Outboard mounted shocks: Is it really worth it?

[tworley]

Im hoping to have mine outboard this spring, with 3" bumpstops I have 4.5" down on a 9.75" travel shock, any further and I experience bind.

 

[Serbonze]

What are they extended to prevent the interference of? Over-compressing the shocks?

I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t remember. I want to say that the axle was at full stuff and we bumped for the gap that remained between the cup and the perch. You are certainly more well versed in this than I am though. Does that axle look like it could have more uptravel? If so, then we bumped for the shocks.

 

[Serbonze]

So for arguments sake, let’s say that I set up the bump stops for the compressed length of the shock and the axle still had additional room to travel up. Outboarding allows for a taller tower, therefore a longer travel shock, thus using all of the available travel of the axle?

 

[David Kishpaugh]

I'm bumping up a very old thread here, but I have questions and a desire to fully understand what benefits (if any) outboarding the rear shocks would provide for *my Jeep which spends most of its life on the pavement*.

I'm currently using 4" Currie springs, Rocksport Shocks (24.5" extended and 14.6" collapsed). I have an SYE but no tummy tuck, with no plans on ever adding one. With my current bumpstops I'm at 6” of uptravel and a hair under 4” of downtravel.

If I'm reading this correctly, after outboarding the rear shocks you can utilize a 12" travel shock, which will gain you an additional 2" of travel over stock. How is that typically divided between up and down? With my current setup I have already gained 2" of additional uptravel over stock.

the amount of shock shaft showing at ride height with stock shock mounts isNOT the amount of straight up travel you have while hitting a curb in the parking lot. a 15" collapsed shock length will hit a 2" bump under articulation as it bottoms out, but needs 3.75" bumpstop for straight up depending also on the mount configuration as well as the suspension geometry. some set ups nose dive the pinion pretty hard .

outboards will allow you to hit the minimum bumpstop amount straight up, which is 2" for the track bar relocation and 5.5" stack height of pretty much any spring 2"-4" lift. 4.5" metal cloak 6.5" collapsed springs, for example need 3" but are 19-20" long and can hang a 14" travel shock matched to 3" bumpstops in an outboard position at or near 90 degrees to the lower control arm. The driveshaft cv is the limiting factor there.

the normal 12" travel set up with a currie spring is 3" bumpstop and 17.5" extended spring height at 90 degrees. I've found the 18" plus currie coils to settle in at 17-17.5". we can get to a 2" bumpstop by tilting the tower back slightly and limiting the unsprung length to 17".

most aftermarket 2-6" rear coils are from 15-16.5" free length. I opt to set up the 15-16" unsprung on 2" stops with 11" travel shocks.

 

[David Kishpaugh]

https://www.facebook.com/search/str...r+outboard+tower+installation/keywords_search

 

[jjvw]

The outboard/moving of the mounts would allow the bump stops to be extended for something other than the compressed shock. You are also able to better match the shock travels with the spring travels by putting those travels in phase with each other. The extended shock can closely match the barely unseated spring and the compressed shock can better match the spring as it reaches bind.

 

[Powdermonkey]

@Chris
The above links don’t work. I’m trying to get an understanding of outboarding shocks and it seems these must of been worth reading.

 

[Chris]

@Chris
The above links don’t work. I’m trying to get an understanding of outboarding shocks and it seems these must of been worth reading.

Try this:
https://bit.ly/2DcJY0O

 

[billiebob]

Lately it seems like everyone is talking about outboard mounted shocks. I know a local guy who does them for $850.

My question is, is it worth the cost? Is it that noticeable of an improvement, and what are the benefits?

Would this be something worth doing for a TJ that only sees some off-roading, or is this one of those things that's not really needed unless you're doing a ton of really technical off-roading?

YES, I want them so I won't ever again have the broken upper studs. HUGE improvement. Someone does them using stock Ford parts.

 

[derekmac]

For those that have done this, could you post pics of your lower shock mount? I'm a visual person and would like to see how it looks before I do this.

 

[Educatemepls]

Nice Job Dave! I think between you and us, the customers will finally have some decent options for fixing their suspension that actually work.

Customers? You've got a shop? do you do fab work? If love you to do my suspension... If I can afford it, will be a long drive but from reading all this threads think I trust you more than my own mother.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Customers? You've got a shop? do you do fab work? If love you to do my suspension... If I can afford it, will be a long drive but from reading all this threads think I trust you more than my own mother.

Yes mrblaine does awesome Jeep builds full time. People have brought their Jeeps to Blaine from longer distances than SLC which isn't that long of a drive.

Though these are old photos, this is one of his builds...

 

[Educatemepls]

God, that's an amazing rig.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

God, that's an amazing rig.

It is. I saw it while it was being built and then got to wheel with it once.

I took this photo with him on a trail named Sunbonnet in Johnson Valley.

 

[David Kishpaugh]

My shop is in Estacada, Or.
I build front and rear shock towers. Both fixed and adjustable along with many other suspension geometry correction components and tj track bar solutions that fit with stock bumpstop extension and no lift ideal for daily driven jeeps

 

[Ephry73]

These are all great posts. I wonder if it is worth it for something around 3" lift or slightly less. Looking into correcting the rear and I have to reweld perches and cut rust out, which gives me a great excuse to relocate the shocks. For the amount of lift I have I was thinking of using the JK 2-3" Bilstein 5100 shocks which will put me at 11" travel in the rear.