Moab Spring 2K6 Pics

[PARAGON]

Holy shiat, how did I miss all of this.

The GM IFS is junk because of the steering. A more stable steering system could be engineered for IFS but if it's not costing GM much money to have a current setup utilized in a new vehicle, why make a change? The tie-rods snap and bend on 2500 Sierra pickups all of the time doing normal construction duty. It's not some new problem that has just shown up on the H2. It's amplified for the H2 because we run a larger stock tire and are able to put lifts and more larger tires on and actually wheel the things.

Just imagine a straw with the ends at the tip of your two index fingers. If you push inward, it's not entirely easy to bend the straw until it gets out of alignment with itself. The strength of a column. But if there was a bend or kink in it, when you applied a little pressure it would easily bend. The front tires on the H2 are your finger tips. In certain situations, the tires are getting traction and are pulling themselves around the pivot of the spindle and applying more force than normal on the steering linkage (the straw). This is really dramatic in situations such as Alec's video where the traction control suddenly kicks in or when the truck is bouncing and the tire is spinning in the air and suddenly makes contact with the ground and gains traction.

The tie rods attach to the steering knuckle forward of the pivot point. If there was room and a way that the tie rods could have attached behind the pivot of the knuckle THIS problem would be as common. This problem gets exaggerated when the front suspension droops or compresses because it makes the "bend in the straw" even more severe.

With all that being said, it really is an asinine comment to suggest that by beefing up the tie rods you will therefore be damaging the "driveline." Personally I believe that more components of the steering could be a little less forgiving and "beefed up." About the only way you will apply force past the pitman arm is if the driver is forcing the steering wheel. If the centerlink was a bit more sturdy, I think, we would see less problems from the front end if the drivers did not force the steering to the point of popping a steering gear.

I will say this. I have 37" tires, the FT stabilizers and the Cognito supports and I've been to Moab, Tellico and a place in Alabama since (well, I didn't have the Cognitos for Moab) and still do not need an alignment.