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

I have a question that hopefully, someone here can help me try and understand.

I just got done installing front and rears w/ resi on my '20 OR, and on the rears specifically after everything was torqued to spec and completed, I noticed that the body of the shock is able to spin around if you if you apply any force to the shock body. Nothing is loose and there is no rattling or odd behavior from the shock itself just this ability to spin once torqued. I have never experienced anything like this so I am quite perplexed by this different behavior especially when the OEM Billstein's were locked and could not be moved.

What I am looking to find out is 1. is this normal expected behavior of these shocks? 2. Am I missing something that should have been done?

Any help or insight is appreciated.

 

Not sure if I did mine correctly, but I wrenched the top nut all the way to the end of the threads. It takes a good amount of force to get the shock body to rotate. It has been this way for months with no issues.

 

This happened to my piggyback shocks, have some scarring on the shock body from it. I just tightened(probably way overtorqued) them up as much as possible and that seemed to help quite a bit

 

I noticed my piggybacks were pretty loose and was worried about rotation as well. I was able to get them tight enough to where they don't rotate easily.

 

So that is the thing. I torqued that top nut as far as I could, and that was when I first noticed the body and the resi hose was moving. So then I thought perhaps I need to actually have a wrench on the shaft top also, and there is no further torque that I can see to add by hand or even by any power/air tool.

To further clarify and make this confusing, it doesn't seem to rotate after a drive, however, if you apply any hand pressure or power to just that body you can move it fully with a good amount of force applied.

 

Maybe compare the exposed threads on top. Mine really don't move.

 

Yeah same amount of thread just on a quick look at this image compared to mine. Either way, I appreciate all your help, I am just not going to stress it. I torqued it as far as I could and that I think is that for now at least. I will keep an eye out for any scarring or random issues.

Thanks again guys

 

You’re only supposed to torque the top nut until it begins squishing the bushings. You’ll destroy the rubber bushings if you over torque the nut. That nut is also a nylock nut, so it won’t back out. All screw top shocks will have the ability to rotate, that’s just a flaw in the design of the mounting system. Orientate your piggy-backs so that gravity will keep the reservoir from rotating. Remote reservoirs don’t have to worry about it because the hose and resi keep the body from rotating.

 

As for adjusting i was told by Tim At ADS you can only adjust up another 1/2" or so or you will get coil binding. He said they were already adjusted at the factory

 

I checked mine today. The bushings aren't really buldging, but I think I'll back off the nut a little bit. Thanks

 

You want them to be snug. Just not deformed. If they aren’t bulging, leave them be, the bushings won’t expand if you loosen the nut, so best to leave them so they won’t be loose.

 

Hear are the measurements for the standard and extended length rear shocks from Headstrong:

HS-TT055-R25RRCA (0-2" rear lift):
Compressed:15.669
Extended: 24.0

HS-TT055-R25RRCA-EXT (2-3" rear lift):
Compressed: 16.579
Extended: 26.5

 

For anyone interested, ADS is now about 12+ weeks out.

 

If these are quoted times from ADS just go ahead and double it at least. I was told 9 weeks to build bypasses and tomorrow is week 21.

 

I spoke to Tyler today. Quoted 20 weeks.

 

I was told 5, am at 8, and they told me the production schedule for them was about 6 more weeks. So I'll just go ahead and expect 12 more

 

Are yours custom lengths or cerakoted by any chance?

 

Smaller companies are starting to feel it too. I was told 8 weeks in February from Locked Offroad. Still have nothing here in June. I think the 20-30 week lead times are going to be as standard now for anything custom or not part of a batch.

 

I wonder what the turn around time for a rebuild is?...I have to go through ADS for some of their more recent upgrades to be added to my older gen shocks

 

If possible I would go through one of their dealers. Im betting it will be way faster.