Bump stops or shorter shocks?

[drive it ...]

78 prado with abt 80mm lift (settled fom original 100mm)
I just buggered a pair of Rancho 9000's - worked out the shocks were bottoming out before it hit the stops.
So - is it better to extend the bump stops (will reduce upward travel to bugger all) or run a shorter shock that can compress further but thats going to reduce down flex. Not into modding shock mounts to get both.
And any feedback on shocks - RAW, EFS, OME, Monroe
Oh and good place in Chch to get trailing arm bushes done? I'm getting price tomorrow from Chamberlains (the Beurepairs part over the road).

Cheers

[zukmeista]

How big are your tyres? Do they rub? Are you planning to fit bigger ones?

[Sadam_Husain]

I just buggered a pair of Rancho 9000's - worked out the shocks were bottoming out before it hit the stops.

your going to have to replace your shocks so why not find some that have the right amount of compressed/extended travel, its got to be better than putting the wrong length shocks back in and modifying the bumpstops

[mudlva]

correct lenght shocks would be better

what you are doing is loading the shocks on down travel which will eventually smash the mounts off the diff or the chassis/body, all not good

[drive it ...]

Thanks for the info guys.
The ranchos were long enough to let it flex right down but there's not enough space for them to compress up (I know now $$ ).
A shorter shock will let the axle push up to the stops but won't extend down as far, so overall less travel. I can't see any way round that, short of shifting the mounting points to get a longer shock positioned properly relative to the axle?
Is that right or am I missing something obvious.

Cheers

[mudlva]

Thanks for the info guys.
The ranchos were long enough to let it flex right down but there's not enough space for them to compress up (I know now $$ ).
A shorter shock will let the axle push up to the stops but won't extend down as far, so overall less travel. I can't see any way round that, short of shifting the mounting points to get a longer shock positioned properly relative to the axle?
Is that right or am I missing something obvious.

Cheers

right you are

[Sadam_Husain]

Is that right or am I missing something obvious.

Possibly, have you removed both shocks and flexed the truck up to find the extended/compressed shock travel you need and tried to find a shock that matches?

[drive it ...]

Possibly, have you removed both shocks and flexed the truck up to find the extended/compressed shock travel you need and tried to find a shock that matches?

Only tried that with shocks in. It looks like ex shock is only just off full extension at the point the wheel starts to lift. But it needs to be about 50mm or even more, shorter in the shock body on compression. (harder to squash it - thought of jaming it under the carport and jacking the axle but canned that idea before things got bent). I figure I need that length shaft so it can't be any shorter in the body. So I havn't tried to find anything - is there such a thing as a two stage shock where the shaft or body telescopes out to get more length from a shorter body

[niblik]

have you removed both shocks and flexed the truck up to find the extended/compressed shock travel you need and tried to find a shock that matches?

do what this chap said then make a few calls/research. easier in the long run.

[suzolla]

I would have thought the proper way to check the required compressed length of the shock would be to take the spring out on one side and let it sit on the bump stop and then measure the distance between the shock mounts.
Just flexing it won't give as much compression as say going over a jump, particularly if you have radius arms on the front. Once you have the compressed length then just look for the longest shock that has the correct ends and matches the compressed length.

Cheers
Tim

[Lynx]

Its fine to limit up travel with longer bumpstops, you can have more down travel than uptravel, but also make sure your shocks dont bottom out on full droop.

Cheers Daniel

[darinz]

First thing is bin the Rancho's as they are cheap nasty American crap. But you pay lots for them.
Extending bumpstops is what people do when they don't care how a vehicle handles.

If you want performance as opposed to big flex then you need to raise you shock mounts to allow for the long shocks or fit shocks with the right compressed length and forgo the extra down travel.
The reality is the extra down travel won't increase performance enough to warrant the decrease the extended bumpstops will cause.

You need to sit down and think about what is really important to you and then make the truck fit that. eg if you want huge flex and long travel then bumpstops it is but if you want performance and handling then it is way more than just bolting in a few parts!!

[drive it ...]

Cheers Darinz, thats pretty much where my thoughts had got to. (Further appreciation of some of the modded vehicles on this forum creeps into skull )
Did the big flex up to measure things and extended shock needs to be more than twice compressed length so no shock's going to do that. Since I'm ruling out modding the mounting points to run long shocks (that would be the best answer, file in future dreams ) Shock needs to be about 40mm shorter so that will take about 80mm off the down travel.
OK - So now the shocks will be acting to stop down travel, (currently sway bar stops it about the same as the existing shocks max out) Having killed one set by squashing them I don't want to pull the next set apart. I'm guessing the'll be a lot less force as they max out on stretch compared to how I was landing on the current setup.
Is it worth setting up some sort of limiter straps on the axles or will the shocks be ok?
[img]http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m561/pradosteve/WorsleyMay2011.png[img]

[Sadam_Husain]

just out of interest what is the compressed/extended travel you need?

[drive it ...]

Mount to mount 330 to 560. Take off about 60mm each end for eye, bushes, and bits of internals in the shock, so just looking at cylinder and shaft gives 210 to 490. Spec measurements on the different shocks can be a bit different depending if they measure to ctr of eye or top of the shock body.

The overall travel I need is not much, just over 9" of travel, the problem is that raising the vehicle and not resetting the mount points leaves the shock in the wrong place relative to the axle travel. As someone said, it aint just as easy as bolt it in and drive it.

[Sadam_Husain]

Rancho RS99202 Max length:600mm. Min length:384mm should fit straight in.... not that I'd buy Ranchos personaly?

[drive it ...]

Hey all,
Thought i'd post what I finally did - after all the thinking / questions I realised that because the shocks were bottoming (topping?) out that was effectivly the same as having extended bump stops. I never had the up travel anyway and I was happy with the on road manners. So I've packed out the bump stops and replaced same ranchos as before (just under $400 from chamberlains). I like the adjustables because I do fair bit of road driving with quite heavy loads but then on other trips its really nice to wind them down and let it ride soft on riverbeds like the Clyde or Macaulay.
Thanks again for the input.