Thread: Watts link upgrade

Yeah second picture from an American 6" lifted truck
Expensive to do.

Watts linkage is better for on tarmac use more equal alinement
when cycling up and down but more limited in vertical travel
the center point moves in a figure of 8 as it rises and falls.

If you want max travel best set up is four link style ie a copy
of the front suspension on the rear this will give max flex.

Some up
watts good for Tarmac predictable handling.
Panhard good for travel but arm needs to be horizontal
at normal ride height with ALL four wheels in alignment
(rear wheels following the front)
The adjustable front panhard will get the wheels to align but the
cycling of the axle up and down will push it to one side.
The height of the body mount will also affect the deflection of the bar
best to get panhard horizontal.

Suspension is all about compromise.
Off road race buggies use indipendent suspension for a reason
rock crawlers use solid axles.
Each is suited to the driving style.

Pete

A 2" lift won't need the panhard adjusted or move the diff 25mm

Mine (& I would assume Slunnies) is only over by 8mm and that's with a 4" lift..

I don't wear tyres unevenly, vehicle handles brilliantly and never been an issue.

Not to say there aren't applications where this is a benefit but in this case I doubt a 2" lift required such a modification.

Originally Posted by Tombie

A 2" lift won't need the panhard adjusted or move the diff 25mm

Mine (& I would assume Slunnies) is only over by 8mm and that's with a 4" lift..

I don't wear tyres unevenly, vehicle handles brilliantly and never been an issue.

Not to say there aren't applications where this is a benefit but in this case I doubt a 2" lift required such a modification.

Thats correct and same for me. Bronson has been fed a whole lot of incorrect information and been led to believe that he needs a whole lot of work that isnt needed. I would also say that the tyre wear was not related to the lift and quite possibly someone has altered his wheel alignment deliberately to make it need an alignment - they just dont wear the inside of tyres unless damaged. Also, the watts linkage doesnt need to be vertical to work, the purpose of the cranked watts link is to provide additional travel when running shocks which are over about 10" travel in a regular body, the PS link at the watts link hits the axle mount. I would go so far as to recommend NOT running a cranked watts linkage or any bent suspension link if you dont have to because they create a weak point and is typically where the part fails.

Hi there
The cranked arms are there to allow the middle section
of the linkage to remain in the figure 8 position so it can rock as it should.
if you drop the axle/lift the body the this can lead to the 8 shaped
piece to hit the mounting part.
The rods are mounted differently but you will get the idea if you look up this

Watt's linkage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's cheaper and easier to make sell bolt on parts that do half the
job and add a bit of bling than fabricate mounts in the ideal
possition to use the system to get its full original purpose.
Lower mounts will also cause more hang up points.

Car makers make cars to sell in many markets for many uses.
If you change somthing you will get a knock on effect.
The original design was a compromise.

If you raise the body you SHOULD get suspension mount lowered to suit if not you will be out of spec hence the front axle offset.
But it's still drivable but not as good as stock that's why you get your cars engineered in Australia if modded.
To see its not going to handle like a jelly and cause accidents

I was modding road rally cars with solid rear axles and leaf springs
in the eighties
We used either a five link or four link and watts for best axle location
and binned the leafs totally fitted coils on top of axles or used coil over shocks.

Watts has more consistent feel on right and left turns
Five link has more travel dosnt give the same feedback
on cornering left to right.

IMO
2" lift on D2 fine springs and shocks fine
Front adjustable bar not necessary.
Rear cranked arms good idea if you need to get centre mount back in 8 position but would need more than 2" lift to be way off so still ok to drive.

Just keep an eye on the rear centre piece if you don't want it to snag its mount if you lift and the rear and axle has no weight on it.

Pete

hey bronson.

I've got a 4 inch lift in mine and still running the standard panhard rod In the front, as for your question about modding the rear watts link Les richmond automotive sell a 2" drop kit to bring the watts link back to spec after a lift might be worth a look as I think the kit is only a couple hundred bux or so, way cheaper then cranked watts bars.
Good luck with it

Albert.

Originally Posted by Tombie

A 2" lift won't need the panhard adjusted or move the diff 25mm

Mine (& I would assume Slunnies) is only over by 8mm and that's with a 4" lift..

I don't wear tyres unevenly, vehicle handles brilliantly and never been an issue.

Not to say there aren't applications where this is a benefit but in this case I doubt a 2" lift required such a modification.

I have to agree with this. Having my vehicle at 2" lifted and then at 4" lifted there was no need for an adjustable panhard rod at either.

I did however get one and when adjusted correctly it was not much longer than the standard unit!


As for your actual question in regards to the watts linkage. Also no reason to touch this on your 2" lift.
On my 4" lift setup I use the Les Richmond Automotive 50mm suspension dropper brackets on it.