major body roll

[924runnerSR5]

took my 4runner to trails rd with a buddy. im lifted so of course lifted trucks roll easier....but this was scarry.. my buddy went threw the same place (not lifted) and he had no problem. i try it and almost rolled mine....ill try to get a pic but is there any thing i can do to fix body roll?

 

[924runnerSR5]

should it be that bad?

 

[DC runner]

FYI: That phenomena is not body roll. Body roll is a totally different, but not unaffected aspect. Body roll is when you take a turn, and the centrifugal energy displaced causes the body to "roll".


The car wanting to physically flip over is due to a higher center of gravity. You lifted your truck. You lifted a light truck. You lifted a narrow, light truck. There is a reason they don't produce them like this anymore. At factory spec, the 2nd gen runners were prone to flipping. You made it worse. Newer SUV's are wider and shorter. My 2004 4runner is significantly lower than my old 91 4runner and I doubt I could ever get it to flip.

Second: Widen its stance. Add some wheel spacers. The wider your stance, the more stable you will be.

Also. Your track is all wrong in this photo. I can tell you exactly why you wanted to flip. You went to to aggressive in your track. You took your narrow car, shoved it left with engine weight down; while turning. You can clearly see it. Are you new to trailing? Can I suggest you not every risk your friends to death like that ever again??? One false move and your truck could have well crushed them. In this situation, you can use rope; pulling from ABOVE. You never push from below. You could kill someone that way. But it doesn't matter. You should have taken a different approach angle and it would have solved it.

 

[loki the trickster]

took my 4runner to trails rd with a buddy. im lifted so of course lifted trucks roll easier....but this was scarry.. my buddy went threw the same place (not lifted) and he had no problem. i try it and almost rolled mine....ill try to get a pic but is there any thing i can do to fix body roll?

what type of lift is on it?

 

[KidVermicious]

FYI: That phenomena is not body roll. Body roll is a totally different, but not unaffected aspect. Body roll is when you take a turn, and the centrifugal energy displaced causes the body to "roll".


The car wanting to physically flip over is due to a higher center of gravity. You lifted your truck. You lifted a light truck. You lifted a narrow, light truck. There is a reason they don't produce them like this anymore. At factory spec, the 2nd gen runners were prone to flipping. You made it worse. Newer SUV's are wider and shorter. My 2004 4runner is significantly lower than my old 91 4runner and I doubt I could ever get it to flip.

Second: Widen its stance. Add some wheel spacers. The wider your stance, the more stable you will be.

Also. Your track is all wrong in this photo. I can tell you exactly why you wanted to flip. You went to to aggressive in your track. You took your narrow car, shoved it left with engine weight down; while turning. You can clearly see it. Are you new to trailing? Can I suggest you not every risk your friends to death like that ever again??? One false move and your truck could have well crushed them. In this situation, you can use rope; pulling from ABOVE. You never push from below. You could kill someone that way. But it doesn't matter. You should have taken a different approach angle and it would have solved it.

Agree with pretty much all of this. It's harder to say from pictures, but you probably should have gone high (to the right), and then turned straight down the slope. Traversing a slope at an angle is always riskier than taking it head on. Widen your stance, evaluate whether you really need all that lift, and for gods sake use a strap on your high side next time you want some insurance against tipping.

 

[Hyde802]

Agree with pretty much all of this. It's harder to say from pictures, but you probably should have gone high (to the right), and then turned straight down the slope. Traversing a slope at an angle is always riskier than taking it head on. Widen your stance, evaluate whether you really need all that lift, and for gods sake use a strap on your high side next time you want some insurance against tipping.

Agree with you agreeing.

Im assuming your tbars are cranked some?

Why do you think my trail rig is stock height? Low and stable baby.

 

[DC runner]

I am sure. I hate the mechanics of jeeps, but you have to admit; short and squat like those small wranglers is an incredibly stable offroad platform.

