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You know customised suspension setups usually require custom-length shocks in order to maximise wheel travel and other performance factors.
4WD1 imports and stocks a full range of USA-made Rancho® long-travel & custom-length shocks, so dealing with us is easy.
For example, we have a couple of shocks in the Rancho® RS9000XL series which extend to 819mm and compress to 491mm.
That’s 12.5″ of travel!
Or a super-humungous Rancho RS9000XL: Measuring from centre of eye to centre of eye it extends to 918mm and compresses to 537mm.
That’s a whopping 15 inches of travel!
In fact, if you’ve got a rig that rides on these, please send us your pics. That’s one tough truck!
So if you need a custom shock for your 4WD or even a camper trailer, just give us a call or send us an email. We even have a bloke here who knows the open and closed lengths of almost every shock we have, off the top of his head! – AMAZING!
UNDERSTANDING EXTRA LENGTH
Customers often ask something like;
“I’ve got a (- insert your vehicle here -) with a 3″ lift kit, so I’m chasing shocks that extend out 3 inches more than original, but compress down to the same amount as the factory shocks…”
I can see the logic here, but there are a number of things to consider. Firstly, let’s assume that the vehicle with a 3″ suspension lift will benefit from 3″ longer shocks. (More about this in a minute).You can’t have a shock that is 3 inches greater in the extended length compared to original, yet compresses down to the same body length as the original unit. This is because the shock body (which is your compressed length) must be greater in order to allow for the increased extended length (rod length).
Perhaps your fourby does need 3” longer shocks. However, this is rarely the case. Even with a 3″ lift suspension kit fitted, the amount of extra movement between the shock mounts may be minimal. This is because of the way the axle and wheel is positioned relative to the mounting and angle of the shocks. It may be that the vehicle sway-bars are holding the travel of the suspension back. It could be that (in the case heavy-duty springs) that the extra spring rate creates less flexibility, negating the benefit of fitting a longer shock.
If we go ahead and fit the 3″ longer shock, in the case of a coil-spring vehicle, the coils may not remain captive on extended travel (the coil falls out). On compression travel (because the shock body is longer) you might destroy the shocks as the suspension pushes down past what the body length specification will allow. If the longer shocks do allow for more suspension travel than original, your brake lines may be too short (stretch and tear). You might put extra load or tension on your sway-bar. In some cases, driveline damage can occur.
On most popular Australian-sold vehicles with a suspension lift of up to 50mm. The shock length supplied (in almost any brand in the marketplace) is around the same as the original unit. This is because in most cases there is sufficient travel in the shock’s stroke to allow for this type of lift. I’m not saying you could not get extra travel by fitting a longer or slightly longer shock, but the modifications and checklist involved are usually more than what the average family-orientated 4wd owner wants to take on.
To maximise your suspension travel with longer shocks, you need to find a safe way to stress test the suspension without shock absorbers fitted and then note the open and closed measurements between the shock mounts. You need to make sure that any modification you make to a vehicles suspension will not affect the safe and reliable operation of the vehicle.
Remember that whenever you make a modification to alleviate a certain issue, it often creates another problem you need to deal with and so on.
4WD1 imports and stocks a full range of USA-made Rancho® long-travel & custom-length shocks, so dealing with us is easy.
For example, we have a couple of shocks in the Rancho® RS9000XL series which extend to 819mm and compress to 491mm.
That’s 12.5″ of travel!
Or a super-humungous Rancho RS9000XL: Measuring from centre of eye to centre of eye it extends to 918mm and compresses to 537mm.
That’s a whopping 15 inches of travel!