have them installed with this configuration??
 
New setup looks great @oops

Do I recall you getting Sulastic Shackles awhile back? If so, do you have them installed with this configuration??

I don't have the Sulastic's installed.

I do have a pair sitting in their box in my garage, but I never installed them once deciding I'd eventually replace the whole suspension and knowing @BLACKCHERRY has advised against pairing them with their progressive leafs:

We advise against the sulastics on our packs but i've had customers swear by them when paired with our Add-a-pack (on the factory springs). That said, i HAVE been in a couple trucks with them and i didn't notice any difference in small bump compliance.

I was also eager to complete the Carli setup with their new shackles as this appealed to my obsessive compulsiveness.

That said, my installer claimed they had just previously put the Sulastic's on a Carli setup and it they made a huge improvement in ride comfort. They almost seemed to imply that the Sulastic's would be the single biggest improvement one could make to on-road comfort in these trucks.

My basic impression of my Carli setup in the first thousand miles, when on-road, is that it's slightly less harsh (jarring) than stock, but equally uncomfortable on rough pavement. However the handling of the truck is drastically improved. The Carli setup seems to trade harshness for stiffness. It feels a bit more like driving a sport-tuned SUV in sport-mode. That does leave me wondering if the Sulastic's might actually improve on-road ride comfort, but maybe at the expense of handling (or off-road capability), which is why they're not recommended by Carli. I'm just speculating here…
 
My basic impression of my Carli setup in the first thousand miles, when on-road, is that it's slightly less harsh (jarring) than stock, but equally uncomfortable on rough pavement. However the handling of the truck is drastically improved. The Carli setup seems to trade harshness for stiffness. It feels a bit more like driving a sport-tuned SUV in sport-mode. That does leave me wondering if the Sulastic's might actually improve on-road ride comfort, but maybe at the expense of handling (or off-road capability), which is why they're not recommended by Carli. I'm just speculating here…
I now have 12,000 miles on my 3.5" E-Venture - with full spring pack, Carli Torsion sway bar, high and low mount steering stabilizers and radius arms, with Toyo AT3's in 37 x 12.5x18 on Method HD wheels. Running pressures of 45/40 Front/rear.

Here are my impressions versus @Opps - I don't find the Carli system to be uncomfortable on the road, even on rough pavement, for a one ton truck - I agree that it is no longer harsh like OEM, but I would use the term "firm" not the term "stiff" and I would also add compliant for Carli versus soft for OEM.

To sum it up I find it to be much improved on and off road, with the on road ride being firmer than stock, but far more compliant over bumps with a greater ability to soak up road imperfections, large and small. The faster you go the better it is than OEM.

With respect to handling, agree more control from the larger shocks, but slower initial turn in (more steering input required) with the torsion sway bar, as it needs to roll in and take a set, versus OEM hard bar. Has some trades offs - but it is a vast improvement.
 
I'll run the bags at 0 psi, and reduce rear tires from 40 psi to 35 psi and report back on impressions.

I put a couple dozen miles on with these settings on rough low speed paved and gravel roads. I can’t say I can feel any difference as yet. So maybe the bags aren’t causing any issues. I still am not sure how to take the guidance about double bellows on Carli’s site (e.g. whether the AirLift config is superior to the Firestone config.)

Also acknowledging that any of the “feel” here is pretty subjective and also subject to break-in of tires and suspension components.

I’ve got a couple thousand miles of driving to do in the next few weeks and will have a few days playing around in the desert. Curious to get a better feel for this off-road and at higher speeds.
 
Toyo AT3's
I do wonder how much of the feel I’m observing is a result of NRGs. I intentionally meant to avoid these tires as I’ve read a lot of complaints about them here from a “stiffness” perspective. Ended up with them due to unfortunate circumstances. May just swap them out so I don’t have to ask what if…

Also this is my first experience on hybrid tires versus ATs. So there’s something to that.

I don't find the Carli system to be uncomfortable on the road, even on rough pavement, for a one ton truck

Yeah I wouldn’t have meant to imply it’s uncomfortable. Just not much more comfortable than stock on rough low speed roads, IMO.

Which is fine, it is an 8000# truck. I’m actually impressed with how well it handles given that reality.
The faster you go the better it is than OEM.
This is an interesting caveat as I haven’t had much opportunity to go fast with it yet other than on the highway.

Excited to get out to more open spaces.

I agree that it is no longer harsh like OEM, but I would use the term "firm" not the term "stiff" and I would also add compliant for Carli versus soft for OEM.
That’s nice wordsmithing and I’d agree.

