steering dampeners

[luvpsi]

hey guys i have decided on the suspension stuff lift kit for rig however i need a new steering dampener but unsure what a decent dampener would be what should i look for etc

[nissannewby]

I have a tough dog adjustable item in mine and its great. have had times where my panhard adjustment has come loose and i just stiffen it up to eliminate the wobble til i can get home and tighten it up.

[luvpsi]

yeah i want to stay away from adjustables as i dont know what im doing when it comes to it i have heard the return to center tough dog dampeners are good however is this true also im going 2 inch lift so panhard rods etc are not a issue

[Lewy]

I have the tough dog RTC and love it!! works a treat!!

Lewy

[megatexture]

yea i have one also its prity good would be better if the rtc was adjustable also but still a great item

[White Elephant]

I have a tough dog damper, can't remember the series, but I have heard people say to put a RTC (return to centre) damper on after a lift. Apparently it helps with the notorius pull to the left that GQ's have. I had a wheel alignment done not long ago, and they even suggested that. As usual though it all comes down to personal choice.

[megatexture]

it shouldnt pull to the left if its set to the centre?

[Mojo01]

it shouldnt pull to the left if its set to the centre?

nope it should not, unless something is severely @#$%^& up

ARB did suggest a RTC though when i got a quote from them recently

[dion_83]

I've got a Tough Dog adjustable damper in mine and it works great. My Camber/Caster measurements are still very good in mine aswell so no left pull for me yet and I'm just about to hit 380,000klm hoping it stays that way for a while yet.

[Toha]

can anyone tell me how to check steering damper is ok or not???

[GQPorkroll]

I was told by ToughDog not to fit a RTC damper as it can exaggerate the wobble/shimmy of the front end, which makes sense, I thought, if the wheels are shimmying and the damper is constantly fighting it, the compression/rebound of the damper spring could increase the shimmy in the wheels.

They have a damper on their website for $300 which was the one they recommended to me, its adjustable and from memory a large for (75mm maybe). I'm currently running an Ironman unit as I fitted all Ironman when I did my lift. I'm happy with it and was only looking at upgrading the damper to RTC as I read that that would help stop the wheel shake.

Toha to see if your damper is stuffed, the best way is to remove it. Its easy to get to and there is only 2 bolts. Drop it off and see if you can compress it easily, like an old stuffed shock (which is essentially what a damper is) If it pushes in with little to no resistance, and doesn't rebound, its stuffed. If you can't force it in or there is a lot of tension when you push it down, it is ok. Some after market ones you won't be able to force in, where as a good genuine unit you may be able push in a bit.

[White Elephant]

it shouldnt pull to the left if its set to the centre?

Yeah, mine doesn't but a lot of mechanics and tyre fitters that I have dealt with over the years reckon that the GQ's are notorious for it.

[dion_83]

can anyone tell me how to check steering damper is ok or not??? Pop one end off, pull to full extention and push back to full compression a couple of times. You should be able to feel good even resistance all the way through, If it moves freely or has free spots in it, replace it. It's really the only way to be completely sure, as different suspension set ups and caster angles vary the resistance on steering while driving quite a bit. If you've got a good idea what it should feel like you can just jack it up so both front wheels are free and turn it lock to lock by the front wheel.

[4.2trol]

ill be going the tough dog rtc next week, always worked well on my trucks

[BoroNSW]

hey guys i have decided on the suspension stuff lift kit for rig however i need a new steering dampener but unsure what a decent dampener would be what should i look for etc

Tough Dog return to centre - adjustable. Works just fine.