Carli Pathfinder suspension

[TheBlackPearl]

View attachment 214235

Preliminary figures for the leveling have it $2,360 for the shocks, alone. We're going to do a reservoir mount specifically for the Carli-SPEC 2.5" shocks so the hose clamps align with the machined recess in the reservoir; additionally, we'll be providing black heat shrink so the hose clamps are less visible on the black resi (more refined look). Pricing for these resi mounts isn't done, but they'll likely be a very small premium over what's shown above.

This kit is a substantial savings over the Pintop.

Thank you!

 

[Stevenru720]

Will there be a shock offering for stock Tremor suspension?

You can do this through Accutune Offroad now, highly recommend, have it once with great results. Carli is a tuned suspension system designed to work in unison with all the components. Accutune is worth the call.

 

[Stevenru720]

This system is slotted between the Backcountry and the Pintop. It will be slightly less dirt capable than the Pintop with a softer on-road ride. It is far more dirt capable than the Backcountry with a very similar on-road ride. You'll see in the video, i drove it pretty hard in the dirt and it moves quite a bit - this is a direct result of valving it softer. A backcountry would move similarly, while a Pintop would stay for more composed. BUT, the additional valving in the Pintops leads to more road feel, while these are more muted to small/medium road imperfections.

We're releasing these for the 3.5" and 5.5" Diesel (these are done, releasing these in the next 1-2 weeks, shipping early July), AND the 3" Gas (in the shop right now). This project is why I've been absent on here - i feel like I've lived inside shocks for the past 12 months with this project.

The shocks are awesome, they're an aluminum body that's hard anodized for corrosion and scratch resistance, all billet parts are black ano making for a super refined looking shock package. The ride is a direct result of customer feedback; everyone wants a 2.5" shock, but most want them to err toward on-road compliance and are willing to sacrifice offroad performance to achieve this. I valved these with this feedback in mind. I removed the Dominators from my rig to install these and have not put them back on because these ride so nice in my daily commute. I'll throw the 3.0's back on before my next dirt trip.

Personally, I love the King offerings as i prefer a controlled ride that gives where it needs to but feels supportive and maintains control in reasonable off-road terrain. I am surprised how much i am enjoying my Carli-SPEC shocks as they're a whole different feel. For example, i turned into a parking lot that had a steep, angled driveway and was surprised how soft it felt and how much the axle traveled with such little force applied. I am used to my 3.0" kings that would hold the nose higher moving far less for the same force input. The Kings beg to be driven hard and fast. The more aggressively you drive, the better they feel. These Carli-SPEC shocks are stoked to cruise around - they don't require an aggressive driving style to achieve a compliant ride.

I can ramble on all day - I love this stuff, lol. I'm an open book - happy to answer any questions!

TL;DR Highlights:

1. 2.5" shocks have FAR more oil capacity than a 2.0" so they'll last a long time between rebuilds
2. Valved less aggressively than the Kings - less offroad performance, more on-road compliance.
3. Hard Anodized finish on aluminum shock body, Black Ano Billet ends (vs. our Kings that are ZINC plated Steel)
4. We spec a very high-quality red shock oil so it'll be near impossible to heat them up and fade them with the valving we have in them. (King's OEM oil is inferior to this, BUT their blue oil is amazing - just cost prohibitive to put it in all shocks)
5. We've achieved an aesthetic that our customers previously paid $1,200 (in addition to the cost of the shocks themselves) in custom color fees to customize their kings.
6. Everyone's favorite part, this shock package will be $500-$600 cheaper than our King offerings depending on application.
7. The Kings beg to be driven hard and fast. The more aggressively you drive, the better they feel. These Carli-SPEC shocks are stoked to cruise around - they don't require an aggressive driving style to achieve a compliant ride.

If your an open book taking thoughts from the ones buying the equipment here are my thoughts. Little quick history on my experience with top of the line shocks. 2017 F250 /6.2 Gas, had a long talk with Dan at Carli and the gas trucks were not supported at that time, bought a level spacer, ordered custom Accutune shocks and it turned out very nice, rode amazing for what it was. Had drop brackets, Adjustable steering link and done right. 2019, moved into a Raptor, loved it. 2021 Carli had released the gas front coil by then, I decided I wanted a Carli/Tremor. Could not get a Tremor so I built a 21 /7.3 truck with a full Carli Pintop kit. Loved it, best truck ever. Drove a 6.7 in 23, took a deep dive and moved my Kings to the 23. Ended up hating the diesel cost of ownership, now I am in a 25 Tremor 7.3 and pondering why I did not keep my previous parts. So now I am back on the keyboard reading about all this new stuff and I hear what a few of us are saying and asking for.
- I loved my Kings however the comment about having to push them is an understatement. My problem is I realized the faster I went everywhere, the truck floated like a dream, rode amazing.
- Now I see you guys building a system which is more compliant for every day driving with decent offroad capability and I am super excited to see the gas truck driving impressions. I will be ordering a full system by the way.
- THE ONE QUESTION I have is why not build and tune around a FOX DSC shock or a KING with the single point adjustable knobs. Seems like there could be best of both worlds with proper tuning and come up with known settings which would allow plush daily driving at normal speeds and when off-road, dial up the LSC and HSC settings to make up the difference.
-No matter what you guys produce, I am in, just wondering why Carli never offers a multi tunable shock?

