ADS Off-Road Racing Shocks - Information, Pictures, & BS Thread

Your tires aren't helping your cause, especially if you are running a bunch of air pressure. I've had people switch to those tires and come to me a few weeks later thinking their shocks are blown with the same complaints you are having.

Your preload and installed spring height are less important than measuring how much down travel you have. Having at least 2.5" of down travel is what will help you avoid feeling the shock top out to easy.

Small bumps and cracks in the road are not enough to be making the shock droop out in a fast manner. Coilovers have a solid aluminum strut mount, and bearings at all the pivot points which will provide alot more feedback to the chassis, especially if you have cheap tires or over inflated tires. Your tires are your initial suspension, they are going to be the first to absorb any discrepancies in the terrain. I see people all the time running 40-50psi in load range E tires and wondering why their truck feels like a cement truck driving down the highway.

My wife's 4 runner with the 3.0s is set at 3.25" of lift with 2.75" of down travel at ride height. We just did a 1300 mile road trip from Vegas to Reno, all around Tahoe, Into Virginia City, Carson City, Dirt roads, etc and the front rides like a dream. We are running Ridge Grapplers, Load Range C, at the door tag pressure of 32psi. We are also running 700lb springs.

Some people toss around that ADS can be digressive rebound valving because some applications run a thicker shim at the piston with thinner shims below it, which is designed to try to help catch the rebound a bit faster for the limited travel applications.

As far as spring rates, any given ride height is going to require a specific acting spring rate. Whether its a 600lb spring compressed 4" or a 700lb spring compressed 3.5", it needs the exact same amount of acting force for any given ride height. The difference being that the Stiffer spring will build more force as it compresses. A 700lb spring compressed 6.625" (4.625" of travel + 2" of preload) has 4637.5 lbs of force, a 600lb spring compressed 6.625" is 3975 lbs of force. This is at full bump, at ride height and droop the difference is less. A stiffer spring is not going to make much difference in ride quality, if any.

Your complaints don't sound like a rebound issue to me, because your talking about small imperfections. a 1/2" to 1" bump is not enough to be making the suspension top out unless you are running too much lift with no droop travel.

 

Shocks are shocks, they can all be valved to work a certain way, and valving / ride quality will always be subjective. The differences in ADS are the small details that most people may not notice, their seal set up, threaded resi caps, schrader caps, quality hydraulic hoses, shim limiter, etc. None of which guarantees a better performaning shock, but at least you aren't getting 2 piece pistons, plastic IFPs, etc like some of the competition.

 

Its something I would like to try if anyone ever drops a truck off to redo my LT kit for these applications. We have a 3.0 we built to match the exact same dimensions as our 2.5" LT 8" shock. I built them for our 2nd Gen Tundra LT kit, it took a bit of work getting everything cleared, but we got it sorted out and are having some custom springs made to fit the application.

Some people like the 3.0s because it remains a bolt on option, secondary shocks generally require welding and some fab, cycling the suspension, etc.

A 3.0 offers 40% more dampening over a 2.5, and also allows more progression with the extra shims. You can get a bit more creative and make the shock someone speed sensitive.

 

I’m pretty certain the tie rod will contact the coils in a very bad way. Especially if your 4x4.
It’s something I deal with at full lock, and I think a lot of other LT guys deal with using only 2.5. It touches just enough to chip some powder coating off. There’s very little space to work with between the axle and tie rod. And all the antidive built into the UCA doesn’t help.

The 3.0 replacement style coil overs work because of the long rod end.
I have 3.0 bypasses without issue though.

 

Awesome, thanks for the info. Maybe someday I can make a trip to Vegas

Yeah that’s what I’m afraid of. I know a different rod end is required for 4x4 with an 8” 2.5 for them even to work. It’s a tight space to work in.

 

Alright guys, here is what I've learned from speaking with ADS over the past few days.

1. There are been multiple comments from customers experiencing top out on EXT coils. Current limiter is a block of billet.
2. Over the past few months, ADS has been engineering a solution to soften the top out impact. It allows running more pre-load without harsh top out.
3. The solution will result in a slight price increase (I don't have specifics)
4. The solution can be retrofitted ONLY into EXT coils, contact ADS for specifics
5. This retrofit/upgrade should include slightly modified valving
6. Only applies to coilovers, not rear shocks.
7. This is NOT a required upgrade, most EXT users do not experience top out and even if they do might not be bothered by it. Damage is not being done by topping out, it's a comfort "solution."

On the valving topic, it seems the interwebs were not wrong. According to Tyler at ADS, "We use a fluttered progressive compression stack and a somewhat digressive rebound stack." He declined to provide specifics on the shims stack, which is understandable, but there you have it...

I'll be removing my coils tonight to ship back to ADS to have them retrofitted. I'll also be upgrading to 700lb springs in anticipation of having a bumper and winch in the next few months.

 

Understood and I agree. The ST MAXX is a very stiff tire. I run mid-30s on pressure but, yes, they are still much stiffer than a C-rated. Unfortunately, the trails around here basically require an E-rated.

I've got 3" of down travel and an installed spring length of 11 3/4 inch. I think the lack of sway bar is also giving me an extra "opportunity" to top out. Oh well, it will all be remedied soon enough!

 

So if you have extended length shocks is the retrofit needed? Or only if you experience the top out?

 

Only if you experience it and it bothers you. ADS said these things are built so strong that it would take a lot of topping out to begin to wear anything. It's mostly a comfort retrofit.

I'm updated my post to address these questions, thanks for bringing it up!

 

Good deal. I’m only at 1.5” of lift and my shocks are very broken in I don’t notice the top out.

I do notice a loud thud in my rear passenger Dakar leaf when turning and articulating. Pretty sure it’s the military style wrap slapping ever so little in the mount

 

For whatever it’s worth I have extended length shocks w/700 lb coils and I notice a sharp violent thunk when a wheel suddenly hits the end of downtravel abruptly.

The number of times this actually happens though is probably pretty few so it hasn’t made me go look for a solution.

Interested in what you find out about this retrofit though.

 

I’ll give it a good workout, will report back

 

If I’m understanding this topping out problem correctly, wouldn’t limit straps be a quick cheapish solution?

Edit: Still over $100 in bits and pieces to make it adjustable.

 

Yes, I considered it

 

The OME 2888’s with their 90021 shocks did the exact same thing to me constantly when I went over potholes and I even had aftermarket SPC UCAs. This was immensely more than my ADS ever have with the same exact UCAs

I wonder if shocks just do that

 

Off with the new, on with the old...

 

Finally joining you guys. Hopefully installing this weekend. 2.5 ext w/ remote resi and 700lb

 

Right on man!!!!

 

Are those black brackets the resi mounts? They look different

 

Thats what i thought? Did they change the bracket?