After doing some very hard rock crawling yesterday (in Jerusalem) I got under my truck this morning and then drove it to the nearest garage. Here is a list of damages I got:

1. Broken fuel cap
2.One of the drive shaft seals got loose and grease was spilled all over (had to argue with the mechanic to remove the underbody protection, in order to
see this)
3. There is a knonk from the gear box that was not there before. TheH3 will have tostary for 2-3 days in the garage in order for the gear to be
checked.

All (except for the fuel cap) is under warranty, but this really feels bad.

I really felt I have to struggle hard with the H3 this time. As I said in my previous thread, the front suspension seems to behave poorly. It's like the front does not raise the wheels at all when it meets an obstacle, it just tries to attack the rock head-on.

Even 2 Toyotas I ride with moved across everything more easy then me (and these Toyotas usually break at least one differential during this kind of off-roading.

I've got the 31" wheels and front factory shocks. The front TB are cranked 4 1/2 turns each. The rear shocks are Rancho and the rear was lifted about 2 inches.

Any ideas on how to improve my ride (besides the obvious – improving my driving skills)?

I want to believe that the readylift kit is the answer, but I see to many pros and cons threads in this forum regarding this solution.






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take it easy......feel it out.....it is all probably driver error......nice pics though

 

One more thing,

Almost everytime I encounter some seriuos wheel spin, I get a traction control failed error. If I turn of the truck, and turn it back on, the error goes away.

When doing simple off-roading, this does not happen, and the TC works fine

 

You definitely need a tire upgrade! I think upgraded shocks are good idea too. I use my H3 in the oilfield, loaded with tools and once or twice, i have encountered some steep rough terrain. I too have the stock 31's or 32's? and will go to upgraded 33's when these wear out. I would like to add the rear locker to my non-adv model as well. Also, you are right, there is no subsitute for driver experience. Good luck!

 

Regarding driver experiance - I was joking I've got 7 years of hard core off-roading. I've done this specific trail before with no problems at all (diffrent SUV). I Have the rear diff installed in my H3, but because the way the front suspension acts, when the locker is on the truck slides to the sides, So I tried using only the TC abilities.

The entire problem seems to be with the front suspension actions.

 

Why have you cranked the Torsion Bars so much? Could that be a contributor?

 

I've crancked the TB so much because I wanted to level the front with the rear. I guess that can contribute to the front suspension action, but I'm not totaly sure.

I expect to get the answers here.

 

I think you have the torsion bars cranked way to far.... I for one have never been a fan of doing this... especially when it is so easy to rekey them....

that has to be hell on your shocks... and in my personal opinion another reason you are having issues.

The TC error was addressed somewhere else here.... I don't remember the specifis because I don't have a 3.... but I seem to remember it being simple...

I think you need tires....

 

If you are used to a solid axle front, the IFS lacks the articulation so you might just have to get used it it and adapt your driving style.
But I think the main factor is thats what cranking the T-Bars will do. Its like you added very stiff springs. When you come to an obstacle, the t-bar or "spring" if you want to think of it like that is so stiff that it takes so much weight to compress it that instead of the wheel moving up while the others stay on the ground because the suspension is nice and squishy, you have to lift the entire weight of the truck...which will pull the other wheels off the ground and put your TC to use lots more than it probably wants to be used. I dont think the TC system is perfect so if you are using it a lot, or trying tomuscle through it, itcould just be getting to the point where it gives up and throws an error. Maybe back the t-bars down a few turns to 3. You just need to find the balance beteween performance and looks.

 

To Muddydawg75
When you say "rekey" do you mean using the readylift kit for example.