How to measure travel

[NorCalChris]

So when someone says "strapped at 22 inches in front", how are they getting that measurement? Because they might have 14inch coilovers or similar. I've just always been confused as to why they had more travel then their shocks size.. It's a newb queston, but whatever. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[bluejeepkid]

So when someone says "strapped at 22 inches in front", how are they getting that measurement? Because they might have 14inch coilovers or similar. I've just always been confused as to why they had more travel then their shocks size.. It's a newb queston, but whatever. Thanks for the help guys.

Ahh, I also wonder this..

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

i think it means they have a .22 a few inches from their crotch...

thugs be strapped...

 

[crazyjim]

Front - Remove springs (be it coils or t-bars or coilovers) droop out the suspension fully then measuring at the hub (bearing cap, whatever) raise the suspension to its fully bumped position. The distance traveled from bump to droop as measured at the hub will be your suspension travel.

Rear - With leaves, jack your truck up so the tires are off the ground, measure from the top of the axle tube to the frame, or wherever your bumps bottom out. That is the amount of possible travel you have.

We Jeep guys and any solid axle guys won't have more travel than our shocks measure in the front, it just won't happen unless you lean your shocks either way in or way back. IFS guys (beams, a-arms) have more travel because of shock angle and placement.

 

[rockclimber]

I've never heard someone say they were strapped longer than their shocks.

however, they could be talking about total droop from stock bump to what their current travel allows, which will be different depending on how they mount them.

or they are talking about the length of their straps, which also only matters by how you mount them.

for example, I have 11.5" of travel up front, 12" shocks. my straps are 19" long, and if I measure from stock bump to the bottom of my current shocks, I have 15.5" of droop. I would say I have 12" shocks, strapped at 11.5" with 5" of up, 6" of down and 4" of extended bump over stock.

 

[NorCalChris]

Front - Remove springs (be it coils or t-bars or coilovers) droop out the suspension fully then measuring at the hub (bearing cap, whatever) raise the suspension to its fully bumped position. The distance traveled from bump to droop as measured at the hub will be your suspension travel.

Rear - With leaves, jack your truck up so the tires are off the ground, measure from the top of the axle tube to the frame, or wherever your bumps bottom out. That is the amount of possible travel you have.

We Jeep guys and any solid axle guys won't have more travel than our shocks measure in the front, it just won't happen unless you lean your shocks either way in or way back. IFS guys (beams, a-arms) have more travel because of shock angle and placement.

Thank you. It isn't more complicated then I thought.

 

[Skullver]

With leaves you really have to remove all the leaves but the main to cycle it as you won't get it to droop out all the way with the full assembled pack, as well as for setting your bumpstops, you will lift the vehicle up way before you get the leaf pack at its fully stuffed position. It is all about the motion ratio of your shocks, say you have your shocks mounted halfway down your lower control arm(not recomended, just an example), your shock will travel say 6" while your wheel will travel 12"(arbitrary numbers).

 

[crazyjim]

Yea but Chris, for checking actual travel, how much further will the rear drop out with a full pack once in motion? An inch? Cycling for shocks I totally agree with you, take the pack apart, cycle the main leaf, and set your shocks and bumps up. But measuring droop with just the main leaf for getting travel numbers seems like cheating to me.

 

[tone]

Yea but Chris, for checking actual travel, how much further will the rear drop out with a full pack once in motion? An inch? Cycling for shocks I totally agree with you, take the pack apart, cycle the main leaf, and set your shocks and bumps up. But measuring droop with just the main leaf for getting travel numbers seems like cheating to me.

You can't beat it, when you cheat it! :dunno:

 

[Skullver]

That all depends Jim, but every inch counts(insert sexual innuendo here). I would say it is a significant amount(1 or 2 inches is significant if we are talking 12" vs 14" on an XJ, to me at least), but probably not in a stock XJ on 28"s, but certainly on an XJ with say 35"s or so.

 

[I Beamed Jeep]

So when someone says "strapped at 22 inches in front", how are they getting that measurement? Because they might have 14inch coilovers or similar. I've just always been confused as to why they had more travel then their shocks size.. It's a newb queston, but whatever. Thanks for the help guys.

It all depends on your shock mount ratio. Most jeeps set up there shock mounts on a 1-1 ratio, but if you were to lean the shock over or move it up the link the ratio changes & intern the shorter shock will allow you more travel if your suspension allows it of course . My jeep has a 14in shock and is strapped at 18in of travel because my shocks are karate chopping the whoops like a ninja :viking:

 

[GrimmJeeper]

my shocks are karate chopping the whoops like a ninja.

yep, that's going in my sig haha :cheers: