Couple O Suspension Questions

[smithe1811]

Can you tell its nice out? i have a thousand questions because ive been out doin stuff to the MJ all day. Anyway, I finally decided i wanted to get rid of my drop brackets so my first question is what parts will i need to procure after i remove those to keep my 4" lift. my second question is probably a stupid one but here goes, shouldnt there be some upward movement in my suspension? the way my truck sits now, the suspension is maxed out, all the way up.

 

Thanks

Erik

[Pete M]

When you say "maxed out", do you mean the tire won't go up any more? Or is something bottoming out (like your shocks or bumpstops or something else that's touching and preventing upward motion). A super stiff coil can hurt up-travel, but if you've got some sort of physical restriction, you might want to find out what it is. :hmm:

[smithe1811]

it seems to me like the shock is reaching full extension, like maybe whomever lifted the truck did not upgrade the shocks.

[kmack]

i think that you mean that the truck has no sag. the "linkage" (mountain bike terms) and the shock have to work together.

 

if the shock does not sit proportional to the linkage then there is a problem. if both are matching in specifications then your coils (preload) must be set properly to achieve the proper amount of "sag" along with the wheel's "travel".

 

on my downhill race mountain bike i have a large 8 inch shock absorber in the front which is a no brainer but in the back the linkage usually has about a 10-14 inch range. the proper useable range is only 8 inches and the shock used determines this range.

[smithe1811]

Basically, if i go out and put a jack under the whole front end of my truck and lift it up, it will come right off the groung rather than the suspension decompressing and then coming off the ground.

[dasbulliwagen]

Unbolt your upper shock mount and then try lifting again to see if it makes any diffference. If not you need to be looking for where the suspension is binding. Though it does sound like your shocks are the limiting factor. If they are the problem, replacing them with ones of the proper length should also improve the ride, as when youre in rebound, the upward movent of the body won't be so limited and hit the full extension on the shocks. Try unbolting them and see what happens.

[phenryiv1]

Basically, if i go out and put a jack under the whole front end of my truck and lift it up, it will come right off the groung rather than the suspension decompressing and then coming off the ground.

Where are you putting the jack when you say that they don't decompress? Are yuo putting it on the frame, or on the axle?

[MrSimon]

You can usually just look at your shocks and tell if there if there is additional uptravel available.

 

Chances are, you are jacking the truck up by the axle, and you have stiff springs that keep it from compressing.

 

Try just leaving the truck sit normally on the ground, and bounce on the front bumper a couple times. If it compresses down, you've got uptravel.

[Eagle]

The previous owner probably tossed in the lift and didn't buy new shocks, which would leave them pretty well maxed out. The ideal solution would obviously be to buy new shocks. If money is tight, you can buy extensions for the upper studs that add maybe 1-1/2" or 2". Whether you get new shocks or use the extenders, you should also extend your bump stops. You don't want the suspension to mash the shock when a wheel moves UP in the wheel well. The shock should not be asked to serve as a bump stop.

[smithe1811]

I know better than to jack it by the axle to check the problem, lifting it by the frame is when it happens, soon as i get a few mins i will try unbolting them to see what happens, I'm about 99% sure that thats the problem.Ill report back to yall