bhs@siemens.UUCP (05/06/85)
Steve: Your suspicion is quite correct: You should get larger diameter anti-roll bars for your truck if you want to reduce cornering roll. The amount of roll that your truck will display is dependant solely on the stiffnes of your springs and the diameter of your roll bar. Your shock absorbers will only serve to dampen the swaying, or the speed with which your truck will roll into or out of a turn. The solution of using stiffer springs unfortunately will cause stiffer, harsher ride, which will probably already be harsh in the first place. Thus, mosey on down to your local off-road/rv emporium, and investigate the availability of roll bars. Your dealer will be less likely to help you, unless he also deals in custom off road equipment. The differences between gas shocks and oil shocks are quite clear, but not always obvious to the average driver. Under heavy driving conditions, say for example off road, or over many potholes, gas shocks will be more likely to maintain a dampening effect than oil shocks. If you do most of your driving on the highway, you may never notice a difference because you will never really be giving your shocks a workout. Since both types of shock work in the same way, the time-honored test of rocking your car up and down will work equally well in determining whether your shocks work or not. Switching to gas shocks will not automatically give you a more controlled ride, since that in turn will depend on the stiffness of the shocks. Bernard H. Schwab Siemens RTL, Princeton, NJ