Obsession over rear shock travel and options - really???

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re_guderian

re_guderian

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Judging by the inordinate amount of rear shock threads here, and the number of hours I spent reading them all agonizing over the timeless tradeoff of quality v travel and our "limited" choices therein, I was dismayed to actually put a tape measure to the OME's (not the "L" shocks, Schotts) and find out that they aren't all that... I'm not sure where the OME "2 inches of extra travel" number comes from, but when I lined up the lower mounting holes and put the OME next to the Toyota ones, I wasn't feeling the love. :rolleyes: For the smart-shopper price of OEM, how can you go wrong on a stock truck?
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When I took the AHC off my truck I had the OEM AHC 'shocks', OME's and a set of Darren's Bilsteins to hand so I did some measuring, centre of lower mounting hole to top mounting surface (so allow for some variation in how much the bush's would compress):


OEM AHC
FRONT OPEN = 465mm
FRONT CLOSED = 320mm
REAR OPEN = 615mm
REAR CLOSED = 395mm

OME
FRONT OPEN = 465mm
FRONT CLOSED = 325mm
REAR OPEN = 635mm
REAR CLOSED = 385mm

BILSTEIN
FRONT OPEN = 480mm
FRONT CLOSED =
REAR OPEN = 650mm
REAR CLOSED = 410mm

Don't know what the figure for OME L's would be.
 
wildsmith said:
When I took the AHC off my truck I had the OEM AHC 'shocks', OME's and a set of Darren's Bilsteins to hand so I did some measuring, centre of lower mounting hole to top mounting surface (so allow for some variation in how much the bush's would compress):


OEM AHC
FRONT OPEN = 465mm
FRONT CLOSED = 320mm
REAR OPEN = 615mm
REAR CLOSED = 395mm

OME
FRONT OPEN = 465mm
FRONT CLOSED = 325mm
REAR OPEN = 635mm
REAR CLOSED = 385mm

BILSTEIN
FRONT OPEN = 480mm
FRONT CLOSED =
REAR OPEN = 650mm
REAR CLOSED = 410mm

Don't know what the figure for OME L's would be.
Click to expand...

STOLEN FROM SLEE

N73 - Ext - 24.2" - Compressed - 13.9" - 10.3" travel
N73L - Ext 26.2" - Compressed - 15.2" - 11" travel
N74E - Ext - 24.4" - Compressed - 14.6" - 9.8" Travel
N74L - Ext -26.3" - Compressed - 15.2" - 11.1" Travel

Inches to Millimeters

Millimeters to Inches
 
Last edited:
Ok, so the Bilstein are 15mm (.6") longer then the OME in the rear? I've always heard the OME are longer then both OEM and Bilstein.

It's hard to know if Slee and wildsmith measured the same way, but according to them the OME N74L is 18mm (.7") longer then Bilstein in the rear.

I'm not seeing a HUGE different between OME and Bilstein like most make it out to be... In other words my Bilsteins are looking better and better every day.
 
Anthony.L said:
Ok, so the Bilstein are 15mm (.6") longer then the OME in the rear? I've always heard the OME are longer then both OEM and Bilstein.

It's hard to know if Slee and wildsmith measured the same way, but according to them the OME N74L is 18mm (.7") longer then Bilstein in the rear.

I'm not seeing a HUGE different between OME and Bilstein like most make it out to be... In other words my Bilsteins are looking better and better every day.
Click to expand...

The Bilsteins wildsmith is measuring are from the other side of the big pond. They are not available in the good ol' USA
USA Bilsteins are shorter then stock OEM
 
Actually, wrong pond. They are from Oz, not the UK. And they are custom valved for Darren's shop, not in the regular Bilstein catalog.
 
Darren's Bilsteins are not available off the shelf here in the UK either, they had to be imported from him in Australia via a UK dealer. I think they're a bit shorter in the rear than OME L's but longer than the regular OME's especialy useful up front where 15mm extra shocker travel probably equates to more like 20mm of wheel travel. The valving is great with good low speed ride quality, not harsh at all, but really work well at higher speed over very rough surfaces. I've not run the OME's on my 100 to be able compare ride quality.
 
Pictures are worth a thousand words and do not lie. We've all seen them. The answer is out there for which "bolt-on" shock solution offers the best travel. I've tested with:

OEM
OME
OME 80-series L

Forget the forum warts and simply use your eyes. Pic's tell the whole story (in this case).
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
Pictures are worth a thousand words and do not lie. We've all seen them. The answer is out there for which "bolt-on" shock solution offers the best travel. I've tested with:

OEM
OME
OME 80-series L

Forget the forum warts and simply use your eyes. Pic's tell the whole story (in this case).
Click to expand...

I guess what I was getting at with my original post is that all the options - except for the L's - are pretty much a wash in terms of realistic improvements in rear travel.

Bottom line, on the 100 series you can't get any extra travel up front, and limited lift, and the rear is pretty much the same unless you go the route you did with the L's. People don't have to feel like they're "settling" for the USA Bilstiens or OEM, since they're only ~1" shorter than the OME non-L.
 
re_guderian said:
I guess what I was getting at with my original post is that all the options - except for the L's - are pretty much a wash in terms of realistic improvements in rear travel.

Bottom line, on the 100 series you can't get any extra travel up front, and limited lift, and the rear is pretty much the same unless you go the route you did with the L's. People don't have to feel like they're "settling" for the USA Bilstiens or OEM, since they're only ~1" shorter than the OME non-L.
Click to expand...

Yes...very true. That's why the L-shock rear setup makes such a big difference on the 100. It helps keep the wheels down on the ground (both rear and front...depending on what's going on).
 
In terms of travel, having the right spring rates for the weight of your truck is probably more important than a bit of extra down travel and then when you have that sorted worry if an extra inch would help I would say? I went Bilstein because the OME's I put on the two 80's we used to have didn't work very well but lots of people are obviously happy with them.
 
wildsmith said:
In terms of travel, having the right spring rates for the weight of your truck is probably more important than a bit of extra down travel and then when you have that sorted worry if an extra inch would help I would say? I went Bilstein because the OME's I put on the two 80's we used to have didn't work very well but lots of people are obviously happy with them.
Click to expand...

An extra 3-inches makes a HUGE difference. Anybody running technical trails would see the benefit in the first minute.

Imagine IF you could add 3-inches FRONT travel to the 100? People would say the difference is amazing. Well you can get there on the rear now...not the front though. :mad:
 
NICE TRY! :D

Not going to work on the UZJ (IFS). Cannot lift as high as a 105. That height is what enables using a shock and spring like that. N74L still the IFS king.
 
Take a look at the procomp es9000s. You can get 10-14" travel shocks and they are a lot cheaper.
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
An extra 3-inches makes a HUGE difference. Anybody running technical trails would see the benefit in the first minute.

Imagine IF you could add 3-inches FRONT travel to the 100? People would say the difference is amazing. Well you can get there on the rear now...not the front though. :mad:
Click to expand...


Why not go longer yet? If 3" is good then 6" should be even better...plenty of longer shocks available out there.
 
Am I missing all the threads where Shotts system fails?????? I see him post the pics... and everyone else say it is wrong... but no back-up. What is the real deal??? Not trying to start a flame thread. But just not getting all the hate. Please enlighten me. I want to know the facts here.
 
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