Carli Pathfinder VS Pintop

[Silverghost]

Ran a 2018 F350 built with slide in camper certification. Went all in on full Carli setup with the Kings carrying a Northern Lite 8-11 (Dry weight 2800) on 37 inch Ridge Grapplers. Fully loaded with the missus and dog probably #3500 but under payload. Didn't ride poorly but none of that suspension helped much since we still had to slow down for deep pot holes and washboards while on forest service roads. Unloaded the rear sway bar prevented full articulation.

We buy these trucks and often start throwing pieces and components to 'improve' the ride and when we need the truck to do what it was engineered and built for across a wide scope of jobs it tends to not work out so well. But it sure is fun chasing that ride comfort demon.

 

[FordTremorGA]

Not much help with your question, but is that a Taruca awning on your camper? Which one is it and how do you like it? Been thinking about their 180 for my camper.

Yes sir! It has been phenomenal. I had an Alu-Cab awning prior and I would say they are about equal in durability which is high praise for the Taruca. It is the 270 awning

 

[FordTremorGA]

How do you like the M1? I’ve been given serious thought to 4 wheel campers project M. Just don’t know if I can handle a camper in the bed full time. I still use the truck for work and hauling.

I have really been enjoying the Tune M1. I got it back in February and probably have around 45 nights in it so far this year. The durability seems to be good and the T-Track is a game changer. They lack in house accessories but the T-track allows you to pretty much mount all 3rd party accessories. I was torn between this and a slide-in. I think I will go with a slide in down the road but this fit my budget and allowed me to customize the interior the way I wanted it.

Since the topper sits on the bed rails, you can still use the truck bed if you wanted to without having to remove the tune

 

[FordTremorGA]

I run the Pintop w/ the HD leafs along with full travel airbags. CJC did my install. I looked up the specs on the M1 you said you're going with, and if I had to guess, I'm thinking the XHD pack might be a bit much. It might not be for you if you're throwing lots of gear in there too, but the HD spring pack runs 800-1000# without breaking a sweat, and I've never come close to airbag engagement. I got the airbags as future insurance, and got my setup for a 1K plus hitch weight in the future. Either an Airstream or a Pause X.

As far as the Kings go, I went from Bilstein to Kings on a 3rd gen Cummins with a KORE progressive lift and ran Kings for 12 or more years before getting the F350. Couldn't have been happier with them then, and I'm extremely happy with them now. Their factory is local for me, so I dealt with them direct when I had the Dodge, and their customer support is extremely attentive. Kings are just solid workhorse shocks that just work. I have no complaints with the unloaded ride quality with just a Smartcap on the back. If I was looking at your setup, I would probably do the Pintop w/ the HD over the XHD.

Thank you very much for the input! I have a full build out in the interior with the Tune M1 so I am just slightly under the 2,000lbs which I should have included in the original post. I am adding a larger fuel tank and I am sure I will find a few more accessories to add over the coming months which should put me over 2,000. Sounds like everyone is torn like I am between the Pathfinder and Pintop but nice to see a vote for the Pintop.

I drove by a guy towing a Pause X last week and while I haven't seen the inside of one, it was a head turner on the road. Looked badass!

 

[FordTremorGA]

Definitely Pathfinder but @majorbison is correct: Dominator if you can. Look at these bad boys from @All_Out_6.7HO:

View attachment 277709

Unfortunately, no dominator for the 7.3 yet or I would seriously consider it

 

[FordTremorGA]

I have the pathfinder. I love it to death, they only one I’d take over it would be the dominator. If you’re pushing the pathfinder to its limits might as well go full retard with a dominator

If only they made it for the 7.3!

 

[FordTremorGA]

Cody explains why he recommends the Pintops in these videos.

Thank you!

 

[TX03RUBI]

Unfortunately, no dominator for the 7.3 yet or I would seriously consider it

The diesel dominator would be more ideal for you anyways. The fitment is the exact same, just valved for a slightly heavier truck. Which you’ll have.

 

[TX03RUBI]

I’m in a very similar boat to you, but in a 22’ 7.3. I’ve got all Carli hardwear, but went with Fox 2.5 Elite DSCs tuned by Accutune, and LOVE them. Before this it was wearing Carli Backcountry Fox 2.0s, and the 2.5 Elites were a significant upgrade in control with a truck this heavy. Daily weight is right at 9500 lbs, and comes in right at 10K loaded for our adventures. I’m not on Dan Tourino’s (Blackcherry) level of go fast, but this truck has no issues going way faster than a truck this size has any business going on pot hole riddled lease roads.