 

[Mister Bevilaqua]

I have been waiting on the front-end upgrades to drop ever since CJC did a video on it earlier this year. Still patiently waiting.

 

[gsea]

View attachment 214235

Preliminary figures for the leveling have it $2,360 for the shocks, alone. We're going to do a reservoir mount specifically for the Carli-SPEC 2.5" shocks so the hose clamps align with the machined recess in the reservoir; additionally, we'll be providing black heat shrink so the hose clamps are less visible on the black resi (more refined look). Pricing for these resi mounts isn't done, but they'll likely be a very small premium over what's shown above.

This kit is a substantial savings over the Pintop.

That’s better than advertised and better than the CS rep told me recently, then. Nice!

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

If your an open book taking thoughts from the ones buying the equipment here are my thoughts. Little quick history on my experience with top of the line shocks. 2017 F250 /6.2 Gas, had a long talk with Dan at Carli and the gas trucks were not supported at that time, bought a level spacer, ordered custom Accutune shocks and it turned out very nice, rode amazing for what it was. Had drop brackets, Adjustable steering link and done right. 2019, moved into a Raptor, loved it. 2021 Carli had released the gas front coil by then, I decided I wanted a Carli/Tremor. Could not get a Tremor so I built a 21 /7.3 truck with a full Carli Pintop kit. Loved it, best truck ever. Drove a 6.7 in 23, took a deep dive and moved my Kings to the 23. Ended up hating the diesel cost of ownership, now I am in a 25 Tremor 7.3 and pondering why I did not keep my previous parts. So now I am back on the keyboard reading about all this new stuff and I hear what a few of us are saying and asking for.
- I loved my Kings however the comment about having to push them is an understatement. My problem is I realized the faster I went everywhere, the truck floated like a dream, rode amazing.
- Now I see you guys building a system which is more compliant for every day driving with decent offroad capability and I am super excited to see the gas truck driving impressions. I will be ordering a full system by the way.
- THE ONE QUESTION I have is why not build and tune around a FOX DSC shock or a KING with the single point adjustable knobs. Seems like there could be best of both worlds with proper tuning and come up with known settings which would allow plush daily driving at normal speeds and when off-road, dial up the LSC and HSC settings to make up the difference.
-No matter what you guys produce, I am in, just wondering why Carli never offers a multi tunable shock?

Hey Steve - I'm an open book, for sure and, if nothing else, I'm honest to a fault. So, why no external adjustments on our shocks... Kings, we don't like their adjusters. Most all shock engineers hang their hat on shock dynos. They certainly have their place, but are severely limited in their capacity to sense shaft speeds that affect the diversity encountered in on-road driving. King swears by their compression adjusters - our real-world testing found that cranking the compression knob also affects the rebound unfavorably. King says they don't per the shock dyno, our small, extremely experienced crew of seat-of-the-pants tuners know what we're feeling/seeing. Not throwing shade, just telling you our experience.

Fox DSC. This showed so much promise, i had a set made for my Ram. I did 3.0" Race Series fronts with 2.5" 3-tube rear bypasses. I had the fronts equipped with a DSC to play with additional damping force while offroad. All in all, i liked them. The "LSC" knob is just a tunable free-bleed into the reservoir. I don't have much use for this; it may work better on a lighter chassis with coilovers operating at a motion-ratio to add stability, but my HD Straight axle truck did not like closing off the bleed; rather than adding control and stability, it made everything sharp and choppy - this was left open regardless of terrain.

The HSC is cool. Rather than a free bleed into the res, this puts a second set of shims against the resi ports through which the compression flows (basically, a second piston face). The more clicks you add, the closer the second valve-stack gets to the ports (more the shims engage, less bleed). This was a notable change in feel and we could swap the shims to feel it more or less once we adjusted the valving on the main piston to account for what was happening in the reservoir. Additionally, there were massive secondary ports in the reservoir that allowed rebound to free-bleed back to the cylinder ensuring the compression adjustment didn't affect rebound. The problem with Fox is the proprietary program that made us move away from their product. We detailed this in a blog on our site, but the most important aspect of shock performance and ride is the base valve (valving on the main piston). Everything else is peanuts compared to this. Getting our proprietary shocks built with our part numbers and valving took (sometimes) years to get through engineering, then lead times for production parts would get pushed. We loved their product, but their business model was prohibitive to our success.

To my above point, the DSC would only add up to 15% damping ability when maxed so, although it was cool, it was expensive and not as additive as people think, especially with LSC not working well on straight axles.

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

That’s better than advertised and better than the CS rep told me recently, then. Nice!

