Lift for stock shocks? (1 Viewer)

[thelast13]

Happy holidays everyone.

Is there a lift I can use on stock type shocks. I just bought new Monroe shocks and thought if there is a small spacer lift I can throw on at the same time that might be a good idea. I don't want to worry about changing a lot of components and want it to ride like stock. Truck has 170k so I don't want to put too much stress on it.


Thank you!

 

[2garfields]

Stock height lift will be find, and that is why I am planning to do.

 

[Ebag333]

Shocks are part of a lift, so no.

It's like asking "can I do an engine swap to diesel and still use the 25 gallons of unleaded I just bought?"

As 2Garfields said, anything over a stock height setup (OME sells stock height springs, as do some others) will need different shocks.

Shocks aren't expensive though. You're gonna spend $400+ on springs, and can get new Pro Comps for around $160 (in any length you want to fit your lift).

What you don't tell us, however, is two important things.

1) What are you planning on doing with the rig?
2) How tall do you want to go?

 

[dafun1]

I disagree ebag. I'm running ironman medium springs up front with OME 862's in the rear with stock shocks. The standard OME shocks are nearly the same length as the stock tokicos. Maybe different dampening, but the stock tokico's with 2" of lift has been discussed before and works just fine. I'm pretty sure Monroe makes the OME shocks.

 

[Ebag333]

I disagree ebag. I'm running ironman medium springs up front with OME 862's in the rear with stock shocks. The standard OME shocks are nearly the same length as the stock tokicos. Maybe different dampening, but the stock tokico's with 2" of lift has been discussed before and works just fine. I'm pretty sure Monroe makes the OME shocks.

Can you run lifted with stock height shocks? Sure. The problem is that over extending the shocks is nearly as bad on them as over compressing them. You'll eventually damage the shocks, which will cause them to fail or start leaking.

Standard OME shocks are not the same length as the stock Tokico's. An inch (or so, I don't recall the exact difference) doesn't sound like much, but keep in mind that the axle travels in an arc, which means that additional travel on the shock gives progressively more travel for the axle.

Additionally, you can run OME L's just fine on a mild lift (without dropping bump stops). IMHO there's absolutely no reason to run stock length shocks (or even standard OME's) if you're going to be doing any sort of lift at all.

If you absolutely must run stock length shocks (or even standard OME's), you should compress a tire and see how much room you have left of (unused) up travel on the shock. I can pretty much guarantee you that you can space the shock down an inch (or more) and still not over compress the shock (without dropping bump stops). There's been a bunch of threads on how to do this, and there's no reason not to (as it's super cheap to do).


But I think you're missing my earlier point. If you're doing a lift, you're spending $400 minimum. Considering the cost of a springs, caster correction, etc, shocks are dirt cheap, especially given some of the budget options (Pro Comp, etc). There's no real reason not to get appropriately sized shocks. The phrase "penny wise, pound foolish" is what comes to mind.

 

[rolliges]

1" spacers work with OEM shocks.

 

[thelast13]

Thanks guys.
I guess I should have been more specific. I was thinking of just a spacer lift. A lifted shock and a stock shock are the same price but I don't wantto replace the springs.
I guess just a spacer is all I want. The trick is a daily driver. It doesn't need any lift I'm just thinking of while I'm changing shocks I might as well get a bit higher. 20mm or
30mm or however those little spacers go would be fine. I think.

 

[dafun1]

Stock Tokico's have around 9" of travel. Standard length OME shocks (N70, N73, N71E, and N74E) have around 10" of travel. Take an OME 851 front coil and 862 rear coil. That is about 2" up front and 1.5" in the rear. This adds 2" of uptravel and subtracts 2" of down travel in the front and does the same with 1.5" in the rear. Assuming the stock shock travel was even up and down at 4.5", then we now have 6.5 up and 2.5 down in the front and 6" up and 3" down in the rear. I have a 2" bumpstop extension in the rear, and so I now only have 4" of up travel with 3" of down in the back. I'm only getting 2.5-3" of down travel with the stock shocks, but I would only get 0.5" more with the standard OME's. Spacing is a great option, and the shock adapters and 10" travel Bilsteins FOR was selling with his kit was giving you 10" of travel evenly spaced up and down for 3" of lift. The front doesn't worry me as much because the control arms really limit travel. I'm sure I'm getting close to bottoming out my rear stock shocks when I really push it. In the end, it all depends on what type of wheeling you are doing. The real question is, at what point do the control arms and sway bars stop down travel? The 1" body lift gives me more use of this new abundance of uptravel, but the bumpstops are going to limit this as well. This is stuff you already know ebag, but there is very little difference in running stock shocks with 2" of lift from OME coils, when compared to running that lift with OME standard shocks.

 

[Ebag333]

Thanks guys.
I guess I should have been more specific. I was thinking of just a spacer lift. A lifted shock and a stock shock are the same price but I don't wantto replace the springs.
I guess just a spacer is all I want. The trick is a daily driver. It doesn't need any lift I'm just thinking of while I'm changing shocks I might as well get a bit higher. 20mm or
30mm or however those little spacers go would be fine. I think.

If you are running stock springs, adding a spacer isn't really adding lift, just restoring the lift you originally had.

Keep in mind that fresh springs will perform vastly better than old tired springs, and even better than old tired springs with a spacer. So you'll be a tiny bit taller, but your handling/etc will be negatively impacted.

For bang for the buck, I would personally do a 1" body lift over a 1" spring spacer. You'll get additional room in the wheel wells to run a slightly larger tire (if you so desire), and you move about a third of the weight up. Cost wise it's also cheaper if you source the parts yourself (which isn't difficult).

It is easier to do a spring spacer, however. (Not that a body lift is that difficult.)

Either way, you'll be fine with stock shocks if this is the route you are going. If you're going taller, you need different shocks.

The real question is, at what point do the control arms and sway bars stop down travel?

Well, I don't want to derail this thread too much, but there's folks running 14" travel shocks (front and rear) without down travel being stopped by control arms and sway bars. The bushings don't like it very much (they get really twisted up), but you can do it.

I run 12.5" travel shocks front and 14" rear, and only sitting on a 3.5" (suspension) lift, so I have tons of down travel (probably more than most ). So I know a thing or two about down travel.

The 1" body lift gives me more use of this new abundance of uptravel, but the bumpstops are going to limit this as well. This is stuff you already know ebag, but there is very little difference in running stock shocks with 2" of lift from OME coils, when compared to running that lift with OME standard shocks.

Agreed a 1" body lift will give more benefit in this case. Bump stops are usually not the limiting factor unless you drop them down, tire/body interference tends to be.

I disagree that there's little difference running stock shocks with a OME medium lift and OME standard shocks with the same lift. But I found the OME standard shocks to be extremely restrictive, lead to lots of wheel lifts. Have wheeled with others running OME medium lift and stock shocks, found they lifted wheels even more often than I on the same obstacles (by quite a bit). Personally I think OME should just sell their L's with all their kits, no down sides to doing it and only up sides.

 

[dafun1]

I agree with you completely that more down travel is a good thing. And yes, OME should just sell L's. I was just saying you can run stock shocks with the milder OME lift springs with decent success. I'm going longer eventually man, I'm just on a prescribed budget! Total thread jack, but what Procomp's do you run again? And what extended brake lines?

 

[Ebag333]

Total thread jack, but what Procomp's do you run again? And what extended brake lines?

929508 front and 932008 rear. You can find a link to the write up via my signature line.

For brake lines I only run the OEM extended one Cdan found for the rear (Tacoma I think?). Don't remember off hand, but it's documented on 'Mud. Haven't needed the fronts.