 

[TX03RUBI]

This scale weight is with 400 lbs of bike and carrier on the back, but was a solo trip. Typically the bike is replaced with a wife and 2 small boys, along with their luggage etc. I figure 400 lbs of bike is close enough to the payload they would take up.

 

[FordTremorGA]

I’m in a very similar boat to you, but in a 22’ 7.3. I’ve got all Carli hardwear, but went with Fox 2.5 Elite DSCs tuned by Accutune, and LOVE them. Before this it was wearing Carli Backcountry Fox 2.0s, and the 2.5 Elites were a significant upgrade in control with a truck this heavy. Daily weight is right at 9500 lbs, and comes in right at 10K loaded for our adventures. I’m not on Dan Tourino’s (Blackcherry) level of go fast, but this truck has no issues going way faster than a truck this size has any business going on pot hole riddled lease roads.

Love the build! Sounds like we are in the same boat with comparable weights. What made you go with the fox 2.5 Elites vs Carli? Are you running stock leafs or did you change those out?

 

[FordTremorGA]

The diesel dominator would be more ideal for you anyways. The fitment is the exact same, just valved for a slightly heavier truck. Which you’ll have.

I didn't even think about that. Would love to see someone who has done it before but I guess someone always has to be first lol

 

[TX03RUBI]

Love the build! Sounds like we are in the same boat with comparable weights. What made you go with the fox 2.5 Elites vs Carli? Are you running stock leafs or did you change those out?

At the time the Back Country and Pintop were the two options. After talking to several people, as well as Cody at CJC, I wasn’t sold on the Pin Top being what I was after. I installed the Back Country on a relatively stock truck, and was rather pleased with it. However that faded as the camper and build out was added. It still rode well enough, but just seemed to be Lacking what it once had as a lighter more nimble truck. I was already sold on the 2.5 Elites from Accutune after lots of research, as they could be tuned for whichever weight and driving style I chose, as well as offering the robustness and dampening that the 2.0s lacked.

I don’t know how to quantify the amount they impress me, but I’ll say 3 years and 30K miles later they still put a smile on my face anytime I put the skinny pedal down on some sketchy “roads”. Daily driving they’re more comfortable than my 24’ GMC Sierra 1500, but they really shine when it gets rough.

 

[TX03RUBI]

I didn't even think about that. Would love to see someone who has done it before but I guess someone always has to be first lol

Typically the only difference in the gas/diesel springs and shocks are the weight they’re tuned for. Dan (Blackcherry on here) at Carli, has gone over it several times in the past. He mentioned the gas trucks going with the diesel option was a good way to offset builds that were heavier than stock depending on what you were going for.

 

[lwgrubbs]

Not to complicate things for you, but I run the setup below, almost all the time. I went with Carli springs, etc but went with Alcan Springs in the rear and Radflo 2.5 shocks all around. What I like about the rear springs and the Radflo shocks is they are custom built and tuned for your vehicles specific weight. For my rear we built springs around a 5400 lb load, this is basically the weight on the rear axles when the camper is loaded. For the shocks both front and rear were valved for my specific axle weights. It rides like a dream to be honest and handles great on the highway. The closest full Carli kit to this would be their pi top with whatever rear spring rating they have that equates to a 5400 lb rear axle weight.

 

[Optimus🤖]

The diesel dominator would be more ideal for you anyways. The fitment is the exact same, just valved for a slightly heavier truck. Which you’ll have.

This!

 

[thetremorbuild]

Not to complicate things for you, but I run the setup below, almost all the time. I went with Carli springs, etc but went with Alcan Springs in the rear and Radflo 2.5 shocks all around. What I like about the rear springs and the Radflo shocks is they are custom built and tuned for your vehicles specific weight. For my rear we built springs around a 5400 lb load, this is basically the weight on the rear axles when the camper is loaded. For the shocks both front and rear were valved for my specific axle weights. It rides like a dream to be honest and handles great on the highway. The closest full Carli kit to this would be their pi top with whatever rear spring rating they have that equates to a 5400 lb rear axle weight.

View attachment 277793

Coming at it from a different setup: I paired BDS coils and NX2 shocks with a Carli track bar on my 2026, and with 35x12.50R18s there's nothing rubbing. Not a direct comparison to either Carli kit, but maybe useful if you're open to mixing parts.