L shocks essential ? (1 Viewer)

[T Y L E R]

Hey ,

If I go to an 850J/863 setup on my '97 without any aftermarket bumperage etc , can I leave the OME med shocks in place ? The L's would more or less be something I'd go with for more droop right ? As in hard trails ?

If I can leave the shocks as they are , I'll still lower the bump stops though . I'd like to stuff my 315's on 16x10's , so I want to avoid ripping flares off .

Still going to be a 98% Starbucks™ poster 80

TY

 

[Waggoner5]

I don't see any problem with a street truck on standard length shocks. The L shocks allow for more drop yes but also allow for more complete suspension travel with the Js. I ran the L shocks all the way around and adjusted my bump stops accordingly. 16x10s and 315s might still rub. Keep me posted on that, I am thinking the same route.
Gary

 

[Curran]

No, the L shocks are not essential. Your down travel in front will be limited more by the shorter shocks, but it won't be a show stopper especially if you're cruising coffee houses. I'd have three concerns:
1. The spring rate v. dampening rate would not be matched as intended by OME. Not a big deal. My OME shocks were not designed to go with Christo's 6" springs but they work well together.
2. 850J/863 sprung truck w/o additional weight is going to be a rough ride. A skate board comes to mind.
3. Your castor will be way off with Js and no additional weight.

:Black Venti Sumatra:

Curran

 

[Tooth Fairy]

I've been runnin' stock length OME's for awhile with "J"'s and have had no problems. As a bonus for those that are too lazy to lengthen their brake lines the shocks limit the down travel enough to not stretch the brake lines. Well, it worked for me anyway.

I upgraded to the J's from 851/863 and I ran that setup with no caster correctionfro years and it never bothered me or my wife. Now I'm running the C/C bushings and J's with a 1" spacer and still no real complaints.

I'm not having my caster checked out though because I am sure it's off. I'm just used to it that way.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I just (two weeks ago) went from the std. OME to "J" springs. I'd intended to leave the LTR shocks on the truck. I spoke with both ARB and Christo about it and they both advised going with the L shocks. The L's are 100mm longer than the std. shocks. I was bummed to find out that the LTRs are no longer than the std. shocks (then why are they called Long Travel?).

To test this whole thing, I jacked up my truck using a hi-lift on the slider. The tires dropped down about an inch before they bottomed out the LTR shocks. ARB had mentioned a concern about bottoming the shock out in both directions and damaging it. So, 4 "L" shocks later, all is well.

And spend the $$ to lengthen the brake lines. Nothing will ruin your day like one of those popping loose.

 

[80cruiserscool]

i just did the L shocks last weekend! i was running the j's with new monroe stock length shocks and kept getting the bottomin out jar when i would hit a larger bump. i put those babies on and now i am rolling in complete comfort!
i would put the money in for the ride!

 

[T Y L E R]

This is great input . The interesting thing about our rigs seems to be the variance within similar or identical setups . Two 80's side by side with the same setup , and only one will seem to experience a castor problem ... and for some rides will be harsh , and others just fine . Not all these things can be explained thru subjectiveness .

Have to listen to all the input , and then make up your own mind .. and jump in . Tweaking as we go , I guess ..

 

[Tooth Fairy]

...and then make up your own mind ...

This is what you should do.

 

[Waggoner5]

Tyler as we spoke earlier my truck rides really good with this combination and no other aftermarket mods other than the SC. The caster is off somewhat and I can feel it but, Christos brackets should fix that. Do it, you won't regret it.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

. Two 80's side by side with the same setup , and only one will seem to experience a castor problem ...

This was proven to me in swapping to J's. I had the caster bushings in with the 2" springs, and I thought for sure I'd notice something with the extra 1.5". Truck drives just the same.

And ARB must be in bed with MAF. When I talked to them about the shocks, they advised me that I'd need to get new control arms and that MAF had them. I asked if I could also get them at Slee and they weren't sure.

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

The L shocks allow for more drop yes but also allow for more complete suspension travel with the Js.

Please help me to understand....the shock limits the travel down (and sometimes up) and the bump stops limit the travel up. How do J-springs allow for more complete travel?

 

[T Y L E R]

In reading this , I felt it meant that the L shocks would allow full 'usage' of the J springs thru they're full range . Whereas regular shocks might somewhat limit the full expansion of the spring upon droop .

It sounds as though some guys have no probs with regular shocks and longer coils . However others are reporting a bottoming out when staying with non-L shocks . Perhaps a regular coil would be spent when the regular shock reached it's outer range of motion .. but with the J springs , they are still applying downward force when the regular shock is fully extended .

Regardless of ride quality experienced , can someone comment on this 'force' . I'd like to know if the regular shocks mated to J springs will experience a shorter life due to being bottomed out repeatedly .

TY

 

[ShottsUZJ100]

Here's why I ask: A buddy, with OME 3-inch AND L-shocks recently changed to J-Springs. He thought the truck flexed better (??). How could this be?

 

[Waggoner5]

He probably is saying that it flexes more because the spring is longer and he now has the shocks to allow the extra axle movement. This is assuming that the bump stops were previously lowered to the correct length and the tires are small enough to stuff up in the fender well.
I can't comment on the force issue other than the shocks continually over extending is bad. I don't see a bottoming out senario happening at all. I have a 03 Dodge truck that I ran a leveling kit on for 2 weeks with out extending the shocks. After 2 weeks I replaced them with correct length shocks and found the old ones to be fine. I felt them over extend many times and they hit hard. OMEs? No telling how they will do.