I work hard to refine pricing - i know our stuff is expensive, but I don't add a dollar where unnecessary. It's nice to hear your feedback here as, every now and then, i get to surprise people with a lower price than anticipated. I targeted $600/shock but was able to hit $590/shock. $40 is $40!

 

[OmahaBravo]

our small, extremely experienced crew of seat-of-the-pants tuners know what we're feeling/seeing.

if it doesnt work in the real-world, it 'doesnt work'.

 

[ccradier]

@BLACKCHERRY, I have a non Tremor 7.3 with a Fab Fours Matrix bumper, 12,000 pound winch and a Whipple on the front and Deaver 2.5 springs on the rear, Would the diesel spec front springs be more at home for the 3.5" lift of should I stick with the gas ones. These pathfinder shocks have truly peaked my interest. I'm running Icon 2.5 gas front coils and Bilstein 5160's at the moment. Thanks for your time. Cliff

 

[Hunterman]

@BLACKCHERRY keep up the good work. I have to admit you taking your time out of your day to post and respond to everyone’s questions is pretty awesome. Sure I know you are using sites like this as marketing and advertising but it’s pretty cool you take time out of your day to respond to questions and comments rather then just just “post and ghosts” when you have new products. In my book it says a lot about you and your character. Personally I will probably never have a need for big lift and a custom suspension but if I did I would feel very comfortable giving you my business.

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

@BLACKCHERRY, I have a non Tremor 7.3 with a Fab Fours Matrix bumper, 12,000 pound winch and a Whipple on the front and Deaver 2.5 springs on the rear, Would the diesel spec front springs be more at home for the 3.5" lift of should I stick with the gas ones. These pathfinder shocks have truly peaked my interest. I'm running Icon 2.5 gas front coils and Bilstein 5160's at the moment. Thanks for your time. Cliff

You're between the two... That's honestly a tough one. The Godzilla is 580lbs, Powerstroke is 1,140lbs. You need to make up around 600lbs of weight for the diesel springs to be applicable to that application. Your bumper, winch and whipple probably make up about half of this. If it were me, I would rather have slightly more lift vs. 1" less with the gas coils. Given the Pathfinder shocks are softer in tuning and a bit more forgiving, i would err on the side of the diesel kit.

@BLACKCHERRY keep up the good work. I have to admit you taking your time out of your day to post and respond to everyone’s questions is pretty awesome. Sure I know you are using sites like this as marketing and advertising but it’s pretty cool you take time out of your day to respond to questions and comments rather then just just “post and ghosts” when you have new products. In my book it says a lot about you and your character. Personally I will probably never have a need for big lift and a custom suspension but if I did I would feel very comfortable giving you my business.

Appreciate the kind words!

 

[ccradier]

You're between the two... That's honestly a tough one. The Godzilla is 580lbs, Powerstroke is 1,140lbs. You need to make up around 600lbs of weight for the diesel springs to be applicable to that application. Your bumper, winch and whipple probably make up about half of this. If it were me, I would rather have slightly more lift vs. 1" less with the gas coils. Given the Pathfinder shocks are softer in tuning and a bit more forgiving, i would err on the side of the diesel kit.

Thanks for the insight, I will start acquiring parts. Heck I maybe I can find some extra weight somewhere! lol!!

 

[Optimus🤖]

Thanks for the insight, I will start acquiring parts. Heck I maybe I can find some extra weight somewhere! lol!!

Let me know if you need some extra weight .

 

[ccradier]

You're between the two... That's honestly a tough one. The Godzilla is 580lbs, Powerstroke is 1,140lbs. You need to make up around 600lbs of weight for the diesel springs to be applicable to that application. Your bumper, winch and whipple probably make up about half of this. If it were me, I would rather have slightly more lift vs. 1" less with the gas coils. Given the Pathfinder shocks are softer in tuning and a bit more forgiving, i would err on the side of the diesel kit.

Should I also use the diesel shocks or gas shocks?

 

[Privateer]

how long til we can order one?

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

Just dropped another video; this one on the 5.5" version that i ran on my rig.

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

Should I also use the diesel shocks or gas shocks?

Match the shocks to the springs!

how long til we can order one?

Latest, Monday!

 

[TheBlackPearl]

Just dropped another video; this one on the 5.5" version that i ran on my rig.

My shop is ordering the 3.5 for me as soon as it's possible! So pumped!

 

[ccradier]

@BLACKCHERRY I have my rear to lifted to match my front at the moment 2.5 all the way around. If I do the 3.5 kit I will be going 1" higher in the rear. would I need the 5.5 " rear shocks to match the length?

 

[BLACKCHERRY]

My shop is ordering the 3.5 for me as soon as it's possible! So pumped!

Heck yeah! Thanks for the support!

@BLACKCHERRY I have my rear to lifted to match my front at the moment 2.5 all the way around. If I do the 3.5 kit I will be going 1" higher in the rear. would I need the 5.5 " rear shocks to match the length?

Nope, run the leveling shocks as they're the same length between the two lift heights. The valving is substantially different, though. Are you doing the full progressive leaf springs or keeping your stock packs?