Mid Travel BS 2.0

think ive decided on some elka extended travel coilovers with dual compression adjustment

 

@jberry813 has a nice write up on Elka’s. They’re nice for OEM applications, but they do use a smaller shaft. I can’t remember if accutune has started carrying them or not.

 

yes ive seen that write up i believe. shaft size is a non issue when dealing with 5" of stroke for 1st gen coilovers imo. 3/4" is already double the size of stock or 5100s. Im in canada so its best to just order direct from elka.

 

Good deal, since the shaft doesn’t matter more power to ya. I have no experience, but they seem like a good option. Haven’t heard anything bad about em.

 

any places of 1st gen extended travel coilovers actually in stock? or any used ones around? Ive been getting some ridiculous wait times from every shock brand so far. 10 month wait on kings!!!

 

PM sent

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CRFC0vphFfm/

 

Any 10” 2.5 rr smoothie kings?

 

Man if they didn’t tell me it was perfect for overlanding I wouldn’t have known. Also it’s basically a trophy truck because it uses the same bump stops.


All jokes aside it’s nice seeing them make some big changes to their kit. Theirs was always towards the bottom of my liking due to a few design aspects. But this looks like a major improvement

 

TBH I’d rather see a manly 4.5 over kit with fabbed spindles and race hubs but I know they’re in the business of making money.

 

Of course, a 4.5 over with their fabbed spindle would be great. But it’s nice seeing an improvement in the market segment as far as mid travel goes. Moving the hub forward 1 inch and out 2 inches is nice for clearance, and that uniball pivot instead of bushings is a nice touch. I think that bump design is interesting. Since mid travel doesn’t have a lot of travel to work with, there might be some performance to be had by having such a massive bump setup. Might be appealing to some users not having to buy new shocks, but it’s definitely still a mid-travel setup.

 

I don’t seen the advantage over a secondary shock but you say raptor and trophy truck in the same ig post and you can make it rain.

 

It depends where it’s priced. Secondary shock on mid travel always seemed stupid to me because it’s a custom length to my knowledge and at that price you might as well go LT since you’re buying a new shock anyway.

Either way, it’s niche product being marketed to broverlanders. So who knows

 

Even a smooth body secondary is better than nothing. To me the main difference between mid and long travel expenses isn’t in the front - you can spend the same price point on the front and go mid or long travel, but the price, including drop in resale, changes with whether you want a rearend that hangs with the front.

Most guys on here see fancy sh*t and buy it - and it looks cool so of course who wouldn’t at first - but if looking at it and being transparent about the needs of the parts purchased for the vehicle and its use, the only activities that will differentiate how well your LT or MT can keep up is increasingly small.

 

I agree with you completely. Which is why, for someone who is looking at mid travel and wants aftermarket upper and lower arms, this kit might make sense. Definitely a small market within the rabbit hole that is suspension on our trucks. It's hard for me to define a build or user who's need this kit meets. But heck they're out there.

 

Idk what they’re asking but a JD or TC race +2 would be my go to or stock length TC or DK. Found out the hard way that even good companies don’t have their new products fully dialed right when they’re released.

 

Slightly confused at your label of this new kit being "mid travel." I guess there is really no clear definition between the two as far as numbers go, but are you basing this off the use of a stock length replacement shock? Is the shock travel how you identify each kit?

In that case, I would argue that they likely designed the kit with a different motion ratio and the shock is likely mounted inboard on the lower arm so they can net greater travel numbers without having to replace the shock with an 8". My concern would be the additional leverage applied to the shock would make valving for this kit vastly different from any other which is why they probably opted for a 2.5" bump on a slapper arm.

Either way, it's an interesting idea and exciting to see something new come to the market. Not for everyone but I definitely see this being for the "overland" market more than any other.

 

Here’s a video of it all mounted up. I’m still confused why that style of bump is beneficial


https://www.instagram.com/p/CRRYnSbBkyj/

 

Using a slapper arm allows the bump to contact the lower arm further out, therefore engaging much later in the travel. It's a solid concept and addresses why I personally don't like running bumps on these trucks up front but a 2.5" seems excessive for a Tacoma. I could be totally wrong though. I've not messed with the kit yet.

 

Ahhh, that makes sense. Pretty neat. I look forward to seeing travel numbers on this setup.