Measuring shock length?
- Thread starter Sloan
- Start date
Shocks should not be the limiting factor in suspension travel, but longer shocks may not be the answer, either. If you have stock suspension, stock length shocks should be fine. Vehicle? Coil suspension? Lift?
If you have coil springs and for some reason the shocks or struts are the limiter when you reach full droop, consider using limiting straps to stop travel just before shocks bottom out, which will protect all of the suspension system from over-extension. On the compression side, shocks should also not be the limiter. Be sure you have bump stops that work and which stop the suspension travel fully before the shocks bottom out. Both bump stops and limiting straps are inexpensive insurance.
I don't think you need to take anything apart to check this. Find a big rock, deep ditch or whatever that allows you to fully flex until a tire lifts, then bounce the corner in question by hand. If there is still travel in the system, the shock is not bottomed or topped. Travel limits at speed are a little farther out than static checks, but you should still be able to tell for the most part.
If you have coil springs and for some reason the shocks or struts are the limiter when you reach full droop, consider using limiting straps to stop travel just before shocks bottom out, which will protect all of the suspension system from over-extension. On the compression side, shocks should also not be the limiter. Be sure you have bump stops that work and which stop the suspension travel fully before the shocks bottom out. Both bump stops and limiting straps are inexpensive insurance.
I don't think you need to take anything apart to check this. Find a big rock, deep ditch or whatever that allows you to fully flex until a tire lifts, then bounce the corner in question by hand. If there is still travel in the system, the shock is not bottomed or topped. Travel limits at speed are a little farther out than static checks, but you should still be able to tell for the most part.
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
The way I check this is to articulate the suspension to it's limits without any shocks in place. Measure the center to center distances on both the compressed and the extended sides.
I figure that the "Oops!" bump will compress any bumpstop to 1/2 of it's normal height, so that dim gets subtracted from the compressed length. If it is a race or chase vehicle then I figure it without the bumpstops in place because sooner or later they'll get blown off the vehicle.
I figure that the "Oops!" bump will compress any bumpstop to 1/2 of it's normal height, so that dim gets subtracted from the compressed length. If it is a race or chase vehicle then I figure it without the bumpstops in place because sooner or later they'll get blown off the vehicle.