Whitetail

I was wondering, Will a shorter lift, but with longer travel shocks actually flex and travel better than a taller lift, with shorter (But still adequate for its size) Shocks? say your shock for a smaller lift has 10 inches of travel, but the shock for the larger lift has only 6 or so, Just hypothetical here. I know a larger lift will start with higher travel shocks just because of the height you're going.

Basically does more shock travel - more useable lift, even if the lift is a smaller lift.

CheapCherokee

well anything with longer travel shocks will flex more and better than shorter travel shocks. your lift shouldnt matter, you should be able to get the same if not more travel shocks with bigger lifts.

Gorillaxj

A longer travel shock will only help flex when it is the limiting factor. so lift type, suspension type and geometry, and overall setup also needs to be taken into account to answer you question completely.

however the limiting parts to a stock suspension are the shocks, sway bar, control arms, and then spring length which will limit down travel by not allowing you to drop any further down with out the spring falling out.

but a LCG (low center gravity) build is a good way to go, just because you only have 3 inches of lift doesn't mean you can't out flex someone els's who has 10" lift... just comes down to tire size that can fit (yes you can cut to make the bigger ones fit if you like. but over all flex has to do with what is causing it to be limited or bind. if the shocks are the only thing limiting it the yes. longer ones will make it flex more.

Gatchmo5710

this is all correct. just because you put longer shocks on your jeep wont make it flex any more than it does now

PingPong

MY take on this you need 3-4" of up travel... and al the USEABLE down trvel you cen get. BY this I mean you dont want to Bind your front suspension up cause it drops too far. Also doesnt do you any good if you are binding up your steering or dropping your coils out too far.

ON a short arm lift... you are limited by your uppers. On a radias arm setup you are limited by the bind created by dropping the axle out and steering. #links are limited by steering and trac bar.. in my case I am limited by strap and brake lines.

outkast

Droop "should" be limited by straps. Up travel should be limited by bump stops. In the real world droop is usually limited by shocks or bind. Short arms can flex almost as well as a long arm setup when setup properly.

My take on your question is this: A taller lift with the wrong shocks can be out "flexed" by the shorter lift with the proper shocks. Don't think of shocks as longer or shorter, think of them as proper or improper.

A proper shock should allow full compresion of the suspension to the bump stop and still have a little travel to go for give in the suspension and bumps. That said a proper shock should also have enough extension to allow the suspension bind or straps to be the limiting factor. (This assumes there are no other limiting factors like brake lines.)

BigC9164

long travel shocks and then set up your bumpstops! and limiting straps will help your coils from getting to unseated... thats my plan anyways when i can get all my parts together

PingPong

I dis agree with OUtKast on the fact that a short arm kit can flex as well as a long arm kit.

SHort arm kits are limited by the upper control arms.

3-4" up travel
limit suspension to 2" before stretching brake line tight
Coils unseating on the top is not as big a deal if the bottoms are held in place.

outkast

How do you figure the uppers limit travel? The uppers have an almost unlimited range of motion down. There is nothing to limit them moving in an arc. Or do you mean the fact that they have uppers? With my short arms and nothing else hooked up the axle will hang vertical, I can then lift the other side all the way into the wheel well while the one side stays almost motionless. Makes for a kinda ****ty drive line angle.

Oh and don't get me wrong long arms can flex better, that doesn't mean they WILL. Its all in setup.

PingPong

The upper arms limit how far down the axle will travel.


On the 3 link I run even I have had to go to a long travel slip on the driveshaft cause of how much travel I have.