It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting though and most reviews aren’t this precise.

Not mad at it. Really impressed with the handling and control, and removing the harshness makes it all worth it in certain scenarios.

But I was expecting more on road comfort though based on how the system is generally described.

The only characteristic that I’m not impressed with is oscillation on low-speed washboards. This feels worse than stock to me. But also still unsure if that’s just my bag setup…
 
I do wonder how much of the feel I’m observing is a result of NRGs. I intentionally meant to avoid these tires as I’ve read a lot of complaints about them here from a “stiffness” perspective. Ended up with them due to unfortunate circumstances. May just swap them out so I don’t have to ask what if…

Also this is my first experience on hybrid tires versus ATs. So there’s something to that.



Yeah I wouldn’t have meant to imply it’s uncomfortable. Just not much more comfortable than stock on rough low speed roads, IMO.

Which is fine, it is an 8000# truck. I’m actually impressed with how well it handles given that reality.

This is an interesting caveat as I haven’t had much opportunity to go fast with it yet other than on the highway.

Excited to get out to more open spaces.


That’s nice wordsmithing and I’d agree.

It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting though and most reviews aren’t this precise.

Not mad at it. Really impressed with the handling and control, and removing the harshness makes it all worth it in certain scenarios.

But I was expecting more on road comfort though based on how the system is generally described.

The only characteristic that I’m not impressed with is oscillation on low-speed washboards. This feels worse than stock to me. But also still unsure if that’s just my bag setup…
Hopefully with some time to refine all the pieces you will dial it in to a great overall set up for all your needs. No question air bags have some impact in the rear - but if you tow like I do, it is just part of the equation!
 
@BLACKCHERRY appreciate your thoughtful replies. There's a lot of insight there that I have yet to see in hundreds of threads on these topics or on any manufacturer/supplier websites. Going to take some time to process and figure out what questions this leaves me with. In the interim, I'll run the bags at 0 psi, and reduce rear tires from 40 psi to 35 psi and report back on impressions.

And here's the photos of the rear-end from other angles that were requested earlier:


View attachment 110773View attachment 110774View attachment 110776View attachment 110775
Your airbag set up has the 1 inch spacer. I found that the 1 inch spacer was not quite enough to make the airbags work properly. I am using a 2 inch spacer and I pull it out when I’m not towing. It is literally one bolt and takes me about five minutes to swap them out on each side. I remove the cradle and the spacer and it gives me approximately 3 inches before it will hit the airbags. The bump stop will hit before the airbag does. It gives my truck the ride Carli designed it to have. I can tow at the capacity the truck was made for by just putting the cradles and spacer back in.
 

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Your airbag set up has the 1 inch spacer. I found that the 1 inch spacer was not quite enough to make the airbags work properly. I am using a 2 inch spacer and I pull it out when I’m not towing. It is literally one bolt and takes me about five minutes to swap them out on each side. I remove the cradle and the spacer and it gives me approximately 3 inches before it will hit the airbags. The bump stop will hit before the airbag does. It gives my truck the ride Carli designed it to have. I can tow at the capacity the truck was made for by just putting the cradles and spacer back in.

Whoa, that's super useful. All of this hidden tribal knowledge is wild.

Who actually supplies the spacer? Is this a Daystar part or Firestone or? i.e. Where can I buy the 2 inch spacer you're using?
 
Whoa, that's super useful. All of this hidden tribal knowledge is wild.

Who actually supplies the spacer? Is this a Daystar part or Firestone or? i.e. Where can I buy the 2 inch spacer you're using?
I ordered mine on Amazon. Just look up 2 inch airbag spacer. I can’t remember if it’s an actual fire stone part or an air lift part but it does the exact same thing.

These are the ones I ordered.
 

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Your airbag set up has the 1 inch spacer. I found that the 1 inch spacer was not quite enough to make the airbags work properly. I am using a 2 inch spacer and I pull it out when I’m not towing. It is literally one bolt and takes me about five minutes to swap them out on each side. I remove the cradle and the spacer and it gives me approximately 3 inches before it will hit the airbags. The bump stop will hit before the airbag does. It gives my truck the ride Carli designed it to have. I can tow at the capacity the truck was made for by just putting the cradles and spacer back in.
you have the full progressive leaf pack and remove the spacer and the daystar cradle when not towing or hauling? @oops did your ride ever improve CJC told me the Firestone setup doesn't impact travel at all, but wondering if you are still feeling it at the recommended 5psi? Does everyone else go to 0psi with no load?
 
you have the full progressive leaf pack and remove the spacer and the daystar cradle when not towing or hauling? @oops did your ride ever improve CJC told me the Firestone setup doesn't impact travel at all, but wondering if you are still feeling it at the recommended 5psi? Does everyone else go to 0psi with no load?
If you have the Airlift onboard controller, which works with Airlift and Firestone airbags, the lowest setting you can use is 5 psi. Airlift recommends this to avoid damaging the airbags, even if you have the 5000 lb Ultimates which have internal jounce bumpers.

