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

I’m looking forward to the 650’s and the internal spring upgrade to prevent topouts. My shocks were made before that was done.
I think 600’s would be too squishy, but not sure. I’m surprised by the big difference in spring rate between 13” and 14” coils with the same weight

 

i gotta install mine

 

slacker!

 

shhh

 

My front driverside developed a god awful squeak a few days ago. Thought it was my SPC uca bushings (again). Got it halfway off before I figured out that wasn't it. Ten more minutes of searching and it turns out it was just the lower shock bolt/bushing of my ADS. Couple sprays of lube and it's silent again. For now....

squeaky shock = worn spherical bearing = common

 

That's the spherical bearing. COM10T

The lowers last me a year.

Get a replacement in there soon. Once they start squeaking, they're already shot.

 

Once that lower bearing starts to make noise, its teflon lining is worn out and probably gone. That is why spraying it quieted it down. But the squeak will soon be back.

It is important to note that the worn bearing will begin to cause other damage if not addressed. The misalignment spacer between the shock bolt and the bearing can be damaged. Also, the rod end the bearing is mounted in can become ovaled.

Don't wait to replace the bearing when it starts to make noise. It doesn't cost much and is easy to fix.

 

Hah. It took me 4 seconds of google to find a write-up.
https://adventuretaco.com/replacing-ads-spherical-bearings-again/

Is this Turbo? I get these guys mixed up, but their trips are always such good inspiration.

I guess I'll start getting into this.


edit: Any recommendations? These QA1 good?

 

Yeah, that's @turbodb

I'd stick with FK for spherical bearings.

 

Thank you for this tip, ill keep it in mind in my future maintenance logs.

 

COM-10T; .625" ID x 1.1875" OD​

Correct?

At this point I'm assuming all COM-10T are sized the same.

 

This is correct.

 

Glad you found this, and hope it helps!

Brett mentioned FK, so I'm going to pile on to that - you want to get a high quality bearing for this application.

More than just FK, I'm going to go with the stainless steel variant next time (well, a few times from now, I want to use up my existing COM-10T stock first), which for FK is FKSSX-10T.

The reason for this - which I sort of note in the previously linked article, is that once the bearing starts rusting, that rust acts as sandpaper and just eats away the Teflon. My hope is that the SS variety won't have that same issue, and the Teflon (always the first bit to wear out) will last longer. We shall see.

 

@turbodb

Thanks for the help, gentlemen! I'll order those bearings today. I'll definitely go with the ss variety, especially considering the winter climate I live in.

Any advice as to which misalignment spacers to get? I've been reading around, but info is hard to find, and there are a lot of different sizes out there. It would be nice to have a set on hand for when I swap the bearings out.

I'd email ADS, but looking at their website, it looks like they're slammed right now and not taking any questions. I'll email HeadStrong and see what they say....

 

When looking for replacement misalignment spacers, the ID of the spacer (the bolt size) on Tacoma's is 14 mm. A 9/16" ID misalignment spacer will not work as it will be too loose. The ID of the COM10T is 5/8" and I am pretty sure the mounting bracket width on your LCA is 1.5". Anyway, on a 1st gen that is what it is. On the ADS COs I've seen, the spacers are symmetrical, unlike some brands that have an offset to move the bottom of the shock away from the CV axle shaft.

IMO, you need to get the misalignment spacers from ADS. They will have exactly what you need along with bearings and snap rings.

 

I don't know if this is the place for this,, but I just got the UCA's from mcm Fab, and I'm saving for the ads shocks. I do have a taller shock on the front now though. Is there any advice or step by step with putting together these UCAs and installation?.

 

Contacted ADS, and as you would expect Tyler got back to me almost right away. Sounds like they make their own spacers, so I'll definitely be ordering from them.

 

How long did your shocks last? Mine only lasted a little over one year before I need to rebuild it. Honestly, speed bumps were really the only “off-roading” I did. Are there any guides out there or specifications like what oil and PSI these things take? I’ll contact ADS regarding details soon.

 

What's your indication that they need to be rebuilt? No judgement with that question, I'm just genuinely interested.

 

The driver side rear shock shows signs of oil stains. I took measurements and the driver side is compressed 1 inch shorter than the passenger. I have time to take them out today and fully check them out. I haven’t done it yet.

When I first got the shocks, I felt a difference in dampening. A couple weeks ago, every bump felt pretty rough so I checked them out and what I found led me to the conclusion of it needs to be rebuilt.