 

[924runnerSR5]

in my defense i told them ton to stand there....everyone knows that is unsafe. tbars are not turned up and its got ome coils in the rear. if i get quick disconnect sway bars would that help?

 

[BucknutBob]

in my defense i told them ton to stand there....everyone knows that is unsafe. tbars are not turned up and its got ome coils in the rear. if i get quick disconnect sway bars would that help?

I'm afraid you're missing the point, friend--sway bars help ON roads, keeping a vehicle from tilting WHEN THE SURFACE IS STILL LEVEL. They counteract cornering forces, not gravity. Side-hilliing on a trail will tip you no matter what your equipment is underneath--whether you go over is a function of center of gravity and track width, as others have mentioned. When wheeling, people actually DISCONNECT their swaybars so the suspension can flex better, keeping the wheels in better contact with the ground, then reconnect them after the trail. And yeah, that's REALLY dangerous putting people on the downslope below your vehicle. Hey, you made it out (and so did they), so learn from it, and go have safer fun the next time out! Questions are never dumb--only refusing to learn from the answers is.

 

[DC runner]

You should WIKI 1. Body Roll and 2. Center of Gravity

They are two TOTALLY different issues. You tipped because your vehicles center of gravity is HIGH and NARROW. You can ADD all the sway bar, suspension goodies and it won't fix this.

You bought a flip over prone vehicle. You need to 1. learn how to drive it and 2. widen its stance. Widening its stance will decrease your height to width ratio, making it more stable.

 

[fourwd1]

Like everyone has said, that's not body roll, and FWIW it really doesn't look like your COG is that bad.

Plus, you still had 3 wheels on the ground

 

[fourwd1]

This COG is way higher, and on much more of an angle, but a flexy suspension keeps all 4 wheels on the ground (most of the time).

 

[Hyde802]

^ Cool pic!

 

[fourwd1]

...You bought a flip over prone vehicle...

I just noticed that part ^

WTF ?

 

[KidVermicious]

in my defense i told them ton to stand there....everyone knows that is unsafe. tbars are not turned up and its got ome coils in the rear. if i get quick disconnect sway bars would that help?

Pulling your front sway bar, either with quick disconnects or permanently, will help your flex for sure. At the risk of beating a dead horse, though, driving the correct line will help more than any modification you could possibly do.

 

[924runnerSR5]

i have heavy duty springs. does that have anything to do with it as well? should i have went with softer ones?

 

[BucknutBob]

i have heavy duty springs. does that have anything to do with it as well? should i have went with softer ones?

You're still not seeing this. You are dealing with GRAVITY, not handling ability. While a compliant suspension will help your tires follow the ground much better, that's dealing with broken/uneven surfaces, NOT how steep of a sidehill you can drive across. Stop thinking about what's under the truck--soft suspension or hard, a truck with a higher center of gravity will roll before one with a lower one when driven across the same line at the same speed. Do some experimenting with something simple, like a cereal box on a table--tape a weight to one side of it, stand it on edge on an incline, and see how much easier it is to push over when the weight is on top versus on bottom. Now take the same box and turn it at different angles on that incline, and see how much harder you have to push the closer you get to perpendicular on the incline. You need to get the weight lower and/or make the vehicle wider (wheel spacers), and you need to adjust your driving lines--springs and swaybars won't change those facts. Softer springs WILL help your wheeling ability, and they'll help keep you from BOUNCING onto your side from excessive speed, but they won't protect you from the force of gravity.

 

[SV_Dude]

I just noticed that part ^

WTF ?

I don't think he meant that in the context that you may have taken it.

No, the vehicle doesn't have a tendency to just jump over on its side. But it is a relatively light weight SUV with a higher than normal COG. Putting it on more of an angle than what the vehicle could safely handle will obviously cause it to tip over.

 

[924runnerSR5]

ahhh okay i think i get it ty guys

 

[fourwd1]

Just remember, if you have 3 wheels on the ground, you're usually OK.
You may rock a bit, but in a situation like your pic, it probably felt worse than it was. This was a bit more tippy, but think before you make your next move.