Coilover lengths

@xmikedentx , @dimead0zen :

Either of you guys have a chance to measure full travel with the King extended at the wheel ? I've got a call into Wheelers and they are trying to find additional data, but was hoping maybe you guys had some numbers too.

Thanks for a good thread!

 

What do you mean by test? I've wheeled the crap outta them and the results are incredible. Like floating on clouds. Earlier in this thread I provided the compressed and extended lengths, which came from King's corporate office when I called them.

 

What I meant, is how much travel are you getting AT the WHEEL with the extended travel king shocks and aftermarket UCAs? If I can get 10" I don't think I'll go long travel..

Hope that makes sense!

 

It makes sense... I haven't measured travel at the wheel at all yet. Why is 10" your magic number? Which shocks would you buy to go long travel with? Just wondering.

 

10" was just a number thrown out earlier. But TC says 11.5 with there +2 kit and all-pro says 12" With theirs. Getting 10" would probably not make it worth the extra money to me.

Thanks for your input!

 

Got it. Well you need to get UCA's and extended travel shocks plus the LCA's to go long travel anyways... So you could always do the UCA's and the shocks then test it out... If it suits your needs then you don't need to dump an extra $1,500+ in LCA's.

I guess I'm just saying LT is just what I got plus the LCA's... So you gotta get 2 outta 3 parts either way.

 

Hmmm I wonder if the extended length kings would work for the +2" kits (tc or all-pro)...

Then I could split the cost up some... But probably not I'm guessing...

 

What length shocks does TC or All-Pro recommend? Based on my research the EXT Kings would have the most droop and the same compressed length... so in theory they should work the best in terms of droop and travel with the +2" LT kits.

Am I missing something?

 

AHHHH: The LT Kit for TC has 2" extended UCA's. That makes sense. I guess it boils down to $$$$... I don't personally think it's worth it for me, what you gain in off road performance with LT you lose in your wallet, your on road performance, and you end up constantly fiddling with it.

 

You cannot use the normal extended coilovers for stock length control arms with a long travel kit. Every long travel kit has their own longer custom length shock spec'd out for them.

 

Exactly! That's why I'm wondering what kind of travel you are getting with yours.

It may not be worth it for me.

I just wish Toyota still put a solid front axle under these things!

 

I figured that was the case.

 

So what is the total advantage of the extended travel kings? I'm having a hard time finding out exactly what the advantage is, or what is needed to take full advantage of them.

Can you guys fill in the blanks for me?

 

Just like everyone has mentioned. It will give you more wheel travel. It is recommended to run a Uniball UCA to get the most out of it! The Uniball will provide more articulation.

It's all about performance and suspension movement.

Do you want more wheel travel? Get the extended travel and aftermarket UCA's.

If you don't care, don't get them at all!

 

Do you have numbers? I'm sure you sell a nice product, and carry others, and I might just buy some of them, but I'm not seeing any real world numbers on the extended kings with UCA's vs regular Kings with UCA's.

I might add- in my research I have had conversations with TC and King, and from what they are saying, I'm not going to gain much.

 

The main reason why I would want extended travel coilovers and UCA's to gain about an inch or so more of droop is because when you lift the truck, you are losing downtravel. Especially the 3rd gen guys that want to lift another 3" higher than stock. At that height, the truck has very little droop left. You gain back at least an inch from the droop you lost from lifting it. That plays a big role in how good the truck will ride because you won't be topping out your coilovers over every bump.

 

That makes good sense. That is the kind of info I'm looking for.

So theoretically, if you gain back an inch of droop, if most Coilover lifts get 8.5 inches of travel, with extended coilovers I would be at ~9.5 inches right? Does that sound about right?

 

Sounds right. That inch gained makes a difference when you are riding at the end of your coilover's travel.

 

Seems to be the consensus...

 

So I went with the 5100/886 combo for my truck. I read through this thread and a few others to make my decision, which was largely based on numbers. The 5100's from what I've read are 17.03 collapsed/22.56 extended. From these numbers, they are basically the same as the King/Fox/Icon options AS FAR AS EXTENDED/COLLAPSED NUMBERS GO ( I had to capitalize that because I know someone will get upset when comparing the brands). I know people buy the bigger brands because of the valving and rebuild ability. My question is, is that worth the almost 6 times the cost? I only ask because I've seen a few used sets that have made me think about purchasing them, but when I crunch the numbers, I'm happy with my setup. I'm also looking for just a touch more down travel.

Oh, and for a reference https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-tacoma-shock-info-compilation.232447/