I agree.
I just finished my first coilover truck this year. I initially thought I would need to add a sway bar over the winter.
I made a bunch of changes to valving, spring rates, and crossover nut position since July. The last ride I had it out on I was side-hilling **** like a leaf spring truck and carrying the front end over ledges without a harsh landing. Night and day from where I started. I'm currently not planning on a sway bar for next season.
Here's a few tips (some already mentioned). I'm by no means an expert. I've just read a lot and tried a lot of **** since I got the truck together.-
1. Keep notes. If something doesn't work, you can always go back. I have a notebook of every setting I've changed and a description of what I thought after each ride. Think of it like documenting the setup on a racecar.
2. Know what you have. Take your shocks apart. Figure out what the valving is, how many bleed holes are open, and what pressure you have in them. Once you understand what's going on inside, you'll be able to plan future moves. When you reassemble, slide an o-ring on the outside section of shaft. It'll let you track your travel.
3. Get your top pre-load settings right. You have to fight between desired ride height, "gangsta lean", and the 3-legged table effect of supporting a truck on 4 points. Each corner has a different weight, so there's no reason the preload has to be exactly the same on any 2 corners. With 4 points holding up the chassis, you will always have a "soft foot". It's sometimes difficult to determine, but I found brake torquing the buggy in forward & reverse helped determine which shock needed a little more preload.
4. Play with your crossover nuts. The best description I read was that it's a game between stopping body roll and having the ride too harsh. Using just the front crossover nuts to control body roll makjes the truck tippy when the front end comes up. Just the rear makes it sketchy on off camber downhills. Try to get both ends working together. If the crossover nut is 1" above the slide, it doesn't mean the shock moves 1" before it hits. It depends on the combined spring rate you're running, so front and rear will most likely be different.
5. Make big changes at first and only change 1 thing at a time. This will let you know if you're heading in the right direction. You need to get it 80% right before you can think about fine tuning.
6. Take video. Even if it's having your buddy video a boring section or failing on an obstacle. Watch what the suspension is doing when you rewatch it. You'll learn a lot more about what you're feeling in the seat.
Like I said, I'm a noob with coilovers, but these have been my observations so far. There's a lot on the table to tune before dropping $500 on a sway bar.
