Are these the wrong Rancho rear shocks for a 3 inch lift?

Yaseenaltajer

Yaseenaltajer

New Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2021
Messages
16
Location
UAE
Hey guys, looked around in this forum but didn't find an exact same scenario. I have noticed a running pattern however that it seems Ranchos shocks run a little too long in some scenarios. I recently installed RS55255 and RS55256 with my new 3inch JKS springs, thinking my ride would actually sit more near 3.5inches which is what I read somewhere online, which now i see was a mistake.

I am suffering with the rear shocks (RS55256) bottoming out easily on the road, and after pulling out and measuring everything, it confirmed that they are too long, at least for my lift. I run 33s, 3inch lift, hard top and a spare 33 tire, so I believe no crazy weights.

I am now considering changing the rear ranchos to shorter ones, and I would appreciate your advice. Would RS55241 be a good choice?

It seems to have a good compressed length and i need around 2.25inch bump stop extensions to make it work. My only worry is regarding the extended length being a little too short, leading to losing downward travel while driving offroad. Below are some measurements for your reference:

Rear Suspension at Full Droop and springs removed (shock mount to mount length): 23/25 inches (driver/passenger side)
Rancho 55241 extended length: 21.67".

Rear Suspension at Full Compression and springs removed (shock mount to mount length considering 0 bump stop extensions): 11.25"
Rancho 55241 compressed length: 13.51"

Would the difference during full extension matter so much?
I have even considered adding more bump stop extensions for the current shock but ill end up with maybe 2 inches of upward travel on my rear axle, which I believe is not the optimum solution.

I would appreciate any advice I can get as I am breaking my head here and my heart breaks a little more whenever the shocks bottom out.

Yaseen
 
How much shock shaft is exposed at the normal ride height?
 
Ah i see what you mean now. I didn't measure that since there was a plastic boot that I did not remove. However the compressed length given by manufacturer (which i double checked and measured) refers to the whole shock length. So when cycling my suspension it showed me that the shock would indeed bottom out unless I put 4inch bump stop extensions, which kills my travel and the whole point of lifting the car.
jjvw said:
Shock shaft. Not the shock. It should be about 3-5" and shiny metal
Click to expand...
 
Yaseenaltajer said:
Ah i see what you mean now. I didn't measure that since there was a plastic boot that I did not remove. However the compressed length given by manufacturer (which i double checked and measured) refers to the whole shock length. So when cycling my suspension it showed me that the shock would indeed bottom out unless I put 4inch bump stop extensions, which kills my travel and the whole point of lifting the car.
Click to expand...
The shock shaft is the amount of travel. At ride height, you want about half of that shaft showing.

Your bump stops should match the compressed shock length so that you don't lose shock travel.
 
Hey jjvw,

Thanks for your reply. to match the compressed shock length, I would need around 4 inches of bump stops, which would severely restrict my upwards travel, hence my issue. I would like to know if changing the rear shocks to RS55241 (its characteristics are mentioned in my original post) would cause issues offroad, as it is significantly shorter
 
jjvw said:
The shock shaft is the amount of travel. At ride height, you want about half of that shaft showing.

Your bump stops should match the compressed shock length so that you don't lose shock travel.
Click to expand...
Also, I hope the below answers your question
The current shock (RS55256) rides at 17.5inches length at ride height. Its compressed length is 15.01inches, which i think means I would have only 2.49inches upward travel (17.5-15.01 = 2.49)
Extended length is 24.67inches. Therefore, its downward travel would be 24.67 - 17.5 = 7.17

The RS55241 in contrast would have 3.99inches upward travel and 4.17inches downward travel.

Would the RS55241 be a better fit in this case?
 
Yaseenaltajer said:
Also, I hope the below answers your question
The current shock (RS55256) rides at 17.5inches length at ride height. Its compressed length is 15.01inches, which i think means I would have only 2.49inches upward travel (17.5-15.01 = 2.49)
Extended length is 24.67inches. Therefore, its downward travel would be 24.67 - 17.5 = 7.17

The RS55241 in contrast would have 3.99inches upward travel and 4.17inches downward travel.

Would the RS55241 be a better fit in this case?
Click to expand...

Ideally, you want half of the shock shaft to be exposed at ride height. Whatever the numbers are, that is the goal.
20210417_112425.jpg
 
Yaseenaltajer said:
Hey jjvw,

Thanks for your reply. to match the compressed shock length, I would need around 4 inches of bump stops, which would severely restrict my upwards travel, hence my issue. I would like to know if changing the rear shocks to RS55241 (its characteristics are mentioned in my original post) would cause issues offroad, as it is significantly shorter
Click to expand...
The shocks are what determine the suspension travel. Not the bump stops. When you extend the bump stops, all you are doing is puttinging the jounces in a pistol position relative to the shock to make them do their job of slowing the last bit of shock travel before it reaches full collapse. The bumps do not limit the travel.
 
Top Bottom
Back