I keep my Ultimate Airlift airbags with Daystar cradles at 5 psi and I did not notice a difference after driving around with my Carli BC for about 2 months without airbags. I do not have the full progressive leafs, but rather Deaver AAPs under my factory 1-ton leafs.
 
you have the full progressive leaf pack and remove the spacer and the daystar cradle when not towing or hauling? @oops did your ride ever improve CJC told me the Firestone setup doesn't impact travel at all, but wondering if you are still feeling it at the recommended 5psi? Does everyone else go to 0psi with no load?
CJC installed my airbags and I would agree that it probably does not interfere with the travel at all. But I found that the airbags were not very effective because they do not put a spacer in there and there is a 2 inch gap between the bottom of the airbag and where it comes in contact with daystar cradle. That 2 inch gap allows the suspension to travel without interfering but I had to put 75 + psi just to get my truck back to level. I installed a 2 inch spacer and it puts the airbags the distance the airbag manual recommended for the airbag to work properly. With that setup I only need 25 psi to get level with the same load. So it actually rides better when towing since the airbag is not maxed out. When doing that I could see that there will be interference with the travel of the suspension so for that reason I remove it when I am not towing or hauling.
 
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CJC installed my airbags and I would agree that it probably does not interfere with the travel at all. But I found that the airbags were not very effective because they do not put a spacer in there and there is a 2 inch gap between the bottom of the airbag and where it comes in contact with daystar cradle. That 2 inch gap allows the suspension to travel without interfering but I had to put 75 + psi just to get my truck back to level. I installed a 2 inch spacer and it puts the airbags the distance the airbag manual recommended for the airbag to work properly. With that setup I only need 25 psi to get level with the same load. So it actually rides better when towing since the airbag is not maxed out. When doing that I could see that there will be interference with the travel of the suspension so for that reason I remove it when I am not towing or hauling.
so you just remove that two inch spacer, not the cradle? The pictures on CJC's website show a huge gap that doesn't look like it could be filled with that bag but on here it looks like peoples bags are almost touching.
 
so you just remove that two inch spacer, not the cradle? The pictures on CJC's website show a huge gap that doesn't look like it could be filled with that bag but on here it looks like peoples bags are almost touching.
I remove the spacer and the cradle. Here are pictures with it installed and with it removed. You can see in the picture that the bump stop will come in contact with the axle before the airbags hit. I know it may seem like a lot to some but I like the way the truck rides without the airbags interfering with the suspension. But I still like to be able to use my vehicle as a tow vehicle and it’s no different than hooking up my weight distribution hitch and changing the tire pressure every single time I tow, this is just one extra step I do. you can see my trucks sits perfectly level loaded down with my dirt bike, firewood, extra propane, tools, a 37 inch spare tucked into a Carli hitch and a 60 gallon fuel tank. I have the full Progressive rear leaf springs. And only 25 psi in my airbags.
 

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I remove the spacer and the cradle. Here are pictures with it installed and with it removed. You can see in the picture that the bump stop will come in contact with the axle before the airbags hit. I know it may seem like a lot to some but I like the way the truck rides without the airbags interfering with the suspension. But I still like to be able to use my vehicle as a tow vehicle and it’s no different than hooking up my weight distribution hitch and changing the tire pressure every single time I tow, this is just one extra step I do. you can see my trucks sits perfectly level loaded down with my dirt bike, firewood, extra propane, tools, a 37 inch spare tucked into a Carli hitch and a 60 gallon fuel tank. I have the full Progressive rear leaf springs. And only 25 psi in my airbags.
Do you have the sticker on your rear springs? Mine does not have the gap yours has. I think mine are different.
 
View attachment 117486

Ah, mine has a different label. I bet they changed them.
My sticker has same Deaver part number as yours. But my sticker was pre "Carli" part number. His sticker has same Carli part number as yours - so seems both are the same.

IMG_1819.jpg
 
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