Thread: Correct Length Shockies

you can get plus 2" shocks or just drop your mounts 2" by installing new turrets and shock droppers..
Lifts are good for putting on bigger tyres which give you more under body clearance.. but to retain your articulation or droop you need longer shocks or drop the mounts...

Well the idea for the lift is as you stated, bigger tyres, more clearance but also more droop as my belief is that
more droop = greater chance of maintaining contact with the ground = better traction.

Maybe I need to research other brands to see what they have to offer. At this stage I was looking at Rancho and TJM and when I called them they said standard units???

Originally Posted by wrex

Well the idea for the lift is as you stated, bigger tyres, more clearance but also more droop as my belief is that
more droop = greater chance of maintaining contact with the ground = better traction.

Maybe I need to research other brands to see what they have to offer. At this stage I was looking at Rancho and TJM and when I called them they said standard units???

I'm pretty sure you have to have extended length shocks when lifting a Disco, well you do for a Disco 2.

Baz.

While you can retain the same length shock absorbers with a lift, you lose in the amount of "droop" you can get. Ideally you need to lower the upper mounts by the same amount as the lift. But that is not the only consideration.

The problem with just getting longer dampers, or lowering the upper mount, is that you also have to consider the closed length of them - is will not do them any good to be used as bump stops, so if you get longer shock absorbers or move the mount to allow the same amount of droop, you have to space the spring stops.

So there are two figures that need to be considered.

This is probably why the suppliers want to leave the shockers the same - it saves a lot of thinking and work.

John

Hi Wrex,

Don't have any first-hand knowledge of the longer damper issue although your argument sounds right.

But, IMHO, give Rancho a big swerve. Poorly constructed and as for the adjustable damping of the 9000X, my rear ones had to be on the max setting from day one to give any sort of reasonable performance.

Have gone back to Bilsteins - excellent IMO.

Well this is my experience with standard length shocks and a 2" lift on my D2, first trip offroad the shocks were topping out, because they didn't have the travel for a 2" lift, i'm fairly sure the D1 is similar and needs longer travel shocks.

Baz.

If you want to install longer shocks you have to consider a lot of things that Landrover did extensive testing on.
1 you have to consider all operating conditions.Eg landing from a jump , how much does the bumpstop compress. In my experience it almost flattens so compresses maybe 20MM.
2 What angle is placed on the rear ball joint at max articulation. Has it got the range?
3 How long are the driveshafts? Will they fall out?
4 how long are the springs? will they fall out?

In general to be safe the shock mountings have to be FURTHER APART. Ie you should raise the front tower with a spacer or at the rear either lower the axle mount ( eg look at a Disco2) or raise the top, which is impossible with a non body lifted RRC or Disco1.

ANY of these mods requires an Engineers report to be legal.
So think carefully before you put longer shocks on, or you WILL face breakages on the trail.
Just as an example I put new Boge standard shocks on my RRC. Then went to Bendethra and broke one rear shock off at the eye. When I checked carefully, I found that I had missed the inner tapered washer as it was dirty and added another. Just this tiny change caused a broken shock.
Regards Philip A

Here is my 2cents worth
When you raise the vehicle the droop will remain the sam as it was befor the lift as the suspension travels in an arc and the fixed points of the arch have not changed only the starting point on the curve has been altered.
If you change the pressure of your springs you will get more or less droope

If you change a fixed pinto of the arc eg longer shocks the extra droop will be equal to the reduced amount of upward movement you will have. When you are crossed axled the extra droop on one side will be reduced by the limited upward movement on the other.

The rear shocks are long enough to allow the coils to fall out with no issues with the tailshaft. Working on the front suspension